And the timing would have been perfect eh?

Just before the crash, the biggest evaporation of wealth in the history of the world.

We don’t hear about privatizing SS much any more do we? I wonder why.

If Bush had just asked me I could have saved him a lot of trouble (and jet fuel, he made over 100 trips on Air Force promoting this nonsense). His SS dreams were dead in the water. It’s the third rail.

Maybe it was the messenger. Let’s ask GW Bush to explain it:

***
“Because the — all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There’s a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those — changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be — or closer delivered to what has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It’s kind of muddled. Look, there’s a series of things that cause the — like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate — the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those — if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.”
—George W. Bush, explaining his plan to save Social Security, Tampa, Fla., Feb. 4, 2005

D.
—————–
Bonus:

“Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a
tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are [a] few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible
and they are stupid.”
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 11/8/54

A prophet. Republican wasn’t he?

You obviously have no response to this fact so you appeal to the genetic fallacy and smear the messenger.

I did not dismiss the Wash. Times factual claims, I said I didn’t trust their opinions. I specifically said I did not doubt that they had their Nancy Pelosi quotes right but I did not trust them to have the order of events right. I don’t trust Moonies.

Obama did not define middle class as a person making 200k or less. Someone who has a *net taxable income* of 200k can be very wealthy indeed and would typically be a millionaire.

Well, until Bush came along. Now they struggle too.

BIGD: “Bush did not cause the problems with your GM stock. That all took place with Obama in the WH.”

DAR
GM stock was worth about $3 in early November of ’08. It’s was worth $3.50 on January 20, 2009. You apparently don’t know much about the history of GM stock. How did all this “take place” with Obama in the WH?

Nevermind.

D.

Clinton’s market went up 330%. That’s nearly ten times better.

And yes, the republican congress gets some credit for that.

I have a conservative acquaintance who listened to a lot of Limbaugh during the 90′s (as did I). He doesn’t make much but he took what he had and played the stock market during the 90′s. Normally that would make for a happy story but… listening to Limbaugh he was convinced that we were always on the verge of a crash. “Clinton was going to destroy the economy.” He bet against Clinton’s market, buying “puts.” (betting that it will go down).

You did not want to bet against Clinton’s stock market. It was a rocket.

He lost his shirt. Nearly 30k I think. He got divorced. Now he mostly drinks. Still a rightwinger though! Maybe a little more humble.

D.

As I said: “in effect, exactly like income tax.”

D.