I've been thinking about the economy lately, especially the economy of the world and how it relates to the U.S. I read that Germany, in particular, is currently experiencing a 10% unemployment rate. I was wondering how much higher it has to go before we get Hitler 2: Electric Bugaloo.

I had a dream the other night that the U.S. went tits up and we were invaded by the Chinese. What's worse: another Hitler or the Chinese invading the U.S.? How much do we owe China anyway? They make about everything we use, so we must owe them something (or we will before too long). What do they do with all the money we send them? Does anyone care about our trade deficits with China? Hmmm. I don't... and I speak way better German than Mandarin.

I'm pretty sure I have no solutions whatsoever for either situation. But if I had to pick, I'd relate more to the Germans than the Chinese. And so therefore, really still for no reason at all, I present the Circle Jerks' smash 80's hit "When The Shit Hits The Fan", auf Deutsch:

      In einer tr�gen Wirtschaft.
      Inflation, Rezession,
      Schl�gt das pland auf dem freien.
      Standed in den Arbeitslosigkeitslinien.
      Tadeln die Regierung f�r harte Zeiten.

      Wir gehen entlang,
      Jedoch k�nnen wir.
      Wir m�ssen ducken,
      Wann die Schei�e den Ventilator schl�gt.

      Zehn Kinder in einem Cadillac.
      Standplatz in den Linien f�r Wohlfahrtsservice-Geld.
      Lassen Sie uns alle auf der Regierung saugen.
      Ach! Des Geldes wirklich gro�!

      Wir gehen entlang,
      Jedoch k�nnen wir.
      Wir m�ssen ducken,
      Wann die Schei�e den Ventilator schl�gt.

      Suppelinien.
      Freie Laibe des Brotes.
      F�nf Pfundbl�cke K�se!
      Beutel des Lebensmittelgesch�fts!
      Sozialversicherung...
      Hat f�r Sie und mich weggegangen.
      Wir tun, was auch immer wir k�nnen,
      Wir m�ssen ducken, wann die Schei�e den Ventilator schl�gt.

      Wir gehen entlang,
      Jedoch k�nnen wir.
      Wir m�ssen ducken,
      Wann die Schei�e den Ventilator schl�gt.

      Suppelinien.
      Freie Laibe des Brotes.
      F�nf Pfundbl�cke K�se!
      Beutel des Lebensmittelgesch�fts!
      Sozialversicherung...
      Hat f�r Sie und mich weggegangen.
      Wir tun, was auch immer wir k�nnen,
      Wir m�ssen ducken, wann die Schei�e den Ventilator schl�gt.

It loses something in the translation (and not just because of my crappy German). It doesn't rhyme too well, for example, and the words don't match the music. But I'm pretty sure that you can't find this info anywhere else even if you had wanted to -- economic hard times be damned. Further proof that I'm just one of Wilensky's monkeys I guess.