This Is Nuts
From the New York Times today:
The Senate on Wednesday cleared the way to provide $10 billion to states and local school districts to prevent teacher layoffs and an additional $16 billion in federal aid to cash-strapped states, and the Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, said she would summon House back from its summer recess to grant final approval to the bill.
The procedural vote in the Senate was 61 to 38, with the Maine Republicans, Susan Collins and Olympia J. Snowe, joining all Democrats in support of cutting off a filibuster.
Where on earth in the Constitution does it say that one of the roles of the federal government is bailing out improvident states and localities? Since most of the most debt-ridden states are "blue," this is little more than political robbery -- "we have the power to take money from the rest of you to help pay our bills, so we're going to do it." Shame on Snowe and Collins for agreeing to such a blatantly partisan political scam. And shame on all those Democrats from the more fiscally responsible states for allowing their taxpaying citizens to be ripped off like this. And for what?
The other thing this illustrates is the absolutely craven subservience of the Democratic Party to the teachers' unions. The strategy is abundantly clear -- spend whatever you want on whatever you want; when deficit troubles loom, cry, "Egad, we're going to have to lay off teachers!" And presto -- here comes the Great White (well, Multicultural) Savior -- the Democratic Party -- to Save the Teachers! Never mind that what's really being "saved" is a whole culture of political sinecures, of unsustainable pension commitments, of ineffective programs, of bloated bureaucracies, the serious reduction of any of which would be more than enough to "save teachers' jobs." A pox upon every single elected official complicit in this whole fetid conspiracy!
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Comments :
Re: This Is Nuts
Has anyone ever told you, Steve, that you're beautiful when you're angry?
Jul '10
Re: This Is Nuts
The ladies of Maine had better enjoy their swing status while it lasts, as it will likely end this November. It doesn't matter if Republicans take the Senate, all they need is a gain of three to offset Snowe, Collins and Brown. After that, no one outside their respective states will much care what they think or how they vote
Jun '10
Re: This Is Nuts
When you talk about union teachers, and the Democrats who funnel tax money to them, it's all about the K-word. Kids? Nope. Kickbacks.
Jul '10
Re: This Is Nuts
Chicago politics. Period. Our federal government is now nothing more than a big city machine. $26 Bil ain't a bad "scratch back". It is all corrupt to the core. Which the Tea Party movement intuitively understands.
Re: This Is Nuts
What possible conclusion can the citizens of states that didn't overspend draw from this? That they're chumps? That they're easy marks? The states that overspend -- like the banks that over-lend, or the borrowers who over-borrow -- are the clever ones. They know, apparently, that they'll be bailed out.
It is, as you say Steve, "nuts." But who's crazier? The bailed-out states or the hapless others who have to kick in for the bailout pot?
Jul '10
Re: This Is Nuts
Long term answer: Repeal the 17th Amendment