Posted On: Monday - March 23rd 2020 8:17AM MST
In Topics: US Police State Trump Global Financial Stupidity Economics US Feral Government Socialism/Communism
I can remember the near-aftermath of 9/11, with President George W. Bush telling Americans how we'll get them back and a barrage of new legislation that came to his desk very quickly for signatures. It was kind of funny that most of the ridiculously-named Patriot Act had already been worked out beforehand. People were ready to change everything. "Quit with your Libertarian muh Constitution crap", they said, "This is serious. These people want to kill us because they hate us for our freedoms... " "... so, I mean, whatever it takes, full body searches, locking up airports like prisons, yeah, we can do this at the big sportsball games too, wherever we want - it's for America! Freedom!" (See 18 years later - they must LOVE us for our lack of freedoms! for a much more comprehensive rant on this.)
As we've written before, this site will not get into the big questions about 9/11. We're not going to go all Ron Unz paranoid and put the blame on the Kung Flu on the American Deep State either. This comparison is about the way things were and are being handled at the high levels of government(s) after the fact, or in this case during the infotainment panic-fest.
9/11 was a great handy excuse to ramp up the US Police State. Completely unconstitutional legislation was quickly written, passed, and signed, because Americans didn't give enough of a damn to stop it (well, maybe the one guy - Ron Paul). I believe this Kung Flu has already been a great excuse to ramp up the Socialism to the next level. I notice the UBI bit get pulled out for use, and the talk about money being spent on whomever like it's candy and this Spring and Summer will be one long Halloween.
I never have thought of President Trump as a man of principle, like a Goldwater, Paul, or Reagan (before he was shot), so it's not like he will lift a finger or say a word against this Socialist push. After all, spending an EXTRA $1,000,000,000,000 of taxpayers' and grandchildren of taxpayers' money, though at least a 100% increase in the national DEFICIT for the year, is only a measly 5% increase in the national DEBT over what it would have been with just your run-of-the-mill standard $1,000,000,000,000 DEFICIT. Total debt will go to $25,000,000,000,000 instead of only $24,000,000,000,000. What's the diff, right? (Inflation, what Inflation?)
The excuse for this is simple. We had to shut down a big chunk of this service economy of ours for your own good, so... what next? Oh, you can't pay your bills? Who knew?
State Governors have used emergency powers (of some sort) to shutter any kinds of businesses they wanted to, the talk is about who gets more of the taxpayers’, or taxpayers’ grandchildren’s, money to compensate them for being ordered to stay home. Listen to this shit. The term Lockdown, originally a procedure for the Maximum-Security prison, is used willy-nilly about everything now. There are Shelter-in-Place ORDERS. (Fuck your orders - this ain't the USSR yet!) The US is indeed becoming more of a Police State, and the people seem ready to bend over and take it up the ass.
This is pretty shameful. I’m ashamed at least, to hear perfectly intelligent people who’ve been watching the infotainment panic-fest for 3 weeks straight, start going on about who should be locked down, who should get money “given” to them, and who should be required to wear this and do that. They all will look back on this later and think “why did we fall for that?”. The fact is, nobody planned it like this, but governments will take full advantage to turn this country into more of a Socialist nightmare.
Now, get the hell outside for a while, people, and go talk to your neighbors from whatever distance doesn’t scare the crap out of you. Everyone was out this weekend. We gave a thank you present to a neighbor for Christmas gifts that she had anonymously left, and we hadn’t figured out until now who it was. The big box of chocolates we had bought for her 3 months back and gave her was about to expire, but she was cool with that.
PS: I'm sure there are some older readers that may very well have something to worry about from this Kung Flu. The point is to take care of oneself. I have a family member we would like to take a road trip to visit during this down time, but will not due to our fear of infecting her.
I can understand all kinds of precautions from someone particularly susceptible. Get groceries sent to the door (and spray them off on the porch), decline visits from anyone, whatever you've gotta do. This stopping of most of the economy, however, is uncalled for.
A really big blessing we Americans have (for now) is lots of more room. (More on this will come in a post soon.) It's probably a good idea for everyone to get out in some sunshine.
Comments:
Machine30
Tuesday - March 24th 2020 5:29AM MST
PS I tried to watch Trump during his briefing yesterday (via computer, having long ago gotten rid of the propaganda spewing tv service). It was impossible. Nothing but meaningless nonsense over and over. He could have ripped Liberals a new asshole for their pork filling crap, or told us peasants to stop with the fucking hoarding, etc. But no, just drivel, babbling, and ridiculous “reassurances”, as though he was speaking to a country of idiots (hey, wait a minute...). I was more sad than angry...
Moderator
Monday - March 23rd 2020 11:46AM MST
PS: Yes, that's exactly the way I'd put it. I think on immigration, he's still got mostly the right idea in his head, but he doesn't think it's an urgent issue (which it sure as hell is), and he gets distracted by anything. Look, Mr. President, squirrel!
MBlanc46
Monday - March 23rd 2020 9:36AM MST
PS During the 2016 campaign, he said the right things about immigration. That was sufficient reason to vote for him rather than the Empress-in-Waiting, who said the wrong thing about everything. But he never was one of us. It’s pretty clear that he’s not even really one of us regarding immigration. He’s still the best (only) option that we have. And that is sad.
Even if he does have some decent plans behind the scenes, no, he is no Ronald Reagan, as hampered as he was by speechwriter dipshit Peggy Noonan. Reagan would have been better off without her, but he knew how to give a speech, and no, he didn't talk as if talking to elementary school kids, as you say.
I'm glad I didn't watch then.