Big Lies

Fractured Factualities

The dingbat convention is finally over.  It seems like it lasted three weeks, because it should take that long to get all the lies told.  I’m sorry, it is no longer politically correct to use that term.  What we have experienced are “fractured factualities.”  Isn’t that better? 

Actually I watched perhaps 5 minutes of the entire convention.  There were two reasons for my refusal to listen to the gibberish.  First, I knew that if  I listened/watched this circus, I would get totally PO’d at all the lies.  Sorry, there’s that word again.  Secondly, the US Open was being televised, and to me, that was a hell of a lot more honest.

One time before the convention, while listening to some dingbats orating about their plan, whatever that is, I started to write down all the lies I heard.  Unfortunately I soon ran out of paper. But, there were a few that I remember.

First, Lush Limbaugh, the darling of the teabaggers, stated that the Obama Administration was falsifying the data to make it appear that Hurricane Isaac would hit Tampa, and thereby cancel the convention. This is so ridiculous it is funny!  Anyone who has watched the Weather Channel remembers them showing all the possible tracks generated by the computer models.  Yes, some of these “possible” tracks went over Tampa. Others predicted other paths, including the one actually taken.  But the Lush claims this was all a conspiracy.   Can you imagine how many people would be required to falsify the satellite pictures and the radar images to back up his conspiracy theory?  But, there are people out there who believe every lie he tells.  That’s what is frightening!

Second, a dingbat politician from Oklahoma claims that “global warming” is just a hoax, perpetuated by the Obama administration.  Do you suppose he really means that all those icecaps melting in Greenland are just a figment of our imagination?  Some people just cannot accept the truth.

 

Third, one imminent dingbat politician made a reference to “Obama’s Afghan War.”  I’m sorry, but I was awake and sober during those years, and I’m sure this war started in 2006 or maybe even before.  President Obama wasn’t elected until 2008.  If we have a President who can start a war before he is even elected, then he has exceptional powers, and we better keep him.

But from listening to and reading the blathering pronouncements by the dingbats, I think I have possibly uncovered parts of their platform, such as it is.  I think they want:

Less government, except when we have a flood, hurricane or tornado when more government aid is required;

A larger military establishment, which is rather confusing since the military is usually considered part of the government;

A couple of more wars, since we are only fighting 2 at the moment;

Less money spent on education, except we need to teach more “creationism” in the schools;

Less regulation and control of the banking industry since they (the banking industry) have promised they will not take us into another recession unless they find another really good sounding but totally stupid way to lose billions;

Less control and regulation of big business, thus creating a “trickle-down” of benefits to the middle class (in China, India, Brazil, etc.)

Gender and racial equality:  This is difficult to decipher, but I think they want:

African-Americans: back to the cotton patch;

Latinos: back to Mexico;

Women:  back to the 1920’s.  Their motto seems to be “Women’s place is in the kitchen, and she should go there immediately after work.”

But then that is my understanding of the current political climate.  You are invited to create your own.

More Dingbat politics

Dingbat Political Lies (often disguised as ads)

As I watch the political ads on TV, and listen to radio/TV interviews, I am convinced there is no limit to the nonfactual statements, twisting of the truth or outright lies pronounced by the dingbats. 

However, I am waiting for the ultimate TV ad  You know the one, you see it every day as some marketing firm tries to sell you a super deal on some useless gadget.  Here is what I think will be the dingbat version.

Now, for the first time on TV, the RNC Corporation is giving you this opportunity to own your own dingbat political slate.  If you order today, we will send you Mitt Romney AND Paul Ryan for only three easy payments $78 billion.  AMAZING!  This offer is not available in stores.  BUT WAIT!  THERE’S MORE! If you order within the next hour, we will double your order.  THAT’S RIGHT!  We will send you two Mitt Romneys and two Paul Ryans.  Just pay separate shipping and handling. But call this number now.  888-BIG-SCAM.  That’s 888-BIG-SCAM.  Call now!

The dingbats have me confused

I need some help here.  I realize my memory is not that good anymore, but I am certain that Mitt Romney was the Governor of Massachusetts not too many years ago.  While he was Governor the state enacted a very comprehensive health care law.  At its passage, Mitt declared that legislation as being the greatest thing since sliced bread, or something to that effect.

