April 16, 2008
Naught-ical Thinking
So I've been wondering when the tripartite alliance of advocates for labor, illegal immigrants and entitlements would start to show cracks in the face of the budget crunch. It would seem only a matter of time, right? Thus far they've tried to identify other "revenue sources" such that no program shall be left behind, like re-playing the class-warfare card in hopes of extracting more taxes from the wealthy--let a tax on their yachts raise everyone else's boats, or something to that affect. Until the yacht clubbers sail away to calmer seas.
So why, as it seems, are state workers or American's on welfare willing to lose some benny's for the sake of illegal immigrants? Would state workers rather keep more of their jobs or are they all right with sacrificing their economic well-being for the sake of maintaining some of the most lavish entitlement programs (per capita) in the country? Or are they, indeed, correctly banking on the traditional Rhode Island solution of raising taxes, as what Dan Yorke believes. And it's hard to discount it, historical precedent and all.
But maybe our legislators won't bend this time around and those of us who have been calling for a little fiscal sanity around here will be heard and the legislature will look to trim it's own sails instead of ours. Perhaps this is the year where we scrape some of the barnacles off the hull of good ship Rhody and chart a new course to Fiscal Sanity. Or maybe this is all for naught and I should book passage on board the Ship of Fools for even daring to think such things.
Strawberries.
You better book passage.
Come late June we will see another stomach-turning smoke and mirrors manouever at 3AM. Unless the voters wise up the sales tax will be 100% before the "progressives" ever would think of cutting the kleptocracy.
Follow the link and scroll down to "Symbiotic Parasitism" on the Ocean State Republican site.
They posited an interesting premise that the unions at first supported the influx of illegal aliens because it created jobs for teachers and welfare workers, but will come to rue the day because the financial demands of the welfare industry will eventually overwhelm the political power of those same unions.
http://oceanstaterepublican.com/category/rhode-island-red/
Posted by: Tom W at April 16, 2008 8:26 PM"let a tax on their yachts raise everyone else's boats"
Excellent.
Let a tax on their fur coats warm us all.
Let a tax on their planes propel us to a better economy.
Let a tax on their sculpted nails (?) point us through this fiscal crisis.
Posted by: Monique at April 16, 2008 11:35 PMIf, over the Gov's inevitable veto, thye Democrats on Smith Hill pass a whopping tax increase, and sell assets/issue pension bonds to finish the end-game for the public sector unions, then the Don should, out of princple, resign and let Liz Roberts preside over the consequences. Of course, if she called John Corzine, she might realize that poisoned chalice doesn't begin to describe what she'd be in for.
At the same time, the RI Republican Party, again, out of principle (and to use the proverbial 2 x 4 to make its point) should refuse to run any candidates in November -- handing absolute control of the General Assembly to the Democratic Party.
We all know what the results would be. But since rational argument and playing nice nice has failed for so long, this is what it will probably take to get the average Rhode Island voter to consider giving Republicans control over the state.
In fact, this policy would even help the Republican Party to separate the wheat (those who would go along with this strategy, out of principle) from the chaff (those whose desire to play the RI game and get their share of its spoils is too strong for their -- and our -- own good).
While many reading this will reject it in April, in the cold light of another depressing dawn at the end of the 2008 General Assembly session, it may look a lot more reasonable.
Time will tell.
Posted by: John at April 16, 2008 11:59 PMI do love that that idea is starting to get some traction here. I fully support the "You asked for it. You're screwed." resignation speech from the Gov.
Posted by: Greg at April 17, 2008 7:42 AM