By J. Randolph Evans
In politics, it is called the ‘gel’ moment. It happens when thousands
of little dots floating around in American voters’ minds all connect to
create an image. In political terms, a ‘brand’ gets locked in and can
be almost unshakable.
For former Democratic Presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, it was a
picture of him sitting in an army tank with an over-sized helmet. For
President George Bush, … Read more...
By Les Dunaway
Well, Charlie Rangel thinks Congress looks like a ‘bunch of clowns’ for not raising taxes. I got a news flash, or two, for you Charlie. First, yes, many in Congress do look like clowns for their complete lack of understanding of economics. Second, they’ve been looking like clowns for decades. Oh, and by the way, there’s several in the Executive Branch wearing fright wigs, rubber noses and … Read more...
By Les Dunaway
Well, it happened. Just as the warnings foretold. When will there be some sign of adult behavior in Washington? During the debt cap discussions, the rating companies wrote to the President, the Senate and the House and pointed out that just raising the debt cap would not prevent a rating downgrade. Think about it! Would you see it as positive if your dead-beat neighbor bragged to you … Read more...
About 4 trillion dollars of additional debt was added to the amount of debt owed by The Treasury during the 8 years of the George W. Bush Presidency.More than another 4 trillion have been added during the two years of the Obama “presidency”.There is an important factor that makes a big difference in those two 4 trillion dollar amounts.
… Read more...One of our many problems is that we must have the gumption, the will and the courage to do something constructive about the immediate situation in order to make constructive changes to the longer term trajectory. There is no way to cause that to be a painless proposition. When aggregate expectations are at, say, 10, but the aggregate national capability set that is needed to meet and satisfy the expectations … Read more...
Observations©
By Donald S. Conkey
How did the United States Congress ever allow the government of the United States to reach a point where a financial crisis could seriously jeopardize America’s financial creditability if the debt limit is not raised by August 2, 2011? This current scenario is politics at its worst – and at its best.
Politics at its worst because the politicians have allowed this crisis to happen … Read more...
By J. Randolph Evans
No one knows just how the current federal debt crisis is going to play
out. Anyone who says they do, probably knows the least.
The polling numbers for everyone involved are horrible. Sixty-seven
percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong
direction. Forty-eight percent of Americans disapprove of President
Barack Obama’s performance as President. Seventy-three percent
disapprove of the job Congress is doing. … Read more...
By Les Dunaway
Well, it’s been a rough week! With every indication of more rough times to come.
The economy continues to sputter and 1Q11 was worse that we thought [read]
There’s lots of punditry about what the debt ceiling impasse will mean:
By Tom Kiser
This may fall into the category of kibbitzing about a technicality that no one cares about, but the United States Federal Government, as the issuer of our fiat money, cannot collect amounts of that same money and hold the money for future use. If money is collected regardless of by what method then the money must be spent near-real time, regardless of for what purpose, else the … Read more...
By J. Randolph Evans
What do Georgia judicial elections and reapportionment have in common?
Nothing, but maybe everything – especially in 2012.
In 2012, many statewide judges around Georgia, including a majority of
Justices on the Georgia Supreme Court, will be on the Primary Election
Ballot. Georgia judicial elections are supposed to be nonpartisan
affairs (although political parties and governors have been known to get
into a judicial race here … Read more...
By Les Dunaway
This past week has produced demagoguery and asinine statements which will echo down the centuries. However, for all its entertainment value, the conversation has resembled an ER team arguing about what color sutures to use in closing bleeding self-inflicted gashes. It all reminds me of a joke my nurse mother told about a patient who said to the doctor “Doc, it hurts when I do that.” To … Read more...
By J. Randolph Evans
The federal debt is over $14 TRILLION. How big is it?
$14 TRILLION.
To just count to $14 trillion, like 1, 2, 3, and so on, would take
448,000 years.
$14 TRILLION.
That is over $46,000 for every person in the United States (which is as
much as the average person working actually makes in an entire year –
$46,326); for a family of four, it … Read more...