MOTUS A.D.: Empty Chairs and Empty Pockets

Monday, September 3, 2012

Empty Chairs and Empty Pockets

It’s Labor Day! Which Professor Jacobson reminds us is Empty Chair Day across America! So slow down, get off the expressway and take a break:

We need a little time out from the failed policies, and folding chairs that brought us to where we are today.

H/T Gateway Pundit

All across America today, people will be displaying their empty chairs to remind us of the choice we have coming up in November.

“Relief... Discomfort. Now which of these I next apply? That decision is in your hands. So... take your time...” Szell, Marathon Man

Even Big Guy’s barber will skip today’s bi-weekly haircut

And there will be many other chairs left standing empty across the country today:

They will be joined by all the empty factories,

and empty houses

all of which adds up to an awful lot of empty dreams. And a lot of empty chairs at empty tables.

If you’re wondering who to blame for this mess, look no further than the Sunday shows, where all the O-Team boys showed up to explain why this quagmire (is that racist?) we’re in is actually the result of George W. Bush’s failed policies.

Opposing views, of course, hold that what actually created that “housing bubble” that led to the credit meltdown under George W. Bush’s watch went back much further. Yes! Some even trace it all the way back to anti-red-lining legislation started under the Johnson administration! Butt it didn’t get kicked into sub-prime territory until the Jimmy Carter administration (Community Reinvestment Act,1977) and fully implemented under Bill Clinton’s new Federal Reserve rules!

This is getting confusing; I know everyone thought it was George W. Bush’s fault, and his friends at Wall Street banks. This makes it seem like it’s the Dem’s sub-prime meltdown?!! Well at least that explains why Big Guy was involved in it: With landmark lawsuit, Barack Obama pushed banks to give subprime loans to Chicago’s African-Americans.

Here’s the short version of the 9 page Daily Caller story: When he was a community organizer, Big Guy filed suit on behalf of poor black people who were denied mortgages by City Bank because they couldn’t afford the monthly payments, (How racist can you get, Big Bank?) demanding that they give them loans anyway. Which they did, after Big Guy (along with Clinton’s Federal Reserve and Anti-Trust department) coerced City Bank to settle the case by using their shareholder’s money to write a bunch of ~~bad debts~~ anti-red-lining mortgages.

Because not giving loans to people who can’t afford them is racist. Unfortunately, most of Big Guy’s 186 plaintiffs really couldn’t afford them, (which made them sub-prime) butt took them anyway and ended up losing their credit and their house. And now they think THAT’S somebody else’s fault too:

“If you see some people don’t make enough money to afford the mortgage, why would you give them a loan?” asked Obama client John Buchanan. “There should be some type of regulation against giving people loans they can’t afford.” [note: there used to be; it was called “common sense” before it was renamed “red-lining”]

Banks “were too eager to lend to many who didn’t qualify,” said Don Byas, another client who saw banks lurch from caution to bubble-inflating recklessness. [note: they had to have their arms twisted into being “too eager”]

I don’t care what race you are. … You need to keep financial wisdom [separate] from trying to help your people,” said Byas, an autoworker. [note: Duh!]

As Axe-man pointed out yesterday morning “it took years to create the crisis that erupted in 2008.” It sure did. All the way back to 1977.

So think about all that today when you see all those empty chairs sitting on lawns across America:

And ponder the, apparently, imponderable answer to the question: “Are you better off today than you were 4 years ago?” (H/T Ronald Reagan)

2009 2012

Unemployment 7.8M 8.3M

Median Income $54,983
$50,964

Gasoline/Gallon $1.85
$3.78

National Debt 10.6 T 15.9 T

As you ask yourself: who do you think should fill this chair?

Choose wisely, weedhopper.

And now a little Labor Day entertainment from Les Misérables: Empty Chairs at Empty Tables

UPDATE: Secret Security goons are lurking everywhere in the Big White tonight. They’ve been assigned to find out who put the empty chair in front of the Big White (more on that tomorrow) so I’m jumping to Disqus a little early. Raj has to take my firewall down while he does the conversion, and he wants to complete it while the SS is still prowling the West Wing. I’m sure everything will be fine, butt remember if you have any problems, anxiety or concerns you can contact Raj at raj.rajaroni@gmail.com (or click on his email in the sidebar) and he will get back to you ASAP with expert technical advice, in English. Although, he doesn’t get up very early.

I’m sure we’ll have you all back on line in short order. Butt remember, all the old comments will “go dark” (is that racist?) for awhile until Raj can do his final sync.