And over in Greece

Seems that the leftist party Syriza has won control in the recent Greek parliamentary elections. Syriza ran on a platform of anti-austerity and has pledged to reverse the governmental restrictions  that were part of the deal with the IMF and European Central Bank.  Its full on government spending, and guess who's supposed to pay for it.  Yep, its once again OPM.

There's an interesting cycle that I'm seeing, both in the Eurozone and here in America.  Expansive governments overextend themselves, putting economies in peril.  Somehow, there's enough concern expressed, either by the people themselves but more often by the lenders looking out for their investment.  The "adults" get put in charge and try to right the ship of state.

It's not easy making up for the fat-cat years of heady spending.  It's sorta like taking off the pounds you put on with holiday feasts - it can be done but it takes work, effort, time and above all else, the recognition that this isn't fun.  It's the corrective period to make up for the excesses of the past.  But the impatience of the masses doesn't like that they have to have a leaner diet, with some painful exercise.  There's rebellion against Scrooge and the pendulum swings back to Santa Claus.  Except that it swings even further this time to compensate for that awful deprivation "The Bankers" imposed.

The adults of the political world get the blame.  They try to clean up the mess left by the "children" but the public now thinks it's their fault.  They are the party of "no".  They're the parents who say "no you can't eat a pound of chocolate for dinner".   The ones who take your car keys when you have been bad.  The ones who are trying to make you into....an adult.

It's tough being responsible.  It's even worse being a sucker.

La-La land

From Richard Fernandez at PJ Media:

In the other Western hemisphere state of the union speech, Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro,  while acknowledging that his government had no money, nevertheless promised to provide more “free” services for everyone.  Free school stipends, free housing. No cutbacks to social welfare. How would the bankrupt state pay for it?  He said , that while “oil will never cost $100 again but God will provide. Venezuela will never do without.”

“God will provide.” Which only goes to show that Marxists aren’t really what people evolve into after they lose their religion. On the contrary religion is what Marxists get after they lose their shirt. But never mind the shirt. There’s a bright future ahead for everyone – and all of it paid for with other people’s money. Free! free! free!

This isn't doubling down...it's out and out desperation.  But notice how Fernandez mentions that wonderful panacea....OPM.

From El Pais come these words:

The president turned his annual report into an electoral campaign pitch. During his almost three-hour speech, he attacked his adversaries and claimed to be the victim of a plot that seeks to topple his government and take advantage of dejected … voters during this election year. …

Starting February 1, the government will increase the minimum wage and pensions by 15 percent. It also plans to more than double the meager scholarships university students receive. … also promised to build 400,000 public housing units. The measures fall under the government’s social investment program.

It's all a plot.  And how do we cure this economic disaster?  Why by even more of what got us there.

We hear this here in America.  The reason the stimulus didn't have the major impact Obama promised wasn't because an artificial stimulus doesn't work...it's because it wasn't big enough.  Obamacare isn't a success because....it doesn't go far enough.  And amazingly, there are hundreds of millions who think that way.  If only the government wasn't constrained by such old-fashioned concepts as the Constitution and the rule of law.

Have we lost sight of reality?

Stopwatch

Another new ad from Crossroads GPS, part of a multi-state television buy.



From the Crossroads press release:

Since President Obama took office in January 2009, the national debt has increased by more than $5 trillion.  At the same time, 45% more people are on food stamps, millions more have slipped into poverty, real earnings have dropped and job growth has stalled, causing record numbers of Americans to give up looking for work and exit the workforce. President Obama promised that his economic “stimulus” legislation would prevent the unemployment rate from rising above 8%, but it has been above 8% for every month of Obama’s presidency since February 2009.  The real unemployment rate is considered much higher by economists, due to the large number of discouraged workers who have left the workforce since Obama took office.

I'm a big fan of using The One's words against him.  This ad is a winner....simple, direct, and focused.

Hat tip to The Lonely Conservative.

Eurozone Crisis Quote

Credit Suisse quote: "The market is currently like a strapless bra; half of us are wondering what is holding it up and the other half are waiting for it to drop so they can grab the opportunity with both hands".

Hat tip to Theo Spark.

He must hate video recording

From the RNC:



Obama's own words are the best argument against Hope & Change, Part II this fall.

Growing a pair

From Bloomberg:

House Speaker John Boehner will call for spending cuts and other federal budget changes at least as large as any increase in the U.S. government’s debt limit.

In prepared remarks for the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s fiscal summit in Washington today, Boehner said his demand may require a series of short-term increases in the legal cap on borrowing.

“This is the only avenue I see right now to force the elected leadership of this country to solve our structural fiscal balance,” Boehner will say, according to remarks released by his office. “If that means we have to do a series of stop-gap measures, so be it.” 

Now to see if they stick too it.

Some thoughts on Europe

From the always thoughtful and insightful Richard Hernandez at PJ Media:

France, Greece or Spain? It doesn’t matter, says Daniel Hannan, a Conservative MEP (European parliamentarian) who says of recent events in his commentary: “France and Greece are just the beginning – Europe is entering a downward spiral.”

The key problem, he writes, is the false choice between increasing the tax burden to retire debt and increasing the debt. Having failed to do the former, the European parties are prepared to return to the latter. “So why do voters hope to solve the crisis by accelerating the policies which led to it?”

Much of the blame must attach to the Centre-Right parties currently in office in most national capitals. Though they talk of fiscal prudence, many of them are in reality locked into Euro-corporatism. With a handful of honourable exceptions, they have presided over crony capitalism, more spending, more taxes and more debt. Their failure has opened the door to the angry and populist Left. When the ‘Right’ is represented by Samaras and Sarkozy, it’s no surprise that voters cast around for radical alternatives. After all, when it comes to the euro, the Trotskyists have been proved right. They argued all along that, while the single currency would suit the suits, working people would suffer.

Because they don’t know anything else. Because it has seemed to work for so long they don’t know how to do anything else. Because it has always been a case of “heads we win, tails the public loses”. Both the “populist left” and the “centre-right” drink from the same river of public funds. The sole distinction is that while the first fatten one set of cronies, the second fattens a slightly different set of cronies.

And the worse things get, the likelier people are to demand the high-tax, high-spend policies which caused the mess. The eurozone is now in a vicious circle,” Hannan concludes.  The cure, having caused the disease, will be used to treat the disease. 

I like Hannan's observation of the false choice of taxes or debt.  Much the same is the MSM "debate" here in the USA.  What is almost always significantly missing is that third unnamed choice; to reduce spending to have it come into line with revenues.  But it is almost as if government spending is locked into place, immovable as granite, and everything else much adapt to fit.  Can anyone say cart and horse?

And some music too

Along with the graphic in the previous post, let's have some music from Ray Stevens.




Ray's got a number of politically incorrect (but factually spot on) videos out there, both on his website and on YouTube.  Give him a listen.

The One for Everyone

Nope, not that "The One".  Instead, it's the graphic below.  Stolen from Reaganite Republican, it's the one picture that every voter needs to see before November.  And then again.  And then again.

Share it and pass it around.  The message of the massive debt of the Obama administration is a true Achilles heel for "The One".  And, once again....it's OPM buying votes of favored constituencies.

As Reaganite Republican wrote: " Your credit card's been stolen".

Hat tip to Ace of Spades for the pointer.