MORFORD: Retail therapy saves America

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 2/15/8 | Mark Morford

[SmithL]

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel ... like buying a new iPod and a boat -

I have perhaps greatly misunderestimated the Bush administration.

It's true. I have, lo these past 7.3 miserable and karmically bitch-slapped years, perhaps not clearly appreciated their ruthless and demeaning but perhaps rather insanely effective (well, sort of) economic plan for America. Or rather, 'Murka.

Because it's clearly an stroke of nefarious genius, a wickedly underhanded economic strategy to induce such levels of pain and depression and misery across the nation, to load us up on war and bogus fear and divisive hate and overlay it all with the sad, phlegmy truism that our own callous and cretinous government doesn't give a rat's tail about you, your children, the planet or humanity's place in the grand scheme of the universe, to such a degree that a gross malaise kicks in and you feel as though your heart is being slowly ripped through your throat by a pair of rusty fireplace tongs, and you finally throw up your hands and say f- it and amble right out and willingly pay too much for a new couch and a car and some beer.

And lo, the economy flourishes. At least, a little. Until the nasty recession kicks in. But hey, then you're out of office and it's someone else's problem, right?

See how that works? Is it not a genius approach to running/ruining a nation? After all, they say retail therapy, the urge to buy more crap in order to offset feelings of despair and loss, is a genuine phenomenon, that people actually do respond to heartache and death and Dick Cheney ...

[SmithL]

Morfordite Alert

You've been warned.

[varyouga]

No alert in the title and I just ate...