Sunday Smorgasbord - 2/27/11

Keep The Heat On!

It does my heart wonders to see the labor unions finally joining together, sticking up for their collective rights.

Just about every observer got this one right: the election of Neo-Con, Tea-Bagger-Ass-Kissing Republicans to governorships and to legislatures signalled the Final Assault on unions, and workers' rights, in several key states.

And a Mega Tip-O-The-Hat goes to the Progressive Blogger who got through to Wisconsin's Neo-Con Guvvie by posing as a bazzionaire! Talk about ratting out an agenda!

As mentioned in a previous post, the Conservative Wing of the GOP has been praying for, and actively planning for, the Demise of the Unions for almost 80 years. Neo-Cons made it an Article Of Their Faith.

The results of last fall's election empowered them, flushed with Tea Bagger Bravado, to take a sip of the Cool Ade and implement this Plan of Destruction

Keep one very important factor in-mind: The Neo-Con Tea-Baggers got their base vote out.

We didn't.

Lesson Learned!

Neo-Con / Tea Bagger Fuzzy - Wuzzy Math

The arguments from Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey and, soon, from a state very near you, goes something like this:

To bring state budgets in-line, state employees and critically-needed services for the less-fortunate must bear the brunt of the budget cuts.

Let's shelf the attack on unions and the less-fortunate for a moment and go back to make a critical evaluation of how a state budget actually comes together.

Government calculates how much it will cost to run the state; and then it examines its available revenue options to pay the bills.

A (expenses) = B (revenues)

But government cannot balance the equation if it refuses to apportion the revenue burden, equally and fairly, among its citizens -- including its corporate citizens.

In fact, these Neo-Con Bustards have plans to actually cut the tax rate for corporations and its wealthiest citizens, further penalizing low-to-medium income earners who will pay a disproportionate share of their earnings to state government AND suffer from a reduction in the quantity and quality of basic services.

Here are a few of the Neo's Boo-Hoos being used to back up their Draconian Plan.

• "We have to improve the Business Climate, which will create jobs."
• "Unions and collective bargaining will bankrupt our state."
• "We must cut the budget to make things better for our children's children."

Here's some Responses:

• Do you really think a business would consider relocating to any state which lowers its education standards through slashing school funding?
• Do you really believe that slamming unions -- instead of working with them -- is the long-term solution to a state's budget shortfall? If so, go ahead and hire a "rent-a-cop" shop to provide state police protection -- and then see what happens.
• Do you think your children's children will enjoy living in a state where under-funded schools are in ruins, libraries and boarded up, your Interstates resemble Baghdad, and weed-infested state parks are no longer extant?

There's a way out:

• Cap state expenses until the economy rebounds.
• Raise taxes on those who can afford to pay them the most.

A Question About Our Constitution

Now that each and every Neo-Con Tea Bagger is an Expert on the United States Constitution and Constitutional Law, ask one of them a simple question the next time they launch into one of their rants:

• "How many Amendments are there?"

Seems as though the Arm Chair Supreme Court Justices & Constitutional Law Scholars are aware of just two: the 2nd, and the 10th.

In these Wild & Crazy Times, I'm grateful for ... the 21st!