"...not a referendum to go crazy, though I wish it was otherwise,”...
Seems many of the Tea Party republicans already did. They are trying in my sate. We have a $300 million budget surplus and are required by law to have a balanced budget. That's pretty good for a couple billion dollar state budget. The republicans have always wanted to direct refund any surplus based on how much each paid in taxes. The democrats have been able to compromise by sending each taxpayer the same amount. No concept of saving some for the lean years and with the oil/gas tax dropping significantly next couple years this surplus will make the budget easier to deal with. The oil tax helps but it is not the driver. We have lots of agriculture and other business. But the radical republicans are trying their hardest cutting taxes and services.
Seems many of the Tea Party republicans already did. They are trying in my sate. We have a $300 million budget surplus and are required by law to have a balanced budget. That's pretty good for a couple billion dollar state budget. The republicans have always wanted to direct refund any surplus based on how much each paid in taxes. The democrats have been able to compromise by sending each taxpayer the same amount. No concept of saving some for the lean years and with the oil/gas tax dropping significantly next couple years this surplus will make the budget easier to deal with. The oil tax helps but it is not the driver. We have lots of agriculture and other business. But the radical republicans are trying their hardest cutting taxes and services.
3
The GOP is desperate to repeal the heliocentric solar system. The debate opens at sunrise tomorrow.
8
It's interesting that with all the talk about states' rights and needing to be out from under the federal government, all those rookie Republican governors of 2010 followed the same gameplan to do away with public unions, as if it were a national issue. I had never met a mean-spirited teacher or nurse before, but suddenly -- with the goal of dividing and conquering the public and private sectors -- I was hearing word spread that these civil servants were evil incarnate and the root cause of all our economic woes. Suddenly, in a strange divergence from reality, public teachers were the economic envy of Wisconsin, living high on the hog, retiring at 50 with a second home on a lake and healthcare for life,while sending everyone else to the poor farm because taxes were so high. The mob was thus made and has put conservatives firmly in control.
And it seems it wasn't even about squaring budgets, but simply sold that way to 1) justify gutting education in order to move closer to privatization and 2) villify all unions to make "right to work" legislation palatable. This is the way a lot of us saw it in Wisc four years ago, and this is the way it is unfolding. Gov Walker says he's not planning these measures outright, but his cronies in the senate are working on the legislation and he will not veto it. Unfortunately, the people that have the most to gain from these endgames are not "we the people" but a very small handful of wealthy campaign donors. But it's too late to stop em now.
And it seems it wasn't even about squaring budgets, but simply sold that way to 1) justify gutting education in order to move closer to privatization and 2) villify all unions to make "right to work" legislation palatable. This is the way a lot of us saw it in Wisc four years ago, and this is the way it is unfolding. Gov Walker says he's not planning these measures outright, but his cronies in the senate are working on the legislation and he will not veto it. Unfortunately, the people that have the most to gain from these endgames are not "we the people" but a very small handful of wealthy campaign donors. But it's too late to stop em now.
23
Here in Arkansas we were able to weather the recession reasonably well. We balanced our budgets, removed most of the state sales tax on groceries and in general, kept things on an even keel. We even managed to adopt the "private option" on a bi-partisan basis, stabilizing the rural hospital industry while giving more working poor the health coverage they need.
Now, with Hutchinson in place, and a republican-controlled state government, I fear for our state and it's quirky, faintly progressive pragmatism that has characterized it since the days of Winthrop Rockefeller and J W Fulbright in the mid-60s.
I only hope we manage to avoid stepping in it the way that Kansas apparently has. People have to get off their keesters and vote like their life depends on it, because, at the local level, it really does.
Now, with Hutchinson in place, and a republican-controlled state government, I fear for our state and it's quirky, faintly progressive pragmatism that has characterized it since the days of Winthrop Rockefeller and J W Fulbright in the mid-60s.
I only hope we manage to avoid stepping in it the way that Kansas apparently has. People have to get off their keesters and vote like their life depends on it, because, at the local level, it really does.
21
We can just watch Kansas sink further into oblivion and watch the other states with Republican governors and legislatures follow suit. Time for the REAL test of their theories. If they prove to work, that would be great, and we would have a terrific model. I fear, however, that they will prove to be disastrous. I hope, for the sake of the regular people, I am wrong.
