UK: back in recession!
Not a surprise, given the Cameron government’s commitment to austerity.
Austerity=higher unemployment=lower tax revenues=larger deficits: this has been known for at least 75 years, but today’s politicians continue repeating the same mistake.
Gorilla says: “Get rid of Cameron, Sarkozy, and Merkel, and their foolish policies, before it’s too late!”
So long as India, China, et. al. can continue to import Iranian oil, sanctions will not work.
Iran may be feeling slightly more pinched these days, but Western policy remains deeply unserious.
What’s needed is a bilateral negotiation between the US and Iran, leading to diplomatic recognition and lots of trade.
The mullahs aren’t likely to stop going nuclear, and the rest of the world is very tired of the endless, pointless wars for oil.
Want to restrict dependency on the Middle East and rogue states like Iran? Then raise taxes substantially on fossil fuels and make alternatives economically viable.
Instead we’ll have another 2 years of “Iran is evil, they may have nukes!”, followed by yet more demonstrations that air power alone doesn’t make the world safe for democracy.
Gorilla says: “Persian springs are the only way out of this nonsensical mattress!”
Not going broke, not bankrupt, still paying benefits for the forseeable future…
What we’ll be hearing of course are the usual lies from the usual liars (Mark Warner, take a bow!).
Easy solutions: stop listening to the liars, raise the Social Security payroll tax/income threshold to cover all taxpayers, and lower the eligibility age for Medicare to 0.
Gorilla says: “Once we’re truly all in it together, the assholes will melt away!”
So, it’s Hollande v. Sarkozy in Round Deux with Le Pen’s horrible daughter pulling some strings…
France has not been fortunate when it comes to leaders. Sarkozy is clearly the worst French President since Petain, Hollande seems extraordinarily lifeless (even by the standards of the Socialist Party), and the fascist who got 20% is, like her father, destined never to crawl up from the sewer she inhabits.
Gorilla says: “C’est la vie stupide!”
An asshole’s asshole who will not be missed in any way by anyone.
American Bandstand was very much past it by the early 70s, but Dick’s motto went on: Whatever made money made him happy, whatever didn’t made him a no show…
Repeat after Gorilla: “Republicans only care about the rich, that’s all they’ve ever cared about, that’s all they will care about!”
A country that does nothing for the millions of unemployed, while wasting time on GSA conventions and Secret Service fornicators, is not a serious country.
Gorilla says: “Repeat after me: but we’ve known this for a very long time!”
When Secret Service agents break the law by cavorting with prostitutes, what’s the proper Presidential response?
1) Immediately fire the agents.
2) Immediately fire the Secret Service Director.
Instead, what we get is yet another demonstration of zero leadership.
If public officials are never held accountable (and they haven’t been for the torture, the assassination, the lies leading us into pointless war after pointless war, etc. etc. etc.), is it any wonder the public tunes out politics, while the rich buy up the leftovers and run their own plutocracy?
Gorilla says: “A shameful episode made worse by the complete lack of shame!”
Facebook: a privacy destroying web page supplier for idiots who cannot produce their own websites.
Instagram: a privacy destroying photo supplier for idiots who want to share their photos online but lack both photo editing and website production skills.
Revenue stream: something every company like Facebook and Instagram trusts will be forthcoming, but which ends up post-IPO being essentially cannibalized, cyclical ad revenue in the non-Google part of Internet world.
Early adopters: those who labor in Silicon Valley in the hope that their next great idea will go public.
The future: all end users exchanging uninteresting junk and idiotic viewpoints over ever less lucrative networks while Uncle Sam gives away the store to those companies best positioned to erect barriers to entry for competitors.
Gorilla says: “More to come as and when these moronic kids get off my lawn!”
The UN will continue wringing its collective hands, the Turks will get more impatient, but the bottom line remains the same: there’s zero international support for any kind of military action against the genocidal Syrian government.
And perhaps this is the best approach: Syria’s essentially a larger version of Lebanon, with very little oil and no great strategic significance to anyone outside Moscow.
Gorilla says: “So, Kofi Annan can resume his well deserved retirement and wait for Assad to join him!”
Gorilla’s Blog