The American Spectator : Debbie From the Democrats

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Debbie From the Democrats

By Ben Stein on 8.27.10 @ 6:10AM

Primary day sparring and partying — with no way out of the recession.

Tuesday
Wow, am I tired. I just got back from my very busy working trip and here I am back in L.A. heading over to CNN to be on Larry King Live. The show is about the primaries. The other guests are Ari Fleischer, former press secretary for GWB, Alicia Menendez, a very pretty young woman in D.C. from some leftist think tank, and my old pal Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Congresswoman from the Democrats, a tough, aggressive fellow Semite from Florida. She is really, really tough. Really. No, not really at all. I like her a lot.

I wish I had her balls.

Anyway, we talked about the elections and it was all fine until Ms. Wasserman made an amazingly dishonest comment about how every GOP Member of the House wanted to privatize Social Security. “Wait a minute,” I said, “you just made that up. It’s not true at all.”

“No,” she insisted, “it’s true,” and she named one or two Congressmen who supposedly believed that.

“No,” I said, “you just made it up. You have no sources at all. Tell me your source.”

(I am paraphrasing here.)

She was angry at me but I was not scared. I had a Jewish mother one billion times more scary than Debbie and I went on to a good life.

So, I gave her my e-mail and she didn’t send me the source so, of course, she just made it up. How typical of Nancy Pelosi’s Democrats. Just make up a lie, a BIG LIE, and see if the masses question you.

At the end of the show, I said that, alas, no one had a darned clue about how to get us out of the recession. We don’t know if more deficit spending will do it. We don’t know how to create much more monetary ease than we have already done. The GOP has no convincing ideas about what to do, and the Democrats don’t either. The monetarists are stumped because how do you get a recovery if the banks have lots of cash but won’t lend to consumers? The Keynesians are baffled because we already have major Keynesian stimulus and it’s not doing much, as far as we can tell.

The budget deficit is getting to staggering levels and yet we have low inflation. Mortgages are at very low interest rates although the rates are totally nominal because the banks won’t lend so housing is staggered.

When Mr. Paulson let Lehman fail, when Prof. Laffer made the GOP the party of fiscal irresponsibility, we really got into a deep hole. How we get out NO ONE KNOWS. This is terrifying.

But, here is an interesting note: there are high levels of unemployment but the employers I talk to say there are severe labor shortages of skilled labor at every level from carpenters and plumbers to CEO’s of biotech companies. And, as noted before, in my small circle of friends, anyone who has good work skills and a decent personality can get a job. I am not talking about the national scene. Just my little world. The chronic complainers and the malcontents and the unrealistic are the ones who cannot find work they want. The people who really want to work can get work. It might not be great work, but it’s work.

Tuesday
Happy Birthday to my pal Phil De Muth. He is 60 and my wife and I took him, his beautiful wife, Julia, and their adorable 10-year-old daughter, Olivia, to Mister Chow for dinner. The food was great and Phil was in a daze. By an astounding coincidence, today, on Phil’s birthday, Phil’s lovely daughter, Rani, had a baby girl, making Phil a grandfather for the first time. I don’t blame him. I would be terrified to be a grand dad.

Phil is a super guy and will be a super grand dad. I wish he had been my grand dad. But both of mine died before I could get to know them.

On the way home, I stopped to get gasoline. The Hispanic attendant, whom I have known for many years, wanted to talk to me about the mosque in New York.

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About the Author

Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He writes “Ben Stein’s Diary” for every issue of The American Spectator.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (235) | Leave a comment Leave a comment

Jeff Lee| 8.27.10 @ 6:19AM

Democrats are the party of no jobs.

Jack Kinch(1uncle)| 8.27.10 @ 12:21PM

Not only are demos the party of no jobs, it was the demos who used our taxes to create the constantly unemployed just to vote demo.

GregA| 8.27.10 @ 1:05PM

I think you're on to something there, Jack. The only reason the Democrats are a viable political party in this country is that they've cobbled together a diverse coalition of victims. Everyone with a gripe or grievance, irresponsibly blaming someone else for their sad state of affairs, tends to vote Democrat. What was the unemployment rate when Bush left office? Something like 5%. It's doubled since then. Because of this, Democrats are counting on a 5% bump in their support with the added unemployed. It never occurred to me that high unemployment was a political tactic of the Democrats.

G.Wigler | 8.27.10 @ 1:22PM

Right, ever read how Absalom did the same thing to his father King David? Divided the country in the same way and then led a revolt.......all for the sake of power. Well said!

Koblog| 8.28.10 @ 10:47AM

We also might remember Absalom's end. Not pretty. (2 Samuel 18:14-15)

The people are not always happy when a pretender seizes the throne.

Walter| 8.27.10 @ 2:46PM

In more ways than unemployment, a government can make itself indispensible. I always thought that one reason that crime is allowed to remain at high levels, with revolving doors for criminals and gun control laws designed to disarm the victims, is that it makes government indispensible for our physical safety and property.

FTM| 8.28.10 @ 6:30PM

Absolutely. It's called a "Contrived Emergency."

Marianne| 8.27.10 @ 4:57PM

I understand that if you add the current people on the unemployment payroll with those without jobs and who have been dropped from the Unemployment Payroll, it's closer to 20% than 10%. They don't all get jobs, and there are many in that situation.

JPUSC72| 8.27.10 @ 5:48PM

I have always thought that. By keeping the mindset that you are a victim the Democrats have indeed cobbled together a group of voters for socialism. We already have half the country paying no income tax and somehow they get a tax refund which is an outrage to me. The Democrats, liberals, do not care if they raise taxes on the working class, and the half of the country that does pay tax because it doesn't adversely affect their voting population. I believe that if you pay no income tax then why should you vote on how money is spent to run the country. Once a person reaches retirement age (social security) age then a person may pay no income tax and still be able to vote. One other item that feeds into the Democrat voter base is the poor education for the children of the country. The less educated wind up as government dependents and usually Democrats.

Soregon| 9.5.10 @ 1:38PM

JPUSC72 has hit on the touchstone of the Left, "Destroy our children and their viability in constructive society." Make them dependent and the following generations will be so in progressively greater numbers. Our public schools are a failure across the nation, the teaching profession is a failed profession and it was designed that way.

Avitar| 8.28.10 @ 12:22AM

There is a break in mental processes between the people who can chain reasons together and people who can only see what is in front of their face. Teach kids to play chess before they are ten and there will be no Democrats/Progressives ina generation.

tdavis| 8.27.10 @ 2:47PM

Whoa! Comments like that are as general and inaccurate as Wasserman's charge that Republicans want to privatize SS! What you say may be true of the more liberal component of the Dem. party, but votes to increase social welfare have come from both sides, not just Democrats. Can you point to a single Republican administration in the past 100 years that has taken steps to reduce government spending and federal bureaucracy (besides military draw-downs after conflicts)? The DOE has failed in it's mission ever since it's inception in 1977, yet no administration has re-directed it or axed it. What possible justification is there for HUD? Shouldn't housing and urban development be a state and local concern? Come on! Politicians of every stripe (and most of them should be wearing stripes) are guilty of pandering to and supporting a component of society that is totally dependant on the government. Point out any elected Republican legislator that has proposed legislation to radically restrict and reduce access to welfare funding. Just one!

Longplay| 8.28.10 @ 1:12AM

@tdavis: You're correct. There are precious few in the GOP who have tried to buck the Leftward drift of the country. I don't know if they don't see it, don't have the guts to oppose it, want it to happen, or just want to retire with a huge pension at our expense after doing pretty much nothing for a "job". If we don't see principled conservatives rather than mere Republican Party members in power after November, that may be all she wrote.

By the way, a slow privatization of Social Security, while retaining a true and limited safety-net, isn't something any real conservative should shy away from supporting. Sure, the lady was wrong in saying all in the GOP support it, but I only wish it were true. Hey, Chile did it. I think we can too. It's going to be forced on us anyway as there'll be no choice but to learn to save for ourselves again. The "trust fund" has been stolen by those we trusted (some of us anyway).

FTM| 8.28.10 @ 6:36PM

Almost right, the socialist security trust fund has been plundered by politicians, Democrat and Republican, in order to pander to their constituencies for at least forty years. No matter the political party, when money was needed for some society altering social engineering program the money most typically was borrowed from the socialist security trust fund. Thing is now, the money, all seven trillion dollars is all gone. Now what?

James | 8.30.10 @ 5:41PM

Careful. The Socialist Security trust fund you speak of was paid into for 40 or so years by the hard worker and his employer. Had it been privatized the worker might have had a very good retirement fund but since the government decided to manage the funds...you know the rest.

Ray| 8.29.10 @ 10:46AM

Longplay: "It's (privatization of SS) going to be forced on us any way . . ."

Exactly right. There should be a law that ANY and ALL pensions are fully funded, and that the amount of your pension is what is in the fund. The idea that after retirement, your pension will be paid from future profits in a private business is about as bad as SS recipients receiving their pension from future workers.

And going slightly off topic: Is there anything more irresponsible that members of congress not balancing the budget year after year after year? This is not a retorical question.

trp878| 8.30.10 @ 11:48AM

I would agree with you on this post. There has been problems created by both sides of the spectrum. I remember 40 years of Dem rule with a lot of problems. Then came the GOP rule and again problems of a different nature. Obviously it boils down to the acts committed by the "Rhinos on both sides, that have changed things and not for the best. Thus I believe that "We the People" must rid the ranks of the "Rhinos" that do not have the best interests of Our Country at heart. Again, lets "Throw the Bums Out". We do not need career politicians who place themselves above us the ordinary American
Citizen.

aware| 8.30.10 @ 12:42PM

tdavis...
I agree with you, however I can name not just 1 but 2 Republican administrations that did cut government(taxes AND spending)....Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge. Alas, we were a much different place in 1920.

But we don't grow that kind anymore. And your thrust is dead right for all since then. The entire system is now geared to not only spend but spend more every year, at every level, what with "cost of living" and "inflation indexing".

I don't see any one who could be elected if cuts are promised so it will have to enter the terminal phase and collapse. The cuts would hurt and some of us still think the collapse part can be avoided. Too much fantasy passing for thought and too many think they, and their "paramount importance" causes, can and should avoid any pain resulting from real corrective measures.

As a result any "cuts" will just be more government accounting tricks, like Welfare Reform back in the '90s.

Renfield| 9.1.10 @ 2:14AM

Harding and Coolidge? That damnable Wilson raised taxes for World War I, then the heroic Harding shtupped his mistress in the closet as his poker pals stole everything in sight. Coolidge did nothing of note, then left in 1928, setting the stage for 1929. You have to be smoking really good weed to look back at these bums as the good old days of leadership.

Donh| 9.4.10 @ 11:14AM

still take coolidge and harding over any other president in the 20th century.

DoS_Conservative| 8.31.10 @ 3:59PM

Yes. The Harding and Coolidge administrations. After Woodrow Wilson raised the income tax, increased spending, and expanded government, Harding and Coolidge reduced the tax rate, decreased spending by 50% and reduced government. They quickly ended the Depression of 1920 and brought us the roaring 20's. Then the progressive Herbert Hoover came in and increased it all again, resulting in the next depression that turned into the great depression under the progressive policies of FDR.

Paul| 8.27.10 @ 4:29PM

Investor Insights
Porter Stansberry

This is why there are no jobs in America
Posted: August 24, 2010
10:37 pm Eastern

I'd like to make you a business offer.

Seriously. This is a real offer. In fact, you really can't turn me down, as you'll come to understand in a moment...

Here's the deal. You're going to start a business or expand the one you've got now. It doesn't really matter what you do or what you're going to do. I'll partner with you no matter what business you're in – as long as it's legal.

But I can't give you any capital – you have to come up with that on your own. I won't give you any labor – that's definitely up to you. What I will do, however, is demand you follow all sorts of rules about what products and services you can offer, how much (and how often) you pay your employees, and where and when you're allowed to operate your business. That's my role in the affair: to tell you what to do.

Now in return for my rules, I'm going to take roughly half of whatever you make in the business each year. Half seems fair, doesn't it? I think so. Of course, that's half of your profits.

You're also going to have to pay me about 12 percent of whatever you decide to pay your employees because you've got to cover my expenses for promulgating all of the rules about who you can employ, when, where, and how. Come on, you're my partner. It's only "fair."

Now ... after you've put your hard-earned savings at risk to start this business, and after you've worked hard at it for a few decades (paying me my 50 percent or a bit more along the way each year), you might decide you'd like to cash out – to finally live the good life.

Whether or not this is "fair" – some people never can afford to retire – is a different argument. As your partner, I'm happy for you to sell whenever you'd like ... because our agreement says, if you sell, you have to pay me an additional 20 percent of whatever the capitalized value of the business is at that time.

I know, I know. You put up all the original capital. You took all the risks. You put in all of the labor. That's all true. But I've done my part, too. I've collected 50 percent of the profits each year. And I've always come up with more rules for you to follow each year. Therefore, I deserve another, final 20 percent slice of the business.

Oh ... and one more thing.

Even after you've sold the business and paid all of my fees, I'd recommend buying lots of life insurance. You see, even after you've been retired for years, when you die, you'll have to pay me 50 percent of whatever your estate is worth.

After all, I've got lots of partners and not all of them are as successful as you and your family. We don't think it's "fair" for your kids to have such a big advantage. But if you buy enough life insurance, you can finance this expense for your children.

