Cheney's Premature Elaboration

January 11, 2009
Cheney: Too soon to declare worst economy

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Appearing Sunday on the last broadcast of CNN's Late Edition, Vice President Dick Cheney defended the administration's handling of the recession and argued that its premature to call it the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

It is premature. Shame on us. These things take time and we need to learn to be patient. Let's promise not to call it the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression until it is actually official. Until that point, we can continue to throw trillions of dollars of taxpayer money at our little banking system mishap.

"I can't say that. I don't think we know that yet. I think certainly if you look at some earlier periods in our history, I remember back in the late '70s when we had a high rate of inflation, stagflation in effect and a high rate of unemployment," Cheney said.

That's what makes the Great Depression so great. It only had one of the three. There was no high rate of inflation. There wasn't any of that pesky stagflation. It was just pure unemployment.

January 12, 2009
Unemployment office jammed? Here’s how to file for benefits.

One tip: Go later in the week to avoid the crush of people.

January 12, 2009
Economy Made Few Gains in Bush Years

The number of jobs in the nation increased by about 2 percent during Bush's tenure, the most tepid growth over any eight-year span since data collection began seven decades ago. Gross domestic product, a broad measure of economic output, grew at the slowest pace for a period of that length since the Truman administration. And Americans' incomes grew more slowly than in any presidency since the 1960s, other than that of Bush's father.

Outsourcing jobs and giving enormous tax breaks to the rich didn't lead to a massive prosperity trickle down to the average taxpaying worker thereby keeping our entire economy afloat? There must be something seriously wrong with the data. That's just too impossible to believe. Think about it. If it was THAT bad we would not have reelected Bush. Right?

Father... father, the sarcasm has awakened!