Some tool (Bill Miller) from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been spamming with me with dire warnings about how Obama and the liberals are going to bring about Armageddon. I usually just delete his stupidity with barely a cursory glance, but today he pissed me off more than usual.
His latest missive of doom was entitled: "$1.8 Trillion Deficit ... And Rising"
Funny thing is, this jerk never sent me any emails about the massive deficits created under Bush. I guess those deficits were a good thing. Massive deficits are apparently only bad when the Democrats are in the White House. I know the Chamber is a thinly veiled arm of the GOP, (kind of like most Realtor groups.) And it's not like we Dems don't have our own allied groups, like teachers. But the Chamber is beyond the pale.
From my friends at Dictionary.com:
crap (krāp)
n.
- Excrement.
- An act of defecating.
- Foolish, deceitful, or boastful language.
- Cheap or shoddy material.
- Miscellaneous or disorganized items; clutter.
- Insolent talk or behavior.
intr.v. crapped, crap·ping, craps
To defecate.
interj. Used to express anger or displeasure.
Phrasal Verb(s):
crap up To make a mess of; bungle.
[Middle English crappe, chaff, from Old French crappe, from Medieval Latin crappa, perhaps of Germanic origin.]
And on that note, here is Bill Miller's email:
Tax. Borrow. Spend. Repeat.
$1.8 Trillion Deficit ... And Rising
Dear Michael,
The Obama Administration is quick to point out that it inherited deficits from the past administration.
Which is true.
But we fail to see how you solve that problem by quadrupling the deficit.
According to revised White House budget figures, the deficit for the current budget year will rise to above $1.8 billion -- about four times larger than the all-time record set last year.
And, thanks to the massive tax-and-spend budget passed by Congress last week, our deficits will keep growing as far as the eye can see.
According to these new figures, the federal government is now borrowing almost 50 cents for every dollar it spends this year.
These "tax-borrow-spend" policies are mortgaging our country's future -- while doing little to revive our struggling economy.
How do you feel about the rising deficit, increased spending and new taxes? Please click here to share your opinion.
http://www.friendsoftheuschamber.com...
Sincerely,
Bill Miller
What the king of crapola fails to mention is the Chamber's complete and utter inaction when the GOP was running up deficits. Deficits are apparently OK when they take the form of paybacks to the ultra-rich.
Miller also fails to suggest any other way out of the economic downturn. Petty much any economist who did not get their degree from a Cracker Jack box agrees that when consumers and businesses do not spend, the government is the spender of last resort. At this time, we require the government to invest in us. And the government can get a pretty good deal right now. Labor is cheap and plentiful, and materials are much more affordable than they are during boom times.
When the economy was supposedly "good" in the early Bush years, the government should have been saving money for a rainy day. I seem to recall a recent president who did have a thing called a "surplus" and a recent candidate who wanted to put the surplus in a "lockbox." I don't remember the Chamber having any helpful comments at that time, oddly enough. Maybe I wasn't on the email list then. Perhaps they were railing about how the surplus would bring down our economy and instead we should slash taxes on the rich and run a deficit? Who knows.
I am a small business owner and I shudder at the thought that anyone might imagine the Chamber represents me or fights for my interests in any way.
The Chamber opposes universal healthcare which would help me and my family, and allow me to hire employees without the health benefits obstacle. Universal healthcare would also help us compete against other countries that have such coverage. Right now our businesses are groaning under the strain of our healthcare system which provides relatively poor outcomes for the high cost.
Every time I get an email or snail-mailer from the Chamber, they are attacking Democrats and supporting the GOP. The whole thing makes me sick. I have thought about joining the local Chamber to try to add a progressive voice, but I don't know if I would just be drowned out. What do you think?
I added the German word for crap into the diary title because I took German in high school, and wanted to pay some homage to the possible Germanic origin of such a useful word. Unfortunately my high school teacher didn't teach me any German slang or curse words, but the wonders of the Internet never fail to rescue me when I need to cuss in German.