I'm sure you'll think my offer is reasonable and happily partner with me, but it doesn't really matter how you feel about it because if you ever try to stiff me – or cheat me on any of my fees or rules – I'll break down your door in the middle of the night, threaten you and your family with heavy, automatic weapons, and throw you in jail.

That's how civil society is supposed to work, right? This is Amerika, isn't it?

That's the offer Amerika gives its entrepreneurs. And the idiots in Washington wonder why there are no new jobs.

JPUSC72| 8.27.10 @ 5:58PM

GREAT ARTICLE!!!!!!!!!

duck| 8.27.10 @ 6:52PM

@ Paul............

Someone forgot to add in another 15 to 25 percent for state, county, city, and sometimes district taxes and fees including licensing, environmental impact costs, and in some areas of the country, costs of constructing roads, parks, community centers, schools, and other demands from local governments.....

Longplay| 8.28.10 @ 1:13AM

Great. Loved it!

saddenedbythe economy| 8.28.10 @ 8:43AM

And that's Obamanomics in a nutshell I'm self employed and I feel the pain. And to keep more pain from coming my way, I'm terrified to hire anybody else so I don't have to put out even more money for upcoming Obamacare, expenses, payroll, taxes and insurance associated with my business. Once I pay all the "bills", all I get is what's left--and it ain't much any more. These days, the American people are working harder than ever to pay taxes and welfare and the only ones getting richer and fatter by the day are the crooked politicians in washington. As screwed up and radical as things are with our government, perhaps they should all be tested for drugs. They are acting and enforcing without much thought as to what it's doing to us; much like a drug addict who doesn't care who he hurts, robs or steals from to continue to support his habit. They are addicted to borrowing too much money, giving themselves consistent raises and using up an awful lot of our money yet we're not seeing any improvement. That's because junkies don't improve, they just keep getting worse.

dan| 8.28.10 @ 12:31PM

While I agree with your assertion that the small businessman gets the shaft when it comes to taxes; however, your dialogue is wasted in this forum. I say this because the ones who need to hear it but are not educated enough to understand it, are currently on welfare or unemployment living off the government. There seems to be a perception with this group that they are “entitled” to the "benefits” but have no idea where the money comes from or how it affects their lives. Our politicians, especially the Democrats, feed off this group to maintain their grip on power. Most of our elected officials today are career politicians making decisions that are not necessarily the best decisions but decisions that get them re-elected. One way to eliminate this is to implement “term” limits.
Labor unions are another group that relies on the ignorance of the “disadvantaged” group - after all, aren’t companies rich and flowing in cash?

saddenedbythe economy| 8.28.10 @ 4:34PM

You're right. No argument from me!

SeattleBruce| 8.28.10 @ 11:46PM

"One way to eliminate this is to implement “term” limits."

Hear, Hear!!

Angee Woodman| 8.30.10 @ 7:35PM

Youre quite the idiot. I am from Michigan and trust me, my parents had to swallow ALOT of pride to accept unemployment and still cant get a job. Youre a jerk. My father payed into it for 30 years. Spend time in Michigan before you assume we are all a bunch of slack jaw yocals

Thomas Paine| 8.30.10 @ 8:28PM

Whiner.

Go Bucks! Muck Fishigan!

Angee Woodman| 8.31.10 @ 1:35PM

I find that funny Mr.Paine that one can call us degenerates but the time we start defending ourselves and telling how it is, we are whiners. I fully except life as it is and work hard to be better but I would love to have the life you have. In Dan's words:

"I say this because the ones who need to hear it but are not educated enough to understand it, are currently on welfare or unemployment living off the government. There seems to be a perception with this group that they are “entitled” to the "benefits” but have no idea where the money comes from or how it affects their lives."

Yes I agree that the system is abused but there are some us who are Highly educated who understand what the welfare system is and do not think we are entitled to and better yet who would work any amount of hours NOT to have to take it.

Sometimes you're put in a situation and no matter what you do to change it, it is out of your control and you have to accept what you hate most. In Michigan, I have known people working in the automobile industry for an upwards of 20 years; good HARD WORKING people who ended up flat on their ass with their pension GONE because somebody was willing to do it for a lot less money. Are these people Illerate, lazy degenerates? No. So before you go start calling people whiners, find out your facts because the picture you paint is the picture that isnt reality.

Grow up.

FTM| 8.28.10 @ 6:52PM

Have you read "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand? Have you considered the Johnm Gault solution?

You have the intellect, the tallent and the skill to operate a business. You have these qualities today and will have them tomorrow. The government can't tax these qualities, only the product of these qualities. So, go on strike. Stop doing business.

I think that every productive and creative person in the country ought to just stay home tomorrow and wait for the government to come take care of them. Complete freekin' melt-down in a matter of hours. There aren't enough jack booted government thugs with guns and badges to make every single working person in America go to work Monday morning.

SeattleBruce| 8.28.10 @ 11:49PM

"Complete freekin' melt-down in a matter of hours. "

Well, in theory intriguing. But do you think people could maintain this stance several weeks into a general shutdown (no food, power, etc.) Also, how do you rebuild from 'melt-down?'

FTM| 8.29.10 @ 3:13AM

I don't think that you'd have to maintain the stance for a couple of weeks. I'd say that one day, maybe two ought to do the trick.

Like you pointed out, one day without power or the availability of commodity goods, food or gasoline for example, can't do anything about water because water is gravity delivered. Then follow up with a simple statement, "you are no longer in charge, the big people are running the show now" ought to do it.

Steve| 8.30.10 @ 1:31PM

We rebuild from melt-down in much the same way that we built from nothing in the first place, except we have a base infrastructure already in place. We gather up our courage, our skills, and our individual pride, stand up on our hind legs like human beings for a change, and get out there and do what needs doing. And in the process, if the deadbeat politicians and other parasites want to help, that's fine, but if not, we just shove them out of the way and go on without them.

Angee Woodman| 9.4.10 @ 5:42PM

Yeah I want the government to take care of me while I sit home, waste my college education and not be able to afford to pay my bills and buy nice things..

I want everyone to know that Im dependent on some one else and have them treat me like crap while Im pounding the payment looking for a job thatll MAYBE pay my light bill..

You must think we have no pride..
idiot

JmsA| 8.29.10 @ 12:42AM

What, no snappy rebuttals to Paul's eloquent and tragically true comments from our resident leftist trolls?

Elaine Schiff| 8.29.10 @ 10:57AM

I will also punish you for being good at what you do, and if you are not part of my "gang" I will force you into bankrupcy and then take over your bisiness for pennies on the dollar. If you thwart me I will send my thugs(SEIOU) to your home and scare your children.

DanMingo| 8.29.10 @ 11:06AM

All in all, if you're a very successful entrepreneur, if you're one of the rare, lucky, and hard-working people who can create a new company, employ lots of people, and satisfy the public, you'll end up paying me more than 75 percent of your income over your life
I'm pretty sure Gates and Buffet (Warren) are not unhappy with the American economic system.
Investors and owners care not for the worker, only their own profits, so whoever is the 'cheapest' hire (illegals?) often gets the job. That's the problem, Mr. Stein, the downward movement of the average wage earners wages, while corporate and CEO profits are soaring. That is not the fault of workers too lazy to work, or who may not want a janitor job to go with their Masters' degree.

That's the offer Amerika gives its entrepreneurs. And the idiots in Washington wonder why there are no new jobs.

Or, it could be because of the trade agreements which made middle class American workers compete against slave wages in China and India. The lax environmental laws, and cheap labor caused a massive outflow of jobs to China, Mexico and India. This shrinking of the middle class occurred while CEOs and other 'job creators' were enjoying unprecedented income growth. Trickle up economy works even less well than trickle down.
And that's why there are no new jobs; because Americans with college educations are being encouraged by the likes of Ben Stein to take any job, as if companies want to hire a degreed person for a menial job.
This downward movement of middle class jobs and paychecks is the problem. It is great for the multinational corporations who want the cheapest labor available, yet want to do business in the US and exploit the loopholes in our tax laws. GE does this and gets taxpayer funded rebates (almost $1 billion in 2009) and Exxon Mobil, while enjoying RECORD PROFITS paid NO US INCOME TAX! Why does that not incite your anger? Instead you want to blame the hapless worker who is suffering as a result of these policies.
So, our government aids these corporations through our tax and trade policies at the expense of our middle class workers and small businesses which cannot compete because the playing field is tilted in favor of the international corporations.
Our system of government has morphed into a corporatocracy, or Fascism, and both parties are guilty of taking us there, through the bankrolling of their political campaigns by these big money interests.

Nobama| 8.29.10 @ 3:49PM

Crybaby. If we tried ENTICING those businesses to do business here instead of punishing them, we could get them back. We could start by cutting one of the worlds highest corporate tax rates. We could quit CHOKING them with environmental regs so idiotic they virtually FORBID development. You're forgetting that publicly traded corporations are not a sinkhole of wealth. They report quarterly, and those profits you're so upset about become shareholder equity and dividends. The largest shareholders are mutual funds, and the owners of those mutuals are everyday workers via their 401k/IRA/Pension. No one is forbidding you from participating as part OWNER of that profit. The Giant International Corporations spread wealth far more than the mom and pop on the corner.

I've gone more than a year looking for a good job some years ago. I received no unemployment, and I refused to take welfare. Who says your Masters entitles you to anything? Some of my friends with the most in possessions are guys who never made more than $9/hr. It all depends on what you do with it. The same crybabies who whine about jobs that went overseas are the ones protesting for 6 weeks of vacation and mandated spousal maternity leave.
Quit whining, and roll on down to Wal Mart and get a job for $9.50. Work out your schedule, then find another job as well. Work 80 hrs a week if you have to. Look for something better on your lunch break. That's what I did. That's what the Mexicans who come here are willing to do. There are places all over the south where you can buy a home for $2000 down and $450/mo. (I just bought one) It doesn't take much to live well in this country. That's why the whole world is trying to get in. No one here has a reason to complain.

Angee Woodman| 9.4.10 @ 5:30PM

In Michigan there are no walmart jobs and they dont go for 9.50 an hour..Sooo what do you do? Not take Unemployment and starve? You know the body only can go soo long before it starts eatting its own organs.

Im sorry we dont have the tenacity that you do you Pious JERK.

Get a clue.

Angee Woodman| 8.30.10 @ 7:40PM

Thank you SIR! My point exactly

Angee Woodman| 9.4.10 @ 5:36PM

Exactly,

If live were as Mr. Stein wants it, there would be no colleges.

and what people dont realize that any of these people with degrees will not get hired in menial jobs because employers figure as soon as something comes along, youll be gone.

Howard| 8.31.10 @ 12:23AM

Jack & Greg: Guys you are very much on point. This is the way the D's weave their evil plots against the hard WORKING TAX PAYING folks of this once great nation. We have to wake up and take our nation back. The D's and BO have been blaming Bush for what they have done since they have been in control of the congress. These jerks are the ones that have put this country into a free fall. We can't let this continue, heck BO has spent more time on vacation in the past year, I doubt he has yet had time to read the health care bill. The only thing I am sure about is him and his gang knows how to waste money. They are out of control and must be stopped.

JennieWalsh| 8.27.10 @ 5:19PM

Ron Paul, Jim DeMint and Peter Schiff and the Tea Partiers know how to get the economy out of the pits. Reduce the size and scope of government. Return to constitutional principles. Abolish the IRS and the Federal Reserve. Within months, America will see tremendous economic recovery. There are, right now, too many people employed in useless government "jobs" that produce absolutely nothing. To support these non productive jobs, Americans are being taxed to death with nothing to show for it.

Nobama| 8.29.10 @ 3:56PM

You are absolutely correct Jennie. I contribute to the Senate Conservatives Fund, created by Jim DeMint. Their goal is to find and promote those conservative leaders who will take this country back.
They have been very successful. But we cannot stop in 2012. This movement needs to continue until we have stripped government to its bare minimum.

Jay Washburne| 8.28.10 @ 5:31AM

Anybody who thinks Obama is a Carter-style bumbler is dead wrong. He's systematically dismantling the economy for a socialist takeover.

Tom| 9.1.10 @ 8:11AM

You're right, There probably will be more jobs after the Republicans. I mean, they'll drive all the Mexicans out and then whites can do all the landscaping. Hopefully sir, you will be among them.

Appleby| 8.27.10 @ 6:58AM

We know how to fix our country. As John Galt so famously said: GETTHEHELLOUTOFOURWAY.

And the way we are going to get that is to elect another Morning in America President who knows how to remind us that this has always been the way America forged ahead -- and then stands between us and the Nannies to make sure we have a clear playing field.

Nothing hard about that -- but who will bell the cat? Ay, there is the rub.

We have seen what happens when the Hippie Scum are in charge. It does not work. We know what does. Let us proceed.

NeilB| 8.27.10 @ 1:53PM

Exactly. The economy is the sum total of almost an infinite number of individual decisions, some rational, some not, some risky, some not, some honest, and some not.

All the decisions of the consumers send signals to the producers who, if they are rational, will make decisions that will satisfy the consumers' wants.

The government is structurally incapable of substituting its politically inspired "macro -decisions", if you will, for all the individual micro-decisions. The only thing the government can do is distort or misdirect what the free market would otherwise do to satisfy the wants of consumers.

The economy cannot grow until it is allowed to grow in the manner that satisfies the individual consumer's needs and wants, and not what the government thinks the economy needs and wants.

All this is just is a way of saying that the government is the problem and not the solution.

