Tax Tea Partys & Government Economic Outlooks

I noted with interest that one pundit suggested yesterday's simultaneous economic addresses by Wonderboy and Helicopter Ben were not accidental.

While neither has solid evidence, both held out glimmers of hope for economic 'recovery,' just in time to attempt to blunt tax day Tea Party turnouts.

It makes sense. At a time of unprecedented spending, outside of world-scale wars, how else to try to convince people that everything is really alright. Not to protest higher taxes for printing money to give to poorer Americans?

What exactly our First Rookie would know about economics is beyond me. Dick Armey, retired economics professor and former GOP House Minority Leader, explained that even Keynes would object to such large-scale deficit spending in these times. Because a deficit is already being run, and a balanced budget is nowhere in sight, Armey pointed out that these conditions are in no way compatible with Keynesian temporary stimulus spending.

And, for good measure, Armey noted that there are economists, him being one, who do disagree with the entire stimulus concept as perpetrated by Wonderboy.

I think only someone as economically clueless as our president could believe that a recovery is around the corner, and that his spending and taxes will help.

Carper's Ill-Informed Lament

Last week saw Tom Carper, the newly-elected Democratic Senator from Delaware, subject Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke to a long-winded monologue on the state of the Delaware auto worker.

Among Carper's more ill-informed contentions were that the US needs to retain more manufacturing jobs, and especially more auto manufacturing jobs. He babbled on ad nauseum, "carping" about how well his Delaware auto workers work, and what high quality vehicles they produce. Then he began the sob story about Daimler planning to idle or close those plants in his state.

It's a shame when elected officials like Senators, who can really affect the economy, have absolutely no economic sense whatsoever.

Does anyone really believe that we need or want more semi-skilled auto assembly work, rather than knowledge-oriented jobs? If Carper really wants Delaware's residents to have higher incomes, how about accepting the decline of auto production in this country, and shifting his constituents, now, to higher-paying jobs in growth industries. Maybe even trying to attract said industries?

What a concept.