16
We are sinking into oblivion. I wish that the DNC had put more money and support into the Democratic candidate, Paul Davis, in last November's election. The RNC and the Kochs certainly paid a lot of money into Brownback's reelection, including a Republican clown car of Dole, Palin, et al. that shouted the Republican base to the polls. Brownback announced today that what's facing us here is "a crisis of the family" not the plummeting revenue with which our public schools and services are to operate. His solution to our "crisis"? Close abortion clinics, deny Medicaid expansion for ACA coverage, eliminate public services to the poorest families with children (government aid is disparaged as "paternalistic" and responsible for keeping them in poverty), and eliminate aid to the elderly, and to mentally and physically disabled. What a guy, huh? What a ruthless tool of the Kochs and their alphabet groups to eliminate government of, by, and for the people of Kansas.
14
The party of 'individualism' certainly does ascribe the worst of motives to individuals, don't they? I've never met a person that didn't want to contribute to the team or community and who didn't feel better about themselves when they did. That's the default position of human nature, not laziness. But its harder to talk about whats getting in the way of that than to simply blame them and put the burden of failure solely on those who already have so little that they lose hope, or no longer see the connection to the community. Quite a trick, and so lacking in empathy for our fellow Americans that I wonder how the self-righteous can go to church without shame.
I remember a time when the GOP believed in government, but had different ideas on how to fix it. Now they just want to remove it. I guess the easiest idea needs fewer 'experts' to tell the exurban geniuses how to do things. That ought to go well. I wonder how bad its going to have to get before it gets better?
I remember a time when the GOP believed in government, but had different ideas on how to fix it. Now they just want to remove it. I guess the easiest idea needs fewer 'experts' to tell the exurban geniuses how to do things. That ought to go well. I wonder how bad its going to have to get before it gets better?
3
One really does damage one's prospects of governing competently when one has gotten elected by pandering to popular delusions.
22
"Gov. Pat McCrory of North Carolina, who positioned himself as a moderate while running for office, then signed one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bills..."
Imagine a world in which politicians have real principles instead of positioning themselves to catch the latest breeze. Instead we get these profiles in cowardice.
Imagine a world in which politicians have real principles instead of positioning themselves to catch the latest breeze. Instead we get these profiles in cowardice.
21
They really don't seem to have a clue that poverty is perpetuated by children having children.
12
@Steve Bolger
Yeh, well, you know what they say about doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting different results. Maybe they just want to grow a child labor force they can exploit cheaply?
Yeh, well, you know what they say about doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting different results. Maybe they just want to grow a child labor force they can exploit cheaply?
3
The voters that voted want conservative outcomes. The issue is the "voters" that didn't vote, and what outcomes would serve their interests. As the Republicans try and make a shift to the center, the same hard right, tea party players will protest and threaten to remove their active voting base--how will the Republicans weather that threat. Not well. They will buckle, and a more moderate approach to governance will fall away. So, if you don't like it, vote next time.
15
Obviously the need to govern for all does not figure in any Republican campaign.
7
I have recently moved out of Illinois. The previous administration, Democrat Pat Quinn, did absolutely nothing to address the dire economic condition of the state. He was a master of kicking the can down the road and avoided rocking the boat. I hope for the citizens of that state, Gov Rauner can right this ship that is totally upside down.
4
I am largely conservative. But I am also intellectually honest. The provenly false meme that all tax cuts increase revenue needs to be consigned to the scrap heap of history, alongside the Keynesian fantasy that massive government spending is the key to growth. That's not to say that very targeted tax cuts and very specific government spending are both ineffective. But that's not what the rabid right truly wants. Lets be frank, the Grover Norquist faction of the GOP despises the federal government (and the New Deal) and would happily repeal the Sixteenth Amendment. What these folks truly desire is economic Darwinism as they are even more elitist than any limousine liberal. Practicality, common sense, and common good seem to be lost on both sides of the political spectrum, which leaves us with polarized elitist demagogues on both sides who are more concerned with establishing their orthodoxy (because they are certain they are right) than with trying to enact policies that work best for most.
