Where are the de-regulation, trickle down, tax cut fools now?
Where's Jim Mowen when you need him?
He's the guy, you may recall, who lost to Andrea Zinga in the Republican primary a while back for Lane Evan's seat.
And he's been a constant (until lately) commenter here, constantly and mindlessly defending Bush/Republican economic policy and trickle-down and tax breaks skewed massively towards multi-millionaires, while being amazingly deaf dumb and blind to any of the counter-arguments and evidence I'd present in response.
In other words, he's been consistently and near obsessively determined to defend the very policies which have led to the current economic crisis, always quick to argue that my facts to the contrary weren't true. In other words, he was a typical right wing ostrich, head firmly planted, shall we say, in the sand, while Rome burned around him.
He STILL believed that it is a great idea to allow unlimited rigging of the tax system to the point where those who already possess great wealth pay a lower tax rate than a typical secretary.
To the mind of these right wingers, there should be absolutely NO limits or regulation on any financial speculation or business practice. They couldn't be bothered when confronted with the fact that the gap between the ultra-wealthy and the rest of us was widening faster, and had grown to be larger than at any time since the pre-depression era of the robber barons.
The fact that middle class workers were taxed at a far higher rate than billionaires when all taxes were considered didn't bother them either. They simply argue using income taxes only, a patently dishonest arguement.
The falling dollar, running the deficit to literally fantastical levels, all while pouring billions after billions into the quagmire in Iraq, while AT THE SAME TIME, slashing taxes for everyone but those who truly needed it, none of it fazed Jim a bit. He'd just ignore it all and regurgitate some BS talking point and throw out some phony figures put out by some group paid by the rich to argue for tax breaks for the rich.
And this crash hasn't even been felt by 99% of us. It's like getting kicked in the crotch... the pain is slow to arrive, but when it gets there, .... it hurts.
So where's Jim now? Is he left impotently sputtering about how the Democrats have had a slim majority in congress for a couple years, therefore all the Republican policies, which created the largest tranfer of wealth from the middle class to the rich in history, aren't to blame? Is he somewhere arguing that the only problem is that we didn't cut taxes ENOUGH? That spending billions of tax dollars to bail out Wall St. firms who have spent the last several years sucking up half our economy into their own Swiss bank accounts is something we have to do, since they're such a big chunk of our economy? That spending literally billions upon billions of tax dollars to help a Wall St. bank when it's in trouble is only prudent, while spending a few hundred on a family that's in trouble is some sort of communism?
These people have been wrong, they ARE wrong, and they will continue to be WRONG.
I feel quite confident that, in his own little world, he still believes the Republican fiscal policies are our only salvation, and that rampant and unlimited deregulation and slashing taxes for those who already have quite a bit of money is the only way to go.
For types like this, facts mean nothing. Reality means nothing. The country could be collapsing, as some feel it is at the moment, and they'd be still saying that the market will fix everything and that tax cuts for the ultra wealthy should continue and the corporate take-over of our entire government in the guise of the Republican party is the greatest thing that ever happened, and any change would be disasterous. (of course, utterly ignorant of the fact that we're already experiencing disaster.)
Do yourself and our country a favor. Next time you hear some misguided blow-hard telling you how great Republican economic policy is, excuse yourself and just walk away.
I've had to defend these views on a daily basis for over 3 years. Now that Bush is a demonstable jack-ass and failed president, now that Obama did indeed become the Dem nominee, and now that the very economic policies so fervently embraced by those like Mowen have lead to the biggest economic free-fall since the Great Depression, wiping out in a matter of days hundreds of billions of dollars of American assets, WHERE ARE THESE PEOPLE?
When Sarah Palin, like the helium balloon she is, finally shrivels and falls to the ground, where will the fine conservatives who thought she was the bimbo of their dreams be?
I don't expect anyone to come around every time they are proven wrong in an argument. Far from it.
But when the conservatives I've spent time arguing with here have been proven wrong over and over and over and over and over again, you'd think they'd at least get a tiny bit more humble. But what am I saying. They're the party with the commandment, thou shalt never admit error.
