White House Job Summit: What Obama REALLY Means

Jmaurone's picture
Submitted by Jmaurone on Thu, 2009-12-03 21:24

"Don't Despair! Don't give up! We will reach an agreement with John Galt. We will get him to lead us. He will solve all our problems. He will make things work. Don't give up! We will get John Galt!"

(originally published at Objectivish)


"Don't Despair! Don't give up! We will reach an agreement with John Galt. We will get him to lead us. He will solve all our problems. He will make things work. Don't give up! We will get John Galt!"

Following the grilling of Ben Bernanke and the government bailouts (based on his Keynesian apologetics), The White House hosted a "job summit" today, featuring Obama's latest speech on "the economy," which is a call to "Stop bitching," put on our "A-game," and "get to work." He claims to be open to "see which ideas work." He said that he doesn't mind skepticism, but...well, let's call it as it is: He's calling for all ideas except for those that will work. Because the ones that work will effectively put him and his Washington cronies out of a job. As the Washington Times reports,
Missing from a partial list of attendees released by the White House are the self-proclaimed voices of business - the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business - both of which have been critical of Mr. Obama's proposed health care overhaul.

Who was there? "Confirmed attendees include liberal economists credited with shaping the $787 billion stimulus package, union leaders, environmental advocates and executives from Google and other blue-chip firms." Which means:
"He's going to get lots of recommendations to spend more money," said Peter Morici, a professor at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. "These are the very same people who gave us the stimulus package. My feeling is we're not going to get what we need, and that's a complete change in direction on economic policy."

Allow me to illustrate what this means. First, Obama's own words:
I want to be clear: While I believe that the government has a critical role in creating the conditions for economic growth, ultimately, true economic growth is only going to come from the private sector.

Imagine this conversation from Atlas Shrugged, with Barack Obama replacing Mr. Thompson, pleading with John Galt to save "the economy":
Obama: "We said we'll meet your terms, any terms. We meant it..."
Galt: "Get out of the way."
Obama: "That's impossible! That's fantastic! That's out of the question!"
Galt: "You see? I told you we had nothing to discuss."
Obama: "Now, wait! Wait! Don't go to extremes! There's always a middle ground. You can't have everything. We aren't...people aren't ready for it. You can't expect us to ditch the machinery of State. We've got to preserve the system. But we're willing to amend it. We'll modify it any way you wish....we'll do anything you say...we'll cooperate. We'll compromise. We'll split fifty-fifty. We'll keep the sphere of politics and give you total power over the sphere of economics. We'll turn the production of the country over to you, we'll make you a present of the entire economy. You'll run it any way you wish, you'll give the orders, you'll issue the directives-and you'll have the organized power of the State at your command to enforce your decisions. We'll stand ready to obey you, all of us, from me on down. In the field of production, we'll do whatever you say. You'll be-you'll be the Economic Dictator of the nation!"
Galt: "You want me to be Economic Dictator?"
Obama: "Yes!"
Galt: "And you'll obey any order I give?"
Obama: "Implicitly!"
Galt: "Then start by abolishing all income taxes."
Obama: "Oh, no!... We couldn't do that! That's...that's not the field of production. That's the field of distribution. How would we pay government employees?"
Galt: "Fire your government employees."
Obama: "Oh, no! That's politics! That's not economics! You can't interfere with politics! You can't have everything!"
Galt: "Want to continue the discussion? Or do you get the point?"

Do YOU get the point? If not, compare, once again, Obama's own words:

We don't have enough public dollars to fill the hole of private dollars that was created as a consequence of the crisis.

And once again, the reality:
Obama: "I can offer you anything you can ask. Just name it."
Galt: "You name it."
Obama: "If it's money that you want-you couldn't make in three lifetimes what I can hand over to you in a minute, this minute, cash on the barrel. Want a billion dollars--a cool, neat billion dollars?"
Galt: "Which I'll have to produce, for you to give me?"

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Correction

Ross Elliot's picture
Submitted by Ross Elliot on Tue, 2009-12-08 10:04.

The Bible is a badly-written fable.

To call it fiction is an insult to The Brothers Grimm.

And..

gregster's picture
Submitted by gregster on Tue, 2009-12-08 07:24.

..the Bible is fiction.

AS...

Ross Elliot's picture
Submitted by Ross Elliot on Tue, 2009-12-08 06:14.

...was a non-fiction.

So, AS turned to be prophetic

Leonid's picture
Submitted by Leonid (not verified) on Sun, 2009-12-06 20:55.

So, AS turned to be prophetic novel, after all. How sad! From the other hand, maybe this indicates the beginning of the end and a dawn of the new beginning. The sales of AS are soaring and reaching half-million this year.

Thanks

Jmaurone's picture
Submitted by Jmaurone on Sun, 2009-12-06 07:07.

Sandi and Ross. 'Course, the real credit goes to Rand. Smiling

Thank You Joe

Sandi's picture
Submitted by Sandi on Sun, 2009-12-06 05:07.

You definition is not only superb but it painted a picture that enabled me to see more clearly. I expect that you might open some other eyes with this post.

Bravo!

Excellent, Joe...

Ross Elliot's picture
Submitted by Ross Elliot on Fri, 2009-12-04 06:33.

...I should have seen it in those terms myself.

I just put in the category of a clusterfuck.

Here it is

atlascott's picture
Submitted by atlascott on Fri, 2009-12-04 02:37.

"This country needs every ounce of its energy to restore itself. The costs of government are all assessed upon the people.

This means that the farmer is doomed to provide a certain amount of money out of the sale of his produce, no matter how low the price, to pay his taxes. The manufacturer, the professional man, the clerk, must do the same from their income. The wage earner-often at a higher rate when compared to his earnings-makes his contribution, perhaps not directly but indirectly, in the advanced cost of everything he buys.

The expenses of government reach everybody.

Taxes take from everyone a part of his earnings and force everyone to work for a certain part of his time for the government.

When we come to realize that the yearly expenses of the governments of this country-the stupendous sum of about $7.5 billion--$700 million needed by the national government. And the remainder by local governments.

Such a sum is difficult to comprehend. It represents all the pay of 5 million wage earners making $5 a day, working for 300 days in the year. If the government should add $100 million of expense, it should represent four days more work of these wage earners. These are some of the reasons why I want to cut down public expense.

I want the people of America to be able to work less for the government and more for themselves.

I want them to have the rewards of their own industry-this is the chief meaning of freedom.

Until we can reestablish a condition under which the earnings of the people can be kept by the people, we are bound to suffer a very severe and distinct curtailment of our liberty.

These results are not fanciful, they are not imaginary, they are grimlt actual, and real, reaching into every household in the land. They take from each home annually an average of over $300.00, and taxes must be paid. They are not a voluntary contribution to be met out of surplus earnings. They are a stern necessity. The3y come first.

It is only out of what is left, after they are paid, that the necessities of food, clothing, and shelter can be provided and the comforts of home secured or the yearnings of the soul for a broader and more abundant life gratified.

When the government affects a new economy, it grants everybody a life pension with which to raise the standards of existence. It increases the value of everybody's property, raises the scale of everybody's wages.

One of the greatest favors that can be bestowed on the American people is economy in government."

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