Ya gotta give it to Arizona's Governor, Doug "Cup Or Wafflecone?" Ducey.
He can follow a plan!
ALEC and the Koch Brothers tell him what to do, and by golly, he does it. After all, he's already been bought and paid for, so he better deliver if he knows what's good for him.
What we see happening in Arizona is an almost exact duplicate of what's happened in Kansas.
A little something I like to call Modern Reactionary Republicanism Run Wild.
Now, if you keep up with current events you know that Kansas is a fucking disaster zone.
That's a fact.
And it's all because of the Republicans who control that state's government.
Their only goal is to cut taxes to "starve the beast" and put a few more dollars in their rich backers' pockets. So public services fall apart, including education. And, of course, the economic miracles that are supposed to result from cutting taxes never happen.
But "facts" have no place in today's GOP.
And Republicans are incapable of learning from their mistakes.
With time and repetition tragedy becomes farce.
So welcome to West Kansas, er, I mean Arizona!
Showing posts with label Republican budget cutting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Republican budget cutting. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Point Of Pride
Fanfare please!
In case you missed it, Arizona leads the nation in cuts to education!!!
Was there ever any doubt?
Since almost everyone agrees that education is the key to our future, this might seem like really bad news.
And it would be, if we cared about the future...
But that's not how we roll in the Grand Canyon State!
To Hell with the future, we want to live in an imaginary, libertarian past.
So sure, it would be nice for Arizona to be first in funding for education, but let's face it, that's never, ever going to happen.
However, there is a silver lining:
Being the worst guarantees a surplus of stupid people, which is good news for all of the minimum wage paying employers.
And, in addition to being stupid, many of them will also be angry, and those two qualities combined guarantees a strong Republican Tea Party base for a long, long time.
So it's a win win for Arizona!
In case you missed it, Arizona leads the nation in cuts to education!!!
Was there ever any doubt?
Since almost everyone agrees that education is the key to our future, this might seem like really bad news.
And it would be, if we cared about the future...
But that's not how we roll in the Grand Canyon State!
To Hell with the future, we want to live in an imaginary, libertarian past.
So sure, it would be nice for Arizona to be first in funding for education, but let's face it, that's never, ever going to happen.
However, there is a silver lining:
Being the worst guarantees a surplus of stupid people, which is good news for all of the minimum wage paying employers.
And, in addition to being stupid, many of them will also be angry, and those two qualities combined guarantees a strong Republican Tea Party base for a long, long time.
So it's a win win for Arizona!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Need some federal funds for hurricane relief? F.U. says Cantor...
Every time I think Eric Cantor couldn't be more cruel or stupid than he already is, he proves me wrong. It's really a bit unbelievable to see the lengths this guy will go to to please Grover Norquist. You see, he's now decided that no money should be spent on hurricane relief without corresponding cuts on other federal programs (you're right, he only wants to cut those programs that help the poor -- God forbid we should cut defense!).
Cantor's spokesperson told Talking Points Memo today:
"We aren't going to speculate on damage before it happens, period," his spokesperson Laena Fallon emails. "But, as you know, Eric has consistently said that additional funds for federal disaster relief ought to be offset with spending cuts."
Now note that Fallon says "ought", not "must" -- but I think that's a distinction that really doesn't matter. We've already seen what Cantor and his ilk want to do to the federal budget -- in their ideological world, the only purpose for government is to transfer money from the bottom up to the wealthy. They have shown this to be true over and over and over again. Yet people still vote for them -- go figure.
I'm sure there have been more despicable people to reach positions as powerful as the one Cantor now occupies, that of House Majority Leader, but with the notable exceptions of Dick Cheney and Tom DeLay I have to think really hard to remember one. Usually the system realizes just how inhumane these people are and spits them out after they have their few moments of fame -- but Cantor is still with us and I doubt seriously that his district will vote him out, especially since they are inland and won't bear the brunt of the coming storm. I suspect the rest of the state (especially the coastal areas) will disagree with Cantor, after all, Governor McDonnell has already declared a state of emergency -- precisely so the state will be eligible for federal disaster funds.
