Althouse: "Americans Like Big Government: They just don't really know it yet."

March 12, 2009

"Americans Like Big Government: They just don't really know it yet."

That's the line.

And, of course, part of Big Government is to feed us that line. It's part of the scheme of getting us to like it. Sometimes government sounds like a creepy stalker....

223 comments:

«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 223 of 223

Inspektor Friedrich said...: HEY HEY HO HO
ALTHOUSE TROLLS HAVE GOT TO GO
ALTHOUSE LOCAL 101

It was the best of blogs, it was the worst of blogs; it was the blog of wisdom, it was the blog of foolishness; it was the website of belief, it was the website of incredulity; it had the comments of Light, it had the comments of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to a meet-up with Althouse, we were all going the other way.

Ah, yes, the Althouse blog seems ripe for a Revolution.

Ever noticed how much Althouse resembles Marie Antoinette?; 3/12/09, 11:00 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: The Perfect Blog 3:25 / 9:40

Yes there he is...
Who is he?
What can you do?
What does he want?
Why does he move like that?
How does he move like that?

Look at him
Look at him now
And now
Look at him all the time

Now the music.. it's gone
No music anymore.; 3/12/09, 11:38 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: Today, too, I experienced something I hope to understand in a few days.; 3/12/09, 11:44 PM
Fred4Pres said...: Some counties benefit and some counties get the "benefit" of paying for those counties that benefit.; 3/13/09, 1:38 AM
Doug Smith said...: Michael is a LIAR saying that Bush inherited a $2T debt. According to

http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np

It was $5.7T on Jan 19, 2001. It's true it nearly doubled under his watch, but not 500%. Michael can't do basic math.; 3/13/09, 4:01 AM
Doug Smith said...: Unfortunately, Althouse refuses to IP ban MichaelTroll.; 3/13/09, 4:04 AM
Alex said...: test; 3/13/09, 4:05 AM
Bruce Hayden said...: And using tax money to subidize car production would indeed be ridiculous, if we did not for example, give farmers tax money to subsidize grain production.

I find a lot wrong with this statement. First, if all the government were doing was subsidizing farmers to grow crops, then that might almost be ok, since as pointed out above, we all have to eat. But it isn't. The government also subsidizes farmers not to grow. And part of the absurdity is that no matter how hard the politicians pretend to make sure that the money goes to the "small farmers", it mostly doesn't.

And it doesn't because of the nature of government - those who bribe the most, get the most.

So, what is really wrong with big government? Probably the biggest in my view is that it invariably becomes ever more corrupt. Why, because there is so much money to be made in corrupting the system. We have the best and the brightest bribing the politicians and policy makers instead of inventing the next great thing.

I have long had the theory that there are essentially two types of liberals/ proponents of big government: the naive Utopian optimists (i.e. the sheep) and their exploiters. At the political level we find Congress filled (with many on the Republican side too) with the exploiters. They may come to power as naive Utopian optimists, but that doesn't last long. Pretty soon, they are at the public trough, taking bribes, accepting free plane flights and limos, making themselves, their kids (Biden, Reid), spouses (Feinstein, Clinton, and maybe Obama), etc. rich through the spoils of power. And at some point, they start thinking that they are smarter than everyone else (think Biden again), instead of that they are just more corrupt (and, hence all the tax and lobbyist troubles we are seeing as Obama tries to staff his government).

The problem is that it pays to bribe politicians, since there is so much money sloshing around to be spent by the government. The current justification for earmarks seems to be just that, that there is so much money being spent otherwise, that so what 1% (actually much more) graft in this form to reelect politicians is just fine.; 3/13/09, 7:56 AM
Ernesto Ariel Suárez said...: Alex? Test? Blowing your cover so easily?; 3/13/09, 8:08 AM
Peter V. Bella said...: And it doesn't because of the nature of government - those who bribe the most, get the most.

Just like those two new heroes of the RepubliK, Barney Frank and Chris Dodd who took money from Freddie Mac and Freddie Mae and caused the mortgage meltdown. Then there is Joe Biden, another hero of the republiK, who took cash from the credit card companies. Guess where the next meltdown is going to come from?

