LBJ

[chrisj1968]

source: See also:

As we watch the machinations in Washington over the debt ceiling crisis, we have to ask ourselves how did we get into $14.5 Trillion dollars of debt in the first place? Why is America going bankrupt? When Lyndon Baines Johnson won the 1964 election after scaring America into thinking Barry Goldwater would start a nuclear war, LBJ embarked on a marathon of major social programs which became known as the Great Society. FDR had given the country Social Security. LBJ would give us Medicare, Medicaid and the War on Poverty. A series of entitlement programs and policy agendas that would cost the American taxpayers trillions of dollars. But the Great Society, especially the War on Poverty, reminds me more of one of my favorite movies, ?F for Fake? by Orson Welles.

<p>

?F for Fake? is Welles at his best. The film documentary is pure genius in subject and style. Only Orson Welles could pull it off. The film focuses on two of the biggest fakers of the period, that being the early 1970s. Clifford Irving, the author who tried to pass a fake manuscript as an authorized biography of the enigmatic billionaire, Howard Hughes. The other gentleman was Elmyr de Hory, possible the most infamous art forger in history. Oddly enough, Irving had written a book about de Hory and knew him well, just before he tried to pawn off his Hughes manuscript.

The upshot of the film is simple. The only way that either Irving or Elmyr could get away with their forgeries was through the wide world of experts. Be it handwriting experts who agreed that the Hughes document was signed by the billionaire, or art dealers who believed the Elmyr?s paintings were truly those of masters like Goya and Picasso. Howard Hughes had made it easy for Irving to initially get away with his hoax, since Hughes himself often used body doubles to make appearances. By the time Hughes confronted Irving, Hughes had become such a recluse that even the phoned-in press conference raised questions since very few people knew his voice.

Elmyr de Hory was able to avoid a life time in prison for one simple reason. He had been such a prolific forger that probably every single major art museum in the world has a copy of one of his forgeries in it! The talent of Elmyr was just not being able to copy a particular painting, but to actually create a brand new one in the precise style of the master he was forging. An entire industry of art dealers and experts, whose reputations were all on the line, would have been washed away by this global art scandal.

Once an expert is wrong, he or she cannot go backwards. Only those who have a true sense of ethics may admit to their errors, but most will just keep right on claiming they were right. When we look at major public policy issues, be it entitlements or global warming, the experts are trapped inside their own mistakes, and don?t mind entrapping the rest of us along with them.

Take the War on Poverty for example. While LBJ made this part of the center for his crusade of the Great Society, poverty levels had been falling rapidly in the United States since World War 2. From 1950 through 1965, the percentage of America considered impoverished declined from nearly 30% down to about 12%. Why? Well, the free market was working. Our money was still generally sound with its connections to gold and silver, so its value was reasonably stable. Federal spending levels went from nearly 60% of GDP during WW2 down to about 15% by the early 1960s. So more capital was available for the private sector to grow and expand. Federal entitlements went from a mere 0.3% of GDP in 1950, to nearly 4% following LBJ. Now, that number is close to 10% and is projected to exceed 15% by 2030.

There are other effects of the Great Society which are less about economics that cannot be ignored. Many of the programs of the War on Poverty led to a spike in abortions, in divorces and in out-of-wedlock pregnancies. Indeed, it became the preferred course of action for a woman to have children and not get married, since she would get more federal assistance. As the cultural impact of these policies began showing their affects, even early advocates of the Great Society, like Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, voiced misgivings and concerns.

By 2004, it was estimated that some $9 Trillion dollars had been spent on the War on Poverty alone. That does not include Medicare and Medicaid costs. The results was the poverty level increasing. Today, after the Crash of 2008, we now have about 40% of the population on some sort of assistance. Food stamps, unemployment and other programs have expanded. Of course, the experts who say all this government spending is necessary also add that we need more of it. Forget about the whole thing being a somewhere between a waste and an actual detriment, creating more poverty than solving.

