Tea Party Brings U.S. to Brink of Economic Calamit

[brandonl337]

So, do these people genuinely belief that the US defaulting on it's debt is a good thing?
and if so...why?

[booley]

Jul 27, 2011 14:01:51 GMT -5 brandonl337 said:

So, do these people genuinely belief that the US defaulting on it's debt is a good thing?
and if so...why?

They hate government
They think government programs are bad (even as they benefit from those same programs)
They also hate taxes (even as it's those taxes that fund the programs that they they hate that they are benefiting from)

Default in thier minds would hurt the government, stop the programs and somehow mean less taxes.

That they are screwing themselves simply doesn't enter into it. In fact most don't even seem to know how they benefit from these programs they hate and when the system finally breaks down and they are unable to benefit any longer, it just reinforces the meme that government is bad.

It's an ideological position taken on faith. Like the Earth being 6000 years old or Obama being from Kenya.

[Damen]

Jul 27, 2011 14:54:12 GMT -5 booley said:

That they are screwing themselves simply doesn't enter into it. In fact most don't even seem to know how they benefit from these programs they hate and when the system finally breaks down and they are unable to benefit any longer, it just reinforces the meme that government is bad it's all Obama's fault and they should vote Republican/Teabagger.

Fix'd. ;D

[Dragon Zachski]

Jul 27, 2011 14:01:51 GMT -5 brandonl337 said:

So, do these people genuinely belief that the US defaulting on it's debt is a good thing?
and if so...why?

It's like those comic book villains that want to destroy the world and reshape it in their image.

[tolpuddlemartyr]

I don't know how this would actually work but some democrats are flagging using the fourteenth amendment to overrule congress.

Some legal experts cited in that article don't believe that's possible.

[SimSim]

Yeah, I'm still not sure how that'd work.

[brandonl337]

I reaaaally hope it doesn't come to that, the office of the president has too much power already giving it more doesn't help long run.

[HarleyThomas1002]

You know who else tried to destroy the US economy?

Cobra Commander. Even had a "recovery" plan and everything.

Although I don't think the Tea Party are anywhere near as "clever" as he is.

[Napoleon the Clown]

Jul 27, 2011 14:01:51 GMT -5 brandonl337 said:

So, do these people genuinely belief that the US defaulting on it's debt is a good thing?
and if so...why?

Because they're fucking stupid.

[tolpuddlemartyr]

This quote from the A Guardian piece entitled The Revenge of Trickle down Economics gives a different perspective on the whole fiasco.

Both sides agree that the US private economy is in such a poor and dangerous condition that it needs massive fiscal stimulus from the federal budget: classic Keynesian policy. Washington thus plans to spend roughly $3.5tn, while taking in tax revenues of roughly $2tn; hence a deficit of $1.5tn. In the light of such numbers, the debates of Democrats and Republicans over spending cuts likely to be of the order of $40-60bn are inconsequential. They become yet more inconsequential in light of the fact that the federal budget's projected deficit of $1.5tn will carry an annual interest cost of $40-60bn. That interest will be an additional budget outlay offsetting the likely cuts arrived at the end of loudly publicised debates over spending reductions.

Both sides agree that government spending will continue to follow the old "trickle down" theory, despite its failure to date. Massive federal outlays on the largest banks, insurance companies and selected other large corporations produced a "recovery" for them, but not in the rates of unemployment, home foreclosures and state and local austerity budgets that keep crippling the US economy. Federal largesse has yet to trickle down, but both parties proceed on the assumption that it eventually will. Neither party tallies the economic and social costs of massive unemployment, home loss and state and local austerity budgets. Neither party offers any alternative to "trickle down", as if no alternative exists or is worth debating.

Ordinary people are worried because of ordinary people things, lost jobs, high unemployment, social instability, frayed safety net. Do these things really concern those in Washington? I wonder.

[itachirumon]

On a related note, that "take away Obama's blank check" group has made yet another ad I just saw on CNN, it's more disturbing than the last one. This time it shows a shipping crate crane holding a bunch of crates representing debt, the stimulus, etc and even though it might not "crush us" oh look, our children are all under it! Cue the long-haired blonde girl whose eyes look vaguely like something out of uncanny valley frowning up at the camera.

While it's factually correct the debt will be inherited by our kids... something about the ads doesn't really sit right with me.... it just feels more like "hate obama, score political points" than "we're genuinely worried about the impact we're causing"

[shykid]

Jul 28, 2011 7:03:24 GMT -5 itachirumon said:

On a related note, that "take away Obama's blank check" group has made yet another ad I just saw on CNN, it's more disturbing than the last one. This time it shows a shipping crate crane holding a bunch of crates representing debt, the stimulus, etc and even though it might not "crush us" oh look, our children are all under it! Cue the long-haired blonde girl whose eyes look vaguely like something out of uncanny valley frowning up at the camera.

While it's factually correct the debt will be inherited by our kids... something about the ads doesn't really sit right with me.... it just feels more like "hate obama, score political points" than "we're genuinely worried about the impact we're causing"

Wow. Pure, unadulterated propaganda. It's not even wrong, because there's not even anything there to be wrong about—it's nothing but appealing to fear and emotion with scary imagery. The right-wing noise machine is not even trying to look rational anymore. I feel nauseated.

[itachirumon]

Exactly! The first one was basically "I'm just a momma, I can't pay my bills now, how'm I gonna provide for my kids with more debt? It's Obama's fault! Take away his blank check!" Well okay, the first part I get, mostly because I've lived/am living through it, except they take the totally reasonable and universal first part, and then blame Obama solely for it.

Alternatively, I wonder if we could use the shock imagery to make accusations of threat "Pass GOPlan or we'll drop hundreds of tons of shit on your kids!"