|
Up to the minute notes on the current state of free thinking and free living: Kentucky moonshine - original analysis and reporting from MoreThings, and all round pop culture museum of sight and sound - photo galleries, mp3 and video downloads.
Al Barger and MoreThings - getting people's goats since 1998.
Live free or die!
----
|
February 17, 2005
Congressman Melvin Watt, hysteric
Congressman Melvin Watt, a Democrat from North Carolina, had him a little Nancy Hopkins moment about noon today.
Fed chairman Alan Greenspan was giving his regular semi-annual testimony in front of the house. This was mostly fairly dry stuff, as you would expect. Notably, the chairman voiced his support for at least the general concept of personalized Social Security accounts, as President Bush has been advocating. He was, however, very careful to avoid the word "crisis," which another Democrat was trying very hard to pin him down on.
Congressman Watts threw a little fit of hysteria on the subject. He took a couple of solid minutes before he could even get his point out, going on about how much restraint he was having to throw on himself to avoid insulting the chairman and President Bush. He was clear that he wanted to make some comments that did not require any response from the Mr Greenspan, and then he'd work his way to some unrelated question.
Specifically, he was perturbed that the president suggests that these personal accounts are being offered up partially to help black folks. Likewise, Mr Greenspan had suggested that these personal accounts would be particularly for the benefit of poor people.
The honorable gentleman was quivering in agitation, and hardly able to form coherent sentences. Specifically, the presentation that personal Social Security accounts would help black and poor folk made him "nauseous." Indeed, he had to cut himself off, or he might "throw up." He was afraid that he'd "lose control" if he had to actually engage in any discussion of the issue.
So there you have it: the honorable gentleman's peristaltic instability proves that the president and Mr Greenspan are wrong. Indeed, the implication would be that they're not simply wrong, but dishonest. You wouldn't get your bowels in an uproar like this over an honest disagreement about economic policy.
It is, however, admittedly quite convenient that the honorable gentleman was too ill to discuss the issue. There are certainly lots of reasonable objections and reservations possible about this personal accounts idea. However, there are certainly some reasonable arguments that this could in fact be a particularly helpful idea for poor folks.
Rich folks already are going to have nesteggs, and estates to hand down to their children. There's at least a reasonable argument that personalized Social Security accounts would be an opportunity to let people further down the food chain get some ownership stake going, too.
Hopefully, Congressman Watt will be able to get his stomach problems under control in time to have an actual adult discussion about the merits of Social Security reform. Somehow though, I doubt it.
posted by Al at 2/17/2005 05:30:00 PM
Link Soup
morethings master
photo gallery index
MP3
new album
releases
lyrics
sammy davis
little richard photos
buddy holly pictures
fats domino images
chuck berry pictures 01/
02/
03/
04/
05/
06/
07/
08/
09/
10/
11/
12/
01/
02/
03/
04/
05/
06/
07/
08/
09/
10/
11/
12/
01/
02/
03/
04/
05/
06/
07/
08/
09/
10/
11/
12/
01/02/
03/
04/
05/
06/
07/
08/
09/
10/
11/
12
01/
02/
03/
04/
05/
06/
07/
08/
09/
10/
11/
12/01/
02/
03/
04/
05/
06/
07/
08/
09/
10/
11/
12/08/
09/
10/
11/
12/
la
24
lucille ball images
clint eastwood pictures lena
horne images team
america pictures
robert mitchum photos
bruce springsteen pictures
mariah carey pictures
ann coulter photos
george clooney images
loretta lynn pictures
beatles pictures
white stripes pictures
andy griffith pictures
kill bill pictures
beverly hillbillies pictures
robin williams
frank zappa pictures
jerry lee lewis pictures
richard pryor photos
june carter johnny cash pictures
vic mackey shield pictures u2 photos
four seasons images
james cagney images
elvis presley pictures
country music
blog
dolly parton pictures
olsen twins photos
tom petty photos
tori amos pictures
joaquin phoenix images David
Bowie photos
Quills movie images
reese witherspoon pictures rolling
stones photos
fiona apple images kim
novak images ray charles photos marx
brothers pictures
prince rogers nelson pictures blazing
saddles images
sinead o'connor images
eddie murphy photos aretha
franklin photos
south park pictures homer
simpson images
bob dylan pictures elizabeth
taylor photos madonna
images
saturday night live pictures jewel
kilcher photos willie
nelson images hee
haw pictures james
brown images pete
townshend photos
tina turner pictures
dixie chicks photos
elton john
images
emmylou harris images
guns
n roses pictures
paula abdul pictures
jodie foster photos
amy winehouse
eminem
frank sinatra photos
van
halen images
satan
blondie photos
merle haggard
images
rocky horror pictures
monty
python
|
|
