Friday, February 16, 2007

Elections? Economics? Oretachi?

It will be interesting over the next few days to see how the Abe Cabinet and the LDP improvise off the relatively good GDP preliminary report.

Courtesy: Mainichi Shimbun


What will be the campaign talking points?

"Wow, through Prime Minister Abe's farseeing leadership consumer spending has soared to exactly the same level it was six months ago!"

"Damn, nothing can stop the beautiful people from building crap and investing in machinery!"

"Wow, our exports keep rising! Who could possibly have a problem with that? We are just the most awesome exporters in the world! Keep using chopsticks!"

"After years of cutting back, public investment is going up...because...because...I've forgotten why."

[Alternate] "Public spending is going up? There are local and prefecture-wide elections? This year?"

"The economy is doing great...but not that great. But then, the Bank of Japan is independent. Politicians are only representing their constituents. Yokota Megumi!"

"You ARE richer. Really. Unless you are poor. Why didn't you invest New Zealand bonds when you had the chance?"

"No, we DO have a plan that both closes the budget gap and does not raise taxes. Until September."

"Oh, the Democrats always saying, 'We have to wait until revised figures come out. Preliminary figures are almost always overoptimistic.' Let me tell you, maudlin, cockeyed, boot-strapping optimism is what made this country great! Didn't you see Always-Sanchō no Yūhi? Now that's nostalgia the way it used to be!"

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Still, Always - Sanchome no Yuuhi
(SanchoME, and not Sancho) is a GREAT movie.

The French Reader -- and Movie Watcher