Video: easy to understand guide to American federal debt.

From a previous post, here's the non-video version:

Lesson # 1:

• U.S. Tax Revenue: $2,170,000,000,000
• Federal Budget: $3,820,000,000,000
• New Debt: $1,650,000,000,000
• National Debt: $14,271,000,000,000
• Recent Budget cuts: 38,500,000,000

Let’s now remove 8 zeros and pretend it’s a household budge:

• Annual family income: $21,700
• Money the family spent: $38,200
• New debt on the credit card: $16,500
• Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710
• Total budget cuts so far: $385

Got it?…. OK now…

Lesson # 2

Here’s another way of looking at the Debt Ceiling:

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 ceiling or remove the shit?

Cromwell's speech to Parliament: "Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation"

Actually, wrt Congress it's almost always apropos, but I was thinking of it in the midst of the "fiscal cliff" stuff:

"It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.

Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter'd your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?

Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil'd this sacred place, and turn'd the Lord's temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress'd, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.

In the name of God, go!"

Is There Really a Difference Anymore?

Redstate:

Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike.  No questions, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.  [Animal Farm, last paragraph]

Republicans were ushered into power in 2010, buoyed by limited government populism spawned by the Tea Party. They publicized a document called the GOP Pledge to America. You should take some time to read it. There are many interesting declarations in there. You’ll find lectures about the need to let the legislative process work; about the 3 day legislative transparency rule; about not spending most of the time on banal suspension bills; about cutting taxes; about getting rid of Obamacare; about cutting spending. Interesting indeed.

Cleaning the windows on the world's tallest building

Burj Khalifa in Dubai - it takes 3 months to clean all 24K windows, then they start again. You may not want to watch if you're afraid of heights.

Predictions for 2013, made in 1913

See the whole list, and a link to the original newspaper, at Weird Universe.  This is my favorite:

— these new aircraft will require "the protection of pedestrians and householders, possibly by wire netting laid over the housetops and even over the streets."