"In America, the criminally insane rule and the rest of us, or the vast majority of the rest of us, either do not care, do not know, or are distracted and properly brainwashed into acquiescence." ~Kurt Nimmo
So. This week I spent more than an hour on the phone and the Internet, moving my IRA and 401(k) to a place where they will hopefully survive the coming apocalypse. Since I work for the Veterans Administration, moving the 401(k) was a snap--I called the toll-free number, discussed which of the options offered would be the safest, went to the website and performed what's called an Interfund Transfer, right from my computer. I received an e-mail the next day at work informing me the transfer was completed. All my money is now parked in what's called the "G" fund, meaning government bonds. God knows what'll happen with those on August 3, but at least I'll be spared the spectre of the stock market dropping seven hundred points in 2008 when the TARP bailout failed to pass.
July 16, 2011
"Reality is always controlled by the people who are most insane"
Maybe.
The IRA took a little more time. I had to get on the phone to the Wells Fargo investment advisors and figure out which fund to move the money to, grant permission for them to do it, have them reroute my automatic monthly deductions, blah blah blah. (Also, the person I talked to seemingly could not grasp what I wanted--she kept talking about "leaving the money in the C fund for several years." I'm not going to DO that, you twit. I just want to stash it in the safest place possible until the debt ceiling is either raised or the catastrophe from not raising it shakes out. If it ever does. Then I'll move it back.) I finally ended up selecting what's called a World Bond Fund, using bonds from several different countries. Of course, bonds may go belly-up too, I suppose, but I hope the damage won't be as bad as a plunging stock market.
In any case, that's the best I can do, short of withdrawing the money altogether and stuffing it under my mattress. But I'm mad as hell, because I shouldn't have had to do all this in the first place.
In this country, it's very hard for people to comprehend the fact that one political party (and it's sure as hell not the Democrats) is actively working for everyone's destruction.
Unfortunately, that's what we've come to. The thirty-year endgame, started by Saint Ronnie. The Republican party, along with their Teabagger overlords, are nothing more than Norquistian cultists, held in thrall by the Holy Writ of Non-Taxation. (No doubt they all believe in Young-Earth Creationism, the Roswell alien landings, and the Tooth Fairy as well.) They must deny revenue to the government, even if millions of hard-working people like me don't get paid and lose their retirement money. They must slash Social Security and Medicare, even if elderly people like my mother eat catfood and die. They must worship at the feet of the corporations who pay no income taxes, protect them at all costs, and transform this country into an unrecognizable oligarchy. They must resist raising the debt ceiling, even if the United States and the world is destroyed as a result.
Folks, these are not the actions of a sane person. They are certainly not the actions of a political party who loves their country.
I've been reading John Dean's terrific books recounting the Republicans' evisceration of government--Conservatives Without Conscience and nowBroken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Branches. These should be required reading for anyone running for office, as an abject example of how not to act. (In fact, I wish we could pass a constitutional amendment declaring that anyone who believes government is the problem and not the solution, and tax cuts generate revenue, not be allowed to run for office, period.) The descriptions Dean gives of the modern Republican party (and the Tea Party is even worse) should scare the pee-waddling out of every one of us.
Once elected, Republicans are extremely inclined towards opposing Democratic programs, not only because their philosophy is inherently antigovernment but because they are instinctively contrarian to anything and everything liberal or progressive. When campaigning or when opposing Democrats, Republicans are unmatched in modern politics for their willingness to play dirty, to go negative and nasty, and to play hardball, a ruthlessness well matched to their uncompromising competitiveness.
The negativity towards government in contemporary conservative thinking raises the question of why these people even enter public service at the national level, other than to dismantle the federal government by lowering taxes and abolishing programs and agencies. It should come as no surprise that Republicans have twisted and distorted government processes to their breaking point, given this mind-set. Of course, Republicans proudly proclaim that they love their country; they love their flag; they love their automatic weapons; they love their Constitution; and they love their democracy, given the alternatives. But where the federal government is concerned: It is too big, too powerful, too expensive, too lax in demanding morality, and too invasive with all its health and safety requirements to be able to run a really profitable business.
And these are the kind of people we let anywhere near Congress? Ronald Reagan would hang his head in shame. Barry Goldwater, old-style Republican that he was, would disown these sons-of-bitches.
In the meantime, I've done what I can to protect myself. I highly doubt the debt ceiling will get raised in time, unless Obama whips out the 14th Amendment at the last minute, impeachment be damned. I hope he does. The Senate won't vote to impeach him anyway, and it would be extremely satisfying to see the look on Eric Cantor's face if Obama should call a press conference and announce, "Pursuant to the requirements of the Fourteenth Amendment, I have instructed Treasury Secretary Geithner not to let the United States of America go into default, and new borrowing has already commenced. We will pay our bills, as the Founding Fathers intended that we do."
Yeah, if I was President and dealing with these slimeballs, I would do that in a heartbeat.
We'll have to see how it plays out. But I would encourage people to take steps to protect themselves. Remember, we're dealing with a bunch of Looney Tunes who think it's right and proper to bring the country down, and they're going to have fun doing it.
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