Heatpacker| 8.27.10 @ 2:46PM

You are correct. I like to think of a free market as a self-correcting informational matrix in three dimensions. Individual consumers and producers are nodes in that matrix. The economic decisions of consumers and producers provide bits of information that create ripples throughout the matrix. Others within the matrix respond to those bits of information with decisions of their own, which creates more bits of information. If the flow of information remains unimpeded, any anomalies that arise within the system will disappear over time. The government, which cannot possess enough relevant and timely information to make proper decisions and worse, deliberately makes bad decisions for political reasons, does nothing but distort the free flow of information, creates huge anomalies within the system, and makes anomalies last longer.

Appleby| 8.27.10 @ 4:06PM

There is a good example of this at my grocery store. They sell blocks of cheese for $8 and loaves of bread for $3.19 each. These items sell slowly, because the shoppers know they have a short shelf life. We watch and wait -- and suddenly one day -- the optimum day is subject to change but it always comes -- the bread is 2 loaves for $4 and the cheese is down to $5.45. Will it drop more before it is gone? How do you bet? When the price of V8 in small cans shot up to $4 for a sixpack, I stopped buying it and switched to apple juice for $1.50 for five. Enough people vote with their grocery money and that price will drop. Or they will quit carrying it, in which case we invoke the seven last words of Canada: I WILL BUY IT IN THE STATES. For half price.

Ontario sneaked in an eco-fee on things they thought would be hard to dispose of; people quit buying those things in Ontario and bought them in Quebec or th USA. Toronto tried charging a fee on bottled water; we bought it in Mississauga.

And of course the biggest example of all: the huge tax on cigarettes which was dsigned to make people quit smoking has increased the smuggling of cigarettes exponentially and caused *children* to buy tax free smokes from the Indians, who cannot be punished.

And so it goes. Anything man can invent, man can work around. The Consumer Is Always King.

Jack Reylan| 8.30.10 @ 12:28PM

Tocqueville repoted that sentiment (government necessary evil) I.II.5 Democracy in America. That Obama mocks it shows he is neither American nor believes in democracy. This is far more treasonable and impeachable than any birth certificate.

Dr. Know it all| 8.27.10 @ 3:30PM

Dr. Laura, Queen JAP of america can fix it all.
with all her money, you would think she could afford a nose job.
With a dark tan, she would look like her cousins born from Esau's semitic lineage.

DG in GA| 8.27.10 @ 4:10PM

And what exactly does this absolutely ridiculous comment have to do with the discussion at hand, or with Ben's column? NOTHING! Doc, stay on topic or go comment at the Huffington Post where they will appreciate your opinion.

JennieWalsh| 8.27.10 @ 5:33PM

American businesses are being taxed and regulated to death BY GOVERNMENT! Government IS the problem! How can we expect the same so-called "economists" who caused the problem with their destructive economic policies to be of any help to the economy!
Ron Paul, Jim DeMint, Peter Schiff and other Tea Party Candidates DO KNOW what caused the economy to die and they also know just how to revive it back to prosperity for all.
America's worst enemies are those communists/socialists in governmental positions who are BREAKING THE LAW by defying constitutional limitations on their powers. We have a wonderful constitution that supports free enterprise and that made America great and prosperous. The communists/socialists have just about killed the constitutional-free enterprise goose that lays the golden eggs. Hopefully, she can be revived by removing all the poisonous laws and legislation, bureaucracies, taxation and regulations that are killing her.

Tom | 9.1.10 @ 8:13AM

I like the term "conservative douchebag". Has a better ring to it. Truer as well.

JIM WHITTAKER, Hemet, CA| 8.27.10 @ 7:14AM

This presidency is effectively over. Period...

No more Affirmative Action presidents. Ever...

Winterhawk| 8.27.10 @ 10:33AM

I must agree. This empty suit has dug himself quite a hole. I doubt he can see the top of it. He is bad history.

Ray | 8.27.10 @ 12:13PM

yeah, it's hard to believe that anyone could make
JC look good...

gypsy| 8.27.10 @ 12:53PM

Never mind Jimmy Carter: this clueless teleprompter worshipping jackass would make Rosie ODonell look good.

As some other guy on here keeps saying "we can see November from our house!"

Nelson H.| 8.27.10 @ 1:40PM

Jim, I accept your premise that Obama was elected because he was black. A white person with his thin and secretive resume would never stand a chance of being elected to a county post let alone the presidency. Thus if you want to call him an affirmative action hire you're entitled to that bit of inflammatory agitation. But I think you're being way too optimistic about human nature when you say "no more...ever". Obama was elected because our debased voting population wanted to feel good about itself. As Tom Sowell says, it was a political act of self-congratulation (or self-gratification if you prefer). Do you honestly think we have advanced to such a level of political sophistication and maturity in this country that, forevermore, that impulse to feel good will never be repeated by the voters? If you believe that, just imagine the anger and outrage the public will feel toward the next GOP incumbent if he has put in four or eight years of hard work actually solving our problems by enacting reforms that slash the size of government. You may not think so, but by then the public will want his head on a pike. Don't you see how many tens of millions of households are now totally dependent on the government teat? The situation is pretty dismal if you ask me, and progress, if any is made at all, will be ephemeral. The root problem is a steady decline in public virtue, manifest by the very few statesmen and many cynical charlatans we elect to public office.

RAMIII| 8.27.10 @ 1:57PM

You have very succinctly chronicled the fleeing of our culture from absolute truth.

Once you have no anchor you better pray that no storm comes and that there are no jagged reefs.

This is where I think we are as a nation, both the present malaise and the painful correction no one will tolerate, thus we are doomed unless we repent of our greed and avarice.

drybackinpi| 8.28.10 @ 9:28AM

Fat Chance.

SeattleBruce| 8.29.10 @ 12:26AM

"Fat Chance."

Even when the children of Israel were completely rebellious and debauched, there were times of awakening, rejuvination and revival.

Seek| 8.27.10 @ 2:08PM

I agree. Obama is an affirmative action hire. But remember, it works both ways. Does anyone think that a Supreme Court nominee with a resume as thin as that of Clarence Thomas would have been nominated? I don't think so.

We conservatives should practice what we preach.

Occam's Tool| 8.27.10 @ 7:10PM

SeeK:

Two little problems with your argument.

1) Thomas has been a superb Supreme Court justice, voting Conservatively.
2) Elena Kagan, a member of an ethnic group that gets no affirmative action help, has a thinner resume than Thomas. Fewer than 10 academic papers, but Dean of Man's Best Law School. A prime example of why Doctors are better than Lawyers.

drybackinpi| 8.28.10 @ 9:31AM

Who did you vote for to be placed on the Supreme Court?

Carol W.| 8.27.10 @ 3:00PM

Nelson, I applaud your assessment of the situation but not your conclusion. If we look to our own history we see that the biggest reason we have the Constitution we have is that it was marketed in the Federalist Papers. Ratification was not a slam dunk, neither will recovery be. We need real strength in the WH and in Congress, of course, but we also need a strong educational program to bring the general public up to speed on what is required to remain a free republic. That would include things like economics, morality, personal responsibility, etc. I'm thinking televised speeches, a strong press secretary, Congressional speeches, pamphlets, blogs, whatever it takes to reach the lowest common denominator. We won't convince everybody but with some kind of marketing program we can bring a lot of people on board who currently have little clear understanding of why and how we got in this mess. Information is power - we need to use it.

jrjr| 8.27.10 @ 5:35PM

Nelson H., your conclusions are hit the bullseye. Talk about making SS whole, reduce the costs of Medicare, Medicaid, Dept of Education, EPA, FEC, the cost of Congress, White House, and thousands of other Federal entities and give-aways -- and the result is a one-term Prez and a strung-up Congress. But even it that process wins a little, just think -- we have our state and local spenders who cannot say the word "less."

RWinks| 8.28.10 @ 12:42PM

Self-gratification---In other words this clown got elected because 47% of the voters held their noses and voted McCain while 53% held something else and masturbated for Obama.

pb| 8.28.10 @ 12:50PM

Nelson H is spot on. The only place in the world to escape to was America. The evildoers knew that and waited to detroy her so that there would no longer be a place of refuge. Where can we move to? The United States was the last bastion of freedom.

Don Carlson| 8.27.10 @ 7:15AM

Dear, naive Ben, banks cannot force people to borrow money. At the moment, those people who would know what to do with money won't borrow it because they suspect the current economic ills will continue as long as Mr. Obama is in office---and longer, if only from the actions thus far of the Democrats in Congress. Those people who want to borrow money are the same spendthrift idiots who bought houses they could not afford because Barney Frank and Bill Clinton said the government would back their mortgages. Since being blamed for those deadbeats reneging on their loans, the banks will not lend to them, and that's a good thing. Ben, dear, fond, demented old Ben, you know as well as the rest of us that the way to mend the economy is to gradually back government at all levels out of the economy, and require government to stick with preventing fraud and misrepresentation in business. The bureaucracies of DC have perfected misrepresentation and fraud and should know how to prevent it. Also, many people would appreciate your not misrepresenting yourself as naive and nonplussed anymore, dear Ben.

Stephanie| 8.27.10 @ 8:12AM

Be nice Don.

R Martin| 8.27.10 @ 9:00AM

Don is being nice, and he is correct. Ben Stein is certainly not naive. He and his beloved late father, Herb, have held a deep seated animus toward supply side economics for years, and Ben is not capable of recognizing Laffer's contributions, despite the ample evidence of history. While working for Nixon, Herb Stein ridiculed Laffer while advocating wage and price controls as a remedy for the then rampant stagflation. Of course, they didn't work. To his credit, Mr. Stein finally admitted he did not know what to do and wrote about it in a memoir titled "On the Other Hand...".

Ben wonders if more deficit spending might work, and he asks how we might create more monetary ease. What we need is exactly the opposite--tight money, lower taxes and reduced spending, and there are plenty of Republicans who know that is the correct solution.

And Ben, there are lots of people who work on both coasts, travel back and forth and don't constantly whinge about how tired they always are. Get some exercise.

JP| 8.27.10 @ 10:07AM

"Ben wonders if more deficit spending might work, and he asks how we might create more monetary ease. What we need is exactly the opposite--tight money, lower taxes and reduced spending, and there are plenty of Republicans who know that is the correct solution."

But few, if any have the political will to do the "right thing".

steve bourg| 8.28.10 @ 7:39AM

JP: You're EXACTLY right!!! But I think Ben Stein, with his superior wisdom to mine (I'm serious -- he is incredibly smart) should never act like the Republicans don't have answers. They've been beaten by filibusters in the Senate for 30 years on this topic of jobs in the energy sector. They should now shout from the rooftops that it's TIME to start becoming energy dependent on ourselves, immediately, by opening up massive drilling in Alaska and all other places that are rich in fossil fuels. They should shout out that we should allow private industry to build 100 more nuclear power plants RIGHT NOW. They should announce that the Dems have stopped ANWAR (misnamed by the way) drilling yet right below Alaska is a little country Canada that is our BIGGEST crude oil supplier. The Democrats and MSM have lied to us for decades, and now it's time to create a million jobs in the private sector. Are there other ways to jump-start our economy by allowing more freedom to produce goods and services? Of course, but the energy sector is the no-brainer, and that's where the Republicans should start with campaign SHOUTING. Don't you agree? I hope Ben Stein figures this out.

SeattleBruce| 8.29.10 @ 12:47AM

"But few, if any have the political will to do the "right thing"."

We must give them the political will and backing. We'll start with Demint and and Coburn and Ryan and Bachmann - all will have additional Conservative colleagues come 11/3.

Occam's Tool| 8.27.10 @ 7:12PM

I believe Ben has mentioned that he has congestive heart failure, accounting for his tiredness.

Caretaker| 8.30.10 @ 10:33AM

Ben makes a statement about Laffer that cannot be substantiated. Ben needs to show where Laffer's ideas have failed. Certainly not during the Keynesian G W Bush administration.

odmartin| 8.27.10 @ 12:58PM

Mr. Carson, I agree with most of your post, but your comments about the banks wanting to lend and only deadbeats applying is totally off base. I have tried with two banks to re-finance a home loan, but the costs are next to prohibitive. I have never missed a payment. Yet, from my inquiries, it would take two years or longer of saving interest to offset the up-front costs. Your post should say that banks are willing to loan if credit is Excellent and the borrower is willing to pay a bunch of fees for phantom services or for the privilege of loaning you money. Ben is right on the money on the effect of "nominal" rates.

p connor| 8.27.10 @ 1:08PM

Your comment about Laffer is ridiculous and untrue. Source please!!Your statement that no one knows how to get the economy going is even worse: slash taxes on business and regulation (which requires repealing Obamacare and the "Financial Reform" bills, which create massive regulatory burden and uncertainty for decades to come), and watch the economic explosion . Business and capital respond to opportunity, not statist manipulation.

Iris Clough| 8.27.10 @ 1:10PM

Absolutely correct, and I ditto.

tdavis| 8.27.10 @ 3:02PM

I don't know where your from or what you do, Don, but you aren't from around here! Your posit is the most inane one I've seen here! There are literally millions of people who would like to take this opportunity to reduce their mortgage interest. I'm one of them. I'm paying near 7% without any trouble, but I can't get a refi at 4.5% because the restrictions and guidelines established by the banking community are too limiting. You're speaking out of the wrong hole. You are the fraud, "Dear". Schmuck! What have you been doing for the past 3 years? Sleeping on your boat? Guzzling your martinis? Partying at Club Med? Or maybe Club Fed, with your idol, Madoff? What a patronizing nitwit you are.

majjohn| 8.27.10 @ 11:13PM

If you're paying 7% you should of and could of reduced your rate long ago, long before the current crisis. Now you can't you say because the up front costs are too high, try a credit union. So like all liberals, you wallow in self pity and demonize others. As with other Democrats, you're good at name calling. So who's the real nitwit here?

