Some interesting numbers

In reading this week's The New Yorker magazine, I came across some interesting numbers.

I'll first give three numbers: 5 million, 10 million and 1.5 million.What do they refer to?

• Obama was reelected by a net margin win of 5 million votes.
• For the Senate in 2012, Democrats received 10 million more votes than Republicans.
• For the House in 2012, Democrats received 1.5 million more votes than Republicans.

And yet because of redistricting, Republicans retained control of the House. It's for this reason we went through the government shutdown and faced default on our debt. It's why there's dysfunction in Washington. Democrats received many more votes last year, but due to gerrymandering and arcane redistricting laws, they do not wield the equivalence in power. Instead a minority of extreme far-right Republicans hold an inordinate amount of power and in many respects abuse it for purely selfish reasons.

More numbers:

In 1965, C.E.O.s at big companies earned, on average, about twenty times as much as their typical employee. These days, C.E.O.s earn about two hundred and seventy times as much.

Incredible. In less than 50 years, CEO pay has ballooned by more than 13 times the compensation of the typical employee. The ratio in 1965 would have a CEO today making $800K assuming a typical employee earned $40K. However, the actual ratio for today has that CEO earning close to $11 million, well above the already bloated $800K figure. Certainly this business model can't last. It's Rome all over again.

It's over, finally

Yippee. It's over. Finally. We won't default on our debt and the government should be open for business by tomorrow morning.

And what was it all for? What did the Tea Party zealots get in return? As far as I can tell, "Obamacare" emerges intact and spending remains as it would've been if none of this occurred. It's pretty much status quo, business as usual. On the surface, the Tea Party got nothing, but in actuality what they got was unprecedented media attention, the likes of which is worth many millions of dollars. Through Sen. Cruz, they held the country hostage, shutting down the government and risking national default, all so that they could garner some free publicity. Like cheap, two-bit shysters. These are U-S-A patriots? This is country first??

So things get pushed off till February, when we undoubtedly will have to go through this crap all over again. Will this become the norm for how government will operate in the future? Every six months, we'll go through this nonsense to see if the government (and national parks, etc.) will remain open and the country won't default on its debt? If so, then rating agencies should lower our credit rating! Talk about third world!

Assuming this unfortunately becomes the norm, I recommend ignoring the media and following the stock market when it comes to gleaning the most likely outcome. During this past ordeal, the market held up well through it all, indicating much of it was idiotic showboating and correctly looking past the inane shenanigans. In general, investors collectively are not stupid. 

As for Republicans, they have only themselves to blame. Carve up a bunch of districts through gerrymandering to successfully elect a bunch of what would normally be unelectable candidates, i.e. lunatics -- you get what you deserve. Inmates are definitely running the asylum. 

The much greater tragedy is we as a country get screwed in the process. At least Reagan was shrewd enough to just pretend to care, to throw the nutballs some symbolic morsels they could chew on yet never letting them gain enough voice to wield actual power. Somewhere the former president is shaking his head, saying "You idiots!" (and, "Enough with renaming so many post offices after me!!").

"I'M AS MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING...."

Where is it written that only the Republicans and Tea Party crackpots can be "justifiably" angry, with their so-called righteous outrage?? Like many non-Republican Americans, I'm currently mad as hell and as is most often the case, the reason I'm angry is because of Republicans and Tea Party crackpots.

Yesterday morning, in a moment when it appeared as if the stock market was about to break and likely fall off a cliff, I sent this to some friends:

THESE SOB, F-CKING REPUBLICANS!!!  WHAT PATRIOTS!!!   BUNCH OF INFANTILE, UNREASONABLE LUNATICS!!!   SO ANYTIME A PARTY DOESN'T LIKE OR AGREE WITH A PASSED LAW, ONE UPHELD BY THE SCOTUS, THE MINORITY PARTY CAN SIMPLY DO ALL IT CAN TO DESTROY THE COUNTRY??!!   THEY F*CKING TRIED 40+ TIMES ALREADY TO REPEAL OBAMACARE AND FAILED EACH TIME.... RATHER THAN STOP THE NONSENSE, THEY CHOOSE TO GO NUCLEAR..... WHAT A FRIGGIN EMBARRASSMENT.... 

I ASK, AT THIS POINT, GIVEN ALL THAT'S HAPPENED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, BUT MORE SO OVER THE LAST FEW MONTHS IF NOT WEEKS, WHO THE HELL CAN STILL STAY AND REMAIN A REPUBLICAN?? IF NOT LEAVE NOW, THEN WHEN??!

AND DON'T GIVE ME THAT FEW BAD APPLES B.S., THE BAD APPLES ARE MANY AND THEY'RE RUNNING THE WHOLE SHOW.... THAT'S WHY A VOTE FOR A MODERATE "R" (NEVERMIND THEY'RE NEAR NON-EXISTENT) IS A VOTE FOR THE PARTY OF LUNACY, BECAUSE THE INMATES ARE RUNNING THE ASYLUM....

What is to blame for all of this? I say the crazy redistricting laws, which allows district lines to be drawn that makes it possible for the normally unelectable to get elected. A few kooks here and there get voted into office and the next thing they wield an inordinate amount of power, destroying anything that resembles a democracy. They say they care about the country and the Constitution -- bullcrap! They only care about what they themselves specifically care about and the hell with everyone and everything else -- including the Constitution! The country has been taken hostage by a bunch of nutballs, but make no mistake, in "normal" times such people still existed but had no chance of winning an election. All of that changed with redistricting. It's why Tea Party candidates will never win the White House -- the power of redistricting can't extend far enough nationally for that to happen -- and yet it doesn't stop the few from winning their pretzel-shaped districts, banding together and wreaking havoc.

What is the predominant fear? I agree with those who say that the big fear is Obamacare will succeed and become very popular. Years from now, when the program has been repeatedly refined and improved, as any such program has evolved, and the many benefits become increasingly apparent to the masses, the fear is Obama will receive tons of credit and goodwill, that he'll become the equivalent of FDR and the New Deal. Republicans know that they must snuff Obamacare out now before it has a chance to take hold and blossom. The demographics already disfavor Republicans in the future, the last thing they need is a Democrat-sponsored government program becoming wildly popular.

As for the government shut down, I continue to believe the adults in the room will eventually take control and Republicans will cave in to their true masters: the top 1%. Right now the stock market is hanging in there, much as it did in late 1995 during the last shut down, but it did look as if it was going to crack yesterday morning and may still do so in the near future if the shenanigans continue. Reminder: the top 1% hold most of the $$$ tied up in stocks. If the market takes a meaningful nose dive, you can bet the phones will be ringing in most GOP offices with angry voices saying, "Enough already! Cut the crap, or else!"

And presto, the government shut down would end. Well, that's what would occur in a normal world, but perhaps, as Obama said, it truly is different this time.