Democrat Logic: Lose Your Job and Feel Liberated

American Thinker ^ | 02/08/2014 | Brian C Joondeph, MD

[SeekAndFind]

This week, a report from the Congressional Budget Office acknowledged that ObamaCare would reduce full-time employment by 2.5 million over the next ten years. And that is on top of news that 92 million Americans who could be working are not. What a devastating assessment for the unemployed or underemployed, particular millenials seeking to transition from internships and part-time jobs to career-building full-time jobs. Yet the predictable spin from the White House and major media outlets is that this is good news, liberating workers from the chains of employment.

To quote President Obama, from the 2008 campaign, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney cheerily notes, "Individuals will be empowered to make choices about their own lives and livelihoods, like retiring on time rather than working into their elderly years or choosing to spend more time with their families." Oh happy day! Lose your job or cut your work hours and you can spend more time with the family. What's the starting salary for staying home? As for "retiring on time", many Americans are unable to afford retirement, due to present and future economic conditions. So those who cannot afford to retire will now retire earlier? I can't afford that BMW right now but if you raise the price a bit then I'll take it.

The Atlantic takes a novel approach, declaring "So what?" if Americans are a bit lazier due to ObamaCare. No big deal that, "More adults will simply decide to take it easy." Goods will be produced and services provided all by themselves if workers stay home and take it easy. Tax revenues will magically appear in the Treasury if fewer Americans are working, earning an income,

[uncitizen]

It’s Anti-American, plain and simple, this “hard work bad/laziness good” meme.

[bunkerhill7]

It`s Good to Liberate Obummer from his Job.

[fhayek]

I operate with a simple economic model. Wealth equals production minus consumption. If you consume less than you produce, you increase your wealth. If you consume more, you decrease your wealth. The trouble with liberal economics, the only trouble, in my mind, is that it discourages production and encourages consumption. Think about it, everything from unionization to minimum wage increase to welfare encourages consumption with no corresponding increase in production. An economy that does this will grow poorer. It is axiomatic.

This is another perfect example. You don't have to work hard, hell, you can go off and set up a shop selling macaroni sculptures. Only thing is, you are consuming someone else's product in the process. Wealth is consumed. The economy of the nation suffers.

[eyedigress]

"Individuals will be empowered to make choices about their own lives and livelihoods, like retiring on time rather than working into their elderly years or choosing to spend more time with their families."

Thank you liberal democrats for deciding whether my family starves or not. Spending time with a poor, starving family is not my idea of bliss.

Hello Democrats, get the hell out of my life in The Land of the FRee and the Home of the Brave. Consider that anything not in the Constitution is not in your jurisdiction. General welfare means a protected border and free trade among states.

King George would be so proud of you. I am not.

[blackdog]

Pay off your house note, car loans, cut your credit cards, close your bank accounts, and transfer all your assets to your children for $1.00.

Embrace the liberating freedom by telling your bosses to piss-off. Who really needs to save for retirement, put their kids thru college, donate to charity, or pay for health insurance? That's what the government is for!!!!/ Eat with an EBT. Talk with a Bammyphone. Doctor up with Bammycare subsidies. Energy assistance from the gubmint.

Own nothing. Make your liquidity amorphous.

Feel Liberated. Load hoarded cash onto debit cards as needed. Buy a winter place in coastal Guatamala and have your mail forwarded.

Your dog is better company than your boss.

[gunsequalfreedom]

Had I not lost my job I would not be retired now. Turned out to be the most fortunate thing that happened to me.

[blackdog]

That's taking 2.5 trillion out of the government's revenue side of payroll and income tax, not counting the liberation payouts they disburse for you to eat, phone chat, live under a roof, see a doctor, and go to school and learn how to weave baskets.

Idiots.

[Beowulf9]

Yeah, that’s how I thought of it.

What bunk.

[Red Dog #1]

"From each according to his abilities,..."

Even Marx thinks this a bad idea. :0)

[Still Thinking]

"Individuals will be empowered to make choices about their own lives and livelihoods, like retiring on time rather than working into their elderly years or choosing to spend more time with their families."

Apparently people who don't need to work for the money are nonetheless being forced to show up and work against their will. Thank heavens for Obama! [eyeroll]

[Texas Songwriter]

For formla for pursuit of happiness is found in time and money. The formula for happiness is found in two ideas. One must have enough money to do the things they want to do. One must have time enough to pursue endeavors which brings about that happiness. (I am specifically not referencing one's religious joy)/ To have time to pursue the endeavors which brings joy, mostly one needs to have enough money to allow that pursuit. To pursue those joys with no money will be self-limitiing. So to merge money with free time becomes difficult for those who need to work for money and have their work allotment pared back by Obamacare. So where is the joy they speak of in loosing 1/4 of their mont earning capacity?