Now, Mitts seems to forget, ignore, pretend not or deny that he was ever the Governor.  He also states that the so-called Obama-care, which is closely patterned after the Massachusetts plan,  is "evil incarnate", the worst thing since Adam pulled a scam on Eve.

Now, this is confusing to me.  Tthe same arguments Mitt was using to support the Massachusetts health plan enacted while he was Governor (if he ever was the Governor) he is now trying to use against Obama-care.

Do you see why I am confused?  Was he the Governor? Did they pass a health plan?  Did he support it?  Or is this all just a figment of my imagination?

Of course by tomorrow this may all be a moot point.  Mitt has rather accurately been described as the "weather vane candidate".  If you don't like what he seems to believe, just wait a bit.  He'll probably change to your satisfaction.

In the interim, somebody please explain to me exactly what is happening.

Dingbat Lies

The dingbats are at it again.  I keep thinking we have finally seen the ultimate in low-down, dirty politics but they are super resourceful.  No matters how big a lie, or how dirty a tactic, they always manage to top it.

Now they want to revive the “birther” ploy.  These people just won’t accept the truth.  My God, so far we have seen the long form and the short form of President Obama’s birth certificate, all certified, verified and confirmed!  He was born in Hawaii.  His Mother was an American citizen, therefore he is an American citizen. End of discussion.

But no, now a functionary in Arizona tried to demand that he personally must be provided with a certified copy, sworn to and affirmed by everybody above the rank of traffic patrolman or he, the functionary, will not put President Obama’s name on the ballot.  Can you comprehend the audacity of this?  They have even brought back Donald Trump from wherever he has been hiding.  Of course they want his money (although they certainly haven’t received any of the big bucks yet) so they are willing to showcase him and let him bleat like a lovesick cow about the great conspiracy to disguise the birthplace.  George Will, the noted Conservative columnist, with whom I seldom agree, had it exactly right with his description of Trump as a “blithering idiot.”

The lies continue.  Now they claim that the Obama administration is spending more than any administration in history.  That is a lie!  Actual spending is lower now.  But to the dingbats, truth is a rather nebulous entity.  Remember back in the early days of the primary when one candidate made a totally false statement?  When the press caught him out on this, his staff tried to pass it off by saying “it was not meant to be a factual statement.”  No, it was meant to be a lie!

I have tried mightily to propose logical explanations for the continuing actions by the dingbats, but more and more I am resigned to one simple reason.  It is nothing more than pure racial bigotry.  There is a black man in the white house and they just can’t stand this, so they are willing to take the entire US down to catastrophe to achieve their goal of “racial purity.”  Sounds like something from Nazi Germany.

NC Amendment 1

The dingbats have spoken.

In North Carolina, a felon serving a life sentence in prison for murder can get married.

A gay couple who have been together for 30 years cannot.

Does that make sense to you?

Proposed Amendment 1

The proposed Amendment 1 to the NC Constitution is unconstitutional!  That sounds like a real oxymoron.  But consider:  One of the arguments in support of this amendment is that it will protect the sacrament of marriage.  The dingbats claim that "marriage" is a religious ritual, an essential part of "their" church.  Yet Amendment 1 of the US Constitution specifically bars any "...law respecting the establishment of religion..."  The courts have long held that the term "establishment" has far-reaching consequences. 


The rest of that portion of Amendment 1 has equally damning results.  It continues "or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."  What if my church believes in same-sex marriage, and considers that a sacrament?  This proposed amendment would prohibit that, again in direct conflict with the US Constitution.  Sorry folks, but the US Constitution trumps.


The dingbats apparently can't or won't understand the implications of what they are proposing.  Maybe somebody should sit down with the leadership and explain it to them.  

Proposed NC Amendment

I told myself that I should stay out of this argument, but I now realize that such total stupidity just cannot be ignored.

The proposed Amendment One to the NC Constitution is: take your pick

stupid,

totally unnecessary,

dangerous, due to the potential consequences,

so poorly written it is shameful,

will be an extreme waste of legal fees contesting it, if passed,

in short, is an abortion.

I am tired of religious dingbats telling me what I am supposed to think or believe. Now they are trying to put their beliefs into our Constitution. I guess they think that if they can only codify this, then that will give it legitimacy. No way, Jose! It will still be dumb!

I guess the best, clear argument against this can be simply expressed in this quote I borrowed from Face Book.

"Claiming that someone's marriage is against your religion

is like being angry at someone for eating a doughnut

because you are on a diet."