9
Let's finally lay the tired "both sides are guilty" trope to rest. Conservatives are more interested in pushing political ideology than implementing policies that actually have a track record of working. Keynesian economics have never stopped working; indeed, if you look back at predictions made by well-known economicsts over the past decade, the only ones who gave us a reasonable picture of what was ahead were those in the Keynesian camp.
37
@Mike
What too many conservatives don't grasp is that the 'Keynesian fantasy' is one of their own making. The ONLY time Keynesianism advocates 'massive spending' is in the most extremely dire economic circumstances, like an economic depression that threatens to spiral into deflation. What modern conservatives can never bring themselves to admit is that Keynesianism has already saved capitalism from itself once, in the 1930s and prevented the worst from recurring a second time in 2008 (just barely). But I guess elections aren't won in the US by admitting the other side got something right.
What too many conservatives don't grasp is that the 'Keynesian fantasy' is one of their own making. The ONLY time Keynesianism advocates 'massive spending' is in the most extremely dire economic circumstances, like an economic depression that threatens to spiral into deflation. What modern conservatives can never bring themselves to admit is that Keynesianism has already saved capitalism from itself once, in the 1930s and prevented the worst from recurring a second time in 2008 (just barely). But I guess elections aren't won in the US by admitting the other side got something right.
6
"Practicality, common sense, and common good seem to be lost on both sides of the political spectrum"
You mention Norquist on one side of that spectrum. I don't have the faintest clue of who or what his opposite is on the other side. There are no equivalent 503c4's or networks of foundations, or politicians advocating American Socialism and signing pledges to make that happen, which would be the polar opposite of Norquist's 'drown government in a bathtub'. There is no viable extreme left to rival Norquist's extremism, simply something that is less extreme. Claiming both sides are equal in their extremism is a fallacy.
You mention Norquist on one side of that spectrum. I don't have the faintest clue of who or what his opposite is on the other side. There are no equivalent 503c4's or networks of foundations, or politicians advocating American Socialism and signing pledges to make that happen, which would be the polar opposite of Norquist's 'drown government in a bathtub'. There is no viable extreme left to rival Norquist's extremism, simply something that is less extreme. Claiming both sides are equal in their extremism is a fallacy.
4
I'm from Illinois outside of Chicago, my state is a mess, run into the ground by democrats. Rauner is a breath of fresh air, he will be unpopular with mostly the democrats who rely on government, unions, welfare recipients etc. But he is pro-growth, pro-business and knows we need to attract business to build a tax base to pay off our out of sight debt. With business we create jobs.
3
Rauner is a new governor but not a breath of fresh air. His billionaire status and and success in the financial sector are entirely unrelated to running a state as would be the case of any honest or crooked Wall Street billionaire. Illinois' financial woes are due almost entirely to a very generous pension system that has been growing out of control for decades under both Republican and Democratic governors. Our last governor, Patrick Quinn, made an earnest effort to reform the pension system but was mostly unsuccessful due both to a legislature unwilling to bend and limits imposed by the state constitution. I wish Mr. Rauner success but he is not the magic bullet for reform. Honestly, what politician is not pro-growth and pro-business? First and foremost, a political leader has to be be pro-individual citizens, keeping them safe and ensuring equal and fair treatment living in their state.
13
To paraphrase: with business, we create *private sector* jobs. I realize that, for many conservatives, these are the only jobs that matter. But public sector employees return the taxpayer investment in their salaries by educating our children, constructing our roads, keeping state universities running smoothly, and the like. They maintain or create crucial infrastructure while supporting families, paying taxes themselves, and pumping money back into the economy.
When private sector employees and employers do all THAT, then I'll agree that private sector jobs are all we need. In the meantime, I'll continue to believe that we bash, demonize, and cut the public sector at our peril.
When private sector employees and employers do all THAT, then I'll agree that private sector jobs are all we need. In the meantime, I'll continue to believe that we bash, demonize, and cut the public sector at our peril.
6
With the 2016 election in sight, Republican strategists would be loathe to stir the pot, lest moves prove unpopular and haunt the party brand for the Presidential campaign. I expect stagnation from Governors and the Congress in the immediate future.
4
Divide and conquer.