BushCO declares war on "Blue America"

[maxrandb]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7862-2005Jan13.html

Read this and weep. This has got to be the most corrupt, dangerous, evil and vindictive regime in the history of America. IMHO, this proposed cut is a way for this mis-administration to seek vengeance on those areas of America that did not "roll over and vote for *".

Check out the last paragraph! Their intention is to "defang" mayors and urban areas. Message being sent is, get on board, or get run over.

It is way past time cities fought back. I think withholding taxes paid to the federal government would be a good place to start. Possibly followed by a "tariff" or surcharge on any federal agency occupying an office on city property.

Someone please tell me how this is not war on "Blue America", or what our founders called "TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION".

Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 14, 2005; Page A01

The White House will seek to drastically shrink the Department of Housing and Urban Development's $8 billion community branch, purging dozens of economic development projects, scrapping a rural housing program and folding high-profile anti-poverty efforts into the Labor and Commerce departments, administration officials said yesterday.

"If this is a backdoor way of eliminating a program like CDBG, it would have a profoundly negative impact on cities," said Jim Hunt, a vice president of the National League of Cities and a city council member in Clarksburg, W.Va

Moreover, HUD has evolved into an agency designed to support urban interests and low-income citizens, while Commerce and Labor are more receptive to business needs. Indeed, community development programs at HUD are far larger than those at Commerce and Labor, said Saul Ramirez Jr., executive director of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials and a former deputy secretary of housing. The Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration has a $320 million budget, a fraction of CDBG's allocation.

HUD's city focus may be why the White House is dismantling the HUD programs, Frank charged. "HUD is the place where mayors and urban interests can put up the strongest fight," he said.

[ixion]

1. folding high-profile anti-poverty efforts into the Labor and Commerce

departments.

Oh yeah, that's a good idea. That will help poverty alot. :eyes:

[roenyc]

2. this is terrible

terrible i dont know what else to say.

[atommom]

3. And Republicans are supposed to be in FAVOR of local control.

What a crock. There is a spitefulness in this administration that is terrible to see.

[maxrandb]

6. They Are Doing What All Fascist Do

Grease the palms of the wealthy and the corporations, and leave the cities to rot.

I wonder how many of them were jumping for joy deep inside when they saw New York and Washington DC get hit by terrorist.

Funny! Before 9/11, NY and DC where used by these same people to "heap scorn" upon those evil, lawless bastions of liberalism.

It's also ironic that the two places hurt most by OBL and terrorism repudiated Bush "Big Time", on election day. The people of NY and DC proved they weren't sniveling cowards by voting against this loser by 80%.

Wonder why the media doesn't talk about that!

[MsConduct]

4. Face it, bushco views poverty as disease. Don't house or feed

the poor and maybe they'll just disappear. Yep, those are some real 'Christian' values they have. I don't know how this regime could stoop any lower.

[DELUSIONAL]

8. His wing of the GOPig party really believes that

any support to the poor (welfare) -- creates the problem.

Ellen Craswell was a long time WA state senator -- she is one of the early religious right wing nuts. She sent out a newsletter -- with a "study" showing that cutting welfare -- cured welfare. The study was by a religious right think tank -- and of course their methodology was badly flawed. Ellen Craswell went on to run against Gary Locke for Governor -- she lost. Rossi has the same philosophy -- he just is repacked to not seem as extreme.

The religious right is desperate to grab the Governor's slot in WA state.

Oh yes - god is blessing the rich -- wealth is a sign that god loves you. Poor people are really really bad -- and they should never be helped because god doesn't love poor people -- only rich people like the Saudi royal family??

[Fifth of Five]

9. Interesting point...

Oh yes - god is blessing the rich -- wealth is a sign that god loves you. Poor people are really really bad

I believe that the Puritans, while not taking quite as harsh a stance on the poor, they did typically see wealth as a visible sign of God's grace. Some people were predestined to be saved, and others were predestined to, I guess, burn in hell.

They also had very strict hierarchical societal structures, all with men at the head. Women, although equal spiritually to men, were subservient to men in all things. Women, servants, and slaves owed complete allegiance to their masters.

This is not unlike many of the things we see from the Christian right today. Look at the wealth many of the C.r. leaders wrap themselves in. I think it is clear that they believe that they deserve wealth because they are God's chosen ones.

Women are also considered less than men, and there are even some on the extreme right that believe that slavery is acceptable within Christianity. This belief has its roots in the same ideas of predestined grace, and the much newer concept of the rapture.

I have even read of some (a very few, I hope) who are so sure in their belief that they are God's chosen that, as such, they deserve whatever worldly things they can get. This belief combined with the belief that the rapture is coming soon enables them to run up huge credit card bills, mortgage their homes to the max, etc. all because they don't believe they will ever have to pay the bills.

Today's extreme Christian right are a repackaged version of the Puritans. No wonder they want to establish a theocracy. That's what the Puritans had.

What they don't get is that the United States was not founded by the Puritans.

[Blue_In_AK]

11. You know, I just don't get this stuff about God blessing the rich

Jesus wasn't rich. I've never heard of him even owning his own home. He loved poor people, prostitutes, people with incurable diseases (weren't lepers treated rather like AIDS victims?) He said it was harder for a rich man to get into heaven than for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle.

WHAT ABOUT THAT DON'T THESE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND????

[MsConduct]

10. Wow, they are one scary nutzoid bunch aren't they? Even though

Jesus loved the poor, they don't believe that God does? Yikes!

[proudbluestater]

5. This is the Rethug way. No money, except for the military-industrial

complex.

It's way past time for a taxpayer's revolt. The government exists only for corporations, many of whom pay 0 taxes.

[MadHound]

7. More salvos in the ongoing class warfare

It amazes me how the rich and well connected criticize any call for a more equitable distribution of wealth and resources as class warfare, yet at the same time they having been waging this very same class warfare against the middle class and poor forever. It is high time that those not in pocession of a silver spoon start fighting back. But once again, the RW has managed to divide and conquer, pitting race against race, religion against religion, thus dividing the very people who should be united against them. What is it going to take for people to wake up and realize that the monied class of either party do not have their interests at heart, in fact exactly the opposite.