Tea Party Terrorists

U.S. Tea party supporters ought to know better.  You don't hold a gun to someone's head until you get what you want.   But that's what happened with the debt ceiling stand-off last week.   That's what happened with the government shutdown that started on October 1.   That's what terrorists do.

You know what happens to terrorists?   They either get shot and killed or they get caught and then either executed or given a life sentence.

Tea party terrorists -- let's call them TeaTs, for short -- should be sent packing by voters, never to be seen again.   That would be the equivalent of political execution.   Unfortunately, with partisan redistricting and other tricks, it probably isn't going to happen.   And the unintended consequence for Republicans -- the upstanding kind, that is -- is that they will be stuck with TeaTs within their ranks for some time unless they do something to rein them in for the good of the Republican Party.

The best the United States can hope for during this president's remaining time in office is for saner Republicans (and that includes the deep pockets behind the party) to zip up their TeaTs.

There was a time, not long ago, when the GOP was indeed a grand party.  But to put the "G" back in G-O-P, first, it has to rid itself of political liabilities and useless baggage.

And there's nothing more useless than teats on a bull.

Why the US Won't Default - Part 2

John Boehner wants to get a deal done.  His only problem now is he can't round up enough votes in the House.   The best he could do is 217, when he needs 218 to approve a budget and lift the debt ceiling.

Assuming a deal can't be done before October 17, the U.S. will start running short of cash and will stop paying some people.   Bond holders aren't due to be paid until later in the month but plenty of others are.

President Obama has said, right from the start, that he would not let the U.S. default.   I believe that means he will break the law and order a rise in the debt ceiling.  What happens after that is anyone's guess but that's what I believe will happen.

Why the U.S. Won't Default

Like many people, I wonder whether I should cash out my mutual funds and other investments this week before the U.S. defaults on its debt on October 17 and the markets tank.

In my opinion, John Boehner is the one person that can determine whether that cataclysmic event can be avoided.  That's beacuse he can hold an up-and-down vote if he wants in the House which, at this point, would pass a bill to raise the debt ceiling, according to media reports.

So I do a little research on who this man really is.  I discover, among other things, that he's interested in padding his own pockets and watching his own investments.  I conclude that he will blink in this game of "chicken" and avoid a default.

And lo and behold, today, October 10, Boehner extends an olive branch.

It may be a bumpy ride, still, to October 17, but I think I'll leave my money invested.

Hang on!

Who Is the Tea Party

You can see the Tea Party caucus here.

As you'll see, they hail from mostly rural, mostly white, mostly well-off congressional districts.

So much for helping out those less fortunate.