If one just took the money Obama has spent that makes up his share of the addition budget deficits, about $17,000 per man, woman and child, consider for a moment how much economic growth and benefit might have occurred had it been given to the people directly instead of through bailouts to corporations and federal agencies. People could have bought cars, homes, paid off credit cards, even start their own businesses. There is no doubt at all that the ordinary American is better equipped to manage their own affairs than that of a federal bureaucrat. Instead, we are constantly reminded by the Media and the political class that such bureaucrats are the experts, and can make decisions for us better than we can for ourselves.

So this is why I say that Lyndon B. Johnson?s Great Society, especially his War on Poverty, gets an ?F for Fake?. Like the Orson Welles film of the same title, the facts and figures, the policies and arguments, are all forgeries, couched as the truth by experts who support the expansion of federal government. Welles, an illusionist in his own right, could fool us with his slight of hand, just as the professional experts who advise our politicians do daily. But unlike the movie ?F for Fake?, the end result is not just having our senses and imaginations tweaked. Instead, our expert bureaucrats, politicians and social scientists are condemning us to economic enslavement to an ever-growing mountain of debt.

This is something my dad has harped on for decades. Social programs do "Nothing" but destroy. Look at our inner cities. they have been run by democrats the biggest cities are in democratic states, California, New York, Ohio, Chicago Detroit...

But entire belief system of the democrats is a utopian society. Karl Marx even advocated the children should be taken care of by the state which, quite reasonably reflects the US's high rate of divorce. This social system of entitlements WILL fail. the family destroyed because it was by design.

This lady is Black, she surely brings up great points to the other black people democrats in this video because they know she is right. you tell a lie long enough and... pretty soon people will start to believe it. The democrats advocate genocide. They won't outright admit it, they will however try to change the subject or get in ones face and scream at you until to leave. My dad told me the other night just about this exact subject in this video. to put black people on social entitlement programs means to enslave them WITHOUT having to come out and say it.Then Many blacks will think to themselves, "The white man keep my people down,I want some of the money they have." all without realizing what they are doing. Nothing is free, there's ALWAYS a cost as my mom used to tell me, "there are NO free lunches."

So it goes without saying, Not only are black people "hyped" on Obama, they "think" he's looking out for their best interests.

Want to live in a communist state? Listen to this woman who lived in it.

http://youtu.be/e8rT76vNmxc

[ahhell]

Where do you find this ****?

You're worse than Hum and his conspiracy nonsense.

"This is something my dad has harped on for decades. Social programs do "Nothing" but destroy."

Really? Every other 1st world country would disagree. Sure you get abusers but you'll have them regardless.

[Mr. Gibs]

There is no doubt at all that the ordinary American is better equipped to manage their own affairs than that of a federal bureaucrat.

Sorry that's total BS.

Ordinary Americans aren't all that great at managing their own finances. The subprime mortgage crisis wouldn't have happened if people didn't take out mortgages they couldn't pay back (yes it was also down to banks / government for letting them take out those mortgages but there's a thing called personal responsibility). Credit cards are abused quite a fair amount in this country because people seem to think that it's free money.

Look at how many people end up bankrupt after winning lotteries? Or NFL players who go bankrupt after they retired from their multi-million dollar a year careers.

[Growled Member]

"This is something my dad has harped on for decades. Social programs do "Nothing" but destroy."

Really? Every other 1st world country would disagree. Sure you get abusers but you'll have them regardless.

Maybe you should listen to your dad more.

[chrisj1968]

Sorry that's total BS.

Ordinary Americans aren't all that great at managing their own finances. The subprime mortgage crisis wouldn't have happened if people didn't take out mortgages they couldn't pay back (yes it was also down to banks / government for letting them take out those mortgages but there's a thing called personal responsibility). Credit cards are abused quite a fair amount in this country because people seem to think that it's free money.

Look at how many people end up bankrupt after winning lotteries? Or NFL players who go bankrupt after they retired from their multi-million dollar a year careers.

