Stupid or they think we are stupid ?

Hopefully I can stop laughing for long enough to actually type after reading this article

Here's the laughable part

...

Their bill, which could come to a vote by next week, proposes to save $21 billion over 10 years in tax breaks to Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP, Chevron and Conoco Phillips.

"We're serious about reducing the deficit," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said a few hours after the bill was introduced by fellow Democrats Robert Menendez, Claire McCaskill and Sherrod Brown.

"It's really a no-brainer," Reid continued. "Let's use these savings from the taxpayer giveaways to drive down the deficit, not drive up oil companies' profits."

...

So look, I'm not for oil company subsidies, but how does a $21 billion savings over 10 years show you are serious about the deficit.

My interpretation is that you don't know the difference between million, billion, and trillion and are stupid. Or you are playing political games because you think we don't know the difference, in which case you think we are stupid. I'm not even sure which way this goes.

I'm really beginning to think some of these politicians really don't understand numbers. There is over a trillion dollar budget issue this year alone. Do you even understand what a trillion is ? Let me explain it, start with one million, like this: 1,000,000. See how that has 6 zeros. Ok now, add three more zeros, like this: 1,000,000,000. Now you have a billion. Ok now, add three more zeros, like this: 1,000,000,000,000. That's a trillion.

So lets see, over 10 years you'd save 20 billion. The deficit is around 14.3 trillion:

14,300,000,000,000 - 20,000,000,000 = 14,280,000,000,000

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $4.03 billion per day since September 28, 2007. To let's see that is 20/5 = 4, that is five days of spending. Oh yeah, you are serious all right. Or what about 20/14300 * 100 = 0.13986014%. Well gee, that is serious, you are really making progress there buddy, you are going to shave off .13%. Wow, you know how to get it done.

So fine, pass this, I don't really care. But do you have to sound like such a dumb ass when you talk about it, sheesh. What a piece of crap.

Don't feel bad about being happy OBL is dead

This is a reaction to the reactions I've witnessed today on facebook and other social media outlets. You know the, the Martin Luther King quotes about fighting darkness with darkness, or why are people celebrating a murder or killing of another human etc, etc.

There's a lot of stuff that is either depressing or negative about America right now. A lot of things to be pessimistic about: we've got out of control debt, a polarized political environment fueled by extreme opinions and damn near class warfare, a few expensive and confusing wars on our hands, a recession, pending inflation, the list goes on and on. Maybe it's a little twisted, but I think its ok to feel good about the US finally getting OBL. It's something we can unite around. However, creepy and twisted you might think that is, I'm ok with it.

Symbolically, it says don't screw with us. That's how this whole mess started anyway. One of the main reason OBL was able to rally support was because of the perceived weakness of the US in Somalia. There have been failed terrorists attacks, but never justice. There hasn't been any justice regarding the banking fiasco, I'm still waiting for that. This is one thing we can all look at and say, we got it done. Maybe it took 10 years and cost a bazillion dollars, but hey... (damn it, I think you debbie downers already go to me)



Now I don't know if this will change anything, maybe it won't, but I'm not going to feel bad about it. It's a testament to the elite forces, and a new way of doing business, that doesn't involved nation building or costly invasions. It's about getting a job done, closure, and feeling united. Those are things I can get behind.

For you conspiracy theorists out there who think OBL was already dead, or is being kept alive, or whatever. I'm ignoring you, so you don't mess with my feel good moment. I'm pretty happy with the thought that we got him, and how we did it. Didn't ask for permission from Pakistan, didn't go through some lengthy and annoying trial, just quick and dirty. I like believing that. So I choose to believe it for now.