Quote of the Day
When you look at the Republicans you see the scum off the top of business. When you look at the Democrats you see the scum off the top of politics. Personally, I prefer business. A businessman will steal from you directly instead of getting the IRS to do it for him. And when Republicans ruin the environment, destroy the supply of affordable housing, and wreck the industrial infrastructure, at least they make a buck off it. The Democrats just do these things for fun.
Democrats are also the party of government activism, the party that says government can make you richer, smarter, taller and get the chickweed out of your lawn. Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work, and then they get elected and prove it. One philosophy is not necessarily an improvement on the other, but if you want the tooth fairy to come, you’ve got to have some teeth under your pillow.
~P.J. O'Rourke, in his book "The Parliament of Whores"
8 Comments:
Richard Nixon, nominally Republican, brought us wage and price controls in August, 1971. Predictable disasters, shortages, and recession followed. Nixon understood nothing of economics.
Gerald Ford, somewhat more Republican, ended wage and price controls in 1974. Curiously , he then launched Whip Inflation Now with stupid buttons. Not much happened beyond the relief of losing wage and price controls.
McCain doesn't appear to have any understanding of economics. I despair that he would actually listen to advice on economic policy. How would he even know when he's getting good advice?
I don't know how Republicans got the reputation of being the business party.
Republicans got the reputation of being the business party because they generally are proponents of open markets, free trade, and globalization. All of these things help businesses and nations to prosper. The two examples you give might go against the general ideas the Republicans stand for, but it does not mean that the party as a whole does not favor these things.
And besides, compared with the policies the Democrats would implement, there is no debate in saying the Republicans are a pro-biz party.
> Nixon understood nothing of economics.
Well, he was listening to Keynesians, who, it turns out, also know nothing of economics.
> Fred said: I don't know how Republicans got the reputation of being the business party.
Anon's replies are spot on, for the most part, with the ack'd caveat that the GOP does have a bad history of tariff support.
That is a notable, and admittedly significant exception to a history of support for the notion of "Let the market do what it is designed to do".
BTW -- Greenspan is likely to step down during the next presidency.
Scary as McCain doing that may be -- the notion of Obama selecting a man for said position is absolutely sphincter puckering.
Funny post. Both parties are a joke. I guess who you like depends upon your sense of humor.
The Masked Millionaire
RE: Republicans.
I hear what they are saying and I see what they are doing. What they do carries more weight than what they say.
masked millionaire,
I contend that the voters are a joke. It’s much easier to complain than it is to propose a solution.
Unrealistic expectation of politicians’ abilities by voters is the real problem. When voters are willing to elect a President who says that he or she cannot do anything about high gasoline prices, or that there is no realistic way to fund national health care (at least without attacking the cost problem first) maybe quality candidates will seek office.
Until realistic expectations by voters occur, we get what we deserve—snake oil salesmen. The actual solution lies within the voter; not the politician. There really is no such thing as a free lunch.
> RE: Republicans.
Why do you imagine that this applies only to the GOP?
The GOP, at least, pays attention when you show them that their actions are failing to achieve their goals (no, that does not mean that they fix the problem, but they consider alternatives, including abandoning a non-functioning program).
The Dems just whine "but we meeeant well1" and then try some obviously useless tweak because actually NOT doing anything when they can't think of anything constructive is never an option.
Don't just do something!! Stand there!!
.
What do politicians and economists have in common???
1. They never have to be accurate...as long as someone always believes their story.
2. They only have to talk...they never have to do.
3. They can spend long and fruitful careers floating atop ever-turbulent waves of negative-human emotion.
Please feel free to continue my list...
Post a Comment
<< Home