The Ancient And Hermetic Order Of The Shrill

I've been keeping this gem to myself, and I'm sorry for that.

Make sure you check out the Shrillblog, home of the Ancient and Hermetic Order of the Shrill. There you will read from the pages of the unholy Krugmanonicon, worship at the altar of Socialized Medicine, and enjoy the feast of the Immaculate Progressive Tax System.

No, really. It's good stuff. One of the main posters is J. Bradford DeLong, whose site we link to on the right.

Make sure that you check out this Shrillblog post, which has a wonderful graph from the Congressional Budget Office, information from the Boston Globe, and data from (of all people) the Cato Institute detailing one of Bush's most egregious lies from Friday's debate.

The lie in question?

Non-homeland, non-defense discretionary spending was raising at 15 percent a year when I got into office. And today it's less than 1 percent, because we're working together to try to bring this deficit under control.

How big of a liar is George W. Bush?

A gigantic one.

The Boston Globe (link above in this post) tells us that

Since taking office in 2001, Bush has allowed domestic discretionary outlays to soar by an annual average of 8.2 percent. That compared with 2.5 percent a year under Bill Clinton, 4.0 percent of George Bush the Elder, 2.0 percent of Jimmy Carter, and 6.8 percent under Richard Nixon. Under Ronald Reagan, nondefense discretionary spending declined by 1.3 percent per year. (All percentages are inflation-adjusted.) By any measure, Bush the Younger is the biggest-spending president in memory.

Whoa!

Let's look at that information in a different format, just because I like clearly illustrating what a gigantic liar George W. Bush is, and because I get to use, for the FIRST TIME here at Punch and Jude, bulleted information.

Average Yearly Non-defense Discretionary Spending Increases/Decreases
(By Administration):

• Nixon: +6.8%
• Carter: +2.0%
• Reagan: -1.3%
• Bush I: +4.0%
• Clinton: +2.5%
• Bush II: +8.2%

Let me repeat that last bit: George W. Bush has increased non-defense discretionary spending by 8.2% per year. He said, of course, that he has done no such thing, and basically blamed Clinton (do they ever get tired of that?) for what increase there has been.

That man lies like a rug.

Let me state that mathematically: 2.5% does not equal 15%; similarly, 8.2% does not equal 1%.

If I knew how to make the "does not equal" sign, I would. So get off my damn case.

Bush's lies make me nostalgic for Reagan. He told whoppers galore, but a) they weren't as obvious or egregious as Bush II, and b) he could deliver his lines with some skill.

I'm really not asking for much, Republican Party. I don't even mind being lied to. What I do mind is when you don't put any effort into your lies. Come on! Give me something that will make me say "Well, maybe he's not totally full of shit."

You guys just don't have any standards--or respect for the audience you're lying to. And that I just can't abide.