VOTE AGAINST AMENDMENT ONE

More dingbat stupidity

"Lush" Limbaugh, the darling of the ultra dingbats, has once again demonstrated to everyone that he is a world-class asshole!

This fat slob can sit behind his microphone and call someone a "slut" and a "whore", without fear of retribution. The college student he insults has no direct way to defend herself. Freedom of speech is wonderful, but there are time I wish we could temporarily suspend it just long enough for somebody to punch his lights out.

Someone should point out to the Lush that aspirin has another use besides his idea of contraception. If you hold one between your teeth, it is more difficult to make stupid statements. Someone really should explain this to the Lush, although I doubt he could understand it.

Really people, can you believe that some listen to this idiot and truly think they are hearing The Word? That is scary!

Dingbat Instruction Manual

How to shoot yourself in the foot?

Find a loaded pistol;

Aim at your foot;

Pull trigger.

OR there's another way.

Pick a topic of particular interest to women. Hold a Congressional hearing, but don't invite any women to participate or testify. After all, what do women know about women's health problems?

When pinned in a corner, claim the whole affair is (A) just a misunderstanding; (B) a war on religion or (C) a Socialist plot.

The second alternative seems to be less painful, at least in the short run. Only time will tell the ultimate effect, like at election time.

Dingbat stupidity

Now we have another example of total dingbat stupidity. This time it concerns availability (note that word) of contraceptives in hospitals, schools, or whatever operated by the Roman Catholic Church. This one I consider a perfect example of stupidity carried to a very high level.

Rick Santorum, The Gingrich, various Bishops, Arch-bishops, Cardinals, etc. are loudly proclaiming that the Obama administration has declared a WAR AGAINST RELIGION! To hear these people, you would think the Gov is going to tackle, hold down, tie up and force good Catholic women to take contraceptives.

What a total crock of BS! The rules say make it available. If they want to take it, Fine. If not, that's fine also. It's their decision, not the government. I suspect that the higher ups in the Catholic empire just might fear that if these are available, more "good" Catholics just might take advantage of the availability. But, it is their decision.

I am truly amazed how the dingbats have tried to convert this into an "Obama war against religion." It is also amusing to see how pious The Gingrich can be when disclaiming on this subject. When considering his background, it exceedingly difficult to accept any of his pronouncements on religion with a straight face.

Keystone Pipeline

The dingbats are at it again. Apparently in the dingbat world, you can say anything without regard for facts. This often leads to some really stupid pronouncements carried on national media.

One of the dingbat poobahs, speaking on national television, stated that the Keystone Pipeline was absolutely necessary to reduce our dependence on "foreign oil." Looks like this particular politician is a spokesman for the "awl bidness" as they say in Texas. But I have to wonder what rock he lives under.?

This pipeline is designed to carry sour crude, extracted from Alberta tar sand, to refineries in the Houston area. Last time I checked the atlas, Alberta is in Canada and Canada is not in the United States. Ipso facto, this will be "foreign oil."

This pipeline is designed to cross the Ogallala Aquifer, the major source for water in the central US. A bad leak in that area would prove disastrous.

Those target refineries are clustered in the Houston area. That makes it very convenient for a major hurricane, or terrorist action to take them all out. For what this pipeline is going to cost, it seems to me that it would be cheaper to build a new refinery in Wyoming.

As for the claim that no tax payer money will be involved, if you believe that, I have some Las Vegas real estate and some Nigerian treasury bonds I will sell you at a real good price.

Political polling

To all you pollsters out there busy earning your fees. I have some very important news for you. I'm writing this very slowly, so you can understand it.

You have bombarded me with your poll results, three or four or even more every day. If a candidate so much as hiccups you produce a new poll supposedly explaining how this will affect the voting decision for some obscure section of the electorate.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

So what if your latest poll shows that 3.28% of red-headed step-children registered as independents and living in the three westernmost counties of South Carolina are still undecided?

I DON'T CARE!

I am very patient, and happily willing to wait until election night to find out all these exciting things. So please go someplace else. Maybe in Finland, or China or perhaps in southern Tasmania the natives might be interested in such drivel. So do us all a favor. Go there!

A Travesty

There seems to be a common thread in the news concerning any major university. It goes like this:

University cuts faculty and staff.

Programs eliminated or drastically curtailed.

Tuition increased.

Football coach gets a million dollar raise.

