In This Dimension

Supercommittee Superfail. No Surprise

So our heroes in Congress have failed again. Big surprise.

Here, therefore, a plan to fix the fiscal problems we face.

IRS Filling-in YOUR Tax Forms?

if this doesn’t bother you, you have far more trust in the federal government and the IRS and Congress than I do. More, I think, than do most Americans.

IRS: “Here’s your tax form and pre-addressed envelope. Simply sign, buy and affix a stamp, and return it in the US Mail by April 15. Thank you for taking advantage of this easy new service. We’re here to help. Sincerely, the IRS”

Sound farfetched?

It’s not. The Feds think there’s a $345B “tax gap,” the difference between how much of OUR money the Government thinks WE ought to be allowed to keep, and how much[…]

Debt Bill Reality

This is what the GOP has surrendered for. Just so you understand what really just happened.

August 1, 2011

We The Stupid

Ann Barnhardt

I stand here in abject stupefaction.  The so-called “right” or “Tea Party” in this republic is being so thoroughly rolled and defeated that I am struggling to come up with an adequate violent submission metaphor that does not involve prison rape . . . and they honesty think that they’re “winning.”  Really?  You call this winning?

• - Obama gets over $2 Trillion to spend before the 2012 election

• - There are no real spending cuts

• - There is a massive tax increase effective[…]

CAN “Lost Jobs” really come back? Do policy-makers realize the Industrial Age is over in the Developed World? Are you sure?

In all of the discussion about lost jobs, I find the below to be strangely lacking; perhaps I have just missed it?

It seems that one of the largest issues with job losses is this: Relatively fewer people exist. For us to continue to grow our economy – to create jobs – presupposes a continued growth in employable human beings, right? But as the Boom retires and the Echo ages, there are millions and millions fewer people. Anecdotal: Five years ago in my town we had three Little League leagues… and six elementary schools. We now have two LL leagues and[…]

… and the Planet … Tomorrow…?

Mark Steyn: ‘Life on this planet’ about to change

By MARK STEYN

That thoughtful observer of the passing parade, Nancy Pelosi, weighed in on the “debt ceiling” negotiations the other day: “What we’re trying to do is save the world from the Republican budget. We’re trying to save life on this planet as we know it today.”

It’s always good to have things explained in terms we simpletons can understand. After a while, all the stuff about debt-to-GDP ratio and CBO alternative baseline scenarios starts to give you a bit of a headache, so we should be grateful to the House Minority Leader[…]

A Debt Compromise this Tea Party voter can live with

The House passed a bill to cut spending. It’s more than clear that the House was elected in overwhelming (e.g. “blowout”) fashion specifically to do just that.

But … because the GOP has, throughout my entire adult life (I’m 56), had the worst imaginable PR flacks, the President and his ilk continue to be allowed to get-away with saying that “the American people want us to compromise.”

This is absurd.

Maybe the House, having done what it was elected to do, should just go on their August recess (ever consider how apt a name that is for Congress? “Recess”? Perfect…) and leave it[…]

In Case you were Wondering… Economy under HRH Obama

January 2009 economy vs July 2011:

Energy:  Gasoline was $1.67 a gallon then.  It’s now $3.79.

Food:  Average cost of a gallon of milk was about $2.65.  It’s about $3.50 today.

Housing:  The median cost of a home was $229,600.  Today it’s $217,900.

Budget deficit:  We fell $438 billion short of balancing the federal budget in 2008.  We missed it by $1.4 trillion this year—nearly four times higher. (And this was AFTER 2 years of a Pelosi/Reid Congress, that included HRH Obama, who voted for the debt he inherited as president…)

U.S. debt:  Total federal debt was $10.7 trillion then. It’s $14.5 trillion now—nearly 50%[…]

Energy Independence: Easy to Achieve (Fairly) Quickly

It occurs to me that passing legislation to increase (re-start?) domestic oil drilling ought not be that difficult, and we can do it using the Democrat playbook to stop their anti-energy insanity.

How?

Easy…

When the Left wants to get in the way of a foreign trade deal to support their union members, Congress simply passes legislation or the Administration has written-in to the deal the requirement for American labor protections in said foreign country.

Fine.

So how about this: The House ought to pass legislation requiring a specific standard for environmental protection within any nation from whom we buy oil. Said standard ought to[…]

European Left Awakening to the Danger that is Obama

From American Thinker today….

April 20, 2011

German press reacts to the Standard & Poor’s downgrade

Steve McCann

Standard and Poor’s downgrades its outlook on America’s AAA debt rating from stable to negative.  The President continues his demagoguery against the Republicans and continues to beat the drum of class warfare.  The Democrats in the Senate are content to thwart any meaningful spending reductions.  With [this] as a backdrop what is being said overseas about the ongoing Washington Follies?

Germany is the dominant economic power in Europe and is what is keeping the Euro zone from complete collapse, considering the never-ending saga of Greek insolvency, Irish and Portuguese bailouts[…]

Just in Case You Were Wondering - Dem vs GOP Congress

From American Thinker:

From early 2007 through the end of 2010, the Democrats had strong Majorities in — and control of — the US House of Representatives and also the U.S. Senate. Both are chambers where laws and policies that affect the economy are created and shaped.

The table below shows how the Democrat Congress performed on average during its four year tenure, vs. the average of the previous four years, 2003 through the end of 2006, when Republicans were at the helm.

(The Table and backup numbers are in the AT link. Enjoy.)

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