Sometimes, the Majority of Americans Are Really Stupid

[babylonsister]

http://business.theatlantic.com/2009/11/sometimes_the_majority_of_americans_are_really_stupid.php

Sometimes, the Majority of Americans Are Really Stupid
Derek Thompson


I cannot believe this Rasmussen poll:

51 percent believe canceling the rest of the stimulus money would create more jobs.

That is insane.

It's one thing to say that canceling the rest of the stimulus money would help our deficit. That's arguable, even if I think it's dead wrong, since the best way to help our deficit is to put people back to work when demand is nonexistent so that they (1) receive taxable income and (2) spend that taxable income on products to help other people's taxable income. In our 2009 deficit, $300 billion came from lower tax receipts, $100 billion came from stimulus tax cuts and about $100 billion came from stimulus spending. One hundred billion. Blaming the January stimulus for the $1.4 trillion deficit like blaming a pack of Skittles for a cavity.

The idea that canceling the stimulus would create more jobs implies that passing the stimulus has actually killed more jobs than it's created, which is bonkers. Let's say you don't want to consider infrastructure spending or green technology spending or a single job that might have been created in the private sector. If nothing else, the tens of billions we've sent to state budgets have, without question, saved hundreds of thousands of jobs, like teachers, that are supported by state taxes. It's just a very basic fact.

So this is a crazy statistic, but I think it's important to ask why Americans think the stimulus is actually hurting job-creation. It's a dumb thing to think, but it must be coming from somewhere. I worry that it's things like this.

[Kerrytravelers]

1. Clearly, these people are not readers of history. Great Depression, anyone?

How do they think we pulled out? Ten bucks, most of them say that war spending is what did it... which is government spending, but they don't make the connection.

*sigh* It's a wonder this whole country hasn't completely crashed and burned yet.

[JuniperLea]

5. This is what I don't get!

We saw this coming! We all ran around with our hair on fire when we saw this coming! We pointed at BushCo and screamed like so many little electronic Donald Sutherlands!



We knew the repeal of regulations and the bogus home loans spelled disaster. We saw it happen with the S&L failures, and it didn't wake anyone up... so we fell for the old lather, rinse, repeat routine.

We need to start up manufacturing again... we need to make sure small businesses can survive and grow... healthcare reform will go a long way toward that end as well.

Here's my analogy...

A year ago we thought we were on the slippery slope to The Great Depression V2.0. Seems something happened to change that... or slow it down.

We were in the Titanic, going over Niagara Falls... and somehow, we didn't hit bottom... and the bow has turned to point up. We don't have much momentum, yet, but at least we didn't shatter on the rocks below!

[Fumesucker]

8. You carried your first sentence on for two words too long..

Clearly, these people are not readers.

I go into even very high end homes and see *zero* books or magazines, plenty of TVs though.

[Kerrytravelers]

9. Exactly.

Mr kt and I are always amazed that bookstores carry more coffee choices than books.

Ok, that is an exaggeration, but the sentiment isn't. More people just want to be entertained than pay attention to the world in which they live. It is so sad... and eternally frustrating to those of us who read and pay attention.

[theoldman]

2. 25% are insane, 25% are plain ingnorant, 45% have some intelligence.

That only leaves 5% that are smart.

[Bitwit1234]

3. The reason we lost jobs?

Well bush and the republican congress allowed all the manufacturing jobs to pull up stakes and go overseas. Thereby letting the greedy S.O.B.'s bleed more money out of their workers. The pay only 1/10 of what they paid workers here, plus no benefits. They don't care what they did to this country only what they can put in their pockets.

[dysfunctional press]

4. sometimes?

[ConnorMarc]

7. +1

Datswatamsayin!

[HopeHoops]

6. That explains Dubya!

WTF?

[Romulox]

10. Cronyism erodes confidence in government. Whoddathunkit? nt

[rmann]

11. Duh

You forgot the word 'Vast'

[Odin2005]

12. And that, my friends, is why we are going to have a double-dip recession.

Most Americans have moronic and hysterical beliefs regarding our national debt and deficit spending, making the needed government spending politically impossible. Obama can say it's about not scaring currency traders away from the Dollar, but he knows the real reason.

[bbinacan]

13. I'm guessing you have a degree

in Economics.

[babylonsister]

14. And I'm guessing you have a problem with reading comprehension. nt

[bbinacan]

16. And I'm guessing

you have no fucking idea what you're talking about.

[babylonsister]

17. And I'm guessing, you aren't even worth talking to, so I won't. nt

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

20. Pff. Probably reads books two.

You no- that scratchy toiletedy paper whats got them words in their.

[TwilightGardener]

15. Alarmingly stupid.

[Kievan Rus]

18. Jay Leno would certainly know that...every time he asks the most mundane questions on the street

and gets the absolutely dumbest answers.

[babylonsister]

19. How disappointing are the answers he gets? I'm appalled

people are so damned dumb!

[unkachuck]

21. yes, but....

....in a way, you really can't blame them....things are bad and people are open to all kinds of crazy thoughts....

....who created this economic crisis to cheat the American people?....the wall street casinos and the banking parlors....who got our stimulating tax dollars to clean up their mess?....the wall street casinos and the banking parlors....

....who's been doing financially well during this depression?....the wall street casinos and the banking parlors....who has the Obama administrations policies appear to have favored?....the wall street casinos and the banking parlors....

....who's been going to jail, or has been rendered homeless, or is waiting in unemployment and food bank lines with broken homes and stressed-out families?....you and me....

....better get moving Dems, WE NEED JOBS NOW!....November 2010 will be here before you know it!