Thanks

That’s funny. To me, you might as well say slavery works in some cases and it would be irresponsible not to allow it.

That’s funny. To me, you might as well say slavery works in some cases and it would be irresponsible not to allow it.

Usually, conservatives flip to “-illions” when a new letters are added to the front of that. When we’ve been talking about deficits in the hundreds of billions for years, a trillion dollar deficit does have some dramatic effect. One would hope it would be enough to wake the walking dead in the U.S. out of their zombie-like “change” stupor. Btw…A friend send this to me the other day. Explains where the whole “Change” thing came from:

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mpatterson/2009/11/14/obama-the-woody-boyd-candidate/

Usually, conservatives flip to “-illions” when a new letters are added to the front of that. When we’ve been talking about deficits in the hundreds of billions for years, a trillion dollar deficit does have some dramatic effect. One would hope it would be enough to wake the walking dead in the U.S. out of their zombie-like “change” stupor. Btw…A friend send this to me the other day. Explains where the whole “Change” thing came from:

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/mpatterson/2009/11/14/obama-the-woody-boyd-candidate/

This absolute dollars vs. intelligible rates is a horrible, horrible problem with journalists and pundits. And it works like clockwork. When a Republican is in office conservatives report debt as a percent of GDP and liberals report absolute debt. When a Democrat moves in it flips – conservatives start using scary numbers that end in “-illions”, and Democrats start talking in percents. Since most journalism is about leaving an impression, rather than actual analysis it can be very effective.

Another rate/absolute comparison I hate is when people try to argue that the Bush tax cuts were a “gift to the rich” because the richest X% got the lionshare of the benefits. Don’t get me wrong – I’m in the group that agrees that the tax cuts were irresponsible, but the fact that they’re irresponsible doesn’t translate into them being a gift to the rich.

This absolute dollars vs. intelligible rates is a horrible, horrible problem with journalists and pundits. And it works like clockwork. When a Republican is in office conservatives report debt as a percent of GDP and liberals report absolute debt. When a Democrat moves in it flips – conservatives start using scary numbers that end in “-illions”, and Democrats start talking in percents. Since most journalism is about leaving an impression, rather than actual analysis it can be very effective.

Another rate/absolute comparison I hate is when people try to argue that the Bush tax cuts were a “gift to the rich” because the richest X% got the lionshare of the benefits. Don’t get me wrong – I’m in the group that agrees that the tax cuts were irresponsible, but the fact that they’re irresponsible doesn’t translate into them being a gift to the rich.

Trade has grown in absolute terms but the “inbalance” in the yearly trade figures between the two countries is growing by stunning numbers.

Intellectual property products are now 55% of U.S. exports according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce BUT it is extimated that over 80% of business software in use in China is pirated and that 90% of movie and music dvds are pirated. The ability to steal what would otherwise be an area of export growth to China is not going to lessen the continually rising merchandise trade deficit for the U.S.

The shock to wage earning capacity of U.S. workers will be a hindrance to the capacity of the U.S. to promote freedom for capitalism around the world.

Trade has grown in absolute terms but the “inbalance” in the yearly trade figures between the two countries is growing by stunning numbers.

Intellectual property products are now 55% of U.S. exports according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce BUT it is extimated that over 80% of business software in use in China is pirated and that 90% of movie and music dvds are pirated. The ability to steal what would otherwise be an area of export growth to China is not going to lessen the continually rising merchandise trade deficit for the U.S.

The shock to wage earning capacity of U.S. workers will be a hindrance to the capacity of the U.S. to promote freedom for capitalism around the world.