Is it "save us from disaster", or is it "create a deeper disaster"?

Democracy has disappeared in several other great nations -- disappeared not because the people of those nations disliked democracy, but because they had grown tired of unemployment and insecurity, of seeing their children hungry while they sat helpless in the face of government confusion, government weakness, -- weakness through lack of leadership in government. Finally, in desperation, they chose to sacrifice liberty in the hope of getting something to eat. We in America know that our own democratic institutions can be preserved and made to work. But in order to preserve them we need to act together, to meet the problems of the Nation boldly, and to prove that the practical operation of democratic government is equal to the task of protecting the security of the people.

Not only our future economic soundness but the very soundness of our democratic institutions depends on the determination of our Government to give employment to idle men. The people of America are in agreement in defending their liberties at any cost, and the first line of that defense lies in the protection of economic security. Your Government, seeking to protect democracy, must prove that Government is stronger than the forces of business depression.

History proves that dictatorships do not grow out of strong and successful governments but out of weak and helpless governments. If by democratic methods people get a government strong enough to protect them from fear and starvation, their democracy succeeds, but if they do not, they grow impatient. Therefore, the only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control over its government.

We are a rich Nation; we can afford to pay for security and prosperity without having to sacrifice our liberties into the bargain.

FDR, 4/14/1938

Our nation used to execute traitors. Now we pretend that they are something else and shower them with votes or money or the respect due a real citizen. Hold on to your handbaskets folk, our speed seems to be increasing.

The most frightening thing they are preparing to pass is the notion of a Super Congress to push through legislation dreamed up by the Super Congress appointees. The Super Congress will subvert the constitutional balance of power, as they will answer to no one but themselves.

The budget 'deal' is evaluated by a college professor friend this way:
1) Seniors are 95% safe now and future Seniors are 90% safe
(I am sure she means from the draconian cuts the TEAs wanted.)
2) Defense spending will be cut 18% per year. (Does anyone remember the last time there were ANY cuts there?)
3) The BUSH tax cuts for the ultra wealthy and corporations will EXPIRE (on the date they are scheduled to expire) 3 months before the 2012 elections. Then the tax rates will revert back to those of the Clinton years.
4) Subsidies to oil (Big OIL, that is) and farm subsidies are open to be cut or eliminated.
5) Education, re-education or re-training programs will be cut 20%.

Re #5: If all those financial geniuses like Buffett, Gates, and the guy at Apple would contribute 1 tenth of their gross profits for ONE year, public education would benefit, jobs would be created (instead of firing good teachers like here and Statewide!).

So instead of all this hands wringing, please check into the details. And then ask ALL our GOP/TEA politicians: When are you going to do one thing FOR America? Still NO jobs. Still no help for small business. Still no support of clean energy/wind power, solar...this would also create GOOD jobs, not coal miner jobs, or dangerous oil well jobs. Good, safe jobs. With workers' rights and benefits.

Any questions?

Here's an explanation of the deal from Jared Bernstein, Biden's former economic advisor.

–$1 trillion in cuts in discretionary spending over 10 years

What does that mean? It refers to the non-entitlements in the budget: defense and non-defense programs where dollar amounts are appropriated every year. On the non-defense side, it’s transportation, education and training, child care, housing assistance, health research, energy.

From a jobs perspective, a lot of infrastructure and investment in stuff like clean energy comes out of this part of the budget.

His take on the Cat Food Commission II is pretty interesting, too, particularly on the "trigger".
But his conclusion is priceless. Definitely worth the read.

A super secret supercommittee to make the "hard" decisions for us. John Adams must be spinning like a top.

Pretty dramatic. Never saw that coming. Aren't we lucky to have such heroic political leadership? They are our saviors.

That little shit David Drier, who now must be considered a political moderate (gawd save us), spent his first big, drawn out response on NPR this morning proudly boasting how the House Leadership stayed up so late last night and successfully got the new stink bill posted up on the web, presumably to satisfy insomniac masochists all over this (formerly) great land.

In the wake of their vote to keep the Lesser Depression in place, how about:

"The Democrat [ick] Party: Returning to the Olde Deal"

or maybe,

"The Democrat Party: Bringing Back the Not-So-Great Society"?

Or my favorite:

"The Demoralized Party: Just like the Republicans, we're driving straight for the cliff, but we take our foot off the accelerator once in a while!"

What's artful about this "deal" is that it has built-in time bombs that will guarantee more cuts, thus starving more oxygen from our economy that's already on life support.

Add to that big corporations sitting on huge piles of cash that they're not reinvesting (and banks that are sitting on even bigger piles of cash that they aren't lending) because there's "no demand."

Add that to the big corporate employers who are not only not hiring but also laying off because "there's no demand," thus further weakening demand, not to mention state and federal tax revenues.

It's a perfect (manufactured) storm for Obama, and he let himself get maneuvered into his own corner where continued economic weakness is now virtually guaranteed.

Rick Perry will be your next president.

I thought the Confidence Fairies were supposed to be pacified by our bold compromise... Link

Quote of the day:

I keep saying I am not a Democrat because I have no idea what their economic policy is, and I am not a Republican because I know EXACTLY what their economic policy is. That is our policy choices: Inept cluelessness on one side, and hapless fantasy-based lunacy on the other.

Except that any primary challenger to an incumbent is doomed in the general election.

You know, it's possible that this "super committee" thing is actually well played by the left. Reid is already saying that it's going to require new revenue to get a deal. McConnell is already saying he'll only appoint people who won't raise taxes in any way. The deal is, though, that no deal yields automatic cuts, including many that folks on the right don't want.

As such, come Thanksgiving, the Right will be in a position where intransigence over refusing to ask more from the wealthy will yield cuts in defense spending that they don't want, and it will pitch one right-wing policy purity position against another. Sure, there are also spending cuts that the left won't like, but this time the consequences aren't anything the Michelle Bachmanns of the world can pretend won't be real. In the most recent fight she and her ilk simply pretended that the consequences of failure to raise the debt ceiling were fictional, and thus imagined no downside to refusing compromise. Next time, it's in black and white. No compromise? Fine. Cuts will be automatic, and here's what they'll be, and here are the related constituencies who will burn your political future to the ground.

(link...)

#3 is the 14th amendment. #1 and #2 are more creative and wouldn't chance impeachment proceedings.

Juanita Jean's take on a Rick Perry candidacy.