Cantor's spokesperson told Talking Points Memo today:
"We aren't going to speculate on damage before it happens, period," his spokesperson Laena Fallon emails. "But, as you know, Eric has consistently said that additional funds for federal disaster relief ought to be offset with spending cuts."
Now note that Fallon says "ought", not "must" -- but I think that's a distinction that really doesn't matter. We've already seen what Cantor and his ilk want to do to the federal budget -- in their ideological world, the only purpose for government is to transfer money from the bottom up to the wealthy. They have shown this to be true over and over and over again. Yet people still vote for them -- go figure.
I'm sure there have been more despicable people to reach positions as powerful as the one Cantor now occupies, that of House Majority Leader, but with the notable exceptions of Dick Cheney and Tom DeLay I have to think really hard to remember one. Usually the system realizes just how inhumane these people are and spits them out after they have their few moments of fame -- but Cantor is still with us and I doubt seriously that his district will vote him out, especially since they are inland and won't bear the brunt of the coming storm. I suspect the rest of the state (especially the coastal areas) will disagree with Cantor, after all, Governor McDonnell has already declared a state of emergency -- precisely so the state will be eligible for federal disaster funds.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Shared responsibility?
Tonight President Obama will address the nation regarding our next budget, the debt ceiling and deficit reduction. Many are calling this the most important speech in his Presidency thus far. This I believe to be true, although for a different reason than many people think.
The GOP has gone back to its tried-and-true playbook regarding the budget. Push the discussion so far to the right that what now looks like the center is actually far to the right of where any previous discussion has been. The Ryan plan, touted by so many Republicans and beltway pundits as brave, serious, etc., is so far to the right that it stands virtually no chance of being passed. Even the Republicans aren't stupid enough to destroy Medicare -- Medicaid, possibly, but not Medicare. By pushing the debate so far to the right with the budget though, they've made the Simpson-Bowles proposition (the catfood commission budget) look as if it's in the center. Guess what -- it's not, not by a long shot.
The President is expected tonight to endorse most of the S-B budget recommendations. If you remember, this was the proposal introduced last November that raised the eyebrows of progressives with its draconian cuts. These recommendations include gutting our social safety net, reducing spending on education, clean air, and global warming reduction programs, cutting the number of federal workers, and increasing the amount veterans must pay for participating in veterans and military healthcare systems.
On the good side, the S-B proposal sent Rush Limbaugh into apoplexy. You see, the proposal also calls for reducing defense and foreign policy spending, although not nearly to the degree that these need to be cut. It calls for tax increases, but most of the increases will fall on the poor and middle class. The top 1%? Not so much.
Tonight our Democratic President is expected to begin the process of destroying that which has been painstakingly built by Democratic Presidents and Congresses going back to FDR. He will call for the expiration of the Bush tax cuts (which would almost single-handedly fix our economic problem, by the way), but you know as well as I do that we won't really hear much more about that.
The response that the President will get from me is this: if his budget begins to destroy SS, Medicare, Medicaid, education, etc. and doesn't include significant tax increases on the top 2% of Americans then he can immediately remove me from his mailing and email lists. I will never again donate a penny of my money or a second of my time to support him for reelection -- instead, I will join other progressives around the country to find someone somewhere who will actually work for the majority of Americans rather than paying them lip service while continuing to service the wants of the wealthy. To be sure, I'm not optimistic about finding such a candidate -- but I would rather go down fighting with my principles intact than just roll over again claiming in victory in what is obviously defeat.
In a somewhat related note, I'm proud to know that it is now official that what is said on the floor of the Senate no longer needs to have any basis in reality, and the great state of Arizona is responsible for this. Thank you Jon Kyl!
The GOP has gone back to its tried-and-true playbook regarding the budget. Push the discussion so far to the right that what now looks like the center is actually far to the right of where any previous discussion has been. The Ryan plan, touted by so many Republicans and beltway pundits as brave, serious, etc., is so far to the right that it stands virtually no chance of being passed. Even the Republicans aren't stupid enough to destroy Medicare -- Medicaid, possibly, but not Medicare. By pushing the debate so far to the right with the budget though, they've made the Simpson-Bowles proposition (the catfood commission budget) look as if it's in the center. Guess what -- it's not, not by a long shot.