SeattleBruce| 8.29.10 @ 1:09AM

"Since being blamed for those deadbeats reneging on their loans, the banks will not lend to them, and that's a good thing. "

Starting with the Federal Reserve fractional reserve money system, this country is addicted to debt. Our money is created with debt. We need to re-create a fiat money system that comes out of an accountable government with appropriate limits to encourage banks to perform their true economic function. And we need to get out our debt based box.

Carol| 8.27.10 @ 7:27AM

People are waking up.

Obama's support of the Victory Mosque is the turning point.

How we get out of this mess is to start by ousting Barack Obama who is steathily with the help of who knows how many progressive creeps are grabbing land, our waters, letting illegals go free when they should be imprisoned or deported, handing out money to union thugs, welfare slugs, etc.

Now he is sending our money to Islamic Radicals around the world to tidy up their mosques and minirets.

Who gave Obama the power to steal our money to send it to other countries? It's Congress' job to spend our money.

Obama is the most dangerous man in America and million of dolts gave him the key to steal our freedom.

If, I pray to God Almightly, the GOP takes over their first job should be to start impeachment proceedings against Obama.

Rude Waken| 8.27.10 @ 1:25PM

To impeach the president you need a crime that he has not exonerated himself from. Treason is giving aid and sanction to the enemy. Hamas is an enemy of the US, and the Pres & SoS both have assigned aid to Palestine. I have a copy of the Presidential Order.
But really, I've researched this out. Sue the DNC for conspiracy to commit election fraud. All you have to do is prove that the DNC attempted to conceal BHO documents to sway election in their favor. Compensation: only ask for 30 day, daily broadcast of a public apology about their deception, and legal fees. Don't try to shut down the gov., like here in CA.

Robin Sage| 8.27.10 @ 2:00PM

I am a w/m, 63 yo, been a Republican all of my life, never voted for a democ rat. I first voted for Nixon, and would do so again! I am no longer a Republican. This is why:
GWB pushed through the Patriot Act. It is a direct affront to FREEDOM. Republicans had the WH & Congress, what did they do to stop abortion? What did they do to fix any of the ills, minor compared to what we face now, that our wonderful nation faced? Nothing!.. Then, the party tried to shove a Rino & Carabou Bambie down our throats. That's why Barry got elected. I am now a CONSTITUTIONALIST ! If any official passess any law against that document, they should be horse whipped & run out of town on a rail - Barry, Barnie, Nancy, Harry, John and all other Rino's, & the other of the 82 socialists sitting in the Congress!! The Republican & Democ rat Parties are both tainted with deceipt. Clean House, Damnit!

aelfgyva| 8.27.10 @ 2:14PM

President Biden?

saleboter| 8.27.10 @ 7:45AM

One good thing is I get to vote against DWS every two years. Unfortunately her district is so blue she could kill some one and get re-elected

loulou| 8.27.10 @ 12:52PM

My question is, why does Ben Stein like DWS?

gypsy| 8.27.10 @ 12:57PM

I don't believe that "like" should enter into it. Whatever we might personally about this that or the other politician, if they are ObamaNazi slime, they need to be in jail, in the ground or in exile. Period.

And you don't even need to get all emotional about it: just do it

Ret. Marine| 8.27.10 @ 7:59AM

The man-child (obhla, bhla bhla) is dangerous, no doubt. Many of us out here reconize a threat when we see it, and many, many more saw it before it came to fruation. But to no avail we lost because many just didn't bother to vote for the evil, (obama) and the lessor of the two evil had no chance in the first place, ( made of the same cloth) and we reconized this as well.
Now what to do. It's simple really, We the People change this house for starters. It matters not if it is Republican or Independent, or (God forbid) another demonrat party, but one thing is for certain, if we don't flip this house and turn it back over to the adults, American loving Patriots and start the articles of IMPEACHMENT, all will be done in vain. We might as well just declare jihad on this gubmint, because we are about to lose everything to the slugs, thugs and evilness that presides in the district of corruption. We the People have literally lost our voice in this district and in many more parts of this Nation.
There can no longer be any doubt who's side this pretender-n-theif represents, it's not ours, he proves it more and more every single day he squats in our house. It's time to place him in and that god awful marxist wannabe moonbat he calls his spouce, in handcuffs, escorted to a prison cell until all matters un-Constitutional have been resolved and placed back into the hands of We the People and our Capitalist mindset.
Get your own house in order folks. They will need a reason for their failures to be justified and it will come back to us in the form of lost liberties. Limbaugh ( Rush's brother) has it right, this man needs to stand and defend his ( and demonrat party members) action for their Crimes against (our) Liberty. Marine's always love a moral and justifiable good fight. Semper Fi.

Sweetie pie| 8.28.10 @ 4:12PM

Bet that Sarah and Michelle can make even you leave the viagra at home.
When do we Tea Party psychos start our sedition? Wait for orders?
To think a usless old tax sponging goat even waste air is a disgrace.
More psilocybin in our Tea Bagger events i say!!!

JimH| 8.27.10 @ 8:05AM

One can only wish that all Republicans did support Social Security privitization.

Grzmlyk| 8.27.10 @ 8:39AM

True dat, as they say.

Ben Stein has some sort of infection which has turned many of his reality-based instincts into treacly, sentimental, mawkish, left-leaning mush. So far has his illness progressed that I'm shocked he thinks Keynesianism is ineffectual.

After all, before the implosion, Ben would take every opportunity to blather on - and on, and on - about how he (along with others in his rarefied income bracket) wasn't paying enough taxes (because we all know the federal government is starving for funds). Why, he seemed to welcome the tax man with open arms and a bouquet of flowers.

Yet I've noticed that, even in these tough times (in which we should all be seeking collective salvation, according to His Word, not sybaritic self-indulgence), Ben continues to live quite high off the hog: owning several homes, jetting around the world for frivolous reasons, staying in posh hotels, dining in fine restaurants all the time. Tsk, tsk.

Ben, I hate to point this out but, as Barack would say, at some point, you've made enough money. Even you appear to agree. So what happened to, "from each according to his needs to each according to his ability?" What happened to that sense of divine absolution you get from writing ever-larger checks to the IRS?

Barack's point, of course, is that when you go beyond "enough," the "surplus" (i.e., Greed Dividend) should revert to the government, which can spend it much more wisely than the evil rich - you know, doling it out to faceless bureaucrats, union bosses, high-rolling supporters, lobbyists, political cronies and various anointed victims groups.

Hey Ben: Do your part for the economy. No need to wait for legislation that forces you to pay higher taxes. Put your money where your mouth is. Turn over all your assets to the government and live on a generous stipend of $50k a year.

It's the least you can do; I'm sure Barack would tell you that you can live quite comfortably on that (I mean, come on: somewhere there's a UAW worker who's forced to live on $150 an hour, and he only gets breaks every 20 minutes!)

What's that I hear? SILENCE? Huh. Maybe he can't hear the cries of the poor over the roar of his Gulfstream’s engines.

JimH| 8.27.10 @ 8:54AM

Was Ben's father responsible for the wage and price controls in the seventies?

Shamus| 8.27.10 @ 9:00AM

Richard Nixon imposed price controls. Nixon was also responsible for imposing the AMT and the EPA.

R Martin| 8.27.10 @ 9:10AM

Herb Stein was chairman of the Nixon Council of Economic Advisors. He was among the group who went to Camp David in August 1971 to announce the closing of the gold window and the advent of wage and price controls. Fittingly, they left for Camp David on Friday the thirteenth.

Grzmlyk| 8.27.10 @ 10:13AM

One thing Herb Stein said in 1998 was this:

"In my opinion the imposition of price-and-wage controls was President Nixon's one serious economic-policy mistake. But that decision was within the range of options urged upon him by respected economists, mainly Democrats. The control system gave the administration extraordinary power over individual businesses. I do not believe there was any case in which this power was improperly used."

He later blamed the actions of the Council on fiscal conservatives' inability to educate the public sufficiently to influence political tides.

Looks like he was a political candy bar: crunchy fiscal realist on the outside, nougat-y liberal on the inside.

Just like his son.

Grzmlyk| 8.27.10 @ 9:05AM

I'm pretty sure he was not - I believe he was against it.

Gretchen| 8.27.10 @ 3:17PM

Grzmlyk @ 8:39 A.M

You got it backwards, the quote is: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." It was a slogan popularized by Karl Marx. (Remember old Karl? You know, the COMMUNIST?)

Mr. Stein has earned his money, so why shouldn't he spend it as he sees fit. Besides, staying in "posh hotels and dining in fine restaurants gives employment to quite a few people -- chambermaids, doormen, concierges, waiters and busboys, chefs, maitre d's, dishwashers, etc.

Do you consider work a "frivolous" reason to "jet around the world"? From what I have read of Mr. Stein's writings, that is the reason for much (OK, not ALL) of his jetting.

As for his homes, he divides so much of his time between DC and California that owning a place in each makes sense. (Besides, he may have inherited the Watergate apartment from his parents.)

Grzmlyk| 8.27.10 @ 5:41PM

Hey, genius: You missed my point entirely. I was being IRONIC. Come on, I think it was pretty obvious.

A thousand pardons for inverting the phrase. What a faux pas. I am deeply ashamed, and so glad you were there to correct me. Do pat yourself on the head for me, won't you?

I happen to know it's from Marx.

My point is that Ben Stein wants to pay more in taxes, implying that the problem with government is a lack of revenue, whereas a truly conservative point of view would be to look at the Leviathan and recognize that it is a metastasizing cancer. It doesn't need more fuel, it needs less.

If Stein wants to donate more of his money to government - as I said - he doesn't have to wait for the IRS to raise his rates. He's free to do so now without further self gratification.

I'm always dismayed by liberals - and types like Ben Stein - when they whine that they don't pay enough in taxes; they're not willing to downgrade their lifestyles one iota, of course; they're just looking to purchase absolution from guilt.

Not only is it therefore disingenuous, but we all know what happens when the rich are taxed to oblivion and the government starts looking where the real money is: The broad middle class. The Leviathan keeps growing, and then it's folks like me, who live much closer to the bone, who wind up paying.

Grzmlyk| 8.27.10 @ 6:30PM

I just reread this, Gretchen, and it occurs to me that you may still miss my point:

I do not begrudge Ben Stein - or any wealthy person - their money. They've earned it and it is theirs to do with what they want.

They don't require government-coerced wealth redistribution; the market is far more efficient at distributing wealth than any government program could hope to be - and most don't hope to be anything of the sort. Every government program is really about the same thing: Plunder, plain and simple.

So I LIKE rich people. They run businesses that hire people. They spend their money as they want and, as you point out, folks in the service industry, among others, are the beneficiaries of that discretionary spending.

That's why I believe in capitalism. Now don't jump on me if my memory doesn't serve perfectly - I haven't googled it to check - but I recall a 10% luxury tax that was enacted in the early 90s; the social justice crowd applauded this en masse because it wasn't "fair" that rich people bought luxury goods without "paying their fair share." These fools were shocked when the ripple effects coarsed through the entire boating industry, throwing entire shipyards out of work and adding to unemployment woes throughout the entire ecosystem.

My question is, what is Ben Stein thinking? From about 2007 until the time I couldn't stomach the Business Block on Fox anymore, Ben never missed an opportunity to point out that he ought to be paying more in taxes.

How can a conservative make such a fatuous statement? If his taxes go up nominally, he can afford it. If my taxes go up, I have to do a lot of scrambling. As I say, the rich are always going to be able to avoid many taxes; they have the economic freedom to move and/or shelter their assets. But people like me don't have any room to maneuver.

That's why I get annoyed when Ben whines that he isn't taxed enough.

RWinks| 8.28.10 @ 12:57PM

In fairness to Stein, he travels about because he gets paid for giving talks to various and sundry groups. He does not have a Gulfstream, and from his own writings, he hates flying, going so far as to have a hired limo drive him hundreds of miles to avoid going into the air. He has also said that he keeps working at 68 because he needs the income to maintain the homes and lifestyle.

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 8.27.10 @ 8:08AM

The next time you're on national television just state, "Whether you're for or against Social Security, get the facts. It's akin to a financial life sentence where you pay 15% of your income in for 40 years and if you die, your family gets nothing. In that sense it's like an insurance policy for the government, not you, it only protects you while alive. As soon as you die it simply protects the government."

Shamus| 8.27.10 @ 9:12AM

Annuities traditionally make payments only during the lifetime of the beneficiary. They are common insurance products.

The difference between real insurance and what the government offers is that when you make a contract with an insurance company you have an ownership interest that's enforceable in court. Social Security is basically a welfare system that's supported by tax payments. It provides a safety net for poor people, but beyond that it has no real economic value.

John Schuh| 8.27.10 @ 12:47PM

"Social Security is basically a welfare system that's supported by tax payments. It provides a safety net for poor people, but beyond that it has no real economic value."

Wow! In a nutshell. It was modeled after the German system, but doesn't work half as well.

