Misdirection And The Irrationality Of Trust.

"I think I can confidently say this debt ceiling increase will avoid default, which is important for everybody in America to know: We are not going to have a default for the first time, and we're not going to have job- killing tax increases in it, and we will deal with the problem, and that's that the government has been spending too much,"

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)

Read that very closely and see if you notice what I did.

If you're anything like me, the part that sticks out is the unspeak term “job killing tax increases.” Now I'm not sure at what point a free ride for the wealthiest 2% to 3% of American citizens became an integral part of the economy, but I'm pretty sure that the reported 9.2% unemployment rate as of June 2011 and the fact that there is a debate about whether the United States will be able to pay it's bills might say something different. The government has been spending too much? I'm personally not sure that spending too much is really the issue here. The government isn't making enough money seems closer to reality, but as has been shown repeatedly in American politics over the last decade, “reality” is just a minor inconvenience to be stepped over. The fact that any rational individual can honestly believe that trickle down economics is viable at this point honestly blows my mind.

We have placed a financial burden on every member of the lower tax brackets, watched the country fall to this point as a result, and are now debating whether or not to continue on this path. It seems that certain people in positions of power believe that the Bush-era tax cuts just haven't had enough time to really show what they can do, and if we all just cross our fingers and hope really, really hard, everything will be just fine. We'll be able to have $1 gas at the pumps again, manufacturing will rebound, and we will forever be the number one superpower in the world. This is nothing short of insane, and I use such a strong term because this theory is so far removed from the reality as to be beyond irrational. These laissez-faire economics are not working. Using the term “job creating tax cuts” when it's obvious to anyone unsuccessfully seeking employment, is misdirection at its worst. The safety net that is supposed to be in place for these types of situations resembles nothing more than a thimble full of water at the bottom of a high dive. Yet, the rhetoric being tossed about recklessly by the main players in the debate ignores these facts and continues to sell the American people a dialogue that more closely resembles a script for a wrestling match than a serious debate about the financial responsibilities of a nation in crisis.

News reports on the subject of the debt ceiling's eventual agreement point to a toothless bill that will, in the long run, do nothing for anyone who actually needs assistance. It will cut costs on our most important programs we have in a time when they're needed more than anything while still not producing any sort of revenue. I don't claim to know everything there is to know about economics, but it seems like common sense that in order to exit a financial slump you need income. If you spend less money, that doesn't mean you have more money. It means that you spend less money that you don't have. That means that nothing changes, you're still in the same predicament you were in the first place. This is a self-evident concept to anyone who has ever had financial responsibilities. Maybe the issue here is that the people who are making decisions about our future don't understand how the rest of the people in the country live. Opinion polls, while sometime notoriously unreliable, in this case tell the simple truth that the majority of people want the Bush tax cuts repealed. They don't understand why they are shouldering the burden of carrying a country that seems intent of destroying them. Their voices are being ignored. It's a disturbing occurrence indeed, but what makes it truly sick is that no one is surprised in the least. We all know that expecting our current government to have our best interests in mind is delusional, at best. Even as we are bled dry by the corporate oligarchy and it's control of Washington, they lie to our faces about how they are concerned for no one but us. They continue to take, while giving nothing back. The worst part? When they reach a thirteenth hour deal to miraculously save us from the disaster that they themselves are responsible for, we will all applaud our elected officials as heroes and go back to watching Dancing With The Stars like nothing happened.

And that's just wrong.






Update: Seems like I hit the nail on the head with this one.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/01/unemployed-debt-ceiling-deal_n_914801.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009