Almost every one of the United States faces budget deficits: The worst recession since the 1930s has caused the steepest decline in state tax receipts on record. As a result, even after making very deep cuts, states continue to face large budget gaps. New shortfalls have opened up in the budgets of at least 41 states for the current fiscal year (FY 2010, which began July 1 in most states). In addition, initial indications are that states will face shortfalls as big as or bigger than they faced this year in the upcoming 2011 fiscal year. States will continue to struggle to find the revenue needed to support critical public services for a number of years.(Recession Continues, emphasis added). It appears that 46 of the 50 states qualify for Chapter 9 Bankruptcy, but it is only available to municipalities.
When we hear about the problems of California or New York, what we do not hear is the effect that the stupid wars and military budget are having on the states.
The reality of these wars is a story of the shame of the warmongers among us:
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in(President & General Eisenhower, emphasis added). MOMCOM has sold herself via the main stream media as the saviour, yet she is actually the crucifier.the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone.
It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.
This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.
Other presidents have a different point of view:
I'm a war president. I make decisions here in the Oval Office in foreign-policy matters with war on my mind.(Bush II). He was also the High Priest In Chief who based his wars on his interpretation of The Book of Revelation.
How many homes in other nations have been destroyed by the warmongers, how many in their own country, when will they have enough?
The Book of Revelation? Now THERE'S a lighthearted romp suitable for uplifting bedtime stories!
ReplyDeleteRegarding budget shortfalls: I'm just trying to get a line on Uncle Sugar's default plans. I no longer believe that it's even possible or that anyone in power even plans to dig out from this mess.
Regarding messianic warmongering Commanders in Chief: Unfortunately, I think we'll look back one day soon at the Bush II era as just a relatively innocuous prelude to the major fireworks yet to come. If nothing else, we've still got a doomsday nuclear arsenal that's been gathering dust for quite some time now. I don't expect that to last too long once the wheels start coming off the empire in earnest however, a process that to my mind at least, is already pretty well underway.
The good news is, Super Bowl XLIV was a by all accounts a resounding success and New Orleans is now officially healed from Katrina because of it, and yes, NASCAR has returned once again for those who enjoy watching things going in circles very, very fast. And really now, doesn't that make all the rest of it bearable after all?
disaffected,
ReplyDeleteThe mystery about how people who fancy themselves as sentient beings can go on and on glorifying madness of the warmonger sort is a great mystery of our generation.
Meanwhile- what passes for "conservatives" these days actually cheer on the extreme belt tightening of local governments while DC prints money out thin air to pay for these sick criminal wars of choice (and for bailouts of elite thieves).
ReplyDeleteBurkeman1,
ReplyDeleteYes sir, things are getting "curiouser and curiouser" ...
Keep up the good work.
Forget politics.
ReplyDeleteA grassroots economic fix is what we need. America consumes more than any nation in the world... So what's the problem? Anyone?
It's our trade deficit.
How far does your dollar go? All the way to China? Ouch! I don't think that stimulates our economy.
We can do this.
If we as Americans re-focus our buying power back into our own economy, we shouldn't have any problem at all putting everyone to work.
Lower our deficit and debt?
A better economy will produce more revenue, lower the deficit, and if we're as good as they say Americans are, we can even pay off our debt.
No politicians needed.
It's not always easy to find an American made product these days, so we need to let our retailers know that the American worker is back in demand. Listen for the question while your standing in line... "Did you find everything you were looking for?"
Pittsburgh Steelers Fan,
ReplyDeleteYou pretty much set forth the common notions advanced in the MSM.
War is irrelevant to the budget they say.
Dream on.
Credit card war has a high cost, high interest rates, produces nothing, destroys most everything, including reputation, and causes bankruptcy conditions.
It is like saying a credit card does not come with the obligation to pay the debt.
Making more money then spending even more than that does not solve the problem either.
If the richest 1% were farmers instead of warmongers we would not have the wars or the debt but everyone would have plenty to eat.
Without "politicians," (actually, laws) there's no reason that big-box retailers won't trick you into believing that goods that are 99% foreign-made and trivially processed in the US (by robots, perhaps) are "Made In The USA!" Without controlling the politicians who are borrowing the money, how will the public debt ever be paid? Instead, perhaps you could encourage others to get online and get a clearer sense of what's really happening. Once people get exposed to a variety of non-mainstream, non-"media" viewpoints, I'm certain that better tactics will reveal themselves. (Watching the news and reading the paper were never really enough, even back in the pre-Internet era.)
ReplyDeletein response to Forget politics. A grassroots economic fix is what we need. America consumes more than any nation in the world... So what's the problem? Anyone? It's our trade deficit. How far does your dollar go? All the way to China? Ouch! I don't think that stimulates our economy. We can do this. If we as Americans re-focus our buying power back into our own economy, we shouldn't have any problem at all putting everyone to work. Lower our deficit and debt? A better economy will produce more revenue, lower the deficit, and if we're as good as they say Americans are, we can even pay off our debt. No politicians needed. It's not always easy to find an American made product these days, so we need to let our retailers know that the American worker is back in demand. Listen for the question while your standing in line... "Did you find everything you were looking for?", by Pittsburgh Steelers Fan.