Whats different is that Bela Pelosi doesn't set the agenda anymore and block any republican proposal in committee while screaming. Obstructionism with every hotflash.
Duh! On Nov 11, 1:46 pm, MJ <[email protected]> wrote: > Post-Election Postmortem: What's Different? Charles Hugh Smith > (November 4, 2010)So the House of Representatives changes hands; what's > different? Beneath the media frenzy: not much.A "throw the bums out" mid-term > election left more than a few bums untouched,but the corporate-financed > Republicrats did manage to wrest the House of Representatives from the > investment bank-greased palms of the Demopublicans. > (Note to Nevada: did the popping of the Las Vegas real estate bubble so > dispirit you that you couldn't even rouse yourself to kick the twitching > carcass of Harry Reid off the back of the pickup truck?) Speaking of > twitching carcasses, let's proceed with our post-election postmortem.1. The > Republicrats want to roll back Obamacare.So the fraud-riddled, > incomprehensibly complicated, out-of-control Obamacare that absorbs 20% of > the nation's GDP like a black hole will be jettisoned in favor of the > previous fraud-riddled, incomprehensibly complicated, out-of-control sickcare > "system" (and I use the word loosely) that absorbed 20% of the nation's GDP, > twice the per capita cost of other advanced post-industrial nations such as > Japan and Germany. > Can you spell "competitive disadvantage"? Squandering 10% of our GDP on > "defensive medicine" tests, meds, procedures and other sickcare is the > equivalent of a 10% VAT tax (value-added tax) on the entire U.S. economy. > Do the Republicrats have any Grand Plan to actually revolutionize sickcare, > pre-Obama or otherwise? No. Their "plan" is to channel 20+% of the GDP to the > same sickcare cartels which ruled the roost pre-Obamacare and post-Obamacare. > Please excuse my lack of enthusiasm for a return to insurance companies, Big > Pharma et al. skimming 20% off the top of the economy while the health of the > citizenry measurably declines every year. > Welcome to heck, America. Your "healthcare" is the "plan" of choice here in > Heck. The Devil is a huge fan of your "system."2. The political class will > continue blaming China for its own excesses and appalling avoidance of > responsibility.Let's see how the scapegoating works when China's stupendous > credit/real estate bubble pops. > Blaming others is a time-honored dodge, but does it actually solve any > problems? Isn't that what adulthood is about, accepting responsibility? (Note > to incoming Republicrats: strong economies have strong currencies, weak > economies have weak currencies. Allowing the Fed to crush the U.S. dollar is > not a pathway to a robust economy.) 3. The Republicrats want to reduce the > Federal deficit but they are terrified of losing support should they call > Americans on their grotesque hypocrisy.Slash deficit spending, but leave my > entitlements and fiefdom alone. > That is another feature here in Heck: permanent adolescence, where everyone > is throwing a pathetic, spoiled-brat tantrum: that they "earned" their > entitlement and their share if the swag. So calls to reduce Central State > expropriation boil down tointernecine conflict between protected fiefdoms(a > favoriteSurvival+term), i.e. cut the other guys' swag but leave my "deserved" > swag untouched. > So after an appropriately earnest speech or two about "fiscal > responsibility," (hahahahaha, to quote the Mogambo Guru), the Republicrats > will cave and pick up their old habits of borrow-and-spend. > Adjustments will be made, of course; those leeching "99ers" collecting > unemployment will be axed, and we'll appropriate those billions to the > wonderfully supportive government of Pakistan, which can't do enough to > further our goal of establishing a friendly "government" (and I use the term > loosely) in Afghanistan. > (Sarcasm off.)4. The SEC, Treasury and the Federal Reserve will keep the > shadow banking system of off-balance sheet "assets" and other trickery > intact, lest their beloved "too big to fail" banks encounter a spot of > bother.5. The Federal Reserve'szero-interest-rate policy will continue > backfiring.Only the wealthy benefit from rising financial assets, as average > Americans take on more debt and grow poorer. Worse, risky speculation is > again being rewarded. If you doubt this, just look at the U.S. stock market. > The heart of the Federal Reserve's policy to extricate the nation from the > lasting grip of a deep recession is in essence a variation of what's known as > "trickle down economics." The government aims to boost the net income of the > wealthiest Americans, so that as these top earners spend, their wealth will > "trickle down" to average Americans via service and production jobs. > As we all know, that's worked astonishingly well the last two years, if you > ignore the decline in household income. 6. The Global Empire will continue, > untouched by inconsequential political posturing in the home country.7. Those > who profited so immensely from the systemic fraud and embezzlement at the > heart of the financial crisis/credit bubble/mortgage-MBS debacle will remain > free to enjoy their ill-gotten gains.Republicrats are "tough on crime" only > if you're dealing drugs; if you've skimmed hundreds of millions of dollars, > then they're your good buddies as long as you share the spoils with them via > campaign contributions. In other words, in terms of law enforcement, > Republicrats are hypocrites. The Demopublicans wouldn't dare proscute their > Power Elite banking/mortgage pals, and neither will the Republicrats.8. > Systemic risk will continue to be mispriced or shoved under the carpet via > "extend and pretend."I've asked three experts from Japan to pantomime how > well this non-strategy > works: http://www.oftwominds.com/blognov10/post-election11-10.html -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. 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