I just finished reading it's Still the Economy, Stupid

[Sillyman]

Decent book by Paul Begala. Basically the major premise of the book is that it's Dubya's fault the economy is in the crapper at the moment. He makes some fairly solid points, and his sources are well-documented, which is good. However, I find a few problems with him. First of all, I think a large part of what is going on with the economy right now just has to do with the normal business cycle. The boom was not going to last forever. Secondly, the man has a real love for Clinto, which is not surprising considering how he was a counselor to the man, but I think he gives Clinton to much credit and goes to far in sanctifying the man. Thirdly, the book goes into a few areas, such as the enviroment, that are fairly irrelevant to the economy overall.

 

[SINthysist]

I guess it must have been Bush himself who sank the economy by daring to utter the "R" word during the election. Did the forehead cover that in detail?

 

[SINthysist]

In addition, one could argue that I know as much about the economy as the forehead because I have been talking about the recession here before it happened under my prior names.

Now I might be stupid and I might be biased, but if a dumbass like myself called it, why was the press not motivated to talk about it unless they are biased, stupid, or both...

 

[Sillyman]

Actually, no. What they did cover was the ineffectiveness of the Bush tax cuts, Bush's bad business history, Cheney's bad business history, Enron , how Bush stocks every single policy making commitee with people who agree exclusively with him on everything, and how Republicans have a history of cutting funding for angencies that are supposed to watch out for corruption, making the corporate scandals possible in the first place.

It's good Democrat feeding fodder, but lacks a main thrust other than Bush being bad with money.

 

[SINthysist]

The environment may be one of the most single important aspects leading to the recession. The lawsuits, presidential decrees, jimmied science, etc., have cost the economy at best millions of dollars, at worst billions. The refusal to go get oil may have led directly to this war by empowering those with oil. Hey, just like lumber, we have to get it from somewhere...

You should try Diane Alden...

 

[SINthysist]

Hmmm... we have a whole department that handles that financial stuff that recommends to the President, the same as a CEO accepts what the CFO proposes because we cannot be experts at everything.

Speaking of Enron and all the scandals...

What was Begalia doing about them when he had the chance?

As far as Bush being bad with money/strategeries/minorities/the working man/the bisness professional/cattle/oil/the environment...etc, etc. etc.,

We get enough of that from Hillary and p_p_man.

 

[SINthysist]

Or was he letting Terry McAuliffe advise him on the niceties of insider trading?

Or was he just out of the big money loop, wondering wtf happened so he decided to write a book.

Got his done before Hillary and Bill....

 

[Sillyman]

If you are referring to "getting oil" as drilling in Alaska, that's still going to take a good ten years before we get shit out of it. What we needed was fuel emission regulation, which auto-manufacturers have been blocking.

 

[Sillyman]

As far as Bush being bad with money/strategeries/minorities/the working man/the bisness professional/cattle/oil/the environment...etc, etc. etc.,

We get enough of that from Hillary.

I just love how anything said by a woman immediately renders it moot.

 

[SINthysist]

Are you in California where environmental regulations are making it nigh on impossible to coduct business.

I still remember Bill Clinton's last major strategic oil move, he looted our reserves to buy votes in the NE corridor...

Other than that his policy was to kiss ass and appeal for better prices, ignore terrorism, ignore jihad, ignore the Russian invoked war to stop construction of pipelines that could feed oil to the west...


But Paul's just focused on Kitchen Table issues this close to the election. Isn't he?

 

[SINthysist]

EXCUSE ME, but didn't I just praise Diane Alden?

Could it be not a sex issue, but possibly a corruption issue with me?

Hanns hates women. Gawd knows I love 'em too!

 

[Skibum]

It's not being a woman that renders what Hillary says moot. It's that she has her head so far up her ass that coherent thought can't get out.

 

[Sillyman]

I see you have such an incredible amount of experience with the energy business yourself. We all know how bad regualtions are. Just look at how much better off the airlines are now that they are deregulated.

 

[SINthysist]

Additionally, I mentioned p_p_man in the same breath.

SHE's the one out stumping saying BUSH WAS SELECTED NOT ELECTED and publicly saying via Terry McAuliffe that their NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS REVENGE AND FIRST DESTROYING JEB BUSH, then going after another Bush Presidency and Begalia's STILL PART OF THE TEAM!



p_p_, Sillyman called you a woman!

 

[Sillyman]

It's not being a woman that renders what Hillary says moot. It's that she has her head so far up her ass that coherent thought can't get out.

Do you have any real arguments against Hillary, or do you just have misogynist invective to spew?

 

[Sillyman]

SHE's the one out stumping saying BUSH WAS SELECTED NOT ELECTED and publicly saying via Terry McAuliffe that their NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IS REVENGE AND FIRST DESTROYING JEB BUSH, then going after another Bush Presidency and Begalia's STILL PART OF THE TEAM!

All caps sentences. Lovely.

Of course she is saying that. It's true. The guy was elected because of a conservative Supreme Court.

 

[SINthysist]

I know more about the Oil indusrty than either Clinton based on the simple fact that I BUY MY OWN GAS and know the price of it and the amount of tax on it...

 

[Sillyman]

I know more about the Oil indusrty than either Clinton based on the simple fact that I BUY MY OWN GAS and know the price of it and the amount of tax on it...

And I suppose you would also be in a position to solve Africa's famine problems because you buy your own groceries? Or does your "little woman" at home do that for you?

 

[SINthysist]

That’s the best you can do for your team then? If that’s what you believe. You read that book, gave it a lukewarm review, asserted it had such strong arguments, well make them and stop pointing out that the other guy used caps, deduction of points…

Go back to step one and outline these strong arguments. Supreme Court my ass.


Net slowing down now, may leave soon, but as for cutting agency funding. GOOD FOR HIM! They let all this go on under their nose during Clinton, they deserved to be fawking sanctioned until they cleaned up their act...

 

[SINthysist]

You are beginning to sound like a Liberal. I farm and teach. My wife, the little woman, is a business executive with a career. We’re earners.

Now I’m staying factual here and offering some counter-discussion on the topic of Begalia’s book, his conjectures, and his motivations.

You attack me. In this, you re-enforce stereotypes and do your cause no good. No wonder we are polarized.

 

[Skibum]

Do you have any real arguments against Hillary, or do you just have misogynist invective to spew?

She supports socialism in medicine.
She thinks I need a village to raise my children.
She wants to repeal the 2d Amendment.
She changed her state of residence for political gain.
She's a lawyer.
She opposed tax cuts.
She has supported Leahy's refusal to get judicial appointments before the full Senate.
She supports elitist liberals in their efforts to make us all more dependent on big government.
She and Bill trashed the White House in a fit of pique when they moved out.
She is as greedy as she accuses her opponents of being (making her a hypocryte).
She supports abortion on demand.
She wants to take my money and give it to someone else.

I can also spew misogynist invective:
She has a shrill voice.
She's a bitch.
I hate her hair.
She has a phoney smile.

 

[SINthysist]

Good job!