The President is expected tonight to endorse most of the S-B budget recommendations. If you remember, this was the proposal introduced last November that raised the eyebrows of progressives with its draconian cuts. These recommendations include gutting our social safety net, reducing spending on education, clean air, and global warming reduction programs, cutting the number of federal workers, and increasing the amount veterans must pay for participating in veterans and military healthcare systems.
On the good side, the S-B proposal sent Rush Limbaugh into apoplexy. You see, the proposal also calls for reducing defense and foreign policy spending, although not nearly to the degree that these need to be cut. It calls for tax increases, but most of the increases will fall on the poor and middle class. The top 1%? Not so much.
Tonight our Democratic President is expected to begin the process of destroying that which has been painstakingly built by Democratic Presidents and Congresses going back to FDR. He will call for the expiration of the Bush tax cuts (which would almost single-handedly fix our economic problem, by the way), but you know as well as I do that we won't really hear much more about that.
The response that the President will get from me is this: if his budget begins to destroy SS, Medicare, Medicaid, education, etc. and doesn't include significant tax increases on the top 2% of Americans then he can immediately remove me from his mailing and email lists. I will never again donate a penny of my money or a second of my time to support him for reelection -- instead, I will join other progressives around the country to find someone somewhere who will actually work for the majority of Americans rather than paying them lip service while continuing to service the wants of the wealthy. To be sure, I'm not optimistic about finding such a candidate -- but I would rather go down fighting with my principles intact than just roll over again claiming in victory in what is obviously defeat.
In a somewhat related note, I'm proud to know that it is now official that what is said on the floor of the Senate no longer needs to have any basis in reality, and the great state of Arizona is responsible for this. Thank you Jon Kyl!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Don't let the Repubs take away PBS
Tonight I did something I do every now and then that I may not be able to do if the Republicans in Congress get their way -- I watched PBS. I bring this up because it infuriates me to no end that so many people in this country cannot see the value of a publically-supported network that brings programming that will never be seen if left to profit TV -- the ratings simply won't support it. However, PBS brings to all of America not only educational shows for children, but also the kind of culturally-based programming that should be every bit as available as such lowbrow shows as Two and a Half Men or American Idol. Granted, it's not always my cup of tea -- the programming ranges from fair at the bottom end to outstanding and above at the top end. Nowhere else on broadcast television will you see shows like NOVA, American Experience, Masterpiece Theatre, and Great Performances. Tonight's 25th Anniversary concert from London of Les Miserables is one of the shows that falls into the truly outstanding category.
The argument seems to be that cable networks will continue to bring this type of programming; however, that denies a large portion of the country the ability to be able to see this kind of show simply because they can't afford cable or satellite. That number is growing as unemployment stays high and the economy remains stagnant. Whether people choose to watch shows like this is immaterial -- what matters is that they have the choice and ability to watch.
Please contact your congressperson or senator and urge them not to remove the funding from PBS -- this, I believe, is urgent. Outside a few large cities, there is a serious lack of access to culture, please don't let it get worse.
With that said, tonight I offer you Jean Valjean's death and the finale from Les Miserables: the 25th Anniversary Concert from the O2 Arena in London. Enjoy!
The argument seems to be that cable networks will continue to bring this type of programming; however, that denies a large portion of the country the ability to be able to see this kind of show simply because they can't afford cable or satellite. That number is growing as unemployment stays high and the economy remains stagnant. Whether people choose to watch shows like this is immaterial -- what matters is that they have the choice and ability to watch.
Please contact your congressperson or senator and urge them not to remove the funding from PBS -- this, I believe, is urgent. Outside a few large cities, there is a serious lack of access to culture, please don't let it get worse.
With that said, tonight I offer you Jean Valjean's death and the finale from Les Miserables: the 25th Anniversary Concert from the O2 Arena in London. Enjoy!
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