[General Battuta]

Worse, just before Christmas, Congress and the President forged a deal that continued the fiscally ruinous tax cuts of George W. Bush, the ones so tilted toward the already wealthy, and pumped even more discretionary spending into the U.S. economy.

This... is ****ed up. Why is it still happening?

And this is why we need sourcing. Where is that quote from, Pred? What proof did they/you give/have?

Sourcing is important folks.

Christ on a raptor, dude, MP-Ryan even politely asked you to read the article the whole thread is about and you still didn't?

It's linked right in the first post.

[Unknown Target]

I came into the discussion replying to someone else.

[General Battuta]

I came into the discussion replying to someone else.

Reading benefits you as well as me. Laziness is no excuse.

[Pred the Penguin]

Came from the OP article...
Edit:ninja'd

I fail at seeing multiple pages. =_=

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the tax cuts being skewed heavily in favor of the rich was common knowledge.

[Unknown Target]

Thanks Pred.

It is and it isn't. I think there may be a real generational gap in the realization of this;

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110223/ts_yblog_thelookout/separate-but-unequal-charts-show-growing-rich-poor-gap

Or at least, a gap in people who really care about it. To be honest, all I am sure is that I'm shocked that this article reveals
"Charts reveal shocking income inequality" (emphasis added by me). I don't see how whoever titled this could be amazed at something as seemingly common-knowledge, or why this isn't already being discussed.

[Pred the Penguin]

I also read an article in Time that said that the gap is actually shrinking in Brazil, a developing country.
I wonder what that makes us...

[Unknown Target]

What do you think it makes us (by us I assume you mean U.S.), and why?

[Nuke]

Which is...?

some graph i saw on tv like a week ago, they probibly sourced it from an equally sketchy and unconfirmed source.

sourcing is intellectual wankery, i will not be part of it!

Sourcing benefits you as well as me. Laziness is no excuse.

i dont need no excuse for not doing something i had no plans on doing in the first place.

[Sarafan]

I also read an article in Time that said that the gap is actually shrinking in Brazil, a developing country.
I wonder what that makes us...

I dont know what it makes you but it makes me a very happy brazillian. Funny thing is that we had to go through a hell of runaway spending, stupid economy policies, etc, basically what I see the US going through right now so the good thing is that its not a irreversible situation for the US.

[Mongoose]

Thanks Pred.

It is and it isn't. I think there may be a real generational gap in the realization of this;

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110223/ts_yblog_thelookout/separate-but-unequal-charts-show-growing-rich-poor-gap

Or at least, a gap in people who really care about it. To be honest, all I am sure is that I'm shocked that this article reveals
"Charts reveal shocking income inequality" (emphasis added by me). I don't see how whoever titled this could be amazed at something as seemingly common-knowledge, or why this isn't already being discussed.

I don't think it's being discussed because most of us either have accepted it as established fact or just ignore it entirely.

[Grizzly]

Not that I'm particularly interested in living through it, but another Great Depression is probably what this country needs.

But if I recall correctly, the only thing that got us back out of the Great Depression was WWII.  And I don't particularly want to experience WWIII either.

But the Great Depression is also what caused World War 2 to happen in the first place, in combination with World War 1.

[BloodEagle]

Not that I'm particularly interested in living through it, but another Great Depression is probably what this country needs.

But if I recall correctly, the only thing that got us back out of the Great Depression was WWII.  And I don't particularly want to experience WWIII either.

But the Great Depression is also what caused World War 2 to happen in the first place, in combination with World War 1.

Say what, now?

[Flipside]

Slightly tangetical, but I think the depression in Germany gave the conditions required for Hitler to rise to power, but a lot of what led to World War 2 was (a) unwillingness to accept the problem and (b) over-confidence on the part of several European countries. Hitler was in many ways the change from 'Old Tactics', where a mans' word was his bond and everything was done 'honourably' which were the standard rules of engagement in Europe to a more modern "If you're going to be a mug, I'm going to take advantage of it" mentality.

That's why I always think Chamberlain got a bad rap, it's kind of like complaining that Terrorists should be fighting in the open where we can see them.

[Luis Dias]

Hitler.... I think we can safely say we are past that kind of bluster now.

The only way some kind of Hitler-dude has any chance of appearing now would be in a developing country. And I don't mean China, probably more in the middle-east, trading its genetic-paganism obsession with some muslim-apocalyptic prophecy obsession. We could even be witnessing the first signs of its appearance in the recent revolts in arabialand...

Or not. Who knows.

[Flipside]

Well, I thik it boils down to an equation of Personal Luxury being inversely proportional to a willingness to know where that luxury comes from, since then an ethical viewpoint would have to be formed.

The situations that led to WW2 is still very much alive in some ways, but this isn't really a topic about that.

[Kosh]

Look at the deficits the US government ran during World War II (far, FAR larger than the current one). Or the one the Japanese government ran up that finally ended the Lost Decade. Deficit spending has a very extensive track record of success during depressions. The hope is that this recession will force Keynesian economics back in vogue, which also will bring the return of policies (that have nothing to do with deficit spending - Keynesian economics is about much, much more than that) that will improve the soundness of the economy in general (like capital controls, regulated currencies, and much stronger restrictions on the "shadow economy", ie, speculaton).

Keynsianism fell out of favor precisily because they don't work. The stagflation in the 70's and Japan's lost decade are good examples.

[Nuke]

i think we need another world war, it would really help the economy (of those who dont get nuked).

[Pred the Penguin]

Or it kills us all and economy ceases to matter.

[Nuke]

now you're getting it