Not Sabotage; Ideology

Lee,I’m curious as to where you’ve been for the last 25 years.Was your stay in the Golden State in a cave?

Lee, when you and Bob disagree, I’m often on your side. I think you try to give the repubs the benefit of the doubt, and I do too, but on this, I think you’re giving them too much. Tax cuts is one thing they know. Power and riches are the other two.There was a time when there was a legit ideological disagreement between dems and reps. then newt came in and the reps did their best to completely shut the dems out. They don’t want to work with them at all. that’s what’s happening. and if the economy has to tank while they sabotage the dems, so be it. They know if they don’t get reelected they’ll still have a cushy job waiting for them. they really don’t care.

I won’t argue that ideology makes people do stupid things–engaging in group-think is rarely beneficial. But from the outside and comparing it to the actions of Congressional Republicans, it sure looks like sabotage to me too. The fact that they were given concessions by allowing tax breaks and removing some of the things Republicans wanted out, and still they were 100% against obstructionist!I realize part of the Republican ideology is also about getting everything they want and not just some of it but that’s still sabotage–my way or the highway is an ultimatum that means gimme, gimme, gimme or I’ll sabotage your effort. Ideological behavior is genteel compared to how Republicans are acting.

I meant 100% obstructionist, btw.

Lee,That was a rational argument you gave, but it won’t play here. I, of course, agree with you, partly. However, I also agree that to a certain extent, it is human nature, and group-think nature, to hope your opponent fails so that you may succeed.This is the danger with political parties. Sooner or later, they can no longer co-exist. When the agenda of each party is to control as much government as they can in order to form a more perfect environment for their ideology, sabotage is inferred, and at times, even necessary for survival.We just went through an election where our politicians were actually preaching to us about patriotism, as if they knew anything about it. As radical as this looks, patriotism in our country is defined as party loyalty. Only after the Party needs do the needs of the people get met.Lee, you’d be better served to walk away from either party, and become an independent.

Yeah what do we need taxes for? Roads, schools (well for people who believe in education), fire departments, police- these things would be better off run by private individuals, right? To say nothing of black helicopters and the federal income tax being unconstitutional, right?

“…So tax cuts DO matter. It’s not wise to be blinded by our own ideology to think otherwise…”

More precisely, tax cuts CAN matter. For example, even though some move to Florida because it has no income taxes, others avoid living there because of the high cost of windstorm and flood insurance–costs than could be more efficiently pooled with…wait for it…income taxes.In Georgia, I’ve seen jobs move to North Carolina when a German pharmaceutical company decided to open a production plant there because, despite higher taxes, NC had a more highly educated work force (relative to Georgia, NC spends more on public schools).We also recently saw Toyota decide to open a plant in Canada, despite higher taxes there, because they save money on health care and because Canada has a more highly educated workforce than the states (mostly in the South) that were competing for these plants.Yes, lower taxes in the short term can be a factor to the shortsighted. But as liberals, our job is to educate–not accept.

I responded to Lee in a new post, but it bears repeating here.If the Republicans, as Lee wrote, “want tax cuts because that is their religion. It’s all they know,” then why would they vote against the largest middle class tax cut in American history (at the congressional level), and why would they vote against the corporate tax cut they specifically asked for (in California)?Why?Rush Limbaugh answers the question: “I want everything he’s doing to fail… I want the stimulus package to fail…. I do not want this to succeed.”

Lee, please let us know how it works out for you in New Mexico. Are you heading to Santa Fe or someplace else? And I’d love some comparative statistics, since I live in California and love New Mexico, and it would be nice to have some leverage with my sister/business partner, who loves New Mexico but prefers the weather here. (At least she and her husband can still pay the mortgage.) What is the price for a decent one bedroom apartment? Because in California, I just renewed my lease at $965 a month for a nice 550 sq. ft. not-quite one-bedroom, after trying and failing to get a break from my landlord on yet another rent increase. (It’s a well-run complex in a good location.) They argued that I was already paying below market value, which I am, since I’ve been in the same unit for 18 years. Otherwise, it’d be at least $200 a month more… and another $75 for a parking space, if I owned a car. I remember the days (in the Midwest, anyway) when 25% of any average income could get you a one-bedroom apartment. For a renter in California, you’re lucky if it’s 50% and not 75%.

Even though I’m in China now, I am an Oregonian, and have seen the results of California migration to my state. The anti tax mentality has, through the years, hamstrung our state government, screwed up our schools from K through college, and destroyed social services. We have counties with virtually no law enforcement. At the same time they want more draconian sentencing laws resulting in overcrowded prisons and jails.The mentality that brought this on is anti government, teetering on the brink of anarchy. The Republicans do not care about the well being of our country. They are every person for themselves and screw the rest. The dicks in our Legislative Branch as well as the dicks in the California Assembly don’t care! Their motto: “I’ve got mine, fuck you!”

PS, Lee. Businesses do not locate in a state only because of lower taxes. If a state cannot provide good schools, police protection, water, sewage, etc, a business cannot recruit good people or have an intelligent, well educated work force that isn’t strung out on meth.California has become a basket case state with a great climate, and the Republican anti tax idiots can take a big bow for their role in this fiasco.