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that there is a major problem here. The regents have collectively lost their ever-loving minds!

Maybe it is time we got our priorities straight.

More Dingbat idiocy

The Head Dingbat has now proposed another example of sheer idiocy. The Gingrich wants Congress (presumably he means the House) to have the power to subpoena so-called "activists" judges to appear before Congress where they would be forced to explain their rulings in certain cases.

I don't know about you but this sounds like a Star Chamber proceeding to me. Somebody needs to take The Gingrich aside and explain to him about the Constitution.

Of course the reasoning behind the judges' rulings are contained in their written opinions. Maybe the Dingbats don't read too well? Maybe they don't understand the legal terminology and want it explained in more simple terms? Maybe they just want more time before the TV cameras?

Such a proposal could have merit, IF it included one other provision. The Federal Courts should have the power to subpoena Congress, or members thereof, to explain why they passed some totally stupid legislation, or why they caved in to pressure from lobbyists, or just why they have failed to perform their elected duties.

Our Constitution provides for three separate but equal branches of government. What is fair for one should be equally fair for another.

Go Green

Go GREEN---recycle Congress.

That’s the latest quip floating around on Facebook. But, really thinking about it, this might well be good advice. Since our present Congress has repeatedly demonstrated that they are incapable of performing their duties, maybe it is time to replace them. Were this a business, and we had hired a crew to perform some tasks, and they proved incompetent or venal or just plain stupid, we would fire them and go look for replacements.

Of course there is a down side to this. What might we get as replacements? When we were discussing local elections, my old Daddy gave me some sound advice. He said “Boy, always vote for the incumbent. He has already stolen all he’s going to get. A replacement would have to start fresh, and it would cost more in the long run.” What we might get as replacements could be a major disappointment.

I am constantly amazed at some of the statements coming from the dingbats. Now they are attributing “mystical powers” to President Obama. Just recently I heard another reference to “Obama’s Afghanistan War.” I was around at the time, and I’m sure that war started in 2002, long before he was elected. I have also seen references to “Obama’s TARP Program” you know, the one that was started during the last year of the Bush Administration. Any President with the powers to do things like that even before he is elected is one we probably should keep. Those sorts of powers might come in handy.

Just today I heard the ultimate in Dingbat mendacity. This came from the Romney campaign, which I thought would have had more class. They took an excerpt from a speech by President Obama in 2008, where he was quoting a statement by an aide to Senator McCain. They very conveniently omitted that part of the speech where President Obama stated he was quoting the aide, to make it appear that this was a factual statement by the president. Now that is the epitome of low-class dirty politics. The idiots should have known the media would check this out and expose their perfidy. They don’t care! There are lots of people out there who will believe this sort of lie. Heaven help us if the Dingbats get in power!

Science is not a Liberal conspiracy.

Dingbat humor

I stand corrected. I feared that this political season would prove to be bereft of humor. That would be a dismal prospect, for there certainly is no worthwhile humor on commercial TV. But, I am pleased to report, that the dingbat candidates have introduced a marvelous brand of humor into the campaigns. I guess we can call this brand of humor “listen to what I say but don’t believe a word of it because I’m going to contradict it in the next sentence.” You have to listen fast and loose, because any truth in any statement is fleeting.

During the Las Vegas debates, how many times did we hear this sequence: “The government is too big, too intrusive, too complicated, and must be cut back, reduced or eliminated?” Then the next sentence was: “The government should be doing more about this problem, or spending more on that problem.” Make up your mind dingbats!

It is amusing how the same people who rant about how government is so intrusive are perfectly willing to have the government dictate how we think or what we believe. If the dingbats have their way, your ideas about same-sex marriage or abortion will be rigidly controlled. They would pass laws telling you what you can believe. That is a croc! As my old grand-daddy said, “ain’t nobody gonna tell me what I can think.”

One of the other really humorous items concerns taxes. Now, this is not normally a funny subject. Nobody likes to talk or even think about taxes. But a couple of the dingbats have introduced some humor into this discussion. They didn’t intend to introduce humor into this rather serious subject, but it happened. Now, it is well known to anyone who has followed all the debates, discussions, forums, interviews or any other means used to introduce personal beliefs, that the dingbats are not great supporters of education. They also seem to demonstrate a deficiency about simple arithmetic. I’m not talking rocket science here, or even math, just simple number manipulation. They have proposed the infamous 9-9-9 plan, or a “flat rate tax plan,” Both are regressive, more onerous on the lower income groups, but their proponents just can’t seem to grasp this.. Here is a simple example: family A has a gross income of $30,000 per year; family B has one of $100,000. Both families buy $100 worth of groceries. The tax for each is $9.00. But for family A, that is .0003% of their annual income. For family B, that is .00009% of their income. What is so difficult to understand about this? Any flat rate tax hurts the lower income classes more.

