Read through this carefully; as you do so, many of the numbers may seem ludicrous.  The reason they do is after the quotation:

Now — we’re for a provision that destitution should not follow unemployment by reason of old age, and to that end we’ve accepted Social Security as a step toward meeting the problem.

But we’re against those entrusted with this program when they practice deception regarding its fiscal shortcomings, when they charge that any criticism of the program means that we want to end payments to those people who depend on them for a livelihood. They’ve called it “insurance” to us in a hundred million pieces of literature. But then they appeared before the Supreme Court and they testified it was a welfare program. They only use the term “insurance” to sell it to the people. And they said Social Security dues are a tax for the general use of the government, and the government has used that tax. There is no fund, because Robert Byers, the actuarial head, appeared before a congressional committee and admitted that Social Security as of this moment is 298 billion dollars in the hole. But he said there should be no cause for worry because as long as they have the power to tax, they could always take away from the people whatever they needed to bail them out of trouble. And they’re doing just that.

A young man, 21 years of age, working at an average salary — his Social Security contribution would, in the open market, buy him an insurance policy that would guarantee 220 dollars a month at age 65. The government promises 127. He could live it up until he’s 31 and then take out a policy that would pay more than Social Security. Now are we so lacking in business sense that we can’t put this program on a sound basis, so that people who do require those payments will find they can get them when they’re due — that the cupboard isn’t bare?

The reson the number look so ridiculous?  Because these were the words I heard spoken by an exceptionally eloquent speaker…. Ronald Regan on May 10th, 1964 in Hutchinson, Kansas (it was a canned speech he used many times).  The warnings were issued even back then by the conservative movement… and have been ignored by both parties.  Now the chickens are starting to roost, with our annual debt exceeding the total obligation of Social Security back then.  And the Social Security/Medicare current obligation exceeds $100 Trillion.

Gee!  36 years after saying ‘No’  to the Mob (a long story), I find I’ve now joined it!  And for free; back then, it would have paid a minimum of $75K/yr (A bunch of money back then).

Of course, one has to realize something.  In the modern vernacular, this stuff above is a ‘Mob’, the stuff below is ‘Truth to Power’ (just one example of very many):

and this is ‘Debate’:

You got that?  A loud question from the Right (far right, in that singular case) makes you a ‘Mobster’.  Totally disrupting a discussion and taking over the stage as a Leftist makes you a ‘Concerned Citizen’.  I’m glad we all got that straight!

And just for more clarity, here is my branch of the mob being massively disruptive, with a handful of MoveOn members mixed in, getting viscious Mob treatment:

To Congress: we’d like to make you an an offer you can’t refuse. Stop bankrupting this nation and we won’t send you into retirement.

]]> http://datatroll.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/im-a-member-of-the-mob/feed/ 5 Mike O http://datatroll.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/we-dare-to-do-math/ http://datatroll.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/we-dare-to-do-math/#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2009 14:21:47 +0000 Mike O http://datatroll.wordpress.com/?p=289 ]]>

Maybe that needs to become the rallying cry for those who oppose the fiscal insanity in Washington DC these days (including the Tea Parties, which are starting to overrun the professionally-organized Leftists of MoveOn and ACORN).  This was the part of the statement Neil Barofsky, the Special Inspector General for TARP, in powerfully defending his estimate that those bailouts- supported across both parties’ administrations- put the American taxpayer and the generations to follow on the hook for $23.7 Trillion:

Called the “SIGTARP,” Barofsky appeared before Congress this week and told them that the government’s commitment to fix the financial system could potentially reach $23.7 trillion, and criticized the Treasury Department for calling his team’s estimate “inflated.”

“I think that the Treasury Department ought to read the report before they make comments, at least the spokesperson’s office,” Barofsky said. “Our methodology is laid out in black and white in the report. … As far as the numbers being inflated, where do you think we got the numbers from? We got it from the Treasury Department, we got it from the Federal Reserve. … If these numbers are inflated, it’s because they inflated them when they put them out in the public, not because of us.” …

“Perhaps their criticism is that we dare to do math,” he said. He added that his team tried to convince the Treasury that they were wrong, and that recipients should be required to report on how they use the federal funds, and those should be shown to the American people so that they know it’s “not being thrown into a black hole.”

Just a reminder of what $1 trillion looks like: the pallets of $100 bills in the bottom picture would stacked 47 high for this indebtedness alone!  Add to that the Social Security and Medicare indebtedness of $106.4 Trillion and National private net worth of $51.5 Trillion, the planned health care fixes, plus Cap & trade and the only visualization possible is NATIONAL BANKRUPTCY.

Can the contrast be any clearer?  I don’t think for one minute the thugs back then would still be welcome at a July 4th Party at the White House!

(As they say, there are no ex-Marines, no matter how old.)  The Gyrene reference is at the very end.