Majjohn| 8.27.10 @ 11:44PM

Currently there is almoct 43 million people receiving ss retirement benefits. A little over 36 million are retired and receive benefits along with their dependents. 6 1/2 million survivers of deceased workers receive benefits. Over 9 1/2 million disabled workers and their dependents receive payments. So you see millions of people receive income before they retire and millions more receive income after the worker dies. Your statements are totally wrong and misleading. And where can you get an annuity that will do all these things?
The ss tax rate for 2010 is 6.2% on the first $106,800.00. The medicare tax is 1.45%. The employer matches the 6.2%. The total tax is then 13.85% including the medicare tax. So your cavalier 15% is wrong, just as wrong as saying your family gets nothing when you die. 6 1/2 million people say your wrong! Yes, it's a safety net for poor people, but without it, who is to take care of our elderly and disabled? You! Right!

RWinks | 8.28.10 @ 1:28PM

The employer matches both SS and Medicare, so the total is 15.3%. You would know this if you were self-employed in which case, you pay the full amount. As any economist knows the "employer paid" portion is just a useful fiction to disguise from the worker that he is paying so much.

Survivor benefits are paid out only in certain circumstances designed to keep as many as possible off welfare. Minor children receive benefits until age 18. Spouses get nothing until 62, Etc. Financially it's a very good deal for some people and a very bad deal for many. There are far more 60 year olds dying who have paid in for 40 years whose grown children will receive nothing than 21 year olds whose two young children will receive benefits until they are 18.

As for the disabled workers, indications are 1/3 are fraudulent. It's always amazing how a fat guy with a "bad back" can get on several give-away programs but the war veteran missing a leg is turned down.

jose goldfinger| 8.27.10 @ 8:13AM

Ben, like his" fellow semite," DWS, has a problem facing reality. Prof Laffer's tax policies produced record revenue. Isn't revenue the purpose of taxes? The problem was spending Ben, not lower marginal tax rates, and Laffer had nothing to do with the spending. Yet another example of ideology trumping reality.

Stephanie| 8.27.10 @ 8:19AM

anyone see Moochelle, the one who insists that "dessert is not a right" stuffing icecream in her large mouth up in the Vineyard? She makes me gag. And in that same clip, I could have sworn I saw Rev Wright. And as far as impeachment, the GOP, if they take the house, don't have the stones to start impeachment proceedings. Lazy, self interested is what ALL in Washington are. Something happens to them when they get inside the beltway.

Mark M| 9.8.10 @ 12:39PM

Absolutely right! I would add that we will never be able change this until we get them out of our wallets. Government is like the spoiled child that never had his allowance taken away.

2Anglico| 8.27.10 @ 8:21AM

Why is it that someone with a voice resembling nails on a chalkboard (Debbie) can run their mouth for hours without taking a breath?

Doctor Right| 8.27.10 @ 8:24AM

Every G.O.P. Congressman wants to privatize social security???

I wish!

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 8.27.10 @ 8:37AM

Good one!

Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 8.27.10 @ 8:41AM

By the way Mr. Stein, you state that neither Democrats or Republicans have any solutions but they are the political establishment and have a vested interest in keeping the status guo.

There are many groups who have great solutions. Two examples: The Heritage Foundation and the Ludwig Von Mises Institute.

Daniel| 8.27.10 @ 8:42AM

Ben, the answer to your question about what to do about the economy has a very simple answer: cut taxes, cut government spending (especially entitlement spending) and allow the invisible hand of the free markets put everything back to rights. Oh, and fire all the democrats too.

gearjammer| 8.27.10 @ 8:56AM

when I think of being compelled to be in soc sec and see how they destroyed any hope it would be properly run I get angry, real angry. Privatize means private accounts under our names. The democrats hate this because it'd be theft to raid them like they raid the ss trust fund monies. The democrats and their special interests cannot tolerate money just sitting their and growing for the future. They want that money now to spend on behalf of big government-especially for the unions. Now these pub sector unions are NOT in soc security or medicare. In fact, they are in much better plans that allow them to retire much sooner. Thus they raid our soc sec money so they can get their much sweeter deals funded. WE THE PEOPLE just take this crap. Now, fiscal conservatives are in lock step with democrats in raising soc sec age to 70. Making the private sector middle class and lower class worker a complete beast of burden for government. Some friend these so called fiscal conservatives are to working Americans who do not have their cushy jobs and trust funds or giant incomes. If Hannity was still busting his knuckles as a small contractor he'd be aware of this travesty. Limbaugh-forget it work till you're 90 is his answers. You will see a new political PARTY emerge if this happens. It will be the replacement for the tea party-call it the TREE party and we will hanging many a traitor and thief and looter from the limbs of trees for what has happened. YOU AINT SEEN NOTHING YET ! Some of the vile monsters we bring to justice will no doubt be his friends , great people he really loves. I wonder how much he inherited ? How much he makes for one of his silly movie roles ? Hey good for him. It just explains why he is so blase about this screw job the average hard working American is getting.

majjohn| 8.27.10 @ 11:58PM

Dear gearjammer! I think your hearts in the right place but some of your gears have missing teeth. First of all. public sector workers when they retire do so based upon contributions to their pensions higher than what you pay into SS. When they retire they don't get paid from SS as you suggest. Further they do pay the 1.45% into medicare. If they also worked and paid onto SS also, they only receive 40% of what you get even if they paid the same amount of tax that you paid.

True, the government has used SS to make the deficits look smaller and once the taxes get to the treasury, it's borrowed for other purposes, but to hang all the traitore from the trees, you'd have to plant more trees. Trust me, I'm on your side but don't allow your emotions to veto your common sense.

gearjammer| 8.28.10 @ 9:55AM

Majjohn the public worker benefits are not self sustaining-they are being bailed out as we speak. Fed, state, local they are destroying budgets. They use the soc security money to keep funding guv rather than put in an account. Part of funding guv is pension and benefits across the board. And, all guv workers do not depend on medicare but get gold plated health care for themselves and wives.forever and budget busting colas forever. Besides soc sec we also save via 401k etc. You people have guaranteed pensions and we depend on a healthy private sector for our futures. The labor costs of guv are killing the private sector. This is gonna be an ugly fight if people get screwed on soc sec etc-the dems aand special interests have no idea that the sleeping giant of the mid class is waking up. The ether machine of national media, entertainment, etc is not so strong anymore. WE ARE READY TO RUMBLE. We will start with an economic boycott of massive proportions-let it all come tumbling down. Watch the payroll patriots shriek and go made when they discover their pensions and bennies have turned to crap-the strong will survive they will perish and America will be saved. This also goes for overpaid pompous non productive rich jerks as well. Cancel your cable and fios, stop going to movies and buying music-make the jerks who ruined us suffer.

Tom| 8.30.10 @ 8:04AM

Gearjammer,
We can argue about whether public sector employee pensions are too high and we'd probably agree. But what you are missing is the reason they are sucking money out of state and local governments is the same reason social security will be sucking money from the federal government : Government does an awful job of preparing for future liabilities. If those state and local pensions had been properly funded the current burden on state and local governments would be far lower. But it was easier to promise rich benefits to public sector unions - typically to buy votes - without any consideration of whom was going to pay for it in the future.

On a a smaller note many state and local retirees are indeed on medicare as their primary insurance. Typically upon recieving social security their primary insurance switches from whatever government plan they are on to medicare.

Andrew Vander Dussen| 8.27.10 @ 9:15AM

correction. "WE" did not make the big mistake in voting for Obama. "YOU" made the big mistake. By speading your bad judgement to "EVERYONE" you show your true colors as the "LIBERAL" you are.

stephanie| 8.27.10 @ 10:49AM

Well Andrew, if he is a liberal admitting the error of his ways, isn't that good? Let's give him a small applause, for goodness sake.

Ned| 8.27.10 @ 11:02AM

... "small applause..." - and THEN we'll ring his neck!

Steve A| 8.27.10 @ 9:17AM

Markets & Economy fear the unknown & go into lockdown when faced with such. When you have a president & his allies in a position of political power demonstrating that they are prepared to subject the economy to an increasing # of policy actions that will penalize achievement & send debt soaring, the CEO's who write payroll checks are going to bank their excess funds until the smoke clears. Once the Dems. get trounced in November & it looks like gridlock for policy making, it will start to turn for the better, even if the Bush tax cuts expire. At least then, the decision makers in business will know the rules for the next few years.

Michael L. Hauschild| 8.27.10 @ 9:26AM

Ben Stein is doing nothing more than repeating “Bueller, Bueller” to an empty classroom.

Publius| 8.27.10 @ 9:28AM

Ben,

Frankly, you have become an embarrassment and I squirm every time I see you on one of these shows, waiting for you to make a rational point, which seldom happens. You have become an inside the beltway-village idiot that is all over the map on economic and social issues, but you are "portrayed" as a conservative by the MSM so your idiocy provides safe haven for big government ideas.

If you really want to end your befuddlement with the economy, just read what the folks above have to say. This isn't rocket science, it is common sense.

You may also want to bone up on Friedman, Hayek, von Mises, Smith et al and you may learn something about capitalism and how back breaking government regulations, monetary shenanigans, and deficit spending hinder performance.

But if you prefer to remain ignorant, either shut up or join the other side.

Skydiver| 8.27.10 @ 9:39AM

Anyone remember the British study of the personality traits of politicians? They most resemble serial killers! Phycopathic liars, and DWS fits that slot to a tee!

Sheryl| 8.27.10 @ 10:08AM

I used to have a lot of respect for Ben Stein, but every time I see his name now, all I can think of is his appearance on CBS Sunday Morning shortly after The Disaster. (election 08) In that appearance, which seared itself into my brain, Mr. Stein stated that he "could not stop smiling" every time he saw our new President on TV. I believe that was because of Obama's skin color or some such. Have you stopped smiling yet, Ben? I assume that he has, from what he says in this article. I just couldn't beleive he said that and I don't think I will ever be able to take anything he says seriously ever again.

Majito| 8.27.10 @ 10:20AM

Wow Ben I hope that your statement "The people who really want to work can get work. It might not be great work, but it's work." was meant as a sarcasm...yeah if I spend over two decades honing my skills and abilities, I did it to enhance the standard of living of my wife, children and community/nation as a whole...not to find that the system was rigged so after putting all that effort now i have to look to get any job...heck anybody can flip burgers but is that what one dreams of an entire life? shortage of workers? yeah if all you want to pay is minimum wage while requiring doctorate or magisterial degrees...only in the diploma mills of the lower ganges you can get all of these certifications without any real effort...ever wondered why ibm wants a few 'local' experts to build their knowledge databases, then bring some clueluess southcentral asia imports and let go of the 'locals'? then their business turn south (look at their current texas $860+ million contract...the got fired daddio) and the solution? massive layoffs...because that is how corporations balance their bottom lines and 'meet wall street expectations'...not because they're innovative or producing ground breaking products...heck computers still basically the same models as they were 30 years ago...why? innovation? nope...they exported to asia manufacturing and all these cats can do is copy

gearjammer| 8.28.10 @ 10:07AM

Pick fruit and flip burgers. Ben will say nice things about you. And, compliment your wife if she's hot. It's all about equality -the gap between you and some ingrate breeding machine from who knows where must be closed as a matter of FUNDAMENTAL FAIRNESS. 90 per cent of us are gonna be in the same situation-one giant flat class. Kiss the good life goodbye. A protected 10 per cent of special union worker and those we persist in callin " elites will have the good life. Only one way to stop-GO TO THE MATRESSES', let's mob up and take em out.

froglegs| 8.27.10 @ 10:41AM

Ben Stein is probably one of the smartest and most likeable guys that I have even seen on TV or read. But I disagree with him on Art Laffer. Before I retired I did a lot of research developing non durable consumer products. I often used response surface methodolgy to optimise the deired benefits. It was surprising how many times I discovered two totally different compositions of the same combination 5 or so factor that would produce a similiar benefit. So, Stein and Laffer can both be right with seemingly different approaches. The key though is that the combination of factors much be optimized correctly to produce any benefit. However, I don't believe that any of the current bunch running either the Fed, treasury, White House, or congress knows anything about what they are doing.

Publius| 8.27.10 @ 10:57AM

Frog,

I've heard " probably one of the smartest and most likeable guys" so many times it makes me sick, yet I've seen little proof of it, save possibly the likeable part.

Sure he can spin a yarn, but analytical capabilities? You've got to be kidding.

Occam's Tool| 8.27.10 @ 7:19PM

$5000 would have barely covered my travelling expenses; otherwise, as a former college bowl champion, I would have flown out to LA and beaten him like a drum on his show.

I really don't care for Mr. Stein a great deal of the time. He's only occasionally Conservative. America is overtaxed---the tax code should be used to raise revenue for appropriate governmental activities, NEVER as a social tool. It would be nice if Ben Stein knew more psychology and less law.

Natural Born Texican | 8.27.10 @ 11:02AM

no. 1 problem - obama. number 2 problem - politicians who have found a home in congress and live there til they pass on to where ever such people go! term limits on the congress would eleminate a great deal of cronyism, entitlement, and the idea that they are all smarter than the average american and therefore need to regulate EVERY ASPECT of the lives of regular everyday Americans, regardless of race, color, creed, religious affileation, and whatever else you can think of where government has encroched on increasingly more and more of ALL u.s. citizens' daily lives!!!!!

Clueless| 8.27.10 @ 11:05AM

Golley I thought L'il Debbie was a cupcake. Bye the Bye Nixon also implemented affirmative action

PolishKnight| 8.27.10 @ 11:06AM

Ben is wrong, innocently enough, when he declares that nobody has a way to get out of the recession. _I_ do, but I'm not in position where anyone significant with care what I think (beyond these comments, of course) and the solution is rather drastic and unpalatable. Kind of like trying to tell someone whose overweight and hates it, but loves to eat and watch TV, that they maybe should exercise and diet.

