GOP Land Grab

[xchrom]

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/13703/gop_land_grab


Utah Republican Governor Gary Herbert wants the federal government to turn over 30 million acres of land to state control so he can sell it to private corporations. (Medill News Service/Flickr)


Elections are supposed to be, in part, a vehicle through which the people determine how the state will use its powers to allocate public and private wealth.

Sometimes the people's will is thwarted. In 2001 and 2003, President George W. Bush–who received 500,000 fewer votes than Al Gore–and the Republican Congress cut taxes. According to the New York Times, between 2002 and 2009 these cuts reduced tax revenues by about $1.8 trillion. Those who benefited most from the cuts were the richest Americans. So in effect, America's millionaires had hundreds of billions of dollars deposited, through the legislative process, into their pockets.

Another way resources will be redistributed–if the Republicans have their way–is the privatization of public assets.

Think of all the riches tied up in our public education system. At the Koch-funded Heartland Institute, President Joseph Bast said: “We see vouchers as a major step toward the complete privatization of schooling. In fact, after careful study, we have come to the conclusion that they are the only way to dismantle the current socialist regime.”

[Coyotl]

1. I seriously worry they want to break up the Union to grab all the federal lands

50% of the West belongs to the federal government. That's a lot of oil and gas!!!

[summerschild]

2. Privatizing the Postal Service will result in the same thing for vast USPS real estate holdings

now owned by the public. Much of that is in very valuable locations (think large cities and historic PO buildings) and sprawling mail processing plants in locations with valuable access to transportation hubs). Then, the volume - over 35,000 post offices currently. These properties will go to cronies for pennies on the dollar.

They'll also grab the high speed equipment and technology that American stamp purchases paid for, which USPS invested to improve the process for the public. Current OCR capabilty owes much to technology developed by USPS. (USPS even gave us ZIP codes, a major tool in data sortation now basic to commerce and government.)

Plus they destroy 500,000 employees with union representation.

Another GOP grab - land and otherwise!

[xchrom]

3. +1

[PowerToThePeople]

4. "only way to dismantle the current socialist regime"

He has this backwards. End-game here will be the socialist's dismantling of the fascist regime.

[lpbk2713]

5. Just as soon as he turns over his home to me so I can sell it to the highest bidder.

I see no distinction at all.

[xchrom]

6. i think that is spot on. nt