George economics and Claude refund fraud
Interesting article on Slate comparing the economics of George Bush with the refund fraud of now-besmirched and freshly-fired Claude Allen. The resemblance is uncanny - almost as close as Allen and his evil twin.
Refund fraud -> 1) Buy item, take it to car. 2) Return to store with receipt, pick same item off shelf. 3) Take new item back for refund. 4) Return to car and drive home with item and cash for same. Nice - how come I never think up these things?
Social Security "Reform" -> 1) Create private security accounts. 2) Divert $1 trillion from Social Security Trust Fund to pay for them. 3) Since we're paying for this with magical "future money", get inflated projection for pie-in-sky stock market to show that it's a win-win. (Conveniently ignore the logic that if the stock market is that shit-hot there was going to be no problem with Social Security anyway. Or, if you're W, be so stupid that you don't understand it.) 4) Roll around with money from thankful financial institutions.
Here's another.
Price tag swap -> Swap expensive price tag for cheaper one.
Medicare program -> When initial estimates for the cost of the system exceed $550 billion, threaten actuaries with their jobs and get a lower estimate of $400 billion. New estimates, now too late of course, exceed $700 billion.
Maybe the analogies aren't quite exact, but they both smell kinda similar and if the Democrats had any balls right now, this Administration would be getting shaken down in the parking lot right now.
Refund fraud -> 1) Buy item, take it to car. 2) Return to store with receipt, pick same item off shelf. 3) Take new item back for refund. 4) Return to car and drive home with item and cash for same. Nice - how come I never think up these things?
Social Security "Reform" -> 1) Create private security accounts. 2) Divert $1 trillion from Social Security Trust Fund to pay for them. 3) Since we're paying for this with magical "future money", get inflated projection for pie-in-sky stock market to show that it's a win-win. (Conveniently ignore the logic that if the stock market is that shit-hot there was going to be no problem with Social Security anyway. Or, if you're W, be so stupid that you don't understand it.) 4) Roll around with money from thankful financial institutions.
Here's another.
Price tag swap -> Swap expensive price tag for cheaper one.
Medicare program -> When initial estimates for the cost of the system exceed $550 billion, threaten actuaries with their jobs and get a lower estimate of $400 billion. New estimates, now too late of course, exceed $700 billion.
Maybe the analogies aren't quite exact, but they both smell kinda similar and if the Democrats had any balls right now, this Administration would be getting shaken down in the parking lot right now.
Yeah - love the 'evil twin' defense - maybe Bush can claim 'the dog ate my economy'. As you said, quite similar methods - didn't Von Clausewitz say that 'War is the continuation of diplomacy by other means?" Maybe we can say the same about this. Actually, this ties in well with this article from Salon (you'll have to watch an ad) on Kevin Phillip's new book, "American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century"
Posted by
Dan |
Thu Mar 16, 06:55:00 AM