Here goes:

1) Revoke (unconstitutional) citizenship for illegal immigrant anchor babies and deport them and the parents immediately. Net economic consequence: Temporary labor shortages for hotels, nannies, and lawns but life would go on (eek! No leaf blowers for a few months! How will we survive?!?!) offset by a massive reduction in crime and welfare state and emergency room costs.

2) Eliminate affirmative action in hiring and government contracts. Net economic consequence: Billions saved immediately in contracts and labor costs.

3) Finish welfare reform. Welfare reform only went after "deadbeat dads" to make them pay for unwed mothers which has the ultimate effect of just delaying taxpayer liability. Once the supply of financially solvent men dry up, the taxpayer will be on the hook again. Children on welfare after 2 years or so should become wards of the state and the parents (including the mother) put to work paying the bill. Economic consequence: Billions in savings from welfare costs, massive crime reduction albeit long term.

Just a few ideas that would make this place into a new Switzerland in just a few decades or so and those are for starters. But obviously, we would rather go down into a third world country spiral. Sigh.

David C| 8.27.10 @ 11:41AM

GRZMLYK...Alan Brooks...Is that you?

Or maybe the two of you are sharing a coffee or laptop on this grand Friday. Or maybe you are strolling down memory lane together conspiring how to get our focus on your weak and obvious argument of how bad these Republicans were in the years before our young genius president got our attention (arguments akin to ball fakes, slight of hand etc).

Our intrepid president should have let sleeping dogs lie...but alas, too late. We are awake....big mistake...history will record this as a turning point. Your attempt to blame us for our slumber and past sins of GOP ruling class less than brilliant. Historical guilt was our opium, but ironically the IV has been removed by our young redeemer.

America has been awakened by his second coming but the unintended consequence may well be the opposite of what our young savior pursues. We should say thanks for the wake-up call but world events and history our unfolding at the pace of Moore's law and those who study history see the storm on the horizon.

The Muslim world welcome this storm, it is the pathway to utopia. But they are ill prepared to bring this to fruition. Will 4 years be enough for the anointed one to light the fuse and fuel those who pursue oblivion? Well, he has our attention now and we have very good, may I say great seats, (almost) courtside.

Grzmlyk| 8.27.10 @ 8:04PM

Primer for David C:

I am a CONSERVATIVE.

I occasionally mimic liberal bromides in order to ridicule that line of thinking.

My beef with Stein is that he wants to take money out of the productive side of the economy and put it into the unproductive side. He believes in high taxes. I believe government is too big.

My point is that he wants to pay more in taxes because absoution from white guilt is a fun bauble - if you can afford it.

Sheesh! Why do so few conservatives have a sense of humor????

Tom| 8.30.10 @ 8:53AM

I understood your point. And certainly Stein, Buffett, and Gates can write a check to the IRS anytime they wish. But, it really was not that funny. It is hard to lampoon such blatantly silly positions.

David C| 8.31.10 @ 12:21PM

Sorry for the mistake.

KHL| 8.27.10 @ 12:16PM

Ben

The more I read you, the more I realize you really are an idiot. First of all, the reason we are in this dire economic situation is quite simple, unsound money. Fiat currency allows the political elite, of which you are sounding more and more like, to shower their friends with lucre and buy the votes of the poor. The Austrian School of Economics predicted this crack-up over 10 years ago. They totally nailed the housing bust. Read James E. Woods, Jr., Meltdown and you just might learn something.

Until the US embraces sound money, it makes absolutely no difference who is watching the asylum. There's no hope. Every depression in US history has a similar cause. The founding fathers warned us, especially Jefferson.

Central Banks are banking cartels who's only purpose is to inflate currency and insure the solvency and viability of the large banks who own them. They have no other purpose whatsoever.

Get wise Ben or go back to being a mediocre game show hosts. That way your talents won't be wasted

MarioG| 8.27.10 @ 12:22PM

When Ben Stein writes, "...Prof. Laffer made the GOP the party of fiscal irresponsibility, ..." I have to assume he is referring to Laffer's support of lower tax rates. Why doesn't Ben know that Laffer's theory created a tsunami of tax receipts? The deficits were created by the GOP's past inability to curb spending, not because the lowered tax rates reduced taxes collected. Here's the evidence:

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/data/budget.php

Zoltan Newberry| 8.27.10 @ 4:53PM

Ben Stein must have some kind of tumor in his head. He says he's a conservative, but never misses an opportunity to call for higher taxes on "the rich." This is why I'm reluctant to renew my AS subscription. They should hire a good surgeon first to fix that tumor. Seriously, I'd pay to attend a real debate between Ben Stein & Art Laffer. It's not just Laffer. He could debate Chicago's Gary Becker, one of many Nobels who is a champion of lower taxes. Becker makes it real simple for guys like me: The government is addicted to spending, much of which is corrupt and wasteful and counter productive. The only way to deal with this addiction is to reduce the money they have to spend.

What about this is so hard for Ben Stein to understand, my frems?

reasonable doubt | 8.27.10 @ 12:27PM

Obamanomics is like a perverse Henny Youngman joke.
Q." Doc - I have no money ...and so it hurts when I keep spending it. What should I do?
A. "Keep spending it".

Mark Anderson| 8.27.10 @ 12:28PM

Wow, I had no idea there were so many Laffer curveballers still out there. Is the earth still flat?

Willis| 8.27.10 @ 12:43PM

Idiot. If it were, we'd push you off the edge.

Flit Andersen| 8.31.10 @ 11:01PM

Mark, if you weren't such a witless tool you'd do about ten minutes of research and find out that every time taxes & spending are cut the economy takes off.
Harding; Coolidge; Kennedy; Reagan; "W" Bush.
Every time one of those NITWIT Lib's gets in and
starts hiking taxes & spending the economt tanks.
Hoover (yes, Hoover!); FDR, Truman; LBJ; Carter, Clinton; and Obama.
Every time.

What's it take to teach a liberal, assuming such a thing is possible?

Flit Andersen| 8.31.10 @ 11:07PM

Excuse me - I forgot the Nations First Bed-wetter; Woodrow Wilson, who gave us the recession Harding had to fix.

No charge for the history lesson.

Clinton nee Publius | 8.27.10 @ 12:29PM

Doing things the same old ways and expecting a different outcome is the paradise of fools, journalists, politicians - and now - liberal economists.

Funny how that works. You can ALMOST admit that all fiscal spending has to have a source and so Keynesian deficit spending is doomed to fail because of the way the economy is structured.

You ALMOST agree that monetarist economic philosophy is a blind alley, but won't admit to the obvious issue that monetary policy is always a dead end when liability-inflation is the mechanism for creating currency. After all, not sucking up to the banking industry would be bad form. Good policy sometimes requires bad form.

We have $107 trillion in unfunded liabilities and if taxation was a workable and sustainable model for paying for government this would not be the case. I've spoken with Mr. Laffer and I certainly respect his views, but tax policy adjustments are the economic equivalent of playing with the deck chairs while the ship sinks. The outcome doesn't change, just how good you look as you go down.

Yet, we have gained in some measure by this discussion. We at least know that the way we do things no longer works and only a fool would continue doing things the same way. The question is whether or not $107 trillion in unfunded liabilities and $13 trillion in debt are evidence enough for you to want to change things to something that will work.

Choose.

Henry Miller| 8.27.10 @ 12:32PM

"Ms. Wasserman made an amazingly dishonest comment about how every GOP Member of the House wanted to privatize Social Security."

You make that sound like you think it's a bad idea.

Face it, Ben, the only way to save Social Security is by abolishing it. As a government-run quasi-entitlement program, it's an evolving disaster that's going to badly hurt millions of people when it collapses. The only way to minimise the hurt is to return control of their assets, assets wrested all unwilling from them in the first place, to their owners, the American people.

RLM357| 8.27.10 @ 12:34PM

The Gibster | 8.27.10 @ 12:37PM

How long must we endure this McPresidency?

Richard Gottlieb| 8.27.10 @ 12:38PM

So some Hispanic wants, for President, "[s]meone who is an American. Someone who works for us, not our enemies." So, Ben, now you're a birther too? Please stop the politics of personal hate and xenophobia. Would we be having these birther arguments if Obama's father were a caucasian from Canada? Obviously not. Ben, you make me sick.

RLM357| 8.27.10 @ 12:40PM

As to the Social Security issue herein, I have this to say. The Congress MUST REPAY all of the IOU's within the Social Security Account of the Treasury. The Soc Sec future would be secure.
For 45 years the Dems who where in control of the purse strings, raided the SS Account to fund all of their spending. Where do you think most of these entitlement fundings come from? ~Rick Magee

Paul Nelson| 8.27.10 @ 8:45PM

It is very easy to make social security solvent--impose a 10% tax on all payments from the federal government. If you are owed $1000/month from social security the government pays you $900/month and withholds $100 for the tax. Immediately social security becomes "solvent" and the government has not reduced payments at all--merely imposed a tax.

RLM357| 8.27.10 @ 12:42PM

Our Wonderful Country is under attack from within. The Progressive/Socialist DemocRATS are leading it. Obama is the titular head but marches to the Orders of the Alenskyites ( Hillary's idol). That is why the teleprompters are everpresent. We face a Revolution in this County to Restore our Constitution and Our Republic. We are being Invaded via Tunnels and Border crossings by infiltrators and Illegals that bancrupt our Economy just like Ancient Rome, and endanger our survival as a Free Nation. A ton of people are responsible for this Imposter being in the WH and all should be Jailed for treason! ~Rick Magee
As to the Social Security issue herein, I have this to say. The Congress MUST REPAY all of the IOU's within the Social Security Account of the Treasury. The Soc Sec future would be secure.
For 45 years the Dems who where in control of the purse strings, raided the SS Account to fund all of their spending. Where do you think most of these entitlement fundings come from? ~Rick Magee

Tony Antetomaso| 8.27.10 @ 12:55PM

Suggest you read "The Fall of Rome: And the End of Civilization" by Bryan Ward-Perkins.

Chilling!

Bob Jones| 8.27.10 @ 12:43PM

Even if it were true that all Republicans wanted to privatize Social Security, what's her problem with that? Oh. Wait. I know what it is. She's a liberal, er, uh, I mean, progressive, and feeeels that We, The People are just too stupid to handle our own money. Better let the Government handle it instead, right Debs? They do such a sterling job of spending our tax dollars with a high level of fiscal responsibility that we just let them take care of our retirement too. I already know her reply: But...but...but what if some people FAIL at investing their own money? Well, Debs, people fail in life. The wise ones learn from their failure and move on. The others vote for Democrats.

james wilson| 8.27.10 @ 12:43PM

Don't know what to do, Ben? That is the beauty of true laissez-faire, now done and buried--you don't have to know what to do. It is people who think they do that are the problem.

RiverKing| 8.27.10 @ 12:45PM

"... terrified to be a grand dad"? You sure have that backwards, Ben. Being a grandparent is God's reward to you for allowing your children to live.

I saw a bumper sticker once that said, "If I'd known grandchildren were so much fun, I'd have had them first." It didn't say how to accomplish that.

Tony Antetomaso| 8.27.10 @ 12:50PM

re: Nancy Pelosi's lying Democrats; My Cong. John Teirney was recently back here "in the district" and told a whopper about Bush's suggested SS change; to let people have a set-aside 401-k-type account. Tierney warned a group of senior citizens that they might lose everything and with the current Republican-induced depression, and where would they be if the Democrats hadn't stopped Bush and saved their SS checks?

What a piece of excrement. I told both my sons I would disown them if I ever caught them voting for a Democrat. ANY Democrat.

RK, MD| 8.27.10 @ 12:52PM

The culture that made our country great in years past has been smashed. Common sense is out, lying, no matter how outrageous, is in. Long term in DC is lunch. The hammer that did, and continues to do, the deed is political contributions. Attributed to Will Rogers: we have the best legislators money can buy. Without Congressional Reform, everything is akin to “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.”

RK, MD| 8.27.10 @ 12:52PM

Ken Roberts | 8.27.10 @ 12:55PM

What kills me is the way all of them can lie and keep a straight face; have they actually lost their souls here? from lying about the border saying it is more secure than it ever has been to lying about the jobs created or saved. I was raised to say what was on my mind and to stand for the truth but when I hear the speaker of the house say one lie after the other and with a straight face it is disconcerting to say the least. Please don't ask me for sources because I will go get them and post them and I am tired today but I will . I am not your normal person who posts here I am a uneducated (some college and tech school)man, but I have not the eloquence to say what I really want to say, I live in fear of the trolls who would pounce on a misspelled word , I shake in my boots that I might be called a name and not have a snappy come back, but most of all I just lied through my teeth, but I did have a smile on my face as I was writing all of the garbage I just wrote. so how can they tell one after another and not smile or hide their face? Maybe Al Gore the prize winner can tell us how they do that .

William Cunningham| 8.27.10 @ 1:03PM

As Obama travels around the country making three or four appearances a day in support of Democrat candidates and bad mouthing Republicans, I want to know: Is the Democratic National Committee paying for at least some of the immense cost of AF 1, security, and all the other costs of presidential travel? Or are all of us taxpayers footing the entire bill?

Al Baldwin| 8.27.10 @ 1:18PM

Yep, just like they pay for everything else. Those who contribute get taken and those who don't get welfare. And the Dem-O-crats promote class warfare.

