Every day seems to bring a new story about how cities, states and individuals are feeling the effects of policies either put in place by republican governments or trumpeted by the republican candidates for president. Election night is a good time to reflect on the impact of these policies after having them in place – for the most part – since the 2010 mid-term elections just one year ago…
· A small town in middle America has had to resort to taking out street lights to save money and close a 5 million dollar budget shortfall. Variations on this theme are everywhere across the country. Parks are closing, police departments are being consolidated, libraries are closed as much as they’re open, class sizes balloon and millions of college students – unable to get financial aid any more – are slammed with potentially crushing debt in order to complete their education at the same time as classes are cut and their job prospects suck.
· The tough immigration law in Alabama has had the effect of scaring the hell out of farm workers who normally line up to work the sweet potato harvest but who now have left the crops to rot in the fields rather than risk the heavy handed “stop & frisk” law enforcement enabled by the new law.
· As a result of deep cuts in revenues, government employment is at an historic low, leading to sever cut backs in services as well as playing hell with local economies, as private employers continue to wait before hiring. Republican orthodoxy aside, government workers go to the super market and the shoe store and the Chevy dealer and buy things. Sure, maybe we don't need multiple deputy sub-committee vice chairmen regulating the county fair pig races. But government jobs are actual jobs and support actual families.
· Mississippi is attempting to pass a law that says that “person-hood” begins at the very moment of conception, calling into question all manner of birth control methods in addition to curtailing a woman’s control over her own body and potentially criminalizing 14 year old boys jerking off in the upstairs bathroom. Or is it just the female zygotes that are in peril? Hey, I have an idea; why don’t you idiots figure out a way to get your state off the bottom of the list of minimum wage jobs and people on food stamps instead of getting yourselves all worked up about zygotes?
· Governor Jan “Adolph” Brewer of Arizona, apparently not content with Arizona republicans controlling both house of the legislature, pulls a down and dirty Nixonian hit on an independent head of the redistricting commission, appointed by the legislature, when her and some of her would be Black Shirts objected to the drawing of districts seeming to favor Latinos. Now she has the Justice Department checking under her desk and going through her dumpsters. Her explanation was a fine example of someone caught red handed doing something both stupid and borderline illegal; “Well she acted, uh, inappropriately. Well it was very, pretty much obvious that she in communications, and doing things, uh, not in the public, and the people of Arizona deserve that...", at which point she was interrupted by a sympathetic radio host who was probably embarrassed for her.
· Ohio voters soundly rejected Governor John Kasich’s pet union -busting and probably unconstitutional bid to prohibit government workers access to collective bargaining and to make them the scapegoats for economic problems brought about largely by policies championed by republicans at the national level. John, you may want to contact Faux News about getting your old job back.
· A respected republican-appointed and well known conservative judge in the District of Columbia refused to rule unconstitutional a major component of Obama’s health care reform legislation – the public mandate – handing Obama a victory as the US Supreme Court gets ready to hear a case of its own on a similar issue. The ruling by Judge Lawrence Silberman – apparently a close confidant of Clarence “Mumbles” Thomas – is expected to be influential to the thinking of the Supremes as they consider a similar case.
· In a surreal “Through the Looking Glass” moment today, Bitch McConnell accused the democrats on the so-called Super Committee of wanting it to fail, citing as evidence comments made by Chuck Schumer, who observed – quite justifiably – that the committee will probably fail because republicans refuse to consider any new taxes. McConnell, probably the single most hyper-partisan human being to ever walk the planet and a sour-faced prat, accused Schumer of being partisan and the democrats in general of wanting the committee to fail. Whoa…pot, kettle, black there, Bitch. How’s that feel?
· Herman “Touch that right there, honey” Cain continues to deny – not just groping or harassing any women – but of not remembering a dang thing about the women, the situation, the groping, their names, their bra size…wait, strike that. Anyway, the point is, Herman has shifted his blame from the politically questionable target of Rick “Where’d he touch her again?” Perry to unnamed yet well known “liberals” - those evil bastards responsible for most of what is wrong in America today. I am sure he’s grateful to have Rush Windbag in his corner helping him as well. The fat-assed drug addict is busy these days blustering about Cain’s latest accuser and, more specifically, her son, who he compared to nazi brownshirts for encouraging his mom to go public. Nice, Douchbag. Pick on a 13 year old defending his mom. ..what a righteous and admirable tough guy you are…dick.
Actually tonight had a whiff of republican desperation and despair as the election result rolled in. As I was writing this it was declared that Mississippi voters had wisely declined to consider unfertilized eggs to be people. Lucky for them; their state is too broke to pay their unemployment as they wait for a friendly sperm to swim by. No, today for the first time in a long while, the net/net of the news didn’t make me want to throw anything at the TV or hurl my lap top out of my car window. I’ll count that as a win.
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