Politicians At Play with MY Savings

5 Miles High Over Central Pennsylvania

Voice of the Mountain

by Shawn K. Inlow

Politics.  You know, life was going along just fine and I'd managed to turn off the teevee and noted a markedly happier mood came over my spirit.  I actually quit watching the news for - maybe a month - and had relied solely on what I'd overheard or what managed to seep in.  

But there is a new crisis in our nation's capital and the echo and rumor and hearsay got my attention enough to think about this here government shutdown and what it all means... and what it's going to mean.

What it's going to mean is that my life savings is in jeopardy.  I don't know about you, but here's why The Mountain is awake today.  Politicians are now screwing with MY savings.  Probably yours too.

To explain.  Over the years, I did the responsible thing by saving as much money as I could for as long as I could.  One of the first rules of wealth is that you put back a portion of your income.  While I am not wealthy, I have enough to get by on.  I was able to retire early - at the age of 49 - in part because I'd saved a decent portion of my earnings and invested it in a very conservative market index fund.

I remember the last time that Congress - no, let's put the blame where it strongly belongs, shall we? - Republicans and particularly those of the Idiot Tea Party variety whose breathtaking combination of stupidity and selfish ambition can ruin anything -  I remember the last time they decided they would not raise the debt ceiling.  This is something that never had been controversial before.  The debt ceiling under Reagan, for instance, was raised 11 times.  

The result was that the market - you know, that market where I have put my life's savings - jittered like a teenager at a sock hop until the American debt rating was reduced... COSTING US BILLIONS OF DOLLARS.  In effect, the idiot republicans (and I don't see many right now that don't qualify) raised the American mortgage rate.  And the market did it's dance and I lost a pile of dough.

Nice going, jerks.  That's MY money you're dicking with.  We have already SEEN the result of this kind of (lack of) governing.  So why, why, why are there douche-bags like Ted Cruz, republican senator from WHERE?  TEXAS! of course, who get to run riot on issues that matter.

What we're dealing with now is a government shutdown, which is one thing, but what's coming right up is the debt ceiling again.  These idiot republicans are going to crash this car again and it's going to cost me my savings.  Maybe all of it this time.

You know, I'd heard a couple days ago that there were reports of gun-shots on capital hill.  And you wanna know what my reaction was?  I was surprised by it myself because it was a vile thought.  Seriously, the first thing that popped into my mind was, "Serves 'em right."  And you wonder why they have to have their political conventions behind heavily guarded barricades.

I found myself thinking about all these mass-shootings and thinking the real tragedy was that, at least, if you're gonna go off the edge, why kill innocent victims?  Why not go after the cause of the disease.  Why not go after Lloyd Blankfein?  A Koch Brother?  Rupert Murdoch or any of his pack of dogs?  Jamie Dimon?  How about a Walton?  There are any number of Grey Men who are doing harm the world over and we haven't even started on Big Oil executives yet.

See, these crazy bastards don't think about the people they are hurting.  They are thinking about themselves.  Which places most republicans (Sorry, can't capitalize it any more.) in the same boat.

Listen.  I really never thought I'd be in this space telling republicans not to screw with the market.  But here I am.  There are LOTS of things wrong with the markets.  The biggest criminals on Earth live on Wall Street and nothing's being done about it.  But it is the only game in town where it comes to savings that work well enough to get by on.  And believe you me, there are fat cats on Wall Street who lust after those federal, state and local pension plans right now and they want to rape them just the way the did the housing market in the last economic collapse, so our savings are at risk to begin with.

About Debt

So you and I and the taxi driver, by virtue of our savings, our pension plans, etcetera, OWN the U.S. debt that these Tea Party Idiots keep blathering on about.  IN FACT, the largest holder of American debt is ... Wait for it... Americans.  You can read and learn about that simple fact HERE.

China is the largest single foreign owner of U.S. debt, but I - we - Americans - have put more money on the barrel head betting on the full faith and credit of the United States of America than the Chinese have by a long shot.

So why, why, WHY have the idiot republicans set themselves so desperately at wrecking our bets?  I have to think it's because they're stupid because any other way of explaining it would be deeply shady at best or nefarious at worst.  I'd rather be dealing with the stupid than the evil.  You can remediate stupid, but Evil...

If it turns out we're dealing with the evil?  Then I have no qualms about setting all those broke homeowners whose savings have been pissed away in this political fight loose on these assholes.  Then they can finally meet Jesus in the twisted 2nd Amendment Polish firing squad of their own making.

The Mountain does not espouse violence.  But I have the feeling that these fools, given a choice between a sensible solution and doing harm to prove a point, are incapable of doing right by us.  Rob me of my pension and savings that I worked all my life for and you will have a wildcat - maybe thousands of wildcats - on your hands.

Then you pricks won't be able to pass gun control legislation fast enough.