Michelle Bachmann Will Eradicate Unemployment.

Michelle Bachmann has a plan to "virtually wipe out unemployment". This is absolutely amazing, considering the unemployment rate in this country hasn't been at 0% in all the time we've been tracking that statistic way back in 1948. For the stats nerds: the lowest recorded rate was 2.5% in May and June of 1953, the top corporate tax rate at that time was 47%.

What is Bachmann's job creating strategy? Training for displaced workers, perhaps? Tax incentives for businesses to add employees? Public works projects like those that put millions to work during the great depression?

No, Michelle has a better idea. She wants to remove regulations that kill jobs; no surprise for a Republican of course but just wait til you hear which regulations are killing jobs. George Stephanopoulis had the unenviable job of interviewing Bachmann on the issue. Check out the video. For extra credit count how many times she actually answers the question she's been asked. For nerd points watch real close at the beginning you'll get a bonus Bachmannism where she tells you who she's really trying to take the country back from.This girl doesn't lie nearly as much as they say...

George asks Bachmann about a statement she made about eliminating the minimum wage:

"If we took away the minimum wage...we could potentially wipe out unemployment because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level"

George gives her an opportunity to offer evidence for that statement as though it's one of her many "mistruths" (Please, PLEAse, PLEASE check out politifact.com for more information on Bachmann's war on facts ) but I think there's a more interesting way to look at this one.

Bachmann is correct. Yeah, I said it. She's right. I do not disagree with her at all. She's 100% correct. Getting rid of the minimum wage would create thousands, hell - millions of jobs.We could wipe out unemployment with a copy of the United States Code and some whiteout. No one would be out of work again, employment for all! It's utopia!

OF COURSE YOU CAN ELIMINATE UNEMPLOYMENT IF THERE ARE NO GUIDELINES FOR WAGES YOU FREAKING NUTBAG!

Republicans will tell you themselves that they want to eliminate all government programs, as well as stripping labor laws. This means there is no unemployment insurance in their America, there are no restrictions on how many hours your employer can require you to work and certainly no health and safety laws. In a society with no safety nets your options would literally be to work for whatever pittance the employer is willing to offer, or die of starvation. Without a minimum wage requirement McDonalds could literally hire you for $1 a day, or forgo wages entirely and pay you in food from the restaurant - your kids could be malnourished and obese at the same time. Anyone with money could hire you to do pretty much anything, and not have to pay you for your labor at all. Labor laws are what require your employer to, oh I don't know, PAY YOU. I suppose in that way they do stifle job creation... two points to Ms Bachmann. I bet corporations could hire a whole bunch of new employees if they didn't have to issue them a paycheck at the end of the week.

There are about 14 Million unemployed people in the US right now. Imagine competing for work with someone willing to make nearly nothing, just so they could attempt to feed their children. Try to tell me that this wouldn't push every workers wages down over time. Nevermind the overall economic disaster this would create, a consumer economy without consumers. What kind of a third world nation do Republicans, and Ms. Bachmann, want to see?

I would like to thank you, Alaska, gold stars all around.

There's a new poll out of Alaska (funded by a conservative, mind you) which shows Barack Obama defeating Sarah Palin by a pretty decent margin were there an election today. So on behalf of the lower 48, I salute you Alaska, for your sage choice.

My one and only tirade on the subject of Palin, whom I don't like to discuss for reasons that will be listed below:

First, I must admit I get annoyed when I see any news acknowledging Sarah Palin at all. It's actually not really personal, I just don't think the American media ever features her with any more thought than they give about featuring a dangerous car chase or a celebrity scandal because that's all she is.

She is sensationalism wrapped in a brain melting coating of stupid. And worse than that she can't take criticism, its always "gotcha journalism" or "liberal media" blah blah blah, the self pity is overwhelming. Lets never mind Barack Obama STILL has to deal with people accusing him of being a secret Kenyan/Indonesian Muslim from space, and the man zip-lined out of a helicopter and killed Osama bin Laden himself. Ok, tongue in cheek, but really, if all you do while you're on the media is complain about the media, it gets old fast. If you want to avoid being mocked, I dunno read a damn book or newspaper now and then so you're not always caught off guard by any question that isn't about how awesome the founding fathers are, though I doubt you could name even half of them.

But even worse, she can't keep a job or a hobby or a commitment of any kind in the public arena. Tip: If you want to prove you are ready for the highest public office in the land... stop quitting. I'm pretty sure no great politician in this country from John Adams to Theodore Roosevelt ever quit their job because the media were big meany heads to them.

You know who the media was when John Adams was running for re-election? Thomas Fucking Jefferson. He was slandered up and down by one of the most brilliant men alive, but did he quit halfway through the election? no.

Theodore Roosevelt lost the Republican nomination to Taft, did he cry and go home to Wasilla? no. He formed his own damn party called the Bull Moose, and said hell naw, I'm taking this election. He was even shot once and went on to give a speech an hour later bleeding through his clothes. Alright so Roosevelt has big balls, specifically bull moose balls, but the point still stands, if you can't stand even one full term as governor of Alaska... maybe you should re-evaluate.

So with the help of this poll, please media, stop covering her already. It's like watching a wounded moth sputtering around in a dirty rain puddle, its just getting sad. And when the moth talks its really annoying.

If Michelle Bachmann got her way in the classroom. Be afraid.

Oh boy a Separation of Church and State Question...

Santorum is making non-points, no one said if you have faith you have to stay out of government, I love how the evangelicals love to victimize themselves.

And Ron Paul is apparently rewriting United States law, paraphrasing, 'Congress shall not make laws restricting your ability to practice your CHRISTIAN faith.' Too bad for the roughly 20% of non Christians in the country?

Damn it I agreed with Ron Paul!

....on one thing, less military spending, but I do like government regulating what goes into our food and products and such...

Look what Grandpa Paul got me for Xmas, another Asbestos sweater!

Reasons I Could Not Imagine Being a Republican

Based on watching this debate I'm thinking I may need to start updating my list of reasons I could never be a Republican.

1. It is an agreed upon point amongst Republicans that the FDA regulates food too much. With all the e. coli and salmonella scares this seems like a place where government regulation is reasonable and needed. Same with the EPA, which Bachman advocated disbanding earlier. Left to their profit motives WHY would corporations NOT dump toxic waste wherever was convenient??

NASA and Newt

NASA is an example of government waste, and the money we've spent there should have been used to incentivise the private sector.

Question - If the government should never interfere with private business why should the government give money to those businesses?