“Two-Gun” Perry firmly believes that the only solution to all our problems is to support (turn loose) the “awl bidness” as they say in Texas. “Drill, Baby, Drill” is his motto. Of course if we follow his advice, in 4-5 years we might have some improvement, at least in Texas, but also a hell of a lot more pollution. But then, that’s the price one must pay for success.

Also, the head lady dingbat has chimed in with a solution to all the health care problems. According to her, we don’t need any form of government sponsored health care. The hospitals and various charitable organizations have enough money on hand that they can take care of all the indigent people. Now that would be hilarious if it wasn’t so pathetic. Do these people think, or is this merely propaganda learned but not understood?

I suppose if you listened to FOX News all day, then you too could memorize and then repeat outrageous statements, incorrect facts or just plain lies.

The Republican dilemma

I almost feel sorry for the Republican dingbats. They have some serious problems, and apparently no idea how to solve them. Some of their problems are self-inflicted, but others just because history has caught up with them.

One of their problems is rather comical. They are having just one hell of a time trying to remember all the things they used to be against but now favor, and vice versa. Maybe someone should build them a good cheat sheet. Of course that assumes they can read.

The Congressional dingbats have another problem. They can’t decide where their allegiance lies. Is it to America, to the district that elected them, or to Grover Norquist. This could evolve into a real problem if their electorate begins to get a little nervous. Another election for the House is always just around the corner.

Now the dingbats have a new problem. Religion has reared its ugly head into the primary campaigns. I, for one, welcome this. I was getting a bit bored with the campaign since Sarah is out and Michelle has disappeared off the radar. I depended on those two for some comic relief. But now we will be entertained by some fanatical “religious” persons saying some rather stupid things in a most pious manner. Some of these I define as self-proclaimed born-again, holier than thou, I’m right and you’re wrong sanctimonious windbags.

The fun here has already started. Poor Rick Perry, who has not scored well in the debates, had to find a spokesman. Who else could he find than a Southern Baptist preacher from Dallas? If you understand Texas politics, you know this is natural. But, in the process of attacking Milt Romney and his Mormon Religion, they have accidently or not attacked all other Protestants. Listen carefully to what this preacher says. By his definition of what constitutes a “Christian” he excludes most all the other protestant churches. This may become interesting.

It is also interesting to watch how the dingbats can ignore the problem of unemployment. I have yet to hear of any proposal for job creation from that side of the aisle. They just can’t seem to realize that job must be created. Action is required! All I am hearing is the same disproven platitudes that if we just eliminate all business regulations and reduce all taxes then everything will be fine. The best economists calculate that this action would show some results by 2015. It is Reagenomics all over again. Big business prosperity will trickle down to the working class. That much is true, but now the working class is in China or India.

They also can’t grasp the concept that massive budget reductions involve massive lay-offs of personnel. We have enough unemployment now. Why add to it?

Oh well, the next few months may be fun.

Dingbat mendacity

In normal times, I like to watch MSNBC, FOX and CNN news, hopefully to get a balanced view of current events. I find I can no longer watch FOX, because I can’t stand the distortions, false innuendos and outright lies they promulgate.

In the past week, I have been told about a vast conspiracy concerning President Obama’s birthplace; I have heard sly references to the “death squads” who are going to call Grandma and Grandpa in for a conference to determine if they will be allowed to live any longer; the pundits have discussed Obama’s wars; the so-called historians have pontificated about the failure of Obama’s TARP program; and they are crying great crocodile tears all about how the Administration has brought us to financial ruin.

Do you suppose the dingbats are really that stupid? Can they not read? Have they not been paying attention for the past 7-8 years? Yet they say these things with great sincerity, as if that will somehow make it true. Think about it! The “birther” and “deather” conspiracies were disproved a long time back. The wars were started under the previous administration. The first TARP program will before the last Presidential Election. The present financial crisis originated 5-6 years ago because some major financial institutions did some really stupid things.