I don't think about it much, but when I stop to think about it, I have to admit that every position I've argued for over the past 3 years has been proven to be the right one. Everything I've said was actually happening contrary to the propaganda of the right, to the constant derision of my merry band of wing-nuts, have proven to have been reality.
My views on the invasion of Iraq, the character of Bush, the rape and pillage of our treasury and resources by the ultra rich and connected, all eagerly supported by Republicans who fought every attempt to restrain it, the dangers of allowing the wealthy to indulge their greed with no restraint whatsoever, and all the lies and BS that the Republicans spewed to defend it and villify and demean those who pointed out how senseless and dangerous it was.
I've seen the train wreck coming for over two years, yet there were always a steady supply of boobs who thought I was the one who was just a crazy out-to-lunch "liberal."
I'm just as amazed to realize it as anyone, yet I can't think of a single thing I've warned of or predicted that hasn't come true. I've been vindicated on every position and opinion I've had. If you've got an example of a position I took where I was later proven wrong or events didn't bear out my views, I'm all ears. (There's gotta be SOME... surely. But I can't think of any.)
And where's Jim Mowen? I'll be nice to you if you admit you were real, real, real, real wrong about your economic views and crazy idea that free market capitalism with little or no government intervention and regulation wouldn't end up greedily sucking up every dime they could steal in any way they could and end up crashing the economy.
And Barack Obama will become America's next president.
And I haven't been wrong yet.
11 Comments:
Happened to stop by your site to see where your comments on 'Charlie Rangle' was.
I have to suggest that I am not surprised to see that you have ignored his corruption, cheating and tax fraud.
Here is the issue with respect to the financial issues that we encounter today. If you think that this is as simple as 'free market' does not work, you are sadly mistaken.
I am confused, do you prefer Socialism, or Communism?
Government is broken - period.
Oversight does not oversee.
The Presidential appointees have not done their job.
The Congress has not done its job.
There is more than enough blame to go around.
Bush tried to make changes with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the foundation of the problems), but were blocked by Chris Dodd and Obama (the #1 and #2 recipients of $$ from these institutions).
At the same time, Rangle, Chairman of the Banking Committee has done NOTHING to address the problems.
The SEC Chairman, also has done nothing.
But, maybe you are right - Socialism or Communism might be a better answer than actually having those in charge of protecting our interests actually doing their jobs...
I know where he is. He's over on QCE's blog posting every 10 minutes.
He generally has nothing worthwhile to offer and just tried to use straw man arguments to argue the same tired RNC talking points that O'Reilly and Hannity used that day on Faux News.
Its really kinda funny watching them strain their arms patting themselves on the back over there. All they do now is bitch about Obama and praise each other for all these little nuggets of information they were able to find on some worthless right wing website.
The ironic part? They try to criticize blogs like your or Barretts because they are too partisan, yet they are just partisan in the other direction. In the words so often used over there, What a Hoot!!!
I have certainly had my disagreements with you in the past, but nothing unites people like a mutual hatred! And Jim Mowen seems to bring that out in people. I think thats why he has to change is name online so much; so he can get a clean slate without people hating him. He is on at least the 3rd name I have seen. Tiger Woods, Josh Curren, Jim Mowen, can't the guy even have enough balls to post under 1 name? Pathetically, I have seen the guy actually post under different names in the same thread to look like other people agreed with his ignorant opinions.
But he did what all good republicans do... When he couldn't get what he wanted here, he just left. I am sure down south he will soon be running for office and have a shot down there where he can just talk about how much he loves guns, loves unborn babies, and hates gays. We'll call it the Palin platform. Don't need any substance when you just play to peoples emotions.
Have a good day Dope!
Most excellent dodge Mr. Mowen! Outstanding.
You're still out to lunch, standing amid the ruins of the economy and blaming everyone and anything but the very Republican ideology's of endless reckles spending while cutting taxes for the rich and throwing open the doors of government for corporations to take whatever they want that has lead us into this crisis.
Bravo!!
