psychobabble from d.c.

[redcliffsw]

l
In December 2007, there were 2,730,050 government employees at the federal level. Twenty-two million total government workers existed in 2008 as compared to 20 million working in the manufacturing and construction industries.

Only government could make an argument that more government is needed. With a population of approximately 304 million people, America has one government worker for every 14 citizens. By contrast, the manufacturing and construction industry provides all the automobiles, goods, homes, and buildings that America needs with one worker for every 15 citizens.

Every time government invents a job working Americans must produce the tax revenue to fund the position. Therefore revenue is taken out of the private sector and transferred to government which has no production capability. By contrast, when a job is created in the private sector the employer is helped because he has someone to create more end products and the employee has income to fulfill his economic needs. Both the employer and employee benefit. With government, the employee benefits, but the several workers who must support him suffer.

Government and bureaucracy contend that they are the engines of growth. If that contention were true, Russia would still be one large nation, East Germany would be an industrial giant, and China would not be attempting to convert to capitalism. America seems hell bent on drifting into socialism and the countries who have experienced socialism are attempting to institute capitalism. Go figure!

According to the Washington Post, Obama's stimulus packages will increase the number of government workers by somewhere between 100,000 and 250,000. This massive growth in government employees will occur while jobs in the private sector continue to decrease in number. It seems that we learn almost daily of some entity which intends a layoff or a shift of workers out of the country. IBM alone reduced its workforce by approximately 4,600 employees in January. Another reduction of about 5,000 is scheduled for March and April. Several of these jobs will be outsourced to India and Latin America.

With rare exception, the folks steering the good ship America toward a socialist state are intellectual people. Their intellect however is more an impediment than an asset. Their narcissistic egos insist that socialism has never worked only because they were not steering the ship. Armed as they are with pseudo intellectualism they press on assured that they can make the unworkable work.

Obama on the Tonight Show said "The problem is ... people were able to take huge, excessive risks with other peoples money." But that same Obama sees no disconnect with using OUR money to bail out Wall Street, the automobile companies, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, and spend about $8 billion on a government growth stimulus. Perhaps no one has told him that he is spending OTHER PEOPLE'S money? It is theft and deception when Wall Street does it and an investment in America when Obama does it. This is simply psychobabble, there is no distinction!

For those who did not take European history in college, what is going on in America today mirrors what happened in Europe. The governments of Germany and Russia convinced the masses that the rich were evil and the cause of all problems. The masses took to the streets and capitalism collapsed. Anyone who was awake in school knows how that ended up!

Unless the American people wake up and do what is required to insure that our political leaders cease and desist from their agenda, our nation is in for a very rough ride. Kind of like going over Niagara Falls in a barrel!

[Diane Amberg]

So what is the solution? I've recently heard talk of a type of flat tax being suggested. How does one punish the evil money men of the alternative banks,  etc. and get our economy back on track? I hear a lot about what we shouldn't do, but no responsible reply on what we should do, if what is now happening isn't it. I see some banks who got a bailout have already paid it back....a tiny drop in the bucket for sure but it is at least something.

[Varmit]

Bear in mind that this problem started years ago when banks were forced to make bad loans to people they knew couldn't pay it back.  The gov't needs to back off and let the markets fix themselves.  The entreprenuerial spirit of americans can fix just about any problem this country has if it is allowed to flourish.  Unfortunately, the current administration isn't going to allow that to happen. They feel it would be unfair to some people because it would reward people for working hard.  It would create an "uneven playing field" that would give more to some than others.  In short it isn't socialist.  The only solution that I can see is for people to prepare for what is coming.