A Turn of the Wheel
Let us say that you are in a casino, near the roulette table. You have just witnessed a guy lose thousands of dollars over the last two hours.
He nudges the guy next to him. “Say, pal…that was my kid’s college fund and kidney operation money. Can I borrow $150,000? I know it’s a lot of cash to ask for, but…” he pauses, glancing at the roulette table. “…but I can pay you back double in about ten minutes. There’s just no risk for you.”
The other guy thinks for a second and says, “I believe in you.” He turns to his wife, takes a thick wad of cash from her, and hands it over—which the first guy takes and throws on the 00, straight, just as the dealer closes further betting.
Now, who is the bigger idiot in this story? The broke gambler who cannot control himself, or the gullible fool who didn’t anticipate how he was going to get his cash back or what the first guy was going to do with it?
Because if you have not guessed, the broke gambler is of course GM. The gullible idiot is the United States government, who gave a lot more than $150,000 to a company totally unable to manage itself. You, and every one else you know here in the US, is the wife—who simply had the kid’s money taken from her on a blatantly stupid action.
The actual sum of money given to GM was about $17.4 billion. That works out to $126 per taxpayer. If the Czar walked into your home, and walked out with $126 of your cash from the top of the bedroom dresser, would you (a) vote Democratic in 2012 or (b) call the cops on your Czar?
Either way, you will not be getting that cash back.
Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.