You're in deep denial there chum.
You've argued for less and less and less and less and less and less regulation over ANYTHING, and you know it.
Yet now you point fingers at the very regulators that you worked to eliminate, and the regulatory agencies which this administration, with your full and hearty support, has gutted and de-funded and slashed personel to the point where they couldn't do their jobs if they had to.
This has been YOUR goal Mowen, YOUR idea of progress.
Get government off our backs, remember? Well, you did.
And now you've got the utter lack of character to try to blame those who you said should be eliminated. What a hoot!
Not only that, but you're such an ideological moron that you also abandon one of your other slogans that you demand of others, but not yourself apparently.
Accountibility.
You've screamed for it, haven't you?
Then why won't you accept any now??
You're a nut job Jim. You've gone over the line.
The country is in the tank and sliding down and all you can come up with is knocking me for not mentioning CHARLIE FREAKING RANGEL???
You truly are out of your everloving mind. You look foolish and idiotic.
And the more you try to backpedal and wildly point fingers and do 180 degree spins trying to now pretend you're in favor of what you've opposed for decades, the more idiotic and pathetic you prove yourself to be.
So that's your defense? Charlie Rangel and accusing people of Communism or Socialism?
Do you even realize how lame and pathetic that truly is?
Just how "communistic" or "socialistic" is it that we're now giving private corporations tens of BILLIONS of dollars to bail them out?
Are we China now? Maybe Russia? Is AIG now a state owned company since we bought a majority of it?
You're a fool. I knew you'd rise to the bait, but I didn't realize you'd still have your head so far up you butt that you'd actually try to pretend that the Repulbicans who've run the country THEIR WAY for the past 10 year and beyond now have no responibility for this collapse.
It's amazing. You're the most irresponsible person I've ever heard of. You won't accept accountibility for anything. Nothing.
You're worse than a toddler sitting on the floor in the middle of a huge mess of chocolate cake all over his face and hands and the floor and earnestly insisting that he had nothing to do with it.
Pathetic.
RC,
The guy knows how to be a tool. That much is certain.
To argue with him is to want to beat your head against the wall.
He doesn't listen, stopped thinking LONG ago, and only responds with the sort of dumb-assed overly broad generalities and right wing slogans and catch phrases.
In short, he's not too bright.
Dope, you are as much a weazel now as ever. I posted -3- comments explaining this - and you post only one.
Why can't you stand up to reasonable discussion on a topic?
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For you and Robbie, if you think you have a clue what you are talking about, feel free to post on qcexaminer on the subject.
Wait, Robbie will never see this, because weazel-boy will not post this.
I might also note, for your future benefit, that government taxation, sensible government regulation of markets to avoid what the Republicans have fought to allow to happen, and capitalism are not mutually exclusive, as you so unintelligently argue.
One does not have to choose between pure, unfettered capitalism and pure communism or socialism.
America has long propered by a mixture of capitalism and socialism, and Americans have been quite happy with it.
Get off your ideologicaly rigid pedestal and start thinking again.
Jimbo, your posted 3 comments, none of which even attempted to "explain" anything. They were just a bunch of useless BS that didn't address anything.
Unless you consider "Oh, you probably think it's 100% Bush's fault" to be an "explanation."
Just more meaningless trivial and juvenile remarks, not even close to a serious attempt to defend the indefensible.
Better watch more Fox and listen to more AM radio until you're told what to think. (this I gotta hear.)
Buddy, nearly everything you've believed as articles of blind conservative faith has been shown to be a disaster.
You got to see 90% of it come to pass, and so have the rest of Americans, and they see it for what it is, a bunch of radical non--sense dreampt up by far right ideologues and sold to dupes like you who ate it up with a spoon.
It DOESN'T WORK and only benefits a handful of those who already have incredible wealth and power already. Yet you're too blind to see it.
The country was duped and lied to and swindeled into putting your crowd in power, and they imediately set about trying to dismantle the government by robbing it blind and spending like drunken sailors in hopes of bankrupting it.
Well, you should be celebrating. Your dream's come true.