I disagree because the sub-prime market WAS facilitated by the companies lending $$$ to the people they knew couldn't afford it. Also, when you buy a home, this is where it gets really disgusting, you get a mortgage insurance attached to your mortgage. so with Bank of America, Wells fargo, the fraudulently went in and foreclosed homes, pocketed the $$$ anyway from the mortgage insurance. then went after whatever else they could try to.

to boot; Well fargo AND BofA both got caught stealing(foreclosing) homes on people that these 2 institutions didn't have the house note on. houses were foreclosed to a point, NO one knew who had the original house note. so learn more before you state non sense please. We are all not ignorant.

final thought, Razor, if you knew i could not pay you back on a loan, would you be stupid enough to lend it to me?????

[nominak]

Razor, if you knew i could not pay you back on a loan, would you be stupid enough to lend it to me?????

That;s EXACTLY what happened,

[DocM]

And the banks made many/most od the subprime loans both under the encouragement of the Federal Govt. via the "full housing" policies under several administrations, and the threat of "redlining" lawsuits in Federal Court by activist groups like ACORN. Their claim would would include to give loans to otherwise unqualifies people or be charged with racism in poor areas.

It worked, the banks settled out of court, and the first thing the banks did was to try and lay off the (likely) bad bet by selling theese mortgages in bundles as if they were stocks - with the acquiescence & support of the Feds. We all know how that turned out.

[Mr. Gibs]

I disagree because the sub-prime market WAS facilitated by the companies lending $$$ to the people they knew couldn't afford it. Also, when you buy a home, this is where it gets really disgusting, you get a mortgage insurance attached to your mortgage. so with Bank of America, Wells fargo, the fraudulently went in and foreclosed homes, pocketed the $$$ anyway from the mortgage insurance. then went after whatever else they could try to.

to boot; Well fargo AND BofA both got caught stealing(foreclosing) homes on people that these 2 institutions didn't have the house note on. houses were foreclosed to a point, NO one knew who had the original house note. so learn more before you state non sense please. We are all not ignorant.

final thought, Razor, if you knew i could not pay you back on a loan, would you be stupid enough to lend it to me?????

Corporations exist to make money.

Sure they shouldn't have done it in the first place, regardless of whether or not it's legal. But people have this thing called personal responsibility, they should have made sure they could pay back the mortgage if they got it.

There's plenty of people in America who take out pay-day loans (even though they have ridiculous APRs), take out multiple credit cards that they can't pay back etc. Yes it was a absolutely stupid law that allowed the banks to do it, but it SHOULDN'T be the governments problem to make sure you can pay back your bills. It's your responsibility.

[chrisj1968]

I appreciate that Nominak. glad we can agree on this issue too.

And the banks made many/most od the subprime loans both under the encouragement of the Federal Govt. via the "full housing" policies under several administrations, and the threat of "redlining" lawsuits in Federal Court by activist groups like ACORN. Their claim would would include to give loans to otherwise unqualifies people or be charged with racism in poor areas.

It worked, the banks settled out of court, and the first thing the banks did was to try and lay off the (likely) bad bet by selling theese mortgages in bundles as if they were stocks - with the acquiescence & support of the Feds. We all know how that turned out.

Also, Carter pushed the laws saying EVERYONE deserved a home. then during Clinton(with help from janet reno) doubled down on that law and threatened companies AGAIN to lend money to those who couldn't afford those mortgages. I do recall.... Wells Fargo getting in trouble for shady mortgages on black people... hmm.

Corporations exist to make money.

Sure they shouldn't have done it in the first place, regardless of whether or not it's legal. But people have this thing called personal responsibility, they should have made sure they could pay back the mortgage if they got it.

There's plenty of people in America who take out pay-day loans (even though they have ridiculous APRs), take out multiple credit cards that they can't pay back etc. It SHOULDN'T be the governments problem to make sure you can pay back your bills. It's your responsibility.

hence the circular problem and the mess we have now. BECAUSE, those mortgages were packaged into derivatives (Bernie Madoff) and sold on the market. derivatives are the biggest scam of all time

[+hedleigh Subscriber²]

There is no doubt at all that the ordinary American person is better equipped to manage their own affairs than that of a federal bureaucrat.

Absolutely, that's why scams and fraudsters never get anywhere. Those Nigerians scammers hate it when they have to deal with ordinary people! :shiftyninja:

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

Moved