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Well, they just escaped the cat house. Here’s one I did the other day. The first of my New America songs for when I become a wandering poet and balladeer after the gov’t puts us all on relief:

Introduction: I believe the gov’t is going to have to print money. The current deficit is about $14 trillion. There is another $75 - $100 trillion coming in social security and medicare bubbles. This isn’t counting the ongoing yearly deficits, infrastructure needs, and relatively declining population. This also doesn’t count state government deficits and unfunded liabilities. This also doesn’t count the interest on the debt,

Meanwhile, our yearly GDP is about $15 trillion per year. Historically, federal tax collections have been about 20% of the GDP, call it $3 trillion a year... We complain about the effects of this amount of tax on the economy. Yet at this rate, it will take about 35 years to pay off the debt, not counting any interest. Even if taxes increased by 50%, to about $4.5 trillion or 30% of GDP, it would still take about 17 years to clear the deficit. And there would be an additional trillion and a half taken out of the economy.

Politically, social security is not going to be changed in any significant way, or medicare. They can’t be without throwing old folks and sick folks out into the streets. The best alternative is to print money and let the government ameliorate the bad effects with a form of monthly “Citizen’s Assistance.” I suspect we will all get a monthly BIG (Basic Income Grant) check, for necessities of life like food, shelter, utilities, and misc cash for other stuff. Health care will be single payer gov’t. Then, we can work for additional income if we desire.

Don’t like it, but no way government can balance budget without massive societal disruption. No way to collect enough taxes to pay the bills. Being practical, I am practicing guitar so I can use my BIG check to travel around as a wandering poet and balladeer in New America. My first song:

BIG Check Blues (Annotated)

Written by the Freeper, parsifal.

(Spontanioso Bluesio)*

((This is a typical 12 bar blues song in the key of E. First line is E. Second line is A and E. Third line is B7 and E. By choosing this key, the Poet is forcing lazy guitar players to use their pinky on the B7.)

Gots my BIG** check this morning, already got the blues.
Gots my BIG check this morning, and already got the blues.
My BIG check’ ain’t big enough for me buy no booze.

When I first got my BIG check, I got me some womens, too.
When I got my BIG check, Lawd, I got me some womens, too.
Now my womens has left me, and Lawd I’m feeling blue.

Lawd, this nasty inflation sure is deflating me.
You know, this nasty inflation sure is deflating me.
I done shrunk so much I ain’t half the man I used to be.

In the good old days, the BIG check was the life of me.
When it first come out, Lawd, that BIG check was the life of me.
Paid my room and board and my medical care was free.

Didn’t need no time card, didn’t need no big boss man.
Lawd, didn’t punch no clock - didn’t need no big boss man.
Took my Dobro*** out serenading all across the land.

Lawd, I sang some songs and was alley cattin’ every night.
Yeah, I sang them songs and went Tom cattin’ every night.
Lawd, I had enough money to treat my womens right.

I needed some whiskey and needed some COLA’s, too.****
Lawd, I drank some whiskey but I needed those COLA’s, too.
Til ‘flation-itis set in, Lawd I caught the Weimar Flu.*****

Now hyper-inflation’s crashed the world down “round my head.
Lawd, that hyper-inflation’s brought the world down ‘round my head.
Need a truck load of BIG checks just to buy me a loaf of bread.

If it gets much worse, I gots to get a job, Oh Woe!
If it gets much worse, I gots to get me a job, Oh Woe!
No Tom cattin’ “round with my old Dobro, no mo. . .no mo. . .

* Italian for “In a spontaneous blues style”

** “BIG check” is a Basic Income Grant check. The Poet is taking some poetic license as the money will probably come in the form of a renewable debit card.

*** Dobro is a registered trademark of Gibson Guitars of America.

**** COLA stands for “Cost of Living Adjustment”

***** There is currently no actual influenza variant known as the “Weimar Flu.” The Poet specifically disavows any implied aspersions upon any German, living or dead. There is no communicable disease known to be carried specifically by those of German descent. “Weimar” here refers to the hyper-inflationary period of the Weimar Republic.

parsy, who is working on his second