We hear a constant bleating of the dingbat’s mantras: you know, No more taxes; smaller government; reduction of expenditures; change the Constitution; and so forth. These might all be fine sentiments, but no one has bothered to explain exactly how we are supposed to do this. It’s as if we are just supposed to vote for any dingbats, and all these things will just miraculously happen. Sorry but neither life nor government works that way.

This all reminds me of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. There, the ruling pigs had to come up with something simple the sheep could remember and repeat, over and over. In that case, it was “four legs good, two legs bad.” For the current crop of dingbats, I would propose: “Ideology over Reality” except I doubt many of them would understand it. Too many seem to suffer from a bad case of “facto prohibito” which loosely translates as “don’t confuse me with facts.”

JOBS

Much has been trumpeted recently about jobs. The dingbats constantly yell that we must do something to stimulate (that’s a dirty word) job creation. The problem is that I don’t think they really understand what they say. So, let’s have a short lesson in Economics 101.

There are only two classes of jobs. Private industry, which we will call P, and Government, we call G. There is a third group, the unemployed, we call U. These three then make up the total work force, or WF. So we have a simple formula: P+G+U=WF.

This simple formula applies whether we are talking about a city, county, state or nation. It will always be in equilibrium.

WF will constantly change. It will increase as people reach employable age, or graduate from college, etc., and will decrease as people die or retire. No matter, P, G and U must change to stay in balance. Ideally we would like our formula to look like this:

P + G + U = WF. Private industry is hiring; government employment is shrinking, and unemployment is low. But we’re not there.

Private industry is not hiring. Why? There are several reasons. One, we become more efficient and automated so that fewer workers are required; Two, many of our jobs have been outsourced to other countries; and Three, we run into a paradox. Industry will not expand (and hire) until there is a demand for its products. With so many unemployed, there is little demand simply because people do not have the money to spend.

Now the dingbats want to cut government programs. So, if we suddenly decrease G, by canceling programs or departments, then P must expand hiring or U will increase to maintain the balance. The same holds true if industry, P, lays off workers. Either G or U must expand.

Another erroneous assumption is that we can realize immediate savings by an immediate reduction in the size of government. This doesn’t wash. Suppose we decide to do away with the EPA (the dingbats really hate this entity) and lay off 30,000 workers. Surely this will generate immediate savings. No! First, these are probably all covered under Civil Service. This would be a RIF (Reduction in Force) so they would be entitled to severance pay. Then, they are eligible for unemployment benefits. They will pay less income tax. They will generate less sales tax, since they cannot afford to buy much. In the short run, where are the savings? Yes, there are great savings to be realized by reformation of government, but they must be the result of a slow, gradual and planned reduction so not to overload the ranks of the unemployed.

To be truthful, since we are in a recession, our formula probably looks more like this:

P + G + U = WF. Industry is not hiring, so unemployment is rising. Government employment has stayed relatively stable, but will soon decrease. When that happens, we will see: P + G + U = WF. And that is the formula for a depression.

Our last full depression was greatly alleviated by government stimulus programs, but only fully corrected by WWII. Is that the dingbats’ final solution?

What debt crisis?

To paraphrase Churchill, "never in the field of human endeavor has so much been said by so many about so little." This farce is about to wind down. Thank goodness! In this process we have managed to create a non-existent problem; shoot ourselves in the foot; make the entire US look totally stupid in the eyes of the rest of the world and waste thousands of hours arguing back and forth, and in general, look totally stupid!

Sometime I think our elected congressmen should not be allowed out of the house without a keeper. They just don't seem to be able to understand the consequences. As one noted economics professor put it, Failure to pay our bills wold signal to the world that U.S. politics are so dysfunctional that we can't even avoid serious and unnecessary self-inflicted wounds. And if we can't avoid a self-inflicted wound, the world financial markets will just freak out.

It is now difficult to remember that all that was required was a one paragraph bill that changed some numbers. This was not new taxes. It was not new expenditures. It was merely to pay for things already purchased. The dingbats had to turn this into a major media event. And in order to enjoy their misbegotten sense of power, they may well really hurt out standing in the international financial markets. How stupid can we be?

Personally I wish the President had invoked the 14th Amendment (which many of the dingbats claim does not really exist), raised the debt limit and maybe let our congress get back to the problem of jobs. That might still happen.

Do you suppose the dingbats clap each other on the back and brag about how they have screwed the public once again?