The Great Recession - Job Creators and the Unemployed in Republican minds

Something I've noticed recently - some "leading" Republicans, and their side-kick pundits - seem to want to have it both ways economically.

On the one hand, they want to continue hacking away at the tax code so upper tier income earners (the now legendary 1%) and large corporations pay little to no federal income tax (or any other federal tax for that matter). This, along with further deregulation, is supposed to be driving that segment of the economy to create new jobs that will lift us out of a recession.

On the other hand, they also want to slash long-term unemployment benefits because they see the unemployed (philosophically) as lazy louts who would work if only there was no government social net under them.

So here's my question - if the unemployed are lazy because of Unemployment Insurance, and you cut it, what jobs are they going to go out and get, since unemployment seems to be hovering around 9% in spite of the "Bush-Obama" tax cuts for the upper income tiers? In other words - the "job creators" aren't creating jobs inspite of our tax and regulatory roll back, so how is cutting UI going to get people to work in jobs that don't exist?

Oh, wait, I'm thinking analytically again. And using facts. Bummer for me, huh?

What is Terrorism?

THIS IS THE BEST QUOTE ON AMERICA'S CURRENT STATE OF MIND THAT I HAVE SEEN:

But can we really blame them? The older, fearful generation put plenty of that fear into their heads. Our government, our media, and our corporations, even if they do a decent job with security, don’t really help either when it comes to terrorism, which, I’ll remind you, is a state of mind.

Where did it come from? A railfan posting about his unfortunate experiences conducting his hobby. Read more at Jimbeaux's Journal.

Friday Eduction Break - How to take down a troll

This is all you need to ever read on the subject.

The Great Recession - Taxation with Representation can work!

I wrote a long time ago about how cutting taxes just didn't jive with the history of recession and recovery in the U.S. Others then jumped on the band wagon (Here, here, here). Even Warren Buffet got into the game, practically begging to be taxed more.

So I wasn't necessarily surprised when Nick Hanauer(venture capitalist) also raised his hand and said "tax me too." Rather, it's his economically sound, market-driven perspective on WHY that is novel and refreshing:

We’ve had it backward for the last 30 years. Rich businesspeople like me don’t create jobs. Middle-class consumers do, and when they thrive, U.S. businesses grow and profit. That’s why taxing the rich to pay for investments that benefit all is a great deal for both the middle class and the rich.

So let’s give a break to the true job creators. Let’s tax the rich like we once did and use that money to spur growth by putting purchasing power back in the hands of the middle class. And let’s remember that capitalists without customers are out of business.