Become an artist or a trubadore has a self-limiting nature about it. So, reason tells us that for the vast number of Americans in order to pursue happiness, as the Constitution prescribes, hard work seems a requisite. I don't think the Obamaites understand this or willfully deludes themselves and worse, deludes 1/2 of the public to believe such nonsense.

[SeekAndFind]

This comment from the Christian Post explains the whole agenda nicely:

As a rhetorical strategy, the argument is brilliant. By placing themselves on the side of helping Americans pursue their dreams, the White House is positioning its detractors as on the side of forcing people to remain in miserable jobs. (This is not true. Republican proposals to replace the ACA include decoupling health insurance from employment so your health insurance would stay with you when you change jobs.)

Spending more time with ones kids or hobbies, volunteering more, working less, and retiring early can all, of course, be good things. There are two important components, though, that are missing in the White House argument — why Americans will be choosing to work less and what the consequences of those choices will be.

Americans will choose to work less in order to receive more government benefits.

The loss of the equivalent of 2.5 million full-time jobs is also the loss of an equivalent 2.5 million taxpayers. But it is even worse than that because the losses are due to Americans choosing to take government benefits instead of choosing to work.

The consequence of this is more takers and fewer payers.

Less revenue will be going into the U.S. Treasury and more spending will be going out. This might be justifiable if the Treasury had a surplus. As the CBO report also shows, though, the federal government is on an unsustainable path with regard to its debt.

The government has been running yearly deficits of around $1 trillion since the 2008 financial collapse. Total national debt is currently over $17.3 trillion.

Under its current trajectory, the CBO estimates that in 10 years just the interest paid on the debt, currently $233 billion, will become the third highest government expense (after Social Security and Medicare) at $880 billion.

The White House argument is, essentially, “take a break, America. You deserve it. This one is on us.”

It sounds like a tempting offer, until you realize that the “us” is other taxpayers, or future taxpayers.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

You nailed it.

[bert]

Panic yields irrational thought and action

The panic is now palpable

[a fool in paradise]

So if women are all fired, the pay discrepancy issue will go away and they will finally be liberated?

[Grampa Dave]

[Organic Panic]

I for one will be on this bandwagon. One of these days I will sell my business. I will fire everyone. I will minimize my expenses when I pay off the house and buy an RV to travel. Then, I will get a part time job just so I can get laid odd. I will learn guitar and become an artist. Then I will apply for every single welfare program and endless unemployment and live off that as I road trip the USA and Canada. I’ve been paying for it. Working is for chumps.

[milemark]

I’m Free! To live in my car and eat out of dumpsters...

[Texas Songwriter]

Let us recap. This administration who says one should kill their offspring. Women must work to be fulfilled in life, not spent time with their kids or hobbies. …..Women must try to break the glass ceiling by working their rear ends off…….A white house who already pays women only 77% of what they pay men…….women are so effectual they cannot procure birth control means without the help of men…….Obama has been touting his lies and spinning about how good the job market is by his estate job production over 48 consecutive months now says he has done so well that he need to pare 2 1/2 million jobs from the bustling job market. And his economy has grown so much that people are making too much money….so much so that he needs to micromanage and cut back their incomes to 3/4 of what it was…you work harder than that and you get penalized by increase in taxes.

He has shifted his personal paradigm. It is not as innocent as, "America, take a break, you work too hard". Obama is creating unbelievable upheaval in 300 million lives for his own perception of personal legacy.

This "tool' he has chosen is by design to effectuate everyone and he does not care how negatively. He is trying to create what he once called a "viable dependency class" to vote democrat in perpetuity. He has a mean-streak a mile wide. He does not take prisoners. And this feckless republican party is either too frightened and stupid to do their constitutional duty or , worse, they might be in league with him, will not stand up to him as they are Constitutionally required to do. Obama, in his own book, says he preferred to surround himself with communists, socialist professors and black marxist radicals. (his words). Our country refuses to believe his own words on this, but when challenged that he said it, did it in the White HOuse, (van jones, anita hill,) those who challenge his own words, are attacked and marginalized.. I believe only the people are able to do what needs to be done, but are too collectively ignorant of the facts, and too afraid without leadership to go to Washington and make their demands of a free market, and less government heard by Congresss.