But let's not disturb the pipe dreams of Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), who are promoting a coverage convolution which makes Hillarycare seem like a kindergarten recess activity. No one looking at the details contained within that proposal has much good to say about it, and yet it would definitely protect the insurance companies at a time when the public is behind a movement to promote real reform of a corrupt industry. I guess that would be the real profit motive contained in that distractive slight-of-legality legerdemain masquerading as a riddle wrapped up in an enigma presented as reform!
And just when is the pain going to end for Main Street? Not soon enough. No matter what comes of Obama's initiatives, or even those of Baucus and Grassley, a day I have long predicted is at hand. Our anxiety levels should be rising over this story, but it hasn't generated the attention that the loss of Michael Jackson's nose has. I guess we know what is important, don't we Fawning Corporate Lapdog Media?
But here is the bad news whether you can deal with it or not. The Chinese assistant finance minister dropped in at the White House the other day for a "friendly chat" regarding the stability of their $1.5 TRILLION investment in our economy (yes, that is a 'T' at the beginning of the value!). They would be "most distressed" if they lost confidence in the American economic management, and thus decided not to buy more Treasury bills at the next Federal Reserve auction. If that confidence in our fiscal prudence is lost, they just might want to begin reclaiming their funds, which would put the nation into the insolvent straits experienced by my deceased friend over twenty years ago and by my currently-troubled friend today.
Our national leaders are already not seeing the national forest for us citizen trees, so what will happen to us when they have to squeeze the dry lemon until the dusty seeds run down their slimy legs? We might find ourselves wondering if ending it all might not be the better choice.
It has to be like the terminal decisions made by many Indian farmers who borrowed heavily to plant a crop which failed, leaving them at the mercy of creditors: "Farmers' suicides are increasing due to a vicious circle created by money lenders. They lure farmers to take money but when the crops fail, they are left with no option other than death." Substitute a few words, and you have the current American National Depression in a nutshell.
Article comments
1 - Dave Nalle
You know, the Chinese refusing to buy more debt might be the best thing that could happen to us. It would be a wakeup call for these insane spenders.
Dave
2 - Bliffle
That's just Daves "Hail Mary" pass, now that the system he invested so much ego in is crashing around him.
3 - Silas Kain
In a famous line from the brilliant play "Boys in the Band", "Give me librium, or give me death."
4 - Dave Nalle
Bliffle, how have I invested any more in the "system" than you or anyone else in America?
Dave
5 - Bliffle
Ego investment. You seem to have a bigger ego investment in the current (i.e., as of jan 1, 2009) system, which you have done a lot to bring about, than I do.
You seem annoyed that Obama is president, and you seem to wish for the Chinese to administer him a thrashing.
But I think that Obama may have outflanked you and similarly-minded fellows on the right.
Whereas rightists may have thought that leaving the treasury broke, the financial system collapsing, and two expensive quagmire wars in distant foreign lands would hobble any succeeding democrat administration in 2009 and render them powerless, Obama has simply upped the ante and thus outflanked the reps.
As I've said many times before, Bush and his cohorts are poor strategists. They are good tacticians, witness the Iraq Invasion hokum, the Kerry swiftboat truthers, the Obama birthers, etc., but they can't put tactics together into a strategy.
The reps 'scorched earth' strategy is vulnerable to a flanking attack, which is what Obama is doing.
The reps need another Eisenhower or Nixon (this time could we please have a non-psycho, please?).
6 - Dave Nalle
Why would I have an investment in a government which I was working to oppose from the very start? Makes no sense.
I don't care if the Chinese thrash Obama, all I care about is that something inspire the mad spenders to fiscal sanity.
Dave
7 - Bliffle
Mad spenders? But the Bushies are gone.
The Obamas have only spent a fraction of the Bushies. The TARP may turn out to be a wash. The $800billion stimulus is less than the Iraq Invasion, and it seems to be working.
Even if the healthcare bill costs $900billion over 10 years, that's less than the Bush tax cuts and Medicare D plan.
Also, the Obama spending goes to the US citizens rather than the Ruling Class, so the multiplier will be high and may produce a big economic gain generally.
8 - scout
I hope the personal problems are well.
Thanks for the great thinking.
Really, the 'healthcare' nonsense is just another corp welfare policy.
We are ruled by political gangstas that work for even more powerful gangstas, nothing less.
If we really wanted general healthcare, we would simply slightly expand medicare, and make the pharmaceuticals pay for it with donated medicine.
Simultaneously, we would renounce our constant overt and covert war system, which is simply another form of corp welfare under patriotic cover.
Look how little bush constantly connected Saddam to his 9/11, and we go in, hang him, and take Iraqi oil. Afghan's had the oil connection to India and the opium market to be controlled. We take the opium profit and take control of India's economic growth.
We are ruled by gangstas, NOTHING MORE.
9 - roger nowosielski
Great article, Realist, I think the best I'm seen so far on the perils of Obamacare and the ugly aspects of the health insurance industry.
As to the suicide aspect, we created the society of consumers: it's the inevitable consequence of capitalism. Material values rule. They in fact define us and our sense of self-worth. That's the saddest thing.
10 - Joanne Huspek
I think you've outdone yourself. Chills, thrills and spills. Oh, and suicide.
I tell people the only good thing about the future is that I'll be dead for it. One way or another.