That’s torn it. Now we’re in trouble with Pimco, Standard and Poors and Moodys. A hat trick of detention, all of our own doing. Our Grand Old party has shaken the world (again) proving “Who says no one could be that stupid twice?” Some people would say we handed the country over to the oligarchs.
In the eleventh hour the “Debt Crisis” was essentially solved when The Chamber of Commerce and other business interests let the Tea party and other budget choppers know that it was their campaign funds on the chopping block.
Effectively handing the entire country over to the ratings agencies, the focus on the wrong side of the balance sheet, the frightening “take no prisoners” attitude and the calls of “who cares about default, we spend to much money!” have worked their magic with the economic masters of the universe. That’s no longer us, by the way.
By throwing a full body block during the election two-step my masterful party has opened the yawning gates to hell. Right now investors are bolting for safety, dumping stocks as fast as they dare and looking forward to another major dip. Apparently unbeknownst to our conservative penny pinchers there is money to be made as markets and countries fall, lots of money. You can bet the Koch brothers know that.
With all the high-falutin talk of the “Private sector” being the only place to create jobs, we now can sit quietly licking the egg on our faces as that sector continues to hold on to trillions of reserves instead of investing it in the US. The same companies that spend millions to avoid taxes and lobby Wasington are loathe to invest in a country that can’t get it financially together and still thinks somehow, a national budget is just like the budget at mom and pop’s grocery.
Prepare the blame throwers boys, it’s going to be a dark and stormy night. Our ratings are down again, somehow the American people think we’re responsible. How is that possible? It’s those damn socialists yelling out things like “I wanted to stop the crazed gravy train in Washington, not trash my 401k again.” The weenies! Don’t they know that it’s the Unions and the teachers that are killing this country. How many times do we have to tell them it’s the President’s fault?
Well, we know how to counter than kind of Anti-American talk. We’re going to get this country back to work at a decent wage (third world, of course). None of this collective bargaining crap, employers know what to pay and we don’t need a lot of commie-blue collar dopes telling us different. We need even lower taxes for businesses and individuals to boost the economies in the foreign nations where workers know how to bow and scrape. No more “spoiled brat American Eco-socialists-for-a-living-wage” for us. When the lazy unemployed, the starving poor, the retired slackers who just lost their savings come to the walls, prepare the boiling oil!
Writer’s note: It may seem a little insensitive to attempt humor at a time like this, and it is. But I have two words for you “Stop loss,” If you have investments, set one. It doesn’t mean panic or sell everything now, it just means if the market dives you will have an automatic circuit breaker to preserve your capital. The markets always recover and this will give you money to buy back in when they rise again. However, the Fed may still have a trick or two left and employment numbers were better than expected. At any rate it’s Friday and that means there’s time for the markets to cool down and think. If you were waiting for the “Private sector” to save the day, this may just be the thing that will force them to invest. After all pretty soon they will figure out that there is no point guarding the money in your mattress if the house is on fire.
Copyright Prentiss Gray 2011
Prentiss Gray is a writer and columnist and currently writes the Domesti-Tech Blog for Gannett. He can be reached through his website at
Prentiss Gray
Prentiss Gray is a writer/columnist/blogger from New Jersey. After 27 years as a Information Systems consultant and the death of his wife of 21 years, he returned to his roots as a writer, creating the national column Adventures of the Lone Dad/ Daddy chronicles. He now Blogs for Gannet on domestic technology, and writes feature pieces and stories for general publication. He is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and contributes to Bloomberg News, Daily Record, Gannett and the Tribune Syndicate.
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Prentiss I think you are smarter than the false flag you continue to fly in service of the Dems. A waste of talent.
I agree with you on stop losses – they are prudent and in any smart investors portfolio. Deterioration of the dollar and runaway inflation are not cured by stop losses, and we all remain in great financial jeopardy.
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It is all the Republicans fault? Are you serious? Those poor Democrats had nothing to do with any of it? I would be embarassed to admit that I believed that! Be fair minded here. They are all at fault.
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Mark, I am serious. We (assuming you’re a republican, If I insult you I’m sorry) manufactured this crisis. If we can’t own up to that, then that’s certainly not patriotic. At least 80% percent of the blame for the crisis and the downgrade belongs to us. It’s easy to say “It’s everyone in Washington’s fault” but that’s just a cop out. Your duty as an American is to figure out how you can change that. You can’t throw everyone out, it’s just not going to happen. You can only look at your own elected representatives and decide who you like best (or hate least). For me of my two Senators I like Menendez and dislike Lautenberg, as for the representative in my district he has to go. He’s a party puppet as far as I can tell.
Did you know that our (I’m assuming, not insulting) party has blocked 80% of the legislation in the senate? 80%. literally hundred of nominees for positions all over the government have been held up by our party’s Filibusters. They have been held up for two years. This is either a blindness to the needs of our government or a concerted effort to stop this government from accomplishing anything. In any democracy it is not fair to have the minority holding up the will of the majority. And in this case it is a minority within our minority that’s behind most of it. I’ll defend the Republican party to the end, but it’s also my right to call out all the forces that have subverted it to the condition it is in today.
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OK, bud. I don’t want to seem like I’m picking on you.
We are NOT a democracy. We are a republic. Our government was set up purposefully with the ability for a minority to hold up a majority. It helps to prevent the tyranny of the majority.
If I got 50% plus 1 to agree that we should cut our tongues out, would you be in line for the cutting…I mean the majority ruled…right?
As to the blame, the Republicans hardly deserve 80% of the blame, that just isn’t reality. They are all at fault. But lets quit worrying about the assigning of blame and find an effin solution! That is what needs to happen. Until then, we will keep the stupid sheeple arguing over the blame while the titanic sinks…
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Prentiss,actually I’m registered Independent. I vote for who they are and what they say, and then if I like what they do, I vote to re-elect. Otherwise I vote for their opponent or abstain.
I just don’t think that the Republicans are so responsible. I think they all have to be held accountable for the mess.
Micheal, you are right about the republic issue.
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Hypotheticals are useless as discussion tools, however we always have a choice in a free society, we can obey the rules of the society or get out. Your right about the rules of our republic, but 80% of legislation? When does protection of rights become just plain intransigence? Is it voting their conscience or sabotage? It’s pretty hard to defend those actions when most of the Presidents own nominations for posts are still being filibustered two years into his term.
Our party needs to be out of power, until we get it back together. Everyone wants action on the economy, we should get out of they way and give the more moderate elements their chance.
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