The Debt Ceiling: From We The People, to We The Suckers
Like most Americans (hereinafter referred to as 'We The Suckers') who actually give a damn, I've spent my last few days trying like hell to understand all this crap about whether or not we should support raising the national debt ceiling another $2.4 trillion from $14,000,308,000,000.00 (that's 14,300 billions, or 143,000 millions for those of us who never cared for math), to 16.7 trillion.
These figures come directly from a 30 page .PDF report issued by the Congressional Research Service on May 16, 2011. While hardly an edge of your seat-type read, it does promise to cause some of us Suckers to lose sleep, so I've included a link to view it at your own discretion.
Now that I don't have to numb your minds with crazy numbers that look like they were taken from one of Steven Hawking's essays, we can move on to more important things (but for those of you stats geeks, you just hit the mother load).
In my not so humble, 'Sucker' opinion, these are the top 11 relevant facts 'We The Suckers' should know about our government's current disgraceful stalemate; just without the political BS:
1. Since 2001, the debt ceiling has been raised (by both political parties) 10 times; (74 times in all, since its creation in 1917).
2. The bickering now is NOT all about raising the ceiling another 2.4 trillion, from 14.3 trillion, to 16.7 trillion (remember all those zeros?). Both sides agree it needs to be raised, that is NOT the issue.
3. The Elephants want to implement mandatory immediate cutbacks and future spending restrictions on the government along with the increase,
4. The Jackasses (at least some of them) want none of that and an unconditional increase.
5. The unconditional increase bill was voted on by congress on May 31, 2011 - It was voted down zealously by a vote of 318-97.
6. There are NOT 318 Elephants in congress, therefore, this in NOT strictly Elephants vs. Jackasses.
7. The Elephants won't approve the raise even though The White House doesn't carry a US Treasury checkbook, and congress has to approve the spending of every penny anyway.
8. The Jackasses are shamelessly telling us Suckers that if this increase isn't passed and our government goes into 'default' (a word undoubtedly chosen to evoke thoughts of repossessed cars, foreclosed homes and nagging credit card companies), that the cuts they make to keep the government functioning will have to be to Social Security, pensions, and other programs which directly support We,The Suckers,
Continued on the next page
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