Dysfunctional

While listening to smug lies from the Gang of Nope, it's hard to believe that they can keep claiming we need the policy that has driven us into the ground economically for the length of time they held the government in their deadly grip. I admit that hearing Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) talk about the evils of 'Them' in the government - as opposed to taxpayers - I hear truly mad separation from reality. This is like watching kindergarteners' inventiveness when they know they have no excuse for their actions, so make things up as fast as they can and depend on mom's forgiveness.

One way of putting it:
For those who wanted to stop thinking about politics and responsibility and morality and science and all that stuff, the advent of Reagan-era market fundamentalism was a godsend, and anything that threatens to disrupt it is an identity-challenging tilt of the psychic pinball machine.

Sadly, all the lies won't help the working people in this country, whose jobs have disappeared because they didn't make enough to support the businesses depending on their consumer power. What the wingnuts like to call consumer confidence was an illusion that has come to an end.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits unexpectedly rose to its highest level in over 26 years last week and so-called continued claims jumped to a record high in March, according to data that underscored the labor market deterioration.

The Labor Department said on Thursday initial claims for state unemployment insurance benefits rose 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 669,000 in the week ended March 28, the highest since the week ending October 2, 1982, from an upwardly revised 657,000 the week before.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast 650,000 new claims versus a previously reported count of 652,000 the prior week.

The number of people staying on the benefits roll after collecting an initial week of aid surged 161,000 to 5.73 million in the week ended March 21, the latest week for which the data is available, from 5.57 million the previous week.

This was the highest on record and lifted the insured unemployment rate to 4.3 percent, the highest since a matching 4.3 percent in the week ending May 21, 1983.

The budget they brought out for April Fools' Day would do for another term what was already demonstrated to be a flop.

Amid claims that the public would be taxed and spent into disaster comes too late, that has been done ... and their taxes were given to corporations without regulation, and to contractors without supervision.

Now watch this drive....