As a cat, may I just say that you humans are totally insane? Yes. You love to drag out the drama until everyone is all in a tizzy then at the last second, do what you were going to do all along. What's the point? Stressing folks' cardiovascular systems? Are you thinking that the early deaths will lower the cost of health care?
Honestly, I'm just about fed up to my canines (an awkward name for cat teeth) with the whole lot of them up in Washington, DC. I want to point out some of the more obvious points that are being obfuscated for the purpose of dramatizing politics:
1. We have to balance the budget. Although it has been attempted, there is no legal mandate to balance the budget. And considering the amount of debt that has been built up over the last ten years, we should plan on at least that long to pay it back.
2. Unemployment is down. New claims for unemployment may be down, but many thousands of people have fallen off the back end of the unemployment insurance and still have no job (and no income) and thus are not counted. Government records show unemployment is down, but statistics, like superpowers, may be used for evil as well as good.
3. We have to cut spending. No. Government spending is not the same as personal spending. The government doesn't go to the mall and buy some new shoes and a Versaci bag. Government spending is the cause of production. Government spending is jobs.
4. Cutting taxes is good. Let's look at that. The funds that the government uses to finance itself comes from taxes. When the government creates jobs, it pays for it with taxes. When the government buys products, it pays for it with taxes. When there is assistance needed, it's tax money that helps disaster victims and the elderly and the disabled. In an economy where there are people out of work and in need, the government needs as much money as it can get to start putting more money back in circulation. To do that, you need tax money.
5. Taxes are bad. Let's look at that. Taxes pay for every single government service you folks get: fire and police protection, the health of properly run water and sewage systems, disease study and epidemic reduction, the highways system, the railroad system, airports, regulation of medications, pollution, dangerous products and workplaces, and of course, the military which provides you with your freedom. So, cutting taxes cuts the full disposition of these essential services.
6. And another thing about taxes: sales taxes generate revenue at every step of the production process. When ore is sold, taxes are paid. When it is smelted and sold, taxes are paid. When it is shaped and sold, taxes are paid. When it is milled and sold, taxes are paid. When it is made into parts, taxes are paid. When it is assembled and sold, taxes are paid. When it is sold to the end-user, taxes are paid. And all along the line the employees are getting paid and pay taxes. The lessors, utility companies, toilet makers and everyone else is making money. So if the government is suddenly not spending it's money on things, all of that revenue goes right out the window: revenue for the government and for the workers as well.
6. YOU DON'T HAVE TO CUT ANYTHING! Why is it you folks believe all that crap about having to cut social security and other benefits? You have 700 BILLION dollars sitting right there waiting for someone to go get it. All you have to do is repeal the Bush tax cut extension for the wealthiest 5% of Americans. That's all you have to do! Why are you letting those folks get richer while the entire rest of the country, including the government itself, goes bankrupt? Are you humans CRAZY?
7. I don't know how they justify it to themselves, but if Congress "shuts down the government", it is adding hundreds of thousands of workers to the unemployment totals. Think about that. The government that's supposed to be helping you, that represents you, that IS you is going to put hundreds of thousands of people out of work because they can't agree on how much money to cut out of a budget they have intentionally removed 700 Billion dollars from just so the wealthiest 5% of Americans can keep their cash.
Yes, humans are crazy.
Cats should run the world
Perry
