How's that Stimulus Working?

Back when the stimulus was being discussed, I said it was folly. It wouldn't work. It was like taking water out of one end of the pool, poring it back into the other end, and concluding that there was now more water. It has been a year and a half and the economy is sputtering. There is talk of a double-dip recessions. Gosh, all those smart people in Washington somehow didn't see this coming but yours truly wrote a blog on February 5, 2009 called 'Stimulus Stupidity.' How does that happen? Is it possible that my mere minor in economics can trump the multiple PhDs in Obama's economic team?

Much of economics is common sense. You don't encourage job creation by making it more expensive to create jobs. You don't encourage working by increasing the tax rate. Nor do you encourage work by constantly extending unemployment benefits. In order to spend money, the government must first acquire it through taxation; therefore, it is incapable of 'stimulating' an economy through spending. However, it could stimulate an economy by taking less money (i.e. cut taxes). The Obama Administration is doing the opposite of these common sense measures and is surprised the economy isn't growing.

Consent of the Governed

The majority of Americans did not want the Federal Government to pass the $700 Billion bailout in 2008. It passed. The majority didn't want GM and Chrysler bailed out. They were. The majority did not want Universal Health Care. It passed. In California, Prop 22 defined Marriage as one man and one woman. The State Supreme Court overturned it. So California amended the state constitution with Prop 8 to define marriage as one man and one woman. A federal judge has overturned it, concluding that it is unconstitutional. A majority are in favor of Arizona's law to enforce FEDERAL immigration law. A federal judge emasculated it. I have no doubt that the men who wrote and passed the 14th Amendment to the Constitution (in 1868) would be astonished to learn that they had provided for birthright citizenship and marriage between people of the same sex. At this pace, Americans will cease to be citizens and become merely subjects. Perhaps that has already come to pass.

Government at all levels and in all branches has become too big and is verging on tyrannical. Judges routinely flout the will of the people because there is no recourse. Eventually, Justice Kennedy will be the swing vote in the Supreme Court, and what he decides will be the law of the land. That is terrifying! There is a reason that the Judiciary is the 3rd Article of the Constitution, not the 1st. It was viewed as the least important but now it has the final say, making it arguably the most important. The Founders would be horrified with this state of affairs.

Cultural Decay

Today I heard a rap song by Ludacris called Sex Room. Now, I don't normally listen to rap but I have been working at the high school and exposed to the musical tastes of teens. Of course, I must wonder if I have simply become an old man who thinks kids are degenerates and their choice of music reflects that. Something to ponder. Perhaps the lyrics in the 80s were racier than I remember, especially since I wasn't one to listen to much music even in my teens.

Yes, I am aware that sex has long been a staple of music. 'Afternoon Delight' and 'Strangers in the Night' are both about sex. There is talk of love, embraces, rubbing, and fireworks. The subject is clear but the wording is suggestive or oblique. Such is not the case with 'Sex Room.' Here are some selected lyrics:

"Leave nothing but your t-shirt and panties on."
"It's about to get real X-rated."
"Mirrors in the headboard, even got a cam-cord."
"Nipples hard as rocks."
"I'mma give you this dick to ride."
"Legs in the air, with your toes pointed."

There is the frequent refrain of 'in my sex room,' in case you are unsure what he is suggesting. Subtle it is not. There were many other 'songs' along the same line though this one was the most egregious. I have read/heard in the news for years about the sexual lyrics of rap but this was my first real exposure, made all the more powerful since a pair of teen-aged girls were listening without reaction. Where is Tipper Gore to rail against this? When these teens are my age, what sort of lyrics will be required to evoke a similar reaction to mine?