Discussion: Screw Deficits: GOP Governors Are Still Making Tax Cuts

system1 · February 25, 2015, 4:49am

Discussion for article #233638

randyabraham · February 25, 2015, 2:06pm

“Starve the beast” is alive and well in the Republic of Wingnuttia.

bluinmaine · February 25, 2015, 2:09pm

The only thing I can come up with is:
Dumbing down America is the only way for a conservative to feel intelligent about there lack of mmmmmm intelligence.

tsp · February 25, 2015, 2:17pm

Faith-based economics. Facts are the common enemy. Cut the funding necessary to make fact-based and informed decisions. Tell your constituency what to think. They believe your hyperbole, and give you all the power you need to drive right over the fiscal cliff. Mission accomplished.

charliee · February 25, 2015, 2:37pm

It’s simple math:

When you cut taxes, revenues rise.
The more you cut them, the more revenue you will see.
Logically, by cutting taxes to zero, revenues rise to infinite levels.

There’s no downside. You can look it up!

brooklyndweller · February 25, 2015, 2:39pm

The states that Kilgore highlights are really shooting themselves in the head with cuts to higher ed. It will be a serious problem to lure better, higher paying companies to those states with colleges that are either way too expensive on the local level to afford or have such shitty reputations that it’s just not worth it. Also, if it gets to the point that a state is notorious for having a terribly undereducated workforce, even tax breaks won’t be enough to get the companies to move. I think America is already seeing the limits of tax breaks vis a vis what the state has to offer on other levels.

Sure, you can always get another Arby’s or WalMart but Fortune 100 companies and Big Pharma will either leave if they’re there already or won’t want to relocate.

tao · February 25, 2015, 2:55pm

Oh great. The pro-stupidity party found a dropout to run in 2016. We are so screwed.

sandyh · February 25, 2015, 3:27pm

The GOP is taking another one of their “principles” off the table. They are making their base unhappy with their fiscal irresponsibility and demonstrating that they really don’t care about deficits at the same time. For all those Soccer Moms out there, Republicans are demonstrating that they can’t balance a budget and want to hurt their children in the process.

I guess this proves that Jindal now embraces the Stupid Party formula wholeheartedly. Incompetent hypocrite.

lukeout · February 25, 2015, 3:27pm

Does make you wonder what will happen when those conservative parents send their own kids to school. No way this doesn’t end up effecting the ‘ratings’ of those universities. And asking college teachers to just “work longer hours” to make up for their laid off co-workers shows a total lack of understanding as to how schools operate.

brooklyndweller · February 25, 2015, 3:31pm

Well, at least some of those “college teachers” are now VERY low paid adjuncts who are on food stamps. From what I’ve heard, tenured professors are turning out to be a thing of the past for many state schools (private ones, I don’t know.)

darcy · February 25, 2015, 3:35pm

It’s terrible here in NC. Gov McCrory was recently embarrassed by the exodus of secondary education teachers to SC. That’s right, leaving teaching positions in NC for better pay and job security in SC! And all of these idiots are in deeper shit now that gas revenues have fallen dramatically.

And Art Pope is as crazy as it gets. Even the Koch brothers stand when Pope walks in the room. He’s also Gov.McCrory’s budget director.

benthere · February 25, 2015, 3:36pm

I demand to see the long form version of Jindal’s being awarded as a Rhodes scholar!!

longtail · February 25, 2015, 3:38pm

Republicans haven’t exactly made a secret of their preference for tax cuts over public education. I mean, it is part of the party platform in every Republican-run state.

dave_adams · February 25, 2015, 3:41pm

Most of those “government colleges” were created because of a law signed by Abraham Lincoln.

ncsteve · February 25, 2015, 3:44pm

North Carolina’s multi-century commitment to higher education is why it was an economic tech and med boom state. So of course the people, like me, who immigrated here from other states because of that boom are acquiescing in Kochtopus Imperial Proconsul McCrory’s dismemberment of everything, indeed the only thing, that kept the state from being just another southern shithole.

And yeah, it is no coincidence that every state slashing higher ed is run by people deep in the Koch fold.

brooklyndweller · February 25, 2015, 3:49pm

You know, I realize that many of us use the analogy of “Somolia” when talking about some of these Red states but, honestly, I think in the next few years, this country is going to see a VERY sharp divide between states that can offer a lifestyle that’s at least bearable and states that can’t even manage that.

wiscojoe · February 25, 2015, 3:53pm

An important part of this story is how dishonest and unreal these Republicans have been with regards to the effects of their economic policies. Here is what Walker promised Wisconsin just four months ago, when he was facing a tough re-election battle:

“The next state budget will begin with a surplus of over a half billion dollars …$535 million to be exact. That means we can invest in our priorities. Things like economic development, quality schools, our UW system, our technical colleges, helping needy families, children and seniors. Investing in our infrastructure, public safety and veteran services…” – Gov. Scott Walker Oct. 17, 2014

Of course now Wisconsin finds itself facing massive deficits rather than a half billion dollar surplus. Instead of investing in the UW system, we’re now being told we have to accept the largest cuts to the UW system in our state history.

It’s remarkable that these Republican Governors are not held accountable or personally responsible for this “starve the beast” bait and switch operation. I suppose our media has gotten so cynical that they just now accept this has been standard Republican procedure since the Reagan administration so it no longer qualifies as ‘news.’

Can one journalist out there get Walker on the record to explain how in just four months he went from promising surpluses and investment in education to now saying that slashing education is the only way we can deal with massive deficits?

ncsteve · February 25, 2015, 3:58pm

I blame Obama.

footballbat · February 25, 2015, 4:11pm

Ignorance s bliss, eh republicans?

jaybeeraybee · February 25, 2015, 4:16pm

Instead of Trickle-Down Economics, can we call this Swirling the Toiletbowl Economics?

While I appreciate the interest, I do think the Wisconsin voters were given ample opportunities to witness Walker’s tactics. If they didn’t know his predilictions for dissembling and outright lying for his own political purposes before the election, I doubt they’d pay attention now. Please do accept my sympathy for living in a state with Walker as governor.