Thursday, July 17, 2014

Shabby Road


I know that Republicans are anti-government, but sometimes you have to wonder if they're deliberately trying to destroy America as a functioning nation.

(Hmm,... I see that 37% of Mississippi Republicans would back the Confederacy in a new Civil War. Only 41% would support the United States of America! Maybe that's what's going on here?)

Now they don't want to pay to repair our roads and bridges? Why not? Just because the Democrats want to keep America's infrastructure from crumbling? Is it simply that kind of mindless knee-jerk response, like we saw with 'Obamacare,' that if the Democrats want it, it must be bad, whatever it is?

Of course, they do have a mindless knee-jerk response to taxes, but does it have to be that mindless? The taxes on gasoline, which pay for road maintenance, have been dropping for 21 years, since inflation has gone up every single year. Indexing them to inflation isn't exactly a tax hike.

And what's the alternative, anyway. Republicans are grudgingly agreeing to fund the highway trust fund until May - May! Less than one year! - at which point we'll have another political battle. What fun, huh?

And how are they paying for it? By letting corporations delay contributing what they owe to employee pension funds! Well, you can see how that's a win/win for Republicans, can't you? They get to screw over employees, without actually accomplishing anything worthwhile, since we'll increase taxes this year to get less next year.

That's not paying for anything! That's just borrowing the money - borrowing it from the future!

I'm sure there are more important things to blog about, and I apologize for my slow pace this summer. It's certainly not for a lack of topics! But I just had to post this. Sometimes, I'm just astonished at how low Republicans can go - apparently, without any political consequences at all.

How can anyone still vote for these jokers? Is it just complete ignorance about what's going on? Or is it merely incredible stupidity?

After all, these days, even Democrats don't dare to say anything that even remotely implies raising taxes. They've been burned politically so many times that being reasonable is completely off the table now.

So we can't do what makes sense, because the American people are so stupid, so ignorant, so gullible, that a sound byte is all that matters politically. Instead, we do something about as boneheadedly stupid as it's possible to be, because there might be some political advantage in that, no matter what it does to our country.

I tell you, I'm starting to understand the appeal of ignorance and apathy when it comes to politics in America. Of course, that's what they want, for us to stop thinking and stop caring. And I refuse to give them the satisfaction.

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