hard working congress

[jk]

[FRED]

Re: hard working congress



Beautiful! We'll be running that one shortly. Thanks!

[zoog]

Re: hard working congress

Beautiful! We'll be running that one shortly. Thanks!

Wow I didn't really know it was that bad. However, I'm conflicted. On one hand, it seems like for all the money they're getting paid, they should spend more time actually working. On the other hand, when they do work they only make things worse.:eek::rolleyes:

[Jim Nickerson]

Re: hard working congress

Assuming Uncle Jay is not spoofing us, then my first impression was: Unfuckingbelievable!!

I hate to quote someone and not attribute it, but there was a female humorisit/satirist from Arizona, I believe, who is now deceased from some gynecological cancer who had a very trenchant retort when asked a hard question, and I am rather sure to some degree I am misquoting her:

What's the answer to the political BS in the US?

"There ain't no answer today, there was no answer yesterday, there ain't ever been an answer, and there ain't ever going to be an answer: THAT'S THE ANSWER.

Well, I'm not so cynicial as she, as I believe there is an answer for the political BS that exists in this country. The answer is that all the bastards get wiped out by terrorism, avian flu, nuclear attack, or something similarly cataclysmic, and then at some point a new system emerges.

Until then it will be more of the same sorts of uselessness but worse and worse.

For the foolishly optimistic who think there is still a chance that the sheeple can change things with their voting behavior, in all seriousness I think GrandapaNate's (search iTulip for his comments) campaign of VATI (vote against the incumbent) is probably as good as it is going to get.

[bart]

Re: hard working congress

This is the closest thread I could find for this, and it didn't seem worth a brand new thread

A new chart showing actual, and CPI & CPI+lies corrected US government receipts... illuminating result - they have been semi screwed by inflation too.

Receipts are actually slightly down since 1991 or so on a CPI+lies corrected basis.

[zoog]

Re: hard working congress

This is the closest thread I could find for this, and it didn't seem worth a brand new thread

A new chart showing actual, and CPI & CPI+lies corrected US government receipts... illuminating result - they have been semi screwed by inflation too.

Receipts are actually slightly down since 1991 or so on a CPI+lies corrected basis.

Have you plotted outlays as well? Wondering if inflation-adjusted deficit is better or worse than nominal.

[bart]

Re: hard working congress

Have you plotted outlays as well? Wondering if inflation-adjusted deficit is better or worse than nominal.

oops, had a "senior" moment with file naming.

That one was outlays.

Here are both spending and receipts (taxes).

Spending:





Receipts (taxes):

[zoog]

Re: hard working congress

oops, had a "senior" moment with file naming.

That one was outlays.

Here are both spending and receipts (taxes).

Spending:

Receipts (taxes):

Hm. So in real terms, spending has been relatively flat to slightly declining since 2000 (or even before), but income took a dive. I would have expected spending to increase, what with this money hole in the desert we've been busy with since 9/11.

It's probably been discussed on iTulip before, but what accounts for the drop in tax revenues?

[bart]

Re: hard working congress

Hm. So in real terms, spending has been relatively flat to slightly declining since 2000 (or even before), but income took a dive. I would have expected spending to increase, what with this money hole in the desert we've been busy with since 9/11.

It's probably been discussed on iTulip before, but what accounts for the drop in tax revenues?

I don't think its ever been brought up in the framework of a "constant" dollar. The straight answer is just plain unacknowledged or hidden inflation - aka CPI+lies or Finster's FDI.

Do note that the black line in both charts is the reported number and both have gone *way* up. It's just when a full CPI+lies adjustment with shadowstats.com figures is done that one sees the actual realities of income and outlays.




"By this means government may secretly and unobserved, confiscate the wealth of the people, and not one man in a million will detect the theft."
-- John Maynard Keynes (the father of 'Keynesian Economics' which our nation now endures) in his book "THE ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE PEACE" (1920). (this is in the context of speaking about the ability to control money supply)

[jk]

Re: hard working congress

It's probably been discussed on iTulip before, but what accounts for the drop in tax revenues?

looks like the bush tax cuts to me.