stand 'the smell test'.
In regards to the Re-Fi post, NOT ONE person dealt with the entire basic point of it, namely that the Re-fi programme, as proposed, allows for up to 140% loan to value ratios, which is madness, and will result in ANOTHER speculative bubble, a huge collapse, and bailout for the banksters again.
Instead, some people said, OMG, it is Reagan's budget boy, sick 'em!, when in fact Stockman disavowed supply side economics back in the 1980's and has trashed Bush and Greenspan repeatedly for the entire 8 years of Shrub's term.
I do think his choice of the words 'crony socialism' was extremely poor, as it is crony capitalism, aka corporate fascism that is at play. On this I am sure we both agree (I am an avowed left-libertarian socialist, btw).
In regards to this post, again you do not deal with the chart at all, which clearly deals a blow to Gutiérrez's central tactic.
I am NOT bashing Obama, I have in the past, am now, and will in the future call out bullshit on massaged government numbers or tactics that are fundamentally misrepresentative of reality, regardless of who benefits or pushes them. Look at my journal, I am consistent in this.
Now, (and in similar manner to some people's modus operandi on the other post) you attempt a semi-swipe at Debt Clock dot org by making some vague inference that it is a anti-Obama site and/or that is number's are somehow 'fixed'. It is a simple counter site that estimates current stats based on the corresponding actual US Government or Federal Reserve numbers. Go compare its running US debt totals to the Fed's and you will see they jive up.
ABC, AP, etc (hardly fringe or 'RW' sources) use it all the time : http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2011/11/u-s-debt-will-top-15-trillion-mark-today/
Now the Food Stamp numbers:
Here is the data from SNAP/ US Dept of Agriculture itself:
Here is the SNAP front page: http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/
NOTICE THEIR OWN HEADLINE:
"Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
We put healthy food on the table for more than 46 million people each month."
Now for the historical data: http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/SNAPsummary.htm
At the end of 2000 (Shrub enters office 3 weeks later), 17.2 Million were on Food Stamps
At the end of 2008 (Obama enters office 3 weeks later) 28.2 Million were on Food Stamps (Breaking the previous all-time record set for the end of 1994 under Bill Clinton)
In eight years of Shrub, 11 million were added.
As of almost 4 months ago, the number stood at 46.3 million. http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/29snapcurrpp.htm
So, in less than 3 years of Obama, 18.1 million Food Stamp receipients have been added
Now for the 47.2 number on Debt Clock dot org:
Again, as of almost 4 months ago, the number stood at 46.3 million. http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/29snapcurrpp.htm This is a preliminary number, and SNAP (just like the BLS) almost always adjusts upwards. Debt Clock runs a real time estimate, and the difference from the beginning of the November 1, 2012 SNAP number and the 47.2 Debt Clock number is 900,000 people more, based on 3 and a half additional months having passed.
Given that 2.7 million people were added to the food stamp rolls in a 12 month period (Oct 2010 to Oct 2011), AND that the difference may well be more than 3 million when the final upwardly adjusted SNAP numbers come in, it is hardly a stretch to add 900K more for the almost 30% of the year that has passed since the beginning of November 2011 SNAP numbers came in.
I do not mean to bash Obama, I am just a stickler whenever I see numbers themselves being misrepresented.
For the US's sake, I hope Obama wins in 2012, but I also am very pessimistic about what good will come out it. The main saving grace is that it will be less bad than a RW nutcase winning. Hopefully Obama tells the bankster puppet masters to go fuck themselves, but I am not holding my breath too much.
cheers
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