You really REALLY need a vacation. You're losing your grip.
I sure wish we'd all followed YOUR advise and privatized Social Security and forcing our elderly to risk their financial security on Wall St.
What a shame you couldn't get THAT brilliant idea rammed through congress.
Just think what an even WORSE financial disaster this country would be in if you'd have been able to do everything you wanted?
Good God! What a truly chilling thought!
Yeah sure all these Republicans are such stand up guys. They preach accountability. They preach the free market. They say that the free market is perfect because bad behavior will be eliminated by punishment from market forces just like they read in Econ 101. Never mind real world items like GREED.
Well accountability works both ways. A popular GOP talking point is that people should never have taken on loans that they could not afford and that these people deserve to suffer the wrath of their poor decision making. If I loan my brother–in-law $1000 when he can’t pay his bills now knowing that he’ll probably never pay me back aren’t I just as at fault as he is when I don’t get paid back?
People wanted their share of the American Dream and when they went to get financing they were never told no. Now Republicans want to say that the auto mechanic who sought the loan should have had the same level of understanding about financial risk and planning as the so-called experts writing the loans? If that’s the case, where’s the accountability for these guys who made the loans? I don’t see the same rush to accountability there from the Republicans. All I see is a hand out to correct for their greed and incompetence.
Their solution is a $700 billion (at least) blank check to the former head of Goldman-Sachs. I think this should be the last time that we give a blank check to this administration (see Authorization of Force resolution). The only reason we are even hearing a squawk from the right is the realization that Obama will be picking the next Treasury Secretary and they are scared that real reform and oversight will happen.
Mowen’s is the typical reaction; “Government doesn’t work!”
When a party fundamentally believes that government doesn’t work and then puts inexperienced hacks and cronies into government positions it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Frauds, phonies incompetents and criminals. This entire group can’t go soon enough and this is the death knell for the McCain campaign.
Wes,
Outstanding points.
And the list of Republican contradictions and the proof that their "government is the problem" mentality has nearly destroyed government's ability to function are too long to list.
The insanity in all of this of course is that they act as though the government of the United States is some imaginary company or something, not related to Americans at all.
How much sense does it make for Republicans to rant and rail against "the Government" on their way to fighting tooth, fang, and claw to occupy all the top positions of that very government?
How can they stand there bellowing, as McCain did today, about how he's going to protect Americans from "the government", when Americans ARE the government??
And that's not even getting into how insane it is for McCain and the Republicans to be furiously pedaling the notion that they're going to "fix Washington" and whipping their followers up by railing against how "Washington and lobbyists and their big money have caused this crisis, when THEY ARE THE PEOPLE WHO CREATED THIS MESS with constant legislation designed to take all restrains off of the finance and securities markets?? And when McCain's entire campaign staff consists of lobbyists for Fannie and Freddy and his economic advisor was the freaking AUTHOR of bills which allowed Wall St. banks to operate in the irresponsible and greedy way they have, all while driving things into the ground and walking away with literally billions of dollars in personal wealth?
How can the people who brought us this disaster now pretend they had nothing to do with it?
And how can the very people who throw around the term "socialist" to describe any suggestion of restraint or government regulation now be utterly silent as the United States privatizes industry?
McCain said not long ago, "We are all Georgians".
Well, now, we are all socialists. Thanks to Phil Gramm, John McCain, and even several Dems who did the bidding of those using Wall St. like a casino and removing even what little restraints there were to begin with.
As has been noted, the hallmark of Republican and McCain economic policy has been the privatization of economic gain and the socialization of risk.
A relative handful of cronies reap literally billions from the games on Wall St., but when they're reckless policies come home to roost, it's all of us who assumes the loss.
It's said that this bailout will cost every single taxpayer in the U.S. over $7000.00.
"And I haven't been wrong yet."
How about Lack v Boland?
Thanks for the try, but I didn't endorse Lack, or favor Boland in that race.
So how would that be an example?
Wouldn't I have had to predict that Lack would beat Boland in order to have been wrong?
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