Paul in Colorado| 8.27.10 @ 1:16PM

The Left's idea of job creation is for the government to hire grief counselors to console the unemployed.

irishalaman| 8.27.10 @ 1:16PM

We MUST be creative.
A FAIR TAX
Eliminate the personal Income tax.
Eliminate Corporate Tax....
We must become the Low Tax High Productivity Country... All the things that the Governments Taxes us for are already built.
End the Department of Education:
It Just Flunked out of Government.
END the EPA as it now stands:
It just didn't meet US STANDARDS!
End the Department of Energy:
It just ran out of gas.
Change the Tax Code.
Protect doctors and nurses and hospitals.
let competition come in..Let Docs and Nurses
compete for Insurance dollars...
Insurance is for pooling risk..
States should come in and offer limited services for the indigent and insurer's should NOT be able to eliminate prior conditions(pooled risk fund).

Oy Yeah.
IMPEACH OBAMA over SESTAK affair.
Clinton says he did not call Cong. Sestak. SOmebody did? WHo? WHo changed the story? Who knew about the story......Conspiracy.RICO

Al Baldwin| 8.27.10 @ 1:20PM

Ah, may you have the luck of the Irish behind you.

Tom_Beebe| 8.27.10 @ 1:28PM

You mention tax reform twice; how about this? 1. All persons residing in the U.S. shall come together in units for the purpose of reporting all income from any source, each item to be identified by payer's and payee's tax number. Members of a unit need not be related, need not reside together, and a unit may consist of as few as one person. With equality as the primary goal, this act established units to be taxed, so that all persons, whether related or not, legally here or not, are taxed equally.
2. Each year congress shall set by legislation a "minimum wage" and a "tax rate".
3. The following income shall not be subject to taxation:
• An amount equal to a year's earnings at the minimum wage rate, for each adult (age 20-65) member of the unit, decreasing 10% per year to 50% at age 15 and increasing 10% per year to 150% at age 70. (Family of two adults and two young children would receive exemptions equaling 100% + 100% + 50% + 50% = 300% minimum wage, currently about $42,000)
• All payments for what is classified as necessary health care for all members of the unit including medical care, any pharmaceuticals prescribed by a recognized health care professional, vision and hearing aids, and membership fees for health-enhancing entities such as gyms or other exercise facilities. Health care insurance premiums may be deducted but not health care expense paid for by such insurance.
• All educational expenses including day care for young children or legally incompetent persons, that portion of state and local taxes identified as spent on education, that portion of parochial school tuition, fees and other expenses identified as going for non-sectarian education, tuition, fees and educational materials for private school education at any level, and a per-diem allowance for students traveling more than 50 miles from primary residence for education.
• All income saved into an identified account from which investments may be made.
This encourages growth of the tax base, thus growth of the government's ability to pay for its responsibilities, by fostering health care, education and investment, all of which contribute to growth of income, taxable to support legitimate government purposes.
4. The "tax rate" shall be applied to any income over and above the deductions listed above, regardless of amount. It seeks the elusive concept of fairness by taxing at the same rate all "disposable" income.
5. There shall be no federal tax on corporations or other business entities. August 20th was declared the point at which we, on average, end working for government and start working for ourselves. This suggests a tax rate of 63%, which would create a backlash against big government that no amount of campaigning could evoke.
6. The Office of Management and Budget shall compute revenues to be expected using the newly set tax rate and minimum wage, applied to the previous year's reported incomes. No expenses in excess of that amount may be authorized or made by the federal government without approval by 75% of each house of Congress. It sets the Federal budget to produce a surplus in times of economic expansion and a deficit in times of contraction to promote economic stability.
7. At the request, by legislation duly enacted by a municipality having greater than 100,000 inhabitants or a state, a surtax may be imposed on citizens of that municipality or state which shall be applied in a manner exactly as applied for the Federal tax. It recognizes disparity in cost of living among various locations. It facilitates sufficient sources of revenue for states and municipalities.
8. For units whose deductions exceed total income, the Federal Government shall make payment equal to the tax rate multiplied by the shortfall in income, as shall municipalities and states. This addresses aid to the truly needy.
I would expect a tax rate in the neighborhood of 35-40%. Consider how it would affect your behavior, motivating you to save for retirement, and how it would, by exempting from this high rate, encourage spending on health care and education.

Dennis Smith| 8.27.10 @ 1:21PM

Geez, Ben, do you think the GINORMOUS spending increases of the Democrat House of the Reagan era and the Republican Congress of the GWB era had anything to do with "fiscal irresponsibility?" No matter how fast the revenues increased, our Congress can outspend it!

fsilber| 8.27.10 @ 1:28PM

How do we get out of this recession, if banks won't lend money to consumers? By consumers making money selling products to foreigners.

What, we're not selling products to foreigners? Well, no wonder employers are are running out of money to pay employees! We spent the money overseas, and now its gone. If we make and give ourselves more money, we destroy its value (i.e. foreigners will stop exchanging their products for it), and then nothing in the economy will work. Ben is right; neither party knows a pleasant way to get us out of this.

I blame Ronald Reagan, for bringing down communism. If we had let the domino theory work, and let the communists take over all of southeast Asia, our jobs would not have gone to them. If we had let the communists take over South America and Mexico, they would have built their own wall on the Rio Grande. If we had let the communists take over the oil-rich middle-east, we'd have had to start saving energy sooner and maybe there would even have been a Stalinist bloodbath!

We should have limited ourselves to killing communists here at home, and let world communism run its course.

Tom_Beebe| 8.27.10 @ 1:32PM

Problem is older than any of the administrations named. Its our culture of borrowing from the future to indulge the present. We're just now starting to pay the piper. National bankruptcy? Maybe, but a cultural change on all levels, from the individual down to the government, is needed (notice who I put on top? yeah, YOU)

wodiej| 8.27.10 @ 3:54PM

it is the responsibility of each person to take care of themselves. People have borrowed money to pay for their dream lifestyle with no savings.

David Schor| 8.27.10 @ 1:57PM

It's almost like Debbie actually read the GOP platform. Imagine!

wodiej| 8.27.10 @ 3:48PM

No, if she had she wouldn't have needed to lie.

Jeff Lee| 8.27.10 @ 3:53PM

Is Debbie actually able to read?

wodiej| 8.27.10 @ 3:55PM

apparently not Jeff because she is confused about the GOP platform as is David.

evergreen78| 8.27.10 @ 2:12PM

Re this part: ". . . anyone who has good work skills and a decent personality can get a job. . . The chronic complainers and the malcontents and the unrealistic are the ones who cannot find work they want. The people who really want to work can get work. It might not be great work, but it's work."

I disagree. A friend of mine who has been unemployed for over a year said she hasn't even gotten a call-back from a sandwich shop, which is not her normal line of work, but a job she would take if she could get it.

Conversely, I read something recently about the TYPE of jobs that are unfilled, that being "mid-level skill" or something like that. There are plenty of (probably too many) people for high-level jobs & for unskilled jobs, but nobody with skills in the middle. For example, I am a medical transcriptionist, & we are crying for help, but here's the scoop: I met a woman who said she could tell the age of an applicant simply by reading the cover letter sent with their resume. If they capitalize & punctuate, they're over 30; if they can't spell OR capitalize & punctuate, they're under 30 -- because, she explained, young people "text." Thus, the type of work I do is outsourced to India & elsewhere, to people for whom English is a second language, yet they have better secretarial type skills than Americans. Furthermore, these Americans who can't spell or punctuate or even type, for Pete's sake, who hate to read or sit still for more than 5 minutes & who have the vocabulary of a 3rd-grader, want to be paid $50,000 a year just for showing up, even (or perhaps especially) if they are totally incompetent. What's wrong with THAT picture?

Gotta' go. Blood is beginning to shoot from my eyes. (sigh.)

wodiej| 8.27.10 @ 3:47PM

I'm there on the job thing. Been out of work since February. Had TWO interviews-that's it. I am an experienced, educated worker. My resume has been critiqued by a couple of professionals and it is up to date. I have a positive attitude and have always been a hard worker.

Two things are happening. Companies are sitting on their cash because employees are one of their biggest expenses. When they do hire people they are in the drivers seat. A crappy economy benefits employers-they cheapen their wages and require more responsibility.

Bill from Fallbrook| 8.27.10 @ 3:08PM

Pelosi's democrats lie...
GOP wants to privatize social security...
Pelosi's democrats lie...
GOP wants to privatize social security...
Pot, kettle?
Pot, kettle?

Marc Jeric| 8.27.10 @ 3:08PM

To judge properly the gigantic theft the present Social Security system really is, consider (forget inflation, future raises, market instability over a long term, etc., to simplify the calculations);
1) Take a 25-year old college graduate startin his career;
2) They take $6,000/year from his salary for Social Security "contribution"; the government also gets another $6,000/yr from the company in his name (it is his hidden contribution); then he pays $2,000/yr income tax on his SS payment; his total SS contribution is then $14,000/yr;
3) And so it goes for 40 years;
4) The fellow retires at 65 and lives till the age of 75, receiving some $2,000/month for those ten years; total value of these payments is then 10x12x$2,000 = $240,000.
5) In a private tax-free account, investing at 5%/yr gain and compounding, that annual contribution of $14,000 will be worth after 40 years over TWO MILLION!
6) Therefore this giant Ponzi scheme has stolen about ONE MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED SIXTY THOUSAND dollars from just one "contributor".

Redstateboy| 8.27.10 @ 3:09PM

If one can be honest.. and in these dispicable times of Political Correctness, this is doubtful, the Slave Party - the Democrat Party, prompted a Civil War, gave us a Ponzi Scheme (SS), Medicaid, Medicare, Food Stamps, ADC.. Yadda, Yadda

Tulsa Jack| 8.27.10 @ 3:19PM

No idea how to end the D-rat recession? Voila! 1) Declare a six-month income tax holiday. 2) Cut income, capital gains, dividend, and estate tax rates, starting with the highest brackets. 3) Reduce employer payroll taxes to a maximum 25%. 4) Cut gov'mint spending to 18% of GDP. 5) Repeal socialized medicine and roll back the fascist tide by selling all govt.-owned stock in private companies. 6) Throw out, wholesale, all job-killing, unproductive and useless regulations, like the accounting nonsense that didn't lay a glove on Bernie Maddoff, and terminate the oppressive bureaucracies like EPA, TSA, Education, and Energy that pretend to administer them. Last but not least, impeach Obama, indict Holder, prosecute Pelosi, and immediately begin criminal investigations of the SEIU, ACORN, and perpetrators of the Global Warming fraud.

Isn't it obvious that sales create jobs, and that letting consumers keep more of their own money creates sales? More sales mean higher profits, stimulating economic growth. Corporate earnings drive the stock market, leading to more investment, higher savings, and general prosperity. Why is this so mysterious to everyone except ordinary citizens like me? Freedom good! Socialist tyranny bad! Simple enough?

wodiej| 8.27.10 @ 3:38PM

Gee, that would make too much sense.

wodiej| 8.27.10 @ 3:37PM

Lots of people out of work who don't want to be. It borders on insanity to be ambitious and have nothing to do but watch the grass grow.

Wasserman is like most liberals-they live in la la land.

Brian B| 8.27.10 @ 4:03PM

I love Ben, but will it ever sink through his thick skull that excessive spending is what has caused our deficits and debt, not tax cuts?

J| 8.27.10 @ 4:05PM

In your little circle of hoi polloi, Mr. Stein, I doubt you have any experience with anyone suffering during this economic disaster caused by your multi-millionaire friends. Unless you count having to switch from imported caviar to domestic to keep up good public face.

This nonsense from the right is absurdist in the extreme, and an insult to anyone with intelligence.

DG in GA| 8.27.10 @ 4:13PM

Ben, I agree with much of what you write, but am disappointed today at your perpetuation of an absolutely untrue perception: that the banks will not lend to anyone. This is so ridiculous. I am a banker, and we make money by making loans. RESPONSIBLE loans. We have all tightened up lending standards, and it is a darn good thing we have. We never should have allowed them to get so lax. But the notion that we will not lend to ANYONE is absolutely untrue, and is a lie being spun by the liberals to demonize the banks.

George E| 8.27.10 @ 4:47PM

Yes, banks have tightened lending standards, and that's good. Borrowers should be able to demonstrate an ability -- not just a promise -- to repay. A few years ago, banks settled for a promise because they foolishly believed they could always sell underlying real estate and get repaid.

Instead, banks lost a lot of money. Today, they may have what you call a lot of cash (more likely in Treasuries) BUT because the feds reasonably require banks to have a certain proportion of their own money invested in loans, they cannot make new loans because they lost their own money on bad loans.

Zoltan Newberry| 8.27.10 @ 5:07PM

I thought this was supposed to be about Debbie. He says very little about Debbie except that she has balls. But I immediately which Debbie he was talking about. It had to be the robotic Congresswoman from Florida with the adenoid problem. This person (I almost said woman, but she actually may have balls, who knows for sure?) is always on automatic progressive talking points automatic pilot. She has no affect, just that nasal monotone of talking points, like she was programed to never think, to never qustion anything, like some kind of Doberman, just snarling and barking.

She must be good friends with that talk show host who looks like a linebacker, what's her name. At least what's her name is sincere. At least you can tell what's her name really means it when she sneers.

Scientific Socialist| 8.27.10 @ 10:30PM

Zoltan, you are thinking of Rachel Madcow I think. I bet she knows Debbie from Miami real well.

