To The Brink. For The Sheer Hell Of It
Americans were subjected to a series of highly unfortunate soundbites on Sunday, as US lawmakers sought to capitalize on one another's ineptitude ahead of what promises to be a truly absurd week in Washington.
In remarks to ABC, Nancy Pelosi chafed almost immediately at the suggestion that the situation is somehow anomalous even by the standards of DC brinksmanship.
George Stephanopoulos set the stage, calling the next several days "make or break."
"More than a trillion dollars for infrastruc
Spot on, yet again.
How discouraging.
H-Man, when I was a young regulator, we recommended legislation that would provide protection for the consumer but lessen certain regulatory requirements on the industry. The bill failed miserably. A lobbyist sauntered up to me after the bill had been eviscerated in a committee hearing and reminded me “Laws are like sausages. It is best not to see them being made.” Otto von Bismark.
The scary thing is 150 years ago Bismarck was already left of Joe Mancin
We have the Prince to thank for Social Security, enacted in 1889 in Germany. A program which promised to pay retirees reaching the age of 65 and disabled workers a lifetime pension. His program wasn’t as expensive as ours because life expectancy was well below 65 (why that age was chosen). Actually, Von Bismark was considered a staunch conservative.
Not terribly accurate, the average does not tell you much given how many died in childhood. If you made it to 50 you could expect to live to 72 and if you made it to 65 you could expect to make it to 77. I do not think childhood deaths really changed the calculus of how many would work a lifetime then collect Social Security.
I’m not sure I understand who the voters are in the middle who will change their minds depending on whether the Democrats are able to pass their legislative agenda–the apparent audience for the ads that will follow from the success or failure of the various obstructionist strategies. Apparently there are some, and they have to be idiots if they somehow see this as a test of ability to govern. If you’re upset with the Democrats for not having enough votes to pass their agenda, does that mean that you should vote for Republicans?
We live in the dumbest time.
Term Limits. ASAP.
Perhaps but I’m not sure that electing a new crop of young dumb legislators every ten years or so is any better than what we have now. AOC?
A sell-off caused by debt ceiling posturing is almost the definition of a dip to be bought, isn’t it?
Admittedly not the largest sample size, but the hit rate on such a trade is approximately 100%.
I hope so… because if it isn’t then it would indicate something terribly foul has occurred, something like a controlled demolition of the economy by the political right. They may be ready to try that… I mean it basically makes them a shoe in to win next time right? Better for the trains to run on time under Fascism than to attempt to continue Democracy only to be thwarted by Fascists. Because we have already seen nothing is to be done about the Fascists.
That’s the part that really frustrates me. Can’t the Democrat leadership realise they’re no longer dealing with a loyal opposition and/or “colleagues from the other side of the aisle”. Republican elected members are, by and large, domestic enemies.
They may think extreme means are necessary to triumph over America-destroying liberals but we never gave foreign terrorists that kind of benefit of the doubt.