TheBrutalTruth
Well-Known Member
Brutal:
I did say in my original post on Obama... "No doubt he would've done the same." As I recall, Bush actually asked Obama if he wanted him to go ahead and release the second part of tarp. I think more than anything the election swayed Bush's team to act more than maybe at a different time. Regardless, you will hear nothing about deficits in the coming year. All that matters is to get the system back on line, regardless of cost.
As to why the left is so hell-bent on repeating the mistakes of socialism. You need to look at that within the context of equality. There is no higher goal to a leftist than equality (in all its forms). The only way to get even close to making everyone as equal as possible is to tear down the top, rather than lift the bottom up. When you lift the bottom up, you still have inequality; perhaps even greater than where you began from. So, to a leftist, that defeats the whole point. Also, when you lift the bottom up, they are less reliant on the government. The answer to which system works the best depends on your world-view. A leftist, whose goal is equality, could care less about the efficient allocation of resources if it leads to inequality - which it does under a market system. So, to a leftist, that system doesn't work because of the inherent inequalities that arise. The only solution therefore, is to attack achievement. This is the justification of progressive taxation - "its fair." To really piss off a leftist, ask them to define their notion of what exactly is fair. Further, make the claim that their entire notion of "fairness" is an arbitrarily contrived notion based almost entirely on class and race. Never do efficiency or maximization or liberty or the constitution even enter the thought process.
It is amazing, recently China has lowered corporate tax rates when the full severity of this economic morass was finally shown to all. They could give a damn about class and equality, they're more interested keeping people employed and fed.
Yeah, but you see, the Chinese have this cultural tendency to get really pissy and revolt when things hit the fan, and being in power when there's 1 Billion people calling for your head isn't fun. You'll run out of missiles, bombs and bullets long before they run out of screaming bodies waiting for their chance to tear you a new one.
Unlike here, where for some stupid reason everyone expects government to have a solution (which it has consistently proven (at least 4x since 1800) it doesn't.)
Though I have seen the effect you're mentioning about asking a leftist what their definition of fair is. They either give a really fucked up answer that doesn't fit any logical definition of fair (equal amounts) or try to change the subject to deal with how the affluent are evil, and the poor virtuous.
I have yet to see anything virtuous about being poor, in my experience it sucks...
Though I have noticed that leftists tend to be the most obnoxious self-centered jack asses. I guess they are too incompetent to practice what they preach.