Now after causing this mess they are heroes because they are going to clean it up. We really need better enforcemnt and oversight of the legislature. All the nonsense about oversight and accountability of the President for eight years was nothing but a smoke screen for the criminals in the legislature to commit highway robbery.; 3/13/09, 9:17 AM
Anonymous said...: Why am I reminded of the movie "Gaslight?"

Oh yeah, this.; 3/13/09, 9:55 AM
JAL said...: Real Estate, manufacturing, business and business development, and other traditional methods of wealth creation and investments are not real and create a false sense of prosperity.

And black is white. Yup. Got that.

Private property ownership and business define prosperity.

You Obama voters have elected a space cadet. (Whose grant money for training is going to run out.) The Alinsky rule is to take take from the Haves (sic) so you can give to the Have-nots (sic). No thanks. And for the record, I am actually not a "Have."

Our health care cannot deliver if there is nothing behind it but feel good platitudes. Socialism has never been noted for "excellence."

"Green" solutions and businesses should be allowed to evolve over time. Encourage them, sure, but ripping apart (and punishing) our energy systems and supply lines for a vision that hasn't even been shown to have real substance is irresponsible. If it isn't best it should end up the ecologically correct ash heap -- oops -- landfill (where nothing deteriorates).

If you hear the word "incentivize," run far away and vote for the other guy.

I have a hope that this change is arousing the sleeping beast of America.

And I know that 2010 is closer thn it was yesterday.; 3/13/09, 10:14 AM
Patm said...: I'm just glad I didn't vote for this putzy nut.; 3/13/09, 10:25 AM
Bob said...: "Even if these projects turn out to be the greatest job-creation engine since the construction of the pyramids..."

Um, weren't the pyramids built by slaves? oooh.; 3/13/09, 12:06 PM
hdhouse said...: Ahh more red meat for the fringe.

Aside from some trite responses and slogans (to be expected from some) where, praytell, would we be without it?; 3/13/09, 2:49 PM
AST said...: "Sounds like"? It's been stalking us since 1900.

It's close to owning us all lock, stock and barrel (although it probably will withhold our firearms).

Now it wants our children, too.

I'm rereading Orwell's "1984" at the moment, and I can't tell you how that title, "Americans like big government: they just don't really know it yet," creeps me out. The most horrible fate would be to really love Big Brother.; 3/13/09, 3:36 PM
hdhouse said...: i have taken the considerable time to read through this red-meat posting.

it is true. the GOP has nada, zip, zero to add.

sigh.; 3/13/09, 8:32 PM
Kev said...: Private contractors (self-employed?) don't have to pay FICA taxes?

Well, I guess if they don't care about going to jail for tax evasion, they don't have to.

Which still doesn't explain why Geithner isn't in prison...; 3/14/09, 2:45 AM
Peg C. said...: This is akin to "women like rape, they just don't know it yet."; 3/14/09, 7:34 AM
AlphaLiberal said...: How weird. Claiming ownership rights on blog's comment section.

Anyway..... I just watched this video exposing the lie of the false right wing claim that Obama promised to end all earmarks.

Let the sheep-like bleating of this lie now end.; 3/14/09, 3:35 PM
AlphaLiberal said...: Doug made this claim, above, and I've not seen it knocked down. Which is weird because it is such an easy target!

According to
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np

It was $5.7T on Jan 19, 2001. It's true it nearly doubled under his watch, but not 500%. Michael can't do basic math.

First, your link is bad.

And when Bush left office, it was $10.64T. He didn't quite double it the public indebtedness he had inherited from all previous Presidents before him.

When St. Reagan started in Jan 1981, the debt subject to the ceiling was .9T. After 12 years of Republicanism, in Jan 1993 when Clinton started, the debt was the debt was 4T.

So Reagan and Papa Bush swelled the nation's debt by four times over. And Junior added more debt than them combined.

Republicans are stubbornly blind to facts like these. Republican policies weaken the nation's finances.

And, here's a link that works to public debt reports.; 3/14/09, 3:53 PM
AlphaLiberal said...: We Surround Them?

Glenn Beck is calling for conservatives around the country surround liberals.

I don't see any but it's a beautiful day and I'm headed back out. I'll keep an eye out.; 3/14/09, 4:26 PM
Unknown said...: I really love reading your comments guys.I learn a lot from you.

Thank you so much

Regard,

Day Traders; 1/31/12, 6:27 AM