...but some are more equal than others...

Like the ones who only decide to pay their taxes after they've been nominated to a position in a Democrat administration for example.  Or the ones who spout platitudes about openness, transparency and bipartisanship, and then proceed to hold members only closed-door, late night meetings. 

There's nothing like pigs at the trough to conjure up the imagery, and message, of Orwell's Animal Farm.  This classic from the 1940's should be required reading grade 5 and up, especially today.

The debate on the stimulus, .a.k.a. porkulus and heretofore known as (HKA) porkulus maximus, has had an interesting, even if somewhat predictable, path.  First it's; we're all in this together so let's combine the best ideas from both sides to make it work, followed by; you jerks wouldn't abandon your principles even after I invited you to the White House to watch the Superbowl, to we won  bend over.   So in the end it all boils down to the victors getting the spoils, or as they call it in Chicago, business as usual.

"To the victors go the spoils".    I sure thought that quote had some historical heft, like from Shakespeare or something, but from what I could dig up it came from a Senator in New York back in the 1800's.  It really became known as modus operandi in, get ready for this, you won't belove it! - - Chicago Politics!  Look it up on Wikipedia like I did.

In my comments about his first week I inferred the unions were left out of the payoff.  Little did I know they were the biggest recipients of all. Their payoff is the entire porkulus maximus plan.  At first they were claiming job creation in the 3 million range, with 80% in the private sector, sounds good, unless you're not a retard at math - - that means 600,000 new government jobs.  (must have heard some feedback on this cause at press conference Bambi mentioned 90% for private sector but he upped the job creation/save number to 4 million)  Thats like adding a city the size of Milwaukee to the government payroll.  Guess what, is the biggest, if not only, growth sector for unions - - government!  - - so there's your payoff., for starters.  Next GM, government bailout beneficiaries, announces a massive layoff of 10,000, all white collar, i.e. non-union. 

For all his giftedness at oratory it was pretty disappointing the new President had to lie so brazenly in his first press conference.  He repeatedly accused opponents of porkulus maximus of advocating outright inaction.  No one, from any corner, excepting the congressional budget office itself, suggested doing nothing would be less harmful.  And they're probably right. 

Somewhere I read the amount they are preparing to flood the economy with is roughly equal to the amount cash in circulation presently.  Someone should get busy drafting a bill outlawing the law of supply and demand or we're in deep doo-doo.  Doubling the supply of anything decreases it's value and money is no exception.  I am convinced the reason for the big hurry to pass this economic train wreck is so voters will be accustomed to double digit inflation by time the 2010 elections roll around.

I also read...
Bloomberg News reported yesterday (Monday) that the tally of U.S. government spending could reach as much as $9.7 trillion - enough to pay off more than 90% of the nation’s home mortgages.

That got me thinking, so I came up with a better plan, always willing to help, just the kinda guy I am.   We'll call it the Frank Alternative; Instead of throwing all the hard earned money of today's taxpayers down the government rat hole, while saddling the next two generations with the burden of paying it off, just print it up and give it to us mortgage holders.  Those of us with a hint of pride or dignity could opt for a low interest loan instead, like the ones the fed gives to disaster victims, or corporate agribusinesses.  This would create an explosion of buying power never before seen.  Those who refinanced would also contribute because the savings from their lower payments would cycle back into the economy as well.  The best part of all would be that the government wouldn't have damn thing to do with how we spent it. 

I joked previously about how me, a typical reader, a player to be named later, along with a bottle of small batch bourbon and a decent cigar could figure this sucker out in an afternoon.  Above was sober, solo, smoke free, only a start, but still as good a product as anything I've come out of Washington lately.  Not just me....
67% Say They Could Do A Better Job On The Economy Than Congress.
Some argue they are simply representative of the population from whence they came.  I beg to differ.  These are people who actually believe four-day weeks, eight months a year is work.  

I've held for sometime that since the randomness of economic events will never be in sync with our election cycle our elected leaders should be equally random.  I honestly believe the end result of plucking candidates randomly from an unwitting population, like we do for jury duty, could not possibly be any worse than what we have now.