Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Leaning on shovels for fun and profit.

So, in a much ballyhooed report, Montgomery County, Maryland is getting its stretch of Rte. 650 repaired. The contractor has announced that, between new employees and returning laid-off workers, this should created 60 jobs. Considering that 2.1 million federal tax dollars went into their coffers, this works out to $35,000/job.

Obama says that Porkulus will enable an additional 3,499,940 people to lean on shovels across this fair land. Assuming that contractor in Maryland was not unusually efficient, this means we have another $122,497,900,000 worth of Slow Men At Work to go.

We are going to come up with the cash for this in two ways: First, we are going to sneak into your kid's room tonight and take all the money out of their piggy bank and replace it with a note saying "I.O.U. Love, Uncle Sam"

Second, we are going to go to everybody who makes more than $250,000/yr and tax them until they cry "Comrade!" This is an easy sell in populist America because, hey, the rich are evil, right? I mean, what good do they do, apart from signing people's paychecks?

So, we've got sixty people leaning on shovels in Maryland at the cost of how many receptionists and secretaries getting laid off in little office parks around America as doctors and lawyers figure out a way to cope with the heavier taxes? Doesn't seem like much of a trade to me, but what do I know?

16 comments:

JimB said...

Listening to the radio this am heard a reporter say that the Lightworked said "we shouldn't pay attention to the minor fluctuations in the stock market" I didn't realize constant falling was a fluctuation. We are in for a very rough ride. I can only hope the people who voted for this clown get everything they deserve.

alath said...

< First, we are going to sneak into your kids room tonight and take all the money out of their piggy bank and replace it with a note saying "I.O.U. Love, Uncle Sam" >

It's worse than that.

It's not Uncle Sam borrowing from the kids, and the kids scarce hope of Uncle paying back. Which would be bad enough.

The actual situation is that we are borrowing money from the Chinese to prop our lifestyles, and putting the debt on our kids' account. They're going to have to work harder and live leaner to pay off the debts we are running up on their tab.

If you want to get an idea how big this problem really is, watch this:
http://www.iousathemovie.com/
(Hint: the scope of this problem makes the current economic sniffle and the Spendulus Porkage look like pocket change).

Anonymous said...

You don't know squat.

The Important part is the road crew is dependent on government contracts.

All those other little people weren't.

QED the road crew jobs are better.

Brian J. said...

Don't I keep hearing about plans to seize 401k accounts and individual retirement plans for government mismanagement?

Asphyxiated Emancipation said...

Brian J. said...

"Don't I keep hearing about plans to seize 401k accounts and individual retirement plans for government mismanagement?"

Shhhhh! We aren't supposed to know about that part yet....Our leaders will make the announcement when it is best for them, I mean us.

Tam said...

If they're smart, they'll seize the guns before they seize the 401k's.

It'd be kinda stupid to snag what's left of some unemployed guy's retirement fund and leave him with nothing but a scoped deer rifle and a thirst for vengeance.

Jay G said...

"It'd be kinda stupid to snag what's left of some unemployed guy's retirement fund and leave him with nothing but a scoped deer rifle and a thirst for vengeance."

Dunno, Tam.

Given recent proclamations from the Bradys and whatever HCI is calling themselves these days, it almost sounds like they *want* another horrific shooting to push through more gun control.

The angry loner with a scoped deer rifle might just be the thing they need to unleash AWB II (Electric Boogaloo)...

Brandon said...

Good post. It just really isn't any more complicated than that, and yet millions in this country just don't get it.

Tam said...

Jay G,

"The angry loner with a scoped deer rifle might just be the thing they need to unleash AWB II (Electric Boogaloo)..."

Imagine the kind of laws that fifty angry loners would make them pass...

perlhaqr said...

Imagine the kind of laws that fifty angry loners would make them pass...

Or five thousand...

Drang said...

The funny part--for certain values of "funny"--is that these "infrastructure" jobs depend on contractors, who are usually small businessmen, who are going to be taxed out of existance to pay them.

staghounds said...

Who can provide more campaign contributions, headboard consultancies for spouses, fact finding trips to Aruba, and lecture fees for legislators- the National Association of Road Contractors (assisted by the Union State, Federal, and Associated Shovel Leaners)?

Or Rosemary Receptionist?

Q. E. D.

Anonymous said...

' We are going to come up with the cash for this in two ways: First, we are going to sneak into your kid's room tonight and take all the money out of their piggy bank and replace it with a note saying "I.O.U. Love, Uncle Sam" '

No need, just create hyperinflation after borrowing as much as you possibly can.

B.S. philosopher said...

I dunno if it'll work that way. Typically people making more than $250,000 a year are pretty smart. unless their last name ends with Hilton or Rockefeller or something.

I just read a comment by a husband-wife team of doctors on another site. They crunched the numbers and came up with a plan. It seems that Mrs. Dr. is going to stop practicing and take herself out of the hospital rotation and stay home with the younguns become the world's most medically qualified housewife.

Mr. Dr is laying off several of their staff including receptionists and nurse-practitioners, taking 40% of their patients off the rolls, moving to a smaller building and taking steps to ensure that his income stays on the low side of 200,000.

So these two people have been forced by the Lightbringer to both cut medical care for a significant number of people, lay off several highly skilled medical workers and clerical staff and childcare workers. How much of a hit on the economy is that for the measly amount that they would have gotten from raising the taxes on two such highly productive members of society?

People, rich or poor, act in a generally rational manner to reduce their target size where taxation is concerned.

Anonymous said...

Golly Gee, I think Congress must be using new math. $ 26.6 billion, 150000 jobs, 18.31 per hour. If there are 2080 working hours in a honest year then none of this computes. The one that really irks me is the $ 17.5 Billion to create an energy efficient industry zone in P.R. creating 1628 jobs. Go to

http://www.stimuluswatch.org/

for the details.

Anonymous said...

Brian J--

Never mind the seizure of 401k's. The phrase that gives me the whibblies is "imputed income" on the few of us that have paid off their mortgages.

(It's that "unfair advantage" we have over everyone else in the neighborhood that's still making a house note... or not.)

Billy Jeff Clinton floated this air biscuit along with a "one-time" 15 percent raid on 401k's and IRA's back in his day.

That's the trouble with a Really Bad Idea; it never REALLY ever goes away.