Ocassional Thoughts of an Independent Progressive Atheistic Humanist
The great Ohio political blog Plunderbund had a great post about some stories appearing in the Columbus Dispatch recently calling for a compromise between the state GOP and labor unions in order to remove Issue 2 from the ballot. Issue 2 is the referendum over Senate Bill 5 that stripped collective bargaining from public employees. It turns out that the Dispatch was closer to the issue than they let on.
Just like during the budget fight last December, the ruling oligarchy took it to the last moment to agree on a deal on raising the debt ceiling. “Good” for them. The deal though is a solution looking for a problem.
As I have written before, cutting the budget now is stupid. It was stupid when it was done back at the end of last year.
As the Republicans drive us closer to the cliff of financial ruin, the fact is that the debt ceiling needs to be raised to pay for what has already been budgeted. Remember the government shut down crisis in December? Not only is this crisis a Tea Party wet dream, but the Democrats don’t get off the hook. Who’s bright idea came up with the need to cut the deficit while the economy wobbles after the gut punch in 2008 that led to 9%+ unemployment, tanked the housing market, and the largest income gap since 1928. What we are seeing isn’t just a GOP vs. Democrat battle, it’s the tyranny of the money majority.
The debt ceiling has to be raised to pay for the budget that was passed in December. This is similar to paying your credit car bill a month after using it to buy something. If you don’t pay your credit card bill on time or at all you get socked with a massive interest rate increase. That will happen for a start if the ceiling isn’t raised. It could also lead to grandma not getting her social security check and the weak recovery we have been under will bottom out. Then 9% unemployment would be seen as the good old days.
Governor John Kasich can be a pain in the behind because he is easily angered when diplomacy and tact is needed. I’m sure his supporters love that about him but for me it tends to make me think he’s unstable – like a mean drunk. To do my part to help make Kasich a one term governor, I used a couple of clips of his recent budget signing gloat-fest to make some pro-Democratic party messages. Enjoy!
Governor Kasich tells all about the GOP agenda (link goes to YouTube site)
The good news is that the New York state legislature finally approved a law that will allow same sex marriage. The bad news is that in order for this great thing to happen, changes in the law will allow religious sects AND the non-church businesses they operate to discriminate against gays without any legal repercussions. In the zeal to get these new rights for the LGBT community, did proponents give away the farm?
From the NY Times: