Explaining the Government Shutdown to the Woman with the Sign
Friday, April 8, 2011 at 2:07PM I'm writing in from freezing, cold Chicago O'Hare airport, en route from Mexico City to Calgary today. I had a few hour layover and scanned through a number of my usual sources of info which I usually get through my RSS reader that I use at Google Reader. For those interested, here are a few of the feeds I receive and are part of my daily reading:
- Lewrockwell.com
- Mises.com
- Thedailybell.com
- Goldseek.com
- Safehaven.com
- Zerohedge.com
- Clusterstock.com
- Drudgereport.com
There are dozens more, of course, but those sites alone give me all the news and analysis for 90% of the things I am interested in that I need.
After I check those more reputable sources of information I then usually like to take a peek at what the cattle are grazing on, so I flipped by CNN.com. I haven't paid much attention to the "US Government shutdown" which is all over the front page of CNN. The reason is, when you have a bunch of politicians fighting over whether or not to continue on with a gargantuan government (whose bills can be paid by printing money), or not, you don't have to be a genius to know that they will ALWAYS find a way to keep the money flowing. Sure, they may even "shut it down" for a few days, like in 1995-1996, but it's theatre. But, they wouldn't go away if you hit them with a rake, don't worry!
The image that caught my eye today, however, was the following from the front page of CNN:
"Don't Shut Down the Recovery"? Are you kidding, lady? First of all, no such thing as a recovery exists. Government GDP figures have no basis in reality in terms of trying to gauge the real growth of an economy... but there are definitely other indicators of how things are going that have some value. Unemployment figures can give you at least some idea of how things are going. Even if you take the lies the government feeds you (the red and grey lines), where is the "recovery" there?
Oh yes, I forgot. It's one of those tricky "jobless" recoveries! You'll believe anything they say on that boob-tube, won't you! How can I explain it to you? You look like you might like basketball... let me explain it this way... If I told you the Lakers beat the Heat, tonight, but told you the final score was Miami Heat 101, LA Lakers 0, you would think I was crazy. And if I told you the Lakers won in a 'scoreless' recovery, you'd think I was a fool, right? Well, that's you, when it comes to understanding economics. So, put the sign down and go home.
I shouldn't be so rash with you. I apologize... I'm in a bit of a bad mood, I just spent half an hour with some of the Government henchmen of the TSA while they asked me about my underwear. Let me try to explain it to you another way.
Let's say we live on an island and it is just the two of us, god forbid. I fish all day and you.. well, I'm sure you can do something... let's say you make cookies all day. At the end of the day I like to give you some fish in exchange for cookies and vice versa. And everything is fine.
Now, let's say, one day, we decide we need a 'government' to oversee us (your idea, not mine, obviously). So, we call over another person from another island and we tell him we want him to take (and eat) half our fish and half our cookies and, in exchange, he will oversee us and make sure we feel safe and will also "manage" our economy.
Now, because of this, we have a lot less fish and cookies. So, we are in a 'recession'. We complain to our new government that we need more fish and cookies. He has already eaten them but he smiles a lot and comes up with some plans. He tells us that he is going to start a new green energy economy which will create jobs. But, of course, he has nothing of his own in which he can contribute, so he takes more of our fish and cookies and sells them and with the money he gets he pays us to build some windmills... which also results in us producing less of the cookies and fish we need to survive... so we likely end up dying of starvation but have some windmills.
Now, are we better off than we were before? Of course not.
Is the government "creating" the recovery? Of course not. It is just taking some stuff from us and redistributing it, in a non-free market fashion, to things they have an interest in - and which usually isn't profitable or of any value, or else a private company would have done it.
So, sign-lady, in actuality, the best thing you could do if you really want a "recovery" would be to get rid of the government's involvement in the economy.
But, and I am just guessing here, you likely are a recipient of some government largess and some political group probably just handed you that sign... so, in that case, a government shutdown would hurt you personally, at least in the short term... and that's probably why you are here on my computer screen today.
But, you should just be honest and hold up a sign saying, "Give me money!". Then, at least, I'd have some respect for you.
Reader Comments (10)
Your goooooood......But I think her "basketball" days are over.
WHATEVER HAPPENS TO THE WORLD, DO NOT EVER STOP WRITING THESE LITTLE ARTICLES TDV. THEY ARE SO FUCKING GOOD!!!
Your obvious racist slant is disgusting. The lady looks like she likes basketball? I 'll bet you thinks she likes watermelon too. Like most racists, you say she is probably the recipient of government largess simply because she is Black. What "largess"? A multi-trillion dollar bailout. Thats largess.
Blame the Black, Brown and poor for the deeds of the white super-thieves that have crashed the economy. The powers that be have brainwashed you very well.
Dean Ivan
She was given her sign by whatever NGOs are promoting this theatre. Just a silly show. Not without hurt, however as the dependent can't collect their checks if it happens.
Dean Ivan: the white super thieves that have crashed the economy? You're not paying attention. What is black Obama doing different? Isn't he the same? There are a lot of varied interests raping and pillaging you and me through the state and the state protected and regulated banking system -some of them are white bankers, some of them are black and brown and yellow and maybe even red ones...but a lot of them are not bankers. Many are simply lobbying for their government to do this or that. Give us affordable homes. Empower our unions. Give us free roads, healthcare, protection, insurance, education. Don't you remember the noise in the background when Rick Santelli (CNBC) decried the bailouts...all of Wall Street cheered him on -it is not the majority of white people that are hurting this economy. talk about racism. Takes one to know one i guess. As Bastiat once said, paraphrasing, 'government is that great fiction by which we all live at the expense of everyone else.' This is true when it comes to democratic type governments especially. That lady in the picture was probably a government employee (is that racist?). Jeff is right to point out how disgusting it is that she AND YOU can't distinguish between a recovery and a mere boom -which is akin to looting. I'm no fan of racism and neither is Jeff a racist. But that doesn't mean the odd joke about it isn't funny, and by God I will stand up and defend anyone's right - even yours - to speak his mind however offensive it might be to me.
What are you some kind of socialist?
Jeff, like most anarcho capitalist liberatarians see people as individuals and respect each person individually, even if they are identified as part of a race or ethnic group. Ivan should give his $ to the woman with the sign, and shut the fuck up with playing the pathetic RACE card. Get over it. The president is a black guy named Barrack Hussein Obama. Racism is an old and tired trick. Stop thinking in collective groups Ivan, your so far behind intellectual monsters like Jeff Berwick.
Anyone notice the union label on the bottom right of the sign shes holding? [please don't accuse me of being racist anyone, i'm white and live in a predominantly black neighborhood.I don't care what color anyone is, I have a different standard, I call it asshole, or, non asshole.] I just replaced the sewer for my neighbor, free of charge. she is very old and can't afford shit.[she does give me stuff from her garden from time to time] didn't get a permit [gubberment intervention] and it was done right. I chose to do it, offered, was never even asked, nor forced by anyone.it was of my own free will. even that is getting hard to do anymore without getting into trouble.the people with signs would do far better spending their time in a library or on the net learning how to do something or at least have an understanding of what they THINK they are supporting.[they could read this site!! lol]
To the poster accusing me of being 'racist': You're obviously from the US for thinking that... people judge people every second of every day from the clothes they wear to the accent they speak with. I was obviously just having some fun with it... if she was an overweight white person I might have chosen NASCAR or something, just to play with it. I haven't lived very much time in the US and rarely watch your brainwashing media or gone to your indoctrination camps (you call them schools) so I don't fall for the "You're a racist!" or "You're a liberal!" or "You're a Conservative!" way of speaking which makes it so you don't have to actually think of something intelligent to say. Just for the record, however, to show you how silly you are, my girlfriend is 1/4 african, 1/4 native mexican, 1/4 filipina and 1/4 spanish. Past girlfriends were Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese. In fact, you may want to call me racist for never having dated a white girl if that's the way you look at the world.
Jeff, "You look like you might like" ice hockey, LOL! Gee, glad I am a racist (NOT) or I never would have gotten that little joke. I knew as soon as I read the basketball line that some bonehead would take the bait, hook, line, and sinker. This proves you are less intellectually challenged than the poster of the complaint!
I agree, judging from the sign she's carrying, she and the others in the picture are benefitting from the guvment somehow; be it through employment or welfare (did I think that out loud). Then you have to consider the source of the photo. After all it is CNN. A smart reader would have made the connection right away.
I'm 1/4 Native American, 1/4 German, 1/4 Scottish, and 1/4 Spanish (Jesus, what a mix. Warning these quarters may vary in size and intensity!), does this make me a victim too? I'd hardly think so. This victimization indoctrination is just bullshit! By the way, the Palestinians practice a similar form of racism against the Jews (go to walloflies.org). They have preached this victimization indoctrination so long now that much of the world believes their lies as fact. (For all you hate mongers, I’m not Jewish or affiliated with any Jewish organizations).
I suppose using victimization self-indoctrination gives people a certain justification for wanting to steal other people’s wealth, like the people in the photo are doing. Gotta love that group-think, huh? - Great site by the way!
"Give me money." LOL