Praise the Pied Piper and Holy Coyote, man! We all know what a cliff is! Its that dangerous abyss looming from whence there is no return. A precipice, dudes. A void. A free-fall plunge into oblivion. Something we surely know enough by now, not to follow some sweet talker into sending us over.
So, when is a cliff not a cliff? Lemme give you a hint. When banksters and robber barons add fancy words for money to it, like "fiscal." This is not to be confused with falling into a money pit, which is something only the Elites look forward to - by duping us into giving them more of our money. With the threat of us free falling to our demise, they get to jump into a whole bushel of buckage.
Those are the cliff notes, so to speak, of the grift they are playing on us. But I have much more to back up my thesis if you are unafraid to walk right across the pane of glass. This one is real. The scarier thing I need you traverse is over the false abyss painted by lobbyists on the floor of Congress' Hall of Mirrors.
Obama was out all week before Thanksgiving, meeting with businessmen, labor and "civic leaders" (for whatever that really means) all week to try and sell his "Great Compromise", reports Reuters. He will meet with Democratic and Republican leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate on Friday to begin negotiations.
Generals and cabinet members are toppling off their own little pedestals, for reason obvious or perhaps far more complex and clandestine than the official dramas we are being fed.
Paraphrasing Glenn Greenwald
STEP ONE: Liberals say "No fucking way" and threaten any Dem that backs the cuts.
STEP TWO: The propaganda machine (MSM) will tell us, "Its not so bad. It could be worse, they could end Social Security completely if we say no."
STEP THREE: Hand wringers will say with resignation, "We have no choice!"
STEP FOUR: All opposition to the new narrative will be marginalized.
STEP FIVE: The deal is made and opposition is demonized as "fringe".
STEP SIX: They hold the mid-terms hostage, and demand "bipartisanship" as the cost of "future wins."
I would add:
STEP SEVEN: Repeat ad nauseum until austerity is fully implemented, and all social safety nets are gone or privatized.
You see, Reagan finally got it. Deficits don't matter.
Darth Cheney bragged about it.
Obama put Social Security on the table before the Right even demanded it. He even adopted their language, as scripted by the owners. I mean, if you call it an "entitlement" that sounds awfully rude. Like some obnoxious person who thinks they just deserve the best of everything without earning it. Like the cliff, another trick word.
Its not an entitlement, though we are entitled to it.
Its the return on an investment. An investment we made, to set aside a portion of our paycheck, beyond taxes to go into a retirement fund that no one was supposed to touch for any other reason ever. Of course, they did, almost immediately, deciding that "extra" monies would be used to buy bonds. Then added into the general budget to hide things, like, the cost of Vietnam. Then again with Social Security raids by Reagan. Even with all the raids on its original intent of being a Retirement fund? Social Security is doing just dandy.
The truth is? Its solvent until at least 2033.
So why the cartoonish panic over budget cuts and tax codes that always run their term and have to be renewed or let go?
Its Taxageddon in the new age of austerity baby. Its smoke, mirrors, fear and loathing and they are all reptiles and someone is serving them raw ether. Ok, HST flashback aside... its more like take off all your clothes, bitch, or we'll kill your baby fearmongering. They want us to abet our own rape with the fear of some imaginary crisis. Our babies are fine, or would be if they were not trying to shock us into compromising their future safety nets too.
And what better bird to scream "beep beep" behind us than Obama? Even Bernie Sanders, while asking for a gentler version of the attack on our citizens - is playing the piper along with the rest. Why the hell, sir, should we share the sacrifice of an economic crisis of the 1%'s making? A crisis that has effected them, say, NOT AT ALL?
BOO!
If you voted for Obama, hell if you voted or didn't vote? If you live in this country - stand up and say NO!
You see, we could do nothing at all, and bargain well past the end of the world scenario. We could just jump out and walk on that painted abyss. But we won't.
You know what else we won't do?
Address the fact that War Spending is now higher than any time in History, save WWII. Almost one and a half TRILLION. And thats without the hidden costs, and the dirty little secret ops. Not to mention the "contractors" and "mercenaries" who work off the regular budget, not specifically with in the budget.
I mean, Grandpa can work till he's 70 and his body is breaking down and his retirement will be blessedly brief without Medicare to help his battered body. Dying is cheap. Killing, however is EXPENSIVE.
We have drones to pay for.
Its a game, like Russian roulette is a game. Its a ruse, like agent orange was a ruse. It bait and switch, kabuki theater and a Goebellian wet dream rolled into one.
Our rich have never been richer. Our rich have never paid less taxes. We are on our way to being poorer than the last depression. The rich have to raid something, the economy is gone. The Government, our money is all thats left. They get welfare, we get screwed. They get to privatize everything and play in their Casino Markets with it. They get to insist on all budgets going to the War Machine they own to make war on not only others, but us. Look up now and then. Look out Momma, there's a white drone coming up the river, and it don't look like they're here to deliver the mail.
Ka. Bu. Ki. (& yeah I owe you a quarter for that)
Class War is here, and we are sucking up the propaganda like koolaid. This is not something we have to do. Our hands are not tied. There is no emergency, and don't be very afraid. Its time to get out the pitchforks and tell every Politician in office? Draw a line.
This isn't a cliff. Its a GRIFT.
MY Safety Nets are NOT for SALE!