Plain and Simple.
Hoosierboy provides a lesson in economics in plain English. Here is a sample:
Businesses do not pay taxes.
The role of a business is NOT to provide jobs. That is a fundamental understanding you must possess. Let me repeat that. The role of business is NOT to create jobs. The role of a business is to make money. A business that does not make money for its owners will not be in business long. You should look with a sceptical eye when a Presidential candidate says he is going to create jobs. If the business that employs those workers cannot make money, there will be no jobs.
The Government, and I mean the Local, the State, and Federal Governments, only provide jobs and pay public workers by taking money from all workers and redistributing it. The Government does not make a product, sell a product or generate profit. It gets its money through taxes. It takes our money. Patriotism has nothing to do with it. If you are one of those people who thinks your new local park, road, Government Building was free because the Federal Government paid for it, you are an idiot. You paid for it, I paid for it, people in Arkansas and Indiana and Ohio paid for it. All of those roads, buildings and bridges in West Virginia — Robert Byrd did not provide them. Your money — taken from the wages due you — paid for them.
For the past couple of weeks, HB is writing some of the best posts I’ve ever read. I’ve always liked him, but lately I love and admire him.
And loathe as I am to say this, now that the Metsies have tanked – like a Big Fat Blue and Oranj Bag O’ Doosh Machine – yet again, I will have to put my team spirit behind the Cubbies.
[obscure reference] He definitely got Brooklyn’s goat. [/end obscure reference]
Comment by Erica — September 23, 2008 @ 9:50 pm
Hate to tell you this, Jimbo, but you’d be better off talking to a wall: at least the wall wouldn’t give you crap. There are a lot of people that simply don’t/can’t/won’t/refuse-to ‘get it’. For them, electricity comes out of the funny-looking sockets on the wall, gasoline from the pump at the station down the street, and food from the grocery store — actual production and distribution are too ephemeral of concepts for them to grasp. And they’re still allowed to vote.
Comment by DMerriman — September 23, 2008 @ 9:56 pm
Completely Off-Topic Update: I must have posted that comment within minutes of the Metsies making the Cubbies eat Billy Goat Stew tonight, bringing them (thanks to a Phillies loss to Atlanta) within a game and a half out of foist place.
So…I will have to retract my earlier that statement since – astrologically – I just didn’t think any of this was possible (I know, I know: “Ya gotta believe.”).
And now, back to Hoosierboy’s Money World.
Comment by Erica — September 23, 2008 @ 10:39 pm
On a tangent to this, I heard them replaying some speech Obama gave where he was telling us how “we” are going to get better teachers in the classroom, pay them more, hold them accountable, yada, yada, yada… while I thought:
Interesting trick since even now, teachers are still hired, fired, and paid locally. Does this mean Obama is going to nationalize education? Will he do it without letting Congress in on it? Is he going to declare himself emperor and just take over everything, telling everyone how to do things his way? It would be an easy way to simply take all our money.
Just curious as to how this will work since he did very pointedly say he was going to do this.
Politicians are so amusing when they start promising stuff. Heh.
Comment by Teresa — September 23, 2008 @ 10:45 pm
Thank you for the kind words and link. As always you are a gentleman. I am truly humbled.
Comment by hoosierboy — September 24, 2008 @ 12:09 am
And geez Erica, you make me blush.
The Brewers are doing everything possible to push the Metsies into the wildcard.
Sorry Jimbo, I know you are not a sports guy
Comment by hoosierboy — September 24, 2008 @ 12:11 am
Unfortunately, the old economics 101 premise that business exists to create wealth for shareholders has not been true for many many years. Business exists so that those lucky and/or evil enough to rise to the top can make themselves wealthy while practicing self preservation. I cite Enron, Amex, Citigroup, et.
Comment by Joseph — September 24, 2008 @ 7:33 am
I remember my Dad saying years ago when we owned a Farm Store, that businesses didn’t make money, they just broke even at a higher and higher figure.
Comment by Dan Kauffman — September 24, 2008 @ 8:47 am
Dan Kauffman….there is a lot of truth to that. Government regs being what they are most business does its best to hide money and find all the tax loopholes and small business shows a profit on paper just often enough to keep the IRS off their backs
Comment by GUYK — September 24, 2008 @ 4:54 pm
You Americans think that 1.3 Trillion is cheap, Just F*Cking wait. Barry O’Mbeki Zuma will have a November Surprise, just vote and wait.
Comment by keeskennis — September 24, 2008 @ 6:34 pm
Joseph you are a dumbass
Comment by hoosierboy — September 25, 2008 @ 11:29 pm