Phony posturing

So, all day long I heard soundbites recounting The One's alleged ire at the "audacity" of AIG for paying out bonuses after receiving gazillions of taxpayer bailout dollars.

Only one problem -- AIG's ability to do so was carefully protected by the very stimulus/bailout bill the new regime pushed through Congress. You know, the one whose details were only posted hours before the vote, and which no Congressman read through before voting on it.

Nice way to maintain plausible deniability there, guys!

Bailing out financial scoundrels, waging wars without end, 'stimulating' major campaign donors -- frankly, every dime of government spending right now ought to be considered outright theft from those who only want to be left in peace to live their lives as best they are able to provide for it. There is no shame, no self-restraint or self-respect left in our ruling class.

And just as with a bully, only instilling fearful respect will make the abuse stop. The question looms ever larger: can that respect be earned back without resorting to actual violence? Feudal lords have never minded the peasants shouting. It's when they finally pick up the pitchforks that things get interesting. Maybe that's the reason for all the hurry on new gun control measures... and why that's one sector of the economy that's still booming.