Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) just opined on the fiscal cliff talks with a statement rife with such internal contradictions that either he himself is too stupid to notice, or he thinks we are too dense to figure it out.
This is what he is quoted as stating:
"Speaker [John] Boehner's $800 billion tax hike will destroy American jobs and allow politicians in Washington to spend even more, while not reducing our $16 trillion debt by a single penny," DeMint said in a statement.
"This isn't rocket science. Everyone knows that when you take money out of the economy, it destroys jobs, and everyone knows that when you give politicians more money, they spend it. This is why Republicans must oppose tax increases and insist on real spending reductions that shrink the size of government and allow Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money."
Perhaps the most amusing phrase is, "this isn't rocket science," although apparently for Mr. DeMint it is. In the very same sentence when he talks about taxes 'taking money out of the economy,' he turns right around and chastises politicians for spending it!
And where, pray tell, does rocket-scientist DeMint think this money is spent? On Newt Gingrich's moon colony?
Let me help him out. We just need him to concentrate for a moment, because this is a tough one, even for a rocket-scientist. That money is spent IN THE ECONOMY, stupid.
Perhaps we need to do this at the first grade level. Since DeMint has been in Congress for so long, he must have experienced at least one round of military base closings.
OK, Jimmy, here is the question: Why does every Member of Congress who has a military base in his district, and every Senator with a military base in his state, do everything they can to prevent the base in her district/his state from being closed?
Here's a clue: It is the same reason that Paul Ryan (R-WI) writes letters to the administration asking for stimulus funds.
Here's another clue: It is the same reason defense contractors are worried about cuts in defense spending.
Here's another clue: It is the same reason that Jon Kyl (R-AZ) got so hot under the collar when Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood suggested that, if he did not like the stimulus, perhaps LaHood ought not to send money to Arizona for selected projects.
I do not want to help you cheat on your test, but the answer is a four-letter word, beginning with "j", ending with "s", with the middle two letters also serving as an abbreviation for a doctor who delivers babies.
Not rocket science. Indeed.
(P.S. Any Democrat who latches on to DeMint's statement because it criticizes Boehner is shooting the cause for rational policy right between the eyes).