Lotus Feet| 8.27.10 @ 10:51PM

You're a riot, Zolt. How did you come up with that "adenoid problem" bidness? I used to see Congresswoman Debbie Cohen-Gomez on my tube and say "WHOOOOooooooooo... what a VOICE.......Where did she get that nasal monotone from? That woman is not quite human because as you say she comes across as a partisan wind up doll enumerating banal and boring talking points through her nose. With a name like Cohen- Gomez, you'd think she'd know a few eye ear nose and throat specialists, wouldn't you?

Michele San Pietro| 8.27.10 @ 5:33PM

It sounds as though this Debbie lies as easily as she breathes.

Sam| 8.27.10 @ 5:43PM

It worked for me and 327 New Employees in a small town in Mississippi .
I am from Va and still live here today .
I simply in 1977 got a Industrial revenue bond from the State of Miss. to build a Furniture Factory .
it was 10 yr tax free and the Bond was 3.9 % .
The town even helped build the building ,make the water tower and black top the parking lot .
The rail road gave us a spur for $1.00
The unemployment rate before I built the plant there was 22 % .
But the Town was very small and those there believed in hard work .
From the day I built that Factory until today when 2 other Co.s have owned it . The Unemployment rate has never been higher than 3.6 % .
Of course this is not Unionized plant allowing us to be competitive with furniture plants world wide .
This is what the real America is about .
It always was before this moronic Socialism came around again just 2 years ago sadly .

Sam| 8.27.10 @ 5:49PM

Oh Yea I forgot . If anyone questions my honesty ?
It was first named New Creation. Today it is part of Ashley the largest Furniture Co in the world .

DanMingo| 8.29.10 @ 1:44PM

I simply in 1977 got a Industrial revenue bond from the State of Miss. to build a Furniture Factory .
it was 10 yr tax free and the Bond was 3.9 % .
It always was before this moronic Socialism came around again just 2 years ago sadly .

So, socialism for business is okay, since you were able to start the company with aid from the State of Mississippi.

Michele San Pietro| 8.27.10 @ 5:49PM

I agree with you, dear Sam. To try to introduce socialism into the American economy is sheer madness.

George Kimball| 8.27.10 @ 7:50PM

Come on Ben, we know exactly what to do. See R. Reagan, 1979 campaign platform et. seq.

It ain't a mystery. The hard part is, as always, trying to get the Damn-o-crats and their camp followers to understand that you cannot spend yourself rich.

Lechat| 8.27.10 @ 8:18PM

The only relevant question is what to do next. The answer is squash the Democrat party flat, then rebuild.

FakeEagle| 8.27.10 @ 8:21PM

You know, I don't ever remember reading where Ben chronicled about reading comments to his articles. Methinks we're just talking to each other.

Carl Peter Klapper | 8.27.10 @ 8:56PM

So much to comment on, but I will limit myself to two:

1. The tightened lending requirements are proof positive of why regulation of private endeavors never works. It will always let the flock loose when it is profitable for them to seek greener pastures and then, when the horse and cows have fled, regulation will lock the barn door and tell us all how necessary that is. Regulation is for the restraint of bureaucrats and should NEVER be applied to parties outside of government.

2. The biggest threat to our Constitution has always been the political parties. First, they created the first botched Presidential election, which they then "prevented" from recurring by passing a self-serving Amendment, Number 12. Repeal, though, is too steep a climb at present, we need to hit the parties where it hurts. We need to meet our neighbors, encourage them to drop their affiliation with the parties and decide on local candidates ourselves. After some election cycles with nary a Republican or Democrat in sight at the local level, independents can grab more and more of the stage, becoming more viable in state and federal elections.

gearjammer| 8.27.10 @ 9:02PM

The words " Bueller,Bueller" will outlive anything Obama, Reid, Pelosi, TeddyK and any of the rest of them ever said. Well, one exception-Teddy"s + I was there when Mary Joe and the car went down" will live in infamy forever. And, in a sane world the text books will ask-" can you believe this man was considered the conscience of the Senate by many, many people ?".

duck| 8.27.10 @ 10:42PM

It will soon become apparent if one can spend themselves out of a massive downturn. My neighbor, a real far left idiot, thinks that I, since my home is paid for, should help him out. He floated an equity loan to buy a new truck, boat, and trailer. He did this just as Obammer was sworn into office. My neighbor stated that the economy would take off in high gear now that a Democrat is in office.

I didn't want to argue with him, tired of doing that, so, I asked him if he thought Obama was handling the economy correctly and he agreed. Did he think that Obama by borrowing trillions of dollars is the way to get the economy straightened out, to which he agreed.

I suggested that he should emulate the 'Bammer and borrow his way out of the pickle he is in. He has credit card...use them just like the president and if the president is correct, you'll soon be sailing smooth.

He,the idiot, said yeh, that's a good idea. It should work.

In a few months the answer will dawn on him, if he was stupid enough to do it......

If he did, my conscience doesn't bother me one bit...

russel| 8.29.10 @ 4:53PM

Thanks Duck , after all this head-pounding , I needed a laugh . I know two highly educated and intelligent liberals , and dumb as a post at the same time . They bought Woody and his movie as if the Almighty had produced it . The list goes on .

Robert O'Hara| 8.28.10 @ 2:32AM

Ben, I love ya man. But how can you blame Laffer for making the Republicans into irresponsible spenders?

Long Ben| 8.28.10 @ 2:52AM

But alas , the people have discovered that they can vote themselves largess from the public weal'.
The way back will only come when the people come to understand that they do not have the right under Gods' Heaven to live at their neighbors expense .

carlos| 8.28.10 @ 8:06AM

Obama will serve (sic) two terms, it will take that long to turn the country into a nanny state. LBJ started it with his Great Socity and it has went on ever since. There is no stopping the banking and corporate elites, try and you will meet some of their people from the IRS or CIA

Nancy| 8.28.10 @ 8:57AM

I used to be a Democrat. I was woefully unemployed in 1975 during a terrible recession. I had no skills and little education and no one was even taking job applications. So I joined the military. Now I wouldn't touch the Democrat party with a 10 foot pole. I grew up.

Bakunin| 8.28.10 @ 10:48AM

Oh Ben... Alas, your "acting days" are over; living in Beverly Hills and Malibu making pronouncements like some version of a twisted Delphic Oracle; pandering to the top-two percenters and their wannabee rubes. Well, for the acting, there's still the occasional slip-and-slide commercial, or a celebrity pop-up in a VH-1 bit of idiocy... Maybe even a role in an upcoming Christopher Guest feature? Yeah... We can only wish

Greg| 8.28.10 @ 11:54AM

Ben, ever heard of self-selection?

In your set, those who are unemployed and still your friends are those who are too lazy to dump you, or have a personality disorder and enjoy being insulted by you.

Nobama| 8.28.10 @ 12:35PM

Ben, you are absolutely correct that people who want work can get it. Households with duel incomes getting unemployment as a reward for remaining unemployed encourages recipients to avoid returning to work. I've seen this in people I know. Recipients should get a single check upon loss of employment (if anything at all) and wishes of good luck. No need to remain unemployed. They'll go back to work so they can spend their sudden windfall on a trip to Maui. I have been the one unemployed who could not find work. You have to take what you can get while you wait it out. I received no unemployment because I had been self employed prior. So you take the 8 buck an hour job and get two of them if necessary. I've been there, so I'm not listening to any whining.

Shamus| 8.29.10 @ 9:12AM

I would propose that workers get individual accounts where the UI premium goes while they're employed. When they lose their job, they can do whatever they want with the money.

Nobama| 8.28.10 @ 12:38PM

Ben, you are absolutely correct that people who want work can get it. Households with dual incomes getting unemployment as a reward for remaining unemployed encourages recipients to avoid returning to work. I've seen this in people I know. Recipients should get a single check upon loss of employment (if anything at all) and wishes of good luck. No need to remain unemployed. They'll go back to work so they can spend their sudden windfall on a trip to Maui. I have been the one unemployed who could not find work. You have to take what you can get while you wait it out. I received no unemployment because I had been self employed prior. So you take the 8 buck an hour job and get two of them if necessary. I've been there, so I'm not listening to any whining.

Nobama| 8.28.10 @ 12:47PM

And what is wrong with privatization of SSI? it's a fantastic idea. Doing so doesn't mean there must be no rule or regulation. Even with crashes that have occurred, equities have outperformed fixed return investments over the last 100 years. So you simply manage it just as risk is managed in a blended investment. More fixed return investments as you approach retirement. If we had done this 30 years ago, the system wouldn't be bankrupt today. It wouldn't be necessary to subsidize the smaller contributors. The fed wouldn't have been able to steal the money either. And there would be something to offer heirs. Everything is right with a well managed privatization.

Bob K.| 8.29.10 @ 9:59AM

Hasn't anybody noticed that the Black Market labor force has grown incrementally in the last year or so? Skilled tradesmen working "under the table" on home repairs, car repairs and the like. Getting paid in cash or in kind while they remain on Unemployment Compensation.

This has always been a silent revolt against the government control of the marketplace but now it has become larger and much more pervasive. They are needed much more now that people aren't selling their homes or cars as fast or as profitably as they have in the past. It always happens in Socialist Economies.

I'll bet even Ben uses them on his expensive digs in Los Angeles when he is home thinking about more articles to write about people who don't want to work!

PCC| 8.29.10 @ 10:43PM

Step 1: Cap federal gov't revenue at 20% of GDP. Use any excess to pay off national debt.

Step 2: Cut federal spending by 5% every year until the annual budget balances.

Step 3: Flat tax of 15% on all earned income (salaries for individuals, profits for corporation), eliminate capital gains tax, no tax on dividends, flat tax of 15% on all estates over $50 million, eliminate mortgage interest deduction.

Step 4: Privatize Social Security for everyone entering the workforce today; give a choice between private and public plan to those in the workforce up to the age of 50; guarantee today's benefits for those 50 and above, and give them a choice as well.

Step 5: Repeal ObamaCare, let insurance companies compete across state lines, restrict medical malpractice lawsuits, eliminate state-mandated minimum coverage (allow people to buy coverage tailored to their circumstances).

Hawker | 8.29.10 @ 11:33PM

Get the fairtax passed and then change the currency 5,10,20,50,and 100 bills , give anyone 18 months to either spend the old and exchange for new . if changing for new then proof of legal gain must be shown . To many good things would happen to list . THINK ABOUT IT>

Bob V.| 8.29.10 @ 11:46PM

Dear Mr. Stein, Next time that you see Rep D.W-S
,,Please remind her that women should be included in her revisions of the 'Hate Crimes Bill'.
Which women? The women in the Military. The Military makes up about 3% of the pop.of the USA
Women are about 10% of the 3%. If that is NOT a minority,then what IS? Rep. D W-S say that she must think of all of the people of the Jewish faith,the blacks & latinos in her dist. 1st,,then all of the others later. I guesss there is not enough black & latin & jewish women in the Military for her do do her job PROTECTING ALL. Women in the Military suffer Abuse, Assaults, Rapes & Murders at a HIGHER rate than the women in Fla.
Yet Rep.Deborah Wasserman-Schultz will NOT include them in the Hate-Crimes bill, Go Figure.

kalifani6| 8.30.10 @ 6:54PM

And why does anybody care what Ben Stein says? He should stick to commercials. Every time they turn to this guy for his views, I'm painfully reminded of the depths to which the MSM will scrape the bottom of the barrel of cultural recognition, for the sake of avoiding any real dialogue w/ an intellectual basis of which to draw from.It's more of a farce that people care what this former Nixon speech'lier' says at all this--the 21st century.Ben Stein...get real job or find yourself a decent nursing home. Septagenarian tustfund babies like you suck too much air as it is.

shipley130| 8.30.10 @ 7:29PM

Wasserman makes things up all the time. I saw her on one of the government controlled news sources a few days ago, today being 30 Aug 2010, and she says the economy has recovered and then she goes on to blast the GOP for holding up the so called small business bill, because they are the key to the economic recovery. Well, W-ass-erman, which is it? We are recovered or small business is the key to recovery? Stick with one lie because nobody will believe a two time liar.

Angee Woodman| 8.30.10 @ 7:56PM

Mr. Stein,

I suggest if you dont want to keep making enemies, you might want to leave the unemployment comments alone. Some of us having been working hard to be productive members of society and not having any luck at landing a job. And going back to school (in my junior year right now) is proving to cause difficulties on the job front as well.

Sure theres jobs all around but do you ever think that maybe they dont get hired at grand ole McD's because they are too qualified? After being an inventory analyst for a big company this has happened to me all the time. And while there are skilled jobs abundantly available, what are we supposed to do while we are being trained? Starve?

My parents make less in a year then you do giving ONE speech. Shame on you! Its easy to pass of blame when you dont have to worry where youre next meal is coming from.

I used to idolize the ground you walk on because you rooted for the "lil guy" but now that you are making more money, you attitudes make me hurl.

And for someone who is anti racist..you sure do refer to people as that black guy or that hispanic. What difference does that make in proving your point?

Bart Rice| 9.26.10 @ 2:57AM

Lots of good high-tech jobs available but not enough people qualified for them? Bill Clinton made the same point on Larry King the other night. Our education system plus our increasingly left wing culture has failed us. At a time of advanced technology when knowledge and abilities in science, mathematics, engineering, computer science are more important than ever, we teach how to put condoms on cucumbers.

Joanna | 6.6.11 @ 4:58AM

What an interesting article- I hope to read more like this, thanks!UTI Treatment

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