22 Replies to “Remember when Obama said it would be good if the US was more like Europe?”

1. Abe Froman says:

   January 3, 2011 at 10:32 am

   I noticed this morning that NJ is trying to seize the money from Traveler’s Checks and gift cards which aren’t used in a timely fashion. Our government whores aren’t so different from Europeans already in their belief that whatever isn’t nailed to the floor belongs to them.

2. Squid says:

   January 3, 2011 at 10:41 am

   I think such a move would be very good for SquidCo’s business. I may have to encourage my Congresscritters to explore the possibilities right away…

   (I’m back from the ‘Burgh. Pale, rested, and ready!)

3. JHoward says:

   January 3, 2011 at 10:49 am

   None dare call it theft, Abe. When representatives are elected to send graft back home the system is broken.

4. Ernst Schreiber says:

   January 3, 2011 at 11:13 am

   Related (in the sense of example n of why the system is broken):

   Just heard a PSA on the radio sponsored by the United Way. Some woman with an hispanic name and a moderate hispanic accent telling the world why she’s a proud volunteer who “contributes” to her community. It seems she helps others achieve financial “independence” by helping them to apply for the earned income tax credit.

   So that’s the new definition of independence? Somebody gets money they did nothing to earn given to them by the government, which in turn took the money from the people who did earn it on the pretext that they didn’t do enough to earn it, or didn’t do the right things, or already earned enough?

   But were not socialist in the U.S. Not like they are in Europe, so there’s nothing to worry about.

   I’m an NESA Life Member, so I already hate the United Way. But now I really hate ’em.

5. ProfShade says:

   January 3, 2011 at 11:19 am

   Private pension? How freakin’ greedy can you get. Oldsters should be happy for a dollop of government cheese, and should share dentures to save on dental bills. Pikers…

6. Joe says:

   January 3, 2011 at 11:29 am

   A “garden” variety version of the same thing…

   So where is Christy on this attempted grab?

7. Joe says:

   January 3, 2011 at 11:30 am

   Oh sorry Abe, you are all over this already. My bad.

8. geoffb says:

   January 3, 2011 at 11:50 am

   How Europe works, or not.

9. sdferr says:

   January 3, 2011 at 12:07 pm

   “What we have is a Ponzi scheme,” said Laurence J. Kotlikoff . . .

   Which, to the extent the claim is true, makes a handy justification for seizures of the property of the elderly beneficiaries of that scheme. “See,” the younger losers at the game will say, “it’s only fair we take back what they stole from us.”

   uh-oh.

10. geoffb says:

    January 3, 2011 at 12:59 pm

    Europe seems to be suffering from the recent, historic, lack of three things which helped it to become great in the past. War, famine, and pestilence. They have no problems that a round of “The Black Death” couldn’t solve.

11. dicentra says:

    January 3, 2011 at 1:21 pm

    Seems to me that more of our politicians should fear lampposts. Keep ’em in line.

12. in_awe says:

    January 3, 2011 at 3:01 pm

    Then again you have the top administrators of the University of California sending a threatening letter to the Regeants because their annual retirement stipend is currently capped at $186,000 and they wish to uncap it. The UC-Irvine CEO who earns more than $859,000 a year would more than double his retirement pay and is threatening a lawsuit against the University system.

    Lifting the cap would add some $5.5 million a year to UC’s $21.6 billion unfunded pension liability, officials said. Making it retroactive to 2007, when the IRS said it was okay to lift the cap, would cost another $51 million. http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/2010/12/30/give-us-our-pensions-or-else-uc-execs-say/71486/

    So, as Orwell predicted in Animal Farm, some will be more equal than others…

13. Mueller says:

    January 3, 2011 at 3:10 pm

    There will be blood.

14. LBascom says:

    January 3, 2011 at 3:23 pm

    See, that’s what happens when you win the class war. You move on to the age war.

    Taxing the hell out of the wealthy still don’t pay the bills, so a new group must contribute more. Or maybe just, you know, die…

    When do you figure Europeans will realize if you let the wealthy keep most of what they produce, it won’t go into their mattress? They will invest in job producing enterprises, creating a rising tide that floats all boats.

    About the time they’re willing to accept privatization of all their government goodies I guess. That would mean they have to take care of their own retirement funds, healthcare, and college education. And work 48 weeks a year. For a millionaire.

    In short, never. I mean, that’s what the wealthy are for…

15. Roddy Boyd says:

    January 3, 2011 at 4:08 pm

    What do lefty bloggers say about this sort of stuff?
    Does an Yglesias or an Ezra Klein ever stop and say, “Well, this is a bridge too far…..”
    Do they see the logical ends of a desperate state with subpoena powers?

    Because Ive noticed Righty bloggers tend to be all over the GOP when they get up to no good, which is the usual…

16. geoffb says:

    January 3, 2011 at 5:01 pm

    It’s a matter of trust, or rather where trust is placed.

17. The Sanity Inspector says:

    January 3, 2011 at 5:41 pm

    Your own person money, socked away for your golden years? “You might not spend it right.”

18. The Sanity Inspector says:

    January 3, 2011 at 5:42 pm

    #15 Roddy: If you read carefully, I think you’ll find that the lefty bloggers want the same thing that you do: your money.

19. Joe says:

    January 3, 2011 at 6:02 pm

    Well it is so much easier to take someone else’s money.

20. Roddy Boyd says:

    January 3, 2011 at 8:49 pm

    glenn is definitely opening up the throttle on the rhetoric.

21. Lost My Cookies says:

    January 4, 2011 at 6:49 am

    They were pushing this here during the bailouts. As a way to “protect” the retirement “savings” of us slobs. I recall ranting a bit about that, but it may have been in meatspace. If so, I probably need to apologize to anyone who was frightened on that plane.

    Speaking of which, anyone in downtown MSP tonight?

22. Squid says:

    January 4, 2011 at 9:40 am

    Got a previous commitment tonight, LMC. Sorry!

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