I was just listening to the criticism levied against the new Governor of California, Jerry Brown. They all came down to a whiny “why me?” Really? Why not you? You, Mr. and Ms. Six Pack are the ones who wanted all the middle class services in the world without paying for ‘em – thinking somebody had a magical money tree in the back of the state house or there was mysterious huge waste in public service programs (if there were, it certainly wasn’t hitting this public service worker’s pocket book nor did it decrease my taxes – I pay the same amount as you do, Mr./Ms. I-Work-In-Private-Industry).
Now they are saying on CNN this morning (Christina Romans, I believe) that governors are resorting to “creative methods” of raising revenue (lending advertising logos to highways is my personal favorite) and reducing government costs. The typical favorite is reducing funding to public schools, prisons, and Medicaid. These three are the easiest cuts in the universe because the folks involved don’t or can’t vote and the ones that do don’t realize that they need these services. Even the parents of students in public schools are so blind or lazy to recognize the cuts will negatively impact their kids (they often think the teachers are paid too much as it is because they think “I could do that job”, to quote someone at the last PTO meeting I went to).
So here we go. We let our kids grow up to be stupid so that all they can do to get money is crime or to avoid the mental imprisonment of their poverty, they turn to drugs. Then we will lock them in a box for months or years at a time where they will do nothing but learn to be better criminals and become embittered. Then we will let them out with no skills or hope and likely an increase in health problems. Then we will let them get close to either dying or crippling before we will give them health care. Does this sound smart to you?
Cute but equally stupid are the “creative methods” of raising revenue. Guess how much longer it is going to take for you to get your traffic report as the broadcaster has to include the cacophony of commercial endorsements with each highway announcement. So much for “traffic and weather on the 8s”.
Folks who are lucky enough to have jobs and a decent life – please grow up and realize that you are a banana peel away from your fellow citizens who rely on public education, need help paying for medical care, or are in trouble with the law (how many of you will drink this Superbowl weekend? And how many of you will know for sure that you are not below the legal limit before getting into your car?). We as a nation have to stop feeding into the Tea Bagger’s arrogance that the problem is someone else’s and not all of ours. We have to stop thinking that it we aren’t responsible for our brothers/sisters.
Too bad selfishness isn’t in the list of the 10 really good ideas, then at least I’d get some “amens” from the Christian Right.
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