I do disagree on the formal declaration of war, however.   A declaration of war is problematical in this specific instance. We are not fighting nations; we are fighting an ideology of Islamic extremism that knows no borders and no distinct end date. There will be no VJ day in this one.

I was pleased about a recent Tea Party organizational meeting (July 4th; look for the one near you).  They are adament about staying non-partisan.  However, most of realize the attack point for most of us is the GOP primary system at this point.  But, this is not and will not become a GOP effort, no matter how much that they try to hijack it.  I’ll vote for Martians if they’d bring fiscal sanity back to DC.

UPDATE 2: The Winner!  Life in American prison, with guaranteed food and people hired to take care of you sure beats his previous squalid life in Somalia. At least, that’s the way he’s looking at it for now And this is the image broadcast to the world and Somalia; does anyone think this will deter, and not encourage, his compatriots?

UPDATE: Three simultaneous head shots while apparently negotiating with one; the lesson in this is, don’t f*ck with Navy SEALS.  Obama approved the use of force twice (but shouldn’t have to in such a circumstance); kudos to Obama for doing so (he gets few enough from me while he bankrupts this nation).  Only if the last pirate is ever returned to Somalia will victroy ever be reclaimed by the thugs.

Those four pirates in the lifeboat won several days ago.  They won when they weren’t either dead or captured within a few short hours after the destroyer showed up.  It doesn’t matter how it all ends up now; the moment the idiots in charge (In Washington, DC, no doubt) called in an FBI negotiator, America ran up the white flag.  These four are now considered heroes by the only people they care about impressing.

AN FBI negotiator…. for Somalian pirates??  The so-called negotiations- especially early on- would have been interesting to listen in on.  These four come out a society that- to this day- watches the movie Black Hawk Down, cheering every American casualty and shrugging off the scores of dead Somalians it took to get that one.  The cultural gap is enormous (as is the endurance for deprivation- far greater than Capt. Phillip’s will likely be.)  These four have held off a U.S. Navy Destroyer for many days.  Their return/funeral/incarceration parade through the streets in Somalia will be massive.

The right thing to do has already passed; sail up close with the destroyer, have the best shot aboard put a .50 cal round through the lifeboat below the waterline and giving them the choice of drowning or surrendering arms and hostage and living.  These are pirates looking for gain, not terrorists looking to die for a cause.  But the cause of fame  (which is a wholly desirable gain) has now assured a much more dangerous situation for not only the one hostage, but all sailors in the region for years to come.

The FBI negotiator is a reflection of the Obama Administration’s desire to treat everything up to terrorism as nothing more that criminal activity by the misguided.  Disaster will result from this approach.  However, the path to disaster in this specific area was set long ago when the decision was made to accept ransoming of these ships as standard operating procedure .

But the final responsibility for what this disaster will be falls on the current administration; they got their proverbial 3am call… and essentially hung up on it.  Even the MSM is beginning to realize the impending debacle in this: suddenly, Bo the White House puppy, has become more important than Capt. Richard Phillips.  The blackout of potentially embarrassing things for Obama continues.

The only way to force the MSM is break the Obama Propaganda Division role is to have such massive turnouts at things like this that they actually have to report some level of dislike for the fact the Big O and his Congressional henchmen (including a few GOP buffoons) are turning this country into a bankrupt socialistic state that will never let our children and grand-children prosper.

These things are getting huge enough that some of the Left are actually going to show up, a few with disruptive intent or to generate negaticve images.  The goal is to have a peaceful huge gathering to influence this COngress… or more likely, organize to replace the problem members from both parties.

I haven’t been posting much on my home site, spending most of my time at the Political Inquirer.  However, things have gotten quiet enough over there and I am reluctent to post much nonpolitical stuff there, so back here I came.

Looks like the Somalian pirates made the mistake of taking on American merchantmen; guys who have probably seen the movie “United 93′, as well as being fed up with people looking for handouts back home as well as the open seas.  At this point, the captain is held hostage; hopefully things will end well for him and badly for the cowardly thugs.  It’s time some of these pirates have their bullet-riddled bodies sleeping with the fishes.

The only things that could be effective long-term here is:

1) The merchant ships be allowed to arm themselves: four .50 machine guns locked up in a weapons locker and mounted only after they enter international waters would do the trick.  the pirates longest range weapons don’t have a third of the range as a .50 in event moderately competent hands.

2) Blockade of any port practicing piracy.  Nothing goes in or out without being fully inspected.  Let the Somalian government (which is pretty non-existent) howl.  Ships with legitimate business will only be somewhat inconvenienced.

3) Captured pirates be jailed long-term and not in some American-standard facility; Ethiopia would probably take on the task, given their problems with the Solmalian government.

Doy we really want to give either party complete control of the government, with no effective voice to opposition?

She doesn’t need 300 like Obama when she’s got advisors like these. I’d fit right in.

(OK, so it’s a NorFest celebration; they’d still be better than Obama’s.)