Why Republicans Have It Wrong on the Economy

Guess what? Europe is officially back in a recession. Unemployment is up, profits are down. But not here in America. Not yet anyway. And the reason? While European countries inflicted huge cutbacks in government jobs and services, American government invested in the private sector.

True, government jobs and services are on the downturn in the US, but the difference is that while Europe exercised austerity measures, America had a stimulus package.

Despite the hand wringing and protests from the right, the federal government single-handedly saved the American auto industry. Had the Republicans been in power in 2008 we would no longer have an auto industry in America today. And millions more would be out of work.

What concerns me is that this could have a ripple effect on our economy. Will Europe’s economic woes, based on Republican ideals of economic austerity, translate into a recession here, despite our best efforts to create an economy that is slowly but surely improving?

And Americans need to ask themselves if they are better off now than they were at the end of the Bush regime. A regime that seems to have brought down the world economy in the blink of an eye. They need to ask themselves that question, because the answer is invariably “Uh….yeah.”

Republicants

The Republicant Party, and its Republicant members are showing why they just simply can’t these days.

They can’t field an array of credible presidential candidates, and they can’t agree on the one who is the least not credible because of his religion.

They can’t pass a bill in Congress that would restore jobs to millions of Americans through a public works programs and tax incentives. They can’t because they won’t. And they won’t not because it is a bad idea, they won’t because it wasn’t their idea.

They can’t pass a state budget that will pay for public education because they won’t close tax loopholes that benefit the rich and powerful – i.e. their base.

They simply can’t.

And now I see in today’s news that they can’t observe the rules of common decency in public discourse.

From the Austin American-Statesman:

“The Quorum Report reported that Taylor, at a meeting of the Joint Legislative Committee on Windstorm Insurance, said when discussing the delivery of payments for windstorm victims, ‘Don’t nitpick. Don’t try to Jew them down.’”

Don’t what?

Don’t Jew them down?

I haven’t heard that phrase uttered in public in 40 years, and even back then it was considered a racist uncivil remark. To Jew someone down was to talk down the price of something. You know, to bargain. Christians and other non-Jews took umbrage over a common practice among those from the Middle East, Semitic people of all religions, to bargain and get the lowest price possible.

But because Jews were discriminated against so virulently in the past, the phrase was often repeated and it became just as hated as the N-word.

But State Rep. Larry Taylor (R - Friendswood) was just simply using the vernacular that comes natural to him in uttering this totally unacceptable phrase. So I have a new phrase that I would like to introduce. “Going Republican.”

When someone is being mean to someone just for the sake of being mean, they are “Going Republican” on them.

When someone is ignoring what is scientifically factually accurate because of how it is going to affect the wallets of their donors, they are “Going Republican” on science.

Or generically, when someone is being completely uncivil, illiterate or unimaginative, they are “Going all Republican.”

I like it. So when Congressman Eric Cantor, a Jew, tries to bargain with the Obama Administration on trimming the federal budget of vital necessities, we don’t have to use the phrase so near and dear to the heart of Larry Taylor. We can say that Eric Cantor, a Jew, is “Going Republican” on the budget.