Another day in Gridlock

Another Day in Ideological Deadlock

Remember, "it isn't a revenue problem, it's a spending problem".

This coming from cons who in the past ten years (eight under George W) cut revenue (taxes are revenue for government) and raised spending (two wars) and a whole lot more.

Now, they are deficit hawks, willing to shut the government down in their zeal to "save us from ourselves".

And what do they cut the most, why discretionary programs for the poor, the elderly and the young, all groups that have the least defense. And who profits from this? The rich of course; and multi-national corporations, and the completely fascist Koch brothers who represent a oil industry that is tone death to everything that would help anybody but themselves.

We in California have been living with this for years. Prop 13 discovered a trick, that most Californians have still not figured out. Anybody and anything can win elections if they promise to cut taxes and raise spending. George W. Bush proved this in 2004, when he cleverly hid his absolute incompetence during 9-11 (sitting frozen for 30 minutes while planes destroyed buildings) by pushing a huge tax cut, and spending money like there was no tomorrow.

Two wars, trillions of dollars later, and huge tax cuts (especially for the rich) left the United State starved for revenue, drove government borrowing to record levels, and yes, sucked the vitality out of the economy leading directly to the melt-down of 2007-2008.

Add to this the inevitable cuts to government regulations of the banking industry, caused by cuts to regulatory agencies, and you had the perfect storm, low government revenues leading to cuts in regulations and economic disaster.

The American People have a very short attention span. They have forgot 2007 already, and bought the lies from the cons in the 2010 elections that the economic recession was caused solely by spending.

California has endured this nonsense for over thirty years, and is poised on the edge of an economic cliff that is about ready to destroy public education k-16. The university and college system that drove the innovations of silicon valley are about to be destroyed because of the "spending" problem of government.

The truth that Californians pay way to few taxes for the size and complexity of the state is hidden behind the myth of high taxes. Greed and nihilism is rewarded by the Howard Jarvis Tax Association and others; the idea is to starve government to death.

And they are winning! Right now a majority of Americans actually believe that tax cuts stimulate the economy always (they don') and believe the government is bloated and wasteful (it isn't).

So teachers are cut, Medicare is a viable target of conservatives who have always hated it, and the poor are fair game.

The public, in California and in the United States believes a mythology that does not exist. Public policy is being enacted that is basically destroying democracy in its tracks, turning power over to corporations and the rich who are essentially installing an aristocracy.

Freedom is dying in the burst of conservatives lies and falsehoods. The myth that small government is best runs headlong into the demands for regulations and services in the 21st century.

Imagine where we would be with the world of no regulation as we enter an era of dramatically dwindling oil reserves. Do we just have the poor walk? Do we shut down public transportation as gas goes to 7 dollars a gallon? This is crazy!

Once before this nation had to make a decision between cons who were advocating cuts and policies that were deepening the depression (read about 1930 to 1932); and wisely went with progressivism under F.D.R.

Today, we are faced with the same decision.