You've heard of the so-called "fiscal cliff" by now. It's when all of the Bush tax cuts expire and taxes will increase markedly at that moment – that moment being midnight on December 31st. Some say it's not a cliff, but a nice even downward slope. We have lots of time to figure this out. If we pass the date, so be it. Besides, the Republicans can and will be successfully blamed if it really is a cliff.
The truth is, we've already fallen off that cliff. We fell off that cliff long ago. It really wasn't a cliff. It is more like a really steep slope and we are hurtling down it in our big red wagon. What we are about to do is speed up our decent. Rock bottom is closing in and our figurative wagon has no brakes that we can find. That handle, over there that says "tax increase", if we pull on it a little, we might slow down a tiny bit, but it won't be long before we are going faster than before.
There is another handle that says spending cuts. It won't do much either.
We are broke. We are beyond broke. If we were a family or a company, we would have been forced into bankruptcy years ago. If nothing substantial is done, we are on track to meet financial Armageddon sometime after 2030. That will be when our revenue will not even be able to fund the interest on our national debt, Social Security, or Medicare Those three things will consume all of our revenues and then some.
These are 2013 expenditures:
Non-discretionary spending:
$820 billion (22%) Social Security payments
$811 billion (21%) Medicare/Medicaid/SCHIP payments
$246 billion ( 6%) interest on the National Debt
$583 billion (15%) other ‘mandatory’ payments (including TARP)
Discretionary spending:
$700 billion (18%) national defense
$565 billion (15%) other ‘discretionary spending’
$ 97 billion ( 3%) Overseas Contingency Operations (war supplemenetals)
This is projected revenue:
$1,294 billion (34%) individual income taxes
$990 billion (26%) social insurance (FICA/Medicare)
$365 billion (10%) corporate income taxes
$234 billion ( 6%) other taxes & duties
Do the math here. It ain't pretty. Obama's tax on the rich will hardly make a dent.
There is no way we can keep this up. There is no way we will not crash and burn at some point and if you think there will be police or an army, think again.They won't exist.
We need to do what Congress and this President is unwilling to do. Spending must be slashed. Social Security needs to be means tested and certain entitlements must be cut back. It will be painful but we will survive it.
Here's the deal. Our economy has increasingly been shredded. Corporations have fled oppressive taxation, regulation and unionization. Blame is universal. The Republicans are at fault as much as the Democrats. Our economic base has eroded and we have not compensated for it with our government spending. We have a shrinking economic base and an expanding entitlement base. We will have to support more seniors with fewer younger workers. It's pure arithmetic. Fewer workers, an even smaller economic base and more takers (to include the poor) will not end well.
I suggest you take steps now, because in a few years, it will be too late.
We have fallen and we may not be able to get up.
VW
ELOI Alert: File this under "YGTBSM"
Teacher placed on leave for questionable Facebook posting
http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9781795&nav=menu1362_10
You know what? Present-day parents, and especially modern teachers and media types never cease to amaze me with just their....Eloi-like outlook on things. The fact that people, anywhere, are "surprised" by acts of violence, with that stupid, vacant puppy-dog look that says "What is this 'violence' of which you speak?" God Almighty! (this little bit was not inspired so much by the story itself, but by the station editor's blog entry and the perspective of some of the parents). I call people like this the "first to be eaten" when XYZ disaster (Posleen, Zombies, whatever) happens, because that's what their mentality has made them perfect for.
Lt Col Dave Grossman wrote a book recently called "On Killing" and he's also one of the guys behind the "Sheep, Sheepdogs and Wolves" meme that runs around the net. I've bought his book but haven't started reading it yet, but I think I already disagree with his fundamental thesis - I think EVERY human being walking the planet, or the vast majority at least, has it in them to kill, or commit serious acts of violence given the right motivation and set of circumstances. Even the Eloi-parents mentioned in the story, I'm willing to bet, would go to ANY lengths necessary to protect the lives of their kids, and I'm willing to be the moms would be willing to commit acts 10 X WORSE than anything the dads could come up with, if push came to shove.
Now if you want to argue that the photo, with the teacher sighting up the camera, is a little over the top, I think that's just arguing semantics, something else that the three groups I mentioned in the intro seem really good at.
Here’s something else: I see this story as somewhat similar to this one.
And here’s the worst part. This will NOT change unless people like the woman in the original story, or Carol Thatcher in the second one, FIGHT BACK. As long as they keep taking the easy way out – the “it’s not worth it” approach to fighting back, it’s going to get worse, and worse.
I’ve had it with the damn Eloi running the show. It’s why I mean it, if I ever have children of my own, I’m homeschooling them, or at least sending them to a private school, Catholic or otherwise, that ain’t “ate up” like this.
Jeez Louise on a Sunday.
And if I seem disrespectful towards parents or what have you, bite me. Any parent who teaches their child to be a drone, not even capable of defending themself or naive enough to think they can kumbaya their way out of every situation is a failure. Teachers who do the same are grossly negligent in my book too.
Feb 8, 2009 8:45:11 AM | America, Basic Rant, Choices, Comments, Current Affairs, Education, Idiots, Laws We Don't Need, Moonbat Watch, MSM, MSM Watch, THIS JUST IN!