Here's another way to look at the Debt Ceiling:

[Teresa Heilevang]

Let's say, You come home from work and find there has been a sewer backup in your neighborhood....and your home has sewage all the way up to your ceilings.
What do you think you should do ……
Raise the ceilings, or pump out the shit?

Your choice is coming Nov. 2012

[tombogan03884]

You missed the really important option.
C- DON'T OPEN THE DOOR !

[Pecos Bill]

Let's say, You come home from work and find there has been a sewer backup in your neighborhood....and your home has sewage all the way up to your ceilings.
What do you think you should do ……
Raise the ceilings, or pump out the shit?

Your choice is coming Nov. 2012

That is one helluvan analogy! I've got to remember that one. Thanks, M'l'ette.

Pecos

[tombogan03884]

It's a slow day in the small town of Pumphandle and the streets are
deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody is living
on credit. A tourist visiting the area drives through town, stops at the
motel, and lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms
upstairs to pick one for the night.

As soon as he walks upstairs, the motel owner grabs the bill and runs next
door to pay his debt to the butcher. (Stay with this and pay attention).
The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the
pig farmer. The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill to
his supplier, the Co-op. The guy at the Co-op takes the $100 and runs to
pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and
has had to offer her "services" on credit. The hooker rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill with
the hotel owner. (Almost done... keep reading). The hotel proprietor then
places the $100 back on the counter so the traveler will not suspect
anything.

At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, states that the rooms
are not satisfactory, picks up the $100 bill and leaves. No one produced
anything. No one earned anything. However, the whole town now thinks that
they are out of debt and there is a false atmosphere of optimism and glee.


And that, my friends, is how a "stimulus package" works!

[Dakotaranger]

Or just declare the whole area a wetlands and let the federal government have to deal with the EPA for awhile

[Sponsor]

[twyacht]

We have to remember the difference.

 

[Solus]

At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, states that the rooms
are not satisfactory, picks up the $100 bill and leaves. No one produced
anything. No one earned anything. However, the whole town now thinks that
they are out of debt and there is a false atmosphere of optimism and glee.


And that, my friends, is how a "stimulus package" works!

Almost....at every payment along the way, the government will take out 10% (at least)  so not only is nothing produced, everyone involved loses on the deal.  And that is what government really does to snuff the economy.

[fightingquaker13]

It's a slow day in the small town of Pumphandle and the streets are
deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody is living
on credit. A tourist visiting the area drives through town, stops at the
motel, and lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms
upstairs to pick one for the night.

As soon as he walks upstairs, the motel owner grabs the bill and runs next
door to pay his debt to the butcher. (Stay with this and pay attention).
The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the
pig farmer. The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill to
his supplier, the Co-op. The guy at the Co-op takes the $100 and runs to
pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and
has had to offer her "services" on credit. The hooker rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill with
the hotel owner. (Almost done... keep reading). The hotel proprietor then
places the $100 back on the counter so the traveler will not suspect
anything.

At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, states that the rooms
are not satisfactory, picks up the $100 bill and leaves. No one produced
anything. No one earned anything. However, the whole town now thinks that
they are out of debt and there is a false atmosphere of optimism and glee.


And that, my friends, is how a "stimulus package" works!

Actually Tom its how an economy works. Services of real value were exchanged. Promises were made. Promises were kept, and trade of services continues. What more do you want? A gold coin or a piece of paper, all that is required is that people perceive that they are getting something of value and other's agreeing, and trade will proceed on that basis. That fable wasn't a critique of the debt ceiling, but rather an accurate picture of how any non-barter economy works.
FQ13

[Solus]

Actually Tom its how an economy works. Services of real value were exchanged. Promises were made. Promises were kept, and trade of services continues. What more do you want? A gold coin or a piece of paper, all that is required is that people perceive that they are getting something of value and other's agreeing, and trade will proceed on that basis. That fable wasn't a critique of the debt ceiling, but rather an accurate picture of how any non-barter economy works.
FQ13

Actually it is more like how a bank works.  Makes the loan of $100 and everyone down the line gets paid and the bank gets it's $100 back.  The difference is that the visitor doesn't charge interest for laying his C Note on the table...and, as pointed out earlier, the government doesn't take it's pound of flesh.


 

[tombogan03884]

This was the closest to the subject I found in 2 pages of old posts and I didn't feel like starting a new thread.