ILLUSION OF CHOICE

3 comments

Posted on 12th January 2013 by Administrator in Economy |Politics |Social Issues

3 Comments

  1. harry p. says:

    Nothing new for most tbp’ers but a great video none-the-less. Should be forwarded onto those likely still not aware of what is really going on, might wake a few people up.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0

    12th January 2013 at 11:55 am

  2. AWD says:

    California Tax Officials Stunned by Latest Revenue Decline

    Golden state leaders expressed shock and dismay today when the State Treasury announced that income tax revenues for the last quarter had dropped to near zero in spite of a recent increase in the effective income tax rate to 100%.

    “This is not possible” said a visibly shaken Governor Jerry Brown as he sunbathed under a full moon at the state capitol. “Before every one of the umpteen-odd times my administration has raised taxes, we’ve commissioned studies by prestigious universities on the potential effects. Each of those studies concluded people really don’t care about tax rates and that quality-of-life issues, like being able to sing Kumbaya on the beach while stoned, are more important to the public. Every single one of those studies predicted revenues would go UP after we increased taxes, but every time they fell. It simply doesn’t make sense – studies by prestigious universities are never wrong.”

    Brown said he would propose commissioning a study by a prestigious university to study the previous studies by prestigious universities.

    New state treasurer and former theatrical producer Max Bialystock was particularly alarmed at the latest figures. “Our projections were for one trillion dollars in revenue this quarter and every penny of that has been allocated already: 100% for the teachers pensions, 100% for the state employees pensions, 100% for the governor’s pension, etc, etc. Requiring one trillion dollars and collecting zero dollars puts us in a big hole – I don’t have the exact figures in front of me but I’m sure it’s a lot.”

    The totally unexpected shortfall has left state officials scrambling for answers. “We can’t cut spending anymore because we’ve already cut to the bone” said Brown. “Any further cuts would bite into essential services, education or end up hurting the poorest of the poor and I won’t have that.”

    “My office lavatories are stocking single-ply bathroom tissue as it is”, Brown complained.

    Treasurer Bialystock joked that he would consider calling some rich elderly women for dates and asked if anyone had Nancy Pelosi’s number.

    The state’s three remaining Republicans once again proposed cancelling the yet-to-be-built high-speed rail project from Bakersfield to Fresno, a move they claimed would save the state billions. As in the past, this idea was immediately shot down from all corners as “too radical.”

    “Look”, said Governor Brown, “we’ve already poured billions of dollars into the choo-choo and that money will be wasted if we don’t build it. Besides, I’ve already promised a lot of friends free rides on the thing.”

    “Stupid ideas like that are the reason there are only 3 Republicans left in this state” said former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

    The governor did say he would consider tripling ticket prices on the line as a revenue-enhancement mechanism. Legislative leaders in Sacramento immediately went to work spending the anticpated new funds expected to be generated by the higher ticket prices when the line eventually starts running.

    Meanwhile, the state once again finds itself with a fiscal crisis and very few options to deal with it. Brown has already made up his mind: “We have no choice but to raise taxes again. I saw a study by a prestigious university recently that said this state could easily support a 110% income tax rate. Sooner or later we’ll hit the right number and be able to raise the revenue we need.”

    One reporter brought up the old adage, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

    “No”, replied Brown, “that’s the definition of government.”

    Well-loved. Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0

    12th January 2013 at 8:34 pm

  3. KaD says:

    One the note of illusions thought you might find this line of thinking interesting: http://www.urbansurvival.com/week.htm

    If everyone in government, law enforcement, and regulators in ALL branches of government were required to wear red coats, just so we could see in stark visual relief how we have transitioned from a country of enterprise and hard work, into a country full….of red coats and BIG government, would anyone notice?

    Naturally, no one is going to pick this up and run with it – especially because every government worker would have to wear one: Welfare administrators, IRS agents, state, federal, and local law enforcement, prison guards….building inspectors, health inspectors…everyone who gets a government check.

    THAT’s what the disappearing middle class is trying to wrap its head around. And the really thoughtful solutions (taxing goods at the ports of entry) to make up for job-jacking based on cheap labor…none of that has come to pass because of corporate interests which behind the scenes run the ‘red coats.’

    Then, let’s have anyone who depends on a government check wear yellow, once a week on what we’ll call “Show Your Colors Fridays.” Work in the private sector? White shirt day.

    As long as we’re fancifully dressing people up so as to visually separate them a bit, why not dress anyone who gets a paycheck from a corporation which has more than 10% of its operations outside the USA in blue?

    All of which ambles around to the idea that once a week, Show Your Colors Fridays maybe, Americans should “show their true colors” – it would put a lot of America’s problems into visually stunning context. And tourists to the nation’s capitol would likely be shocked at the number of blue coats showing up on the Hill to get preferential treatment over the folks back home.

    May I end on a Thomas Jefferson quote?

    “”I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0

    12th January 2013 at 12:46 pm

Leave a comment

You can add images to your comment by clicking here.