Stop Me Before I Vote Again

He belongs with Jerry Lewis, Matt Lauer and George Steinbrenner as a pomposity quartet riding in ticker tape parade down Wall Street -- ass forward, hands cuffed -- on clopping big-hooved sway-backed mining mules. And for garnish each can wear a ceremonial -- just pretendin' -- noose around their necks.

Here's Newz' latest sand-dance nullity, a typical banker's waiterlike suavity, as he clatters open the platters of skunk roast:

http://agonist.org/stirling_newberry/20080118/relief_restructuring_stimulus

Now don't get me wrong -- this isn't Babbitoid, Reagan-rides-again shit. This is the Ganymede of the prog wing of haute bankery speakin' easy here -- he's got the art-deco "Yes, buddy, I can spare a dime" gig down pat:

"In the present circumstances, the best relief program would end the tax breaks for the wealthy and shift that money in the short term to buffering groups hard hit by the economic downturn.... Tax credits and so on are, almost by definition, not the best way to do this, because they give money to people who already have jobs."

"[Tax rebates] violate one of the most important liberal principles: demand spreading. Demand spreading means, all other things being equal, it is better that more people have some money, than some people having more money. Social Security is based on this principle as is the liberal theory of government starting with FDR."

"As soon as a candidate, caucus or program makes "tax relief" its center, it is already marching to the right"

More than anything else right now -- first and foremost -- the fed gub needs to provide just that, "tax relief", at least to the tens of millions of "wage-challenged" households; and how else but through huge rebates out of the social security rip tide? That's a move to the right? Why? Because it starves the public beast? Lowers the cap on uncle's spending?

Folks, if the last 70 years of macroeconomics teaches us anything, it's this: there is no sane cap on uncle's spending till we hit purely frictional unemployment -- i.e. under 2%. And we got miles to go before we sleep.

Sum-up time? Oh no, not yet, there's more, way more. For one thing Newbie is playing John the Baptist for "a massive bank bailout," and he calls for "a stronger dollar" -- yes a stronger dollar, the present horror in the rust bowl isn't enough, I guess they all need to be jobless before we "liberals" can spread a little effective demand their way -- or should I say our way, the liberal way, the way of a hearty handout, not a job.

Sterling Blueberry is about as sinister an overaged Manhattan deb-party smarm sissy as ever laved locks. You figure maybe he's not Wall Street's poison apple pedlar? Well try this on -- it's his ultimate nightmare: selling "Wall Street to Dubai one bank at a time." The horror!

PS -- for those in need of a 5th Avenue homily, improving in some ways on Polonius:

"While we should never shy away from borrowing when we need to, and spending what we must, we should always be seeking to borrow and spend the least necessary, not the most possible. It's better go keep credit good, it is better to keep the money in the hands of the general economy, and it is better for Government to pursue plans that generate enough economic activity to support those plans by the increased tax revenues that come with increased activity. While nominal deficits aren't to be feared, actually downward spirals in the national debt - where the debt is growing faster than our real ability to pay it back - are to be avoided except in cases where swastikas and rising suns are actually blooming around the world, and not just in the imaginations of the 101st fighting keyboarders. Relief can be expanded by ending Iraq and ending tax breaks for the very wealthy. Restructuring can be best pursued by ending the weak dollar policy."