The real life results of "small government"

[Froward69]

It sure manifested itself quickly...
From Colorado pols...
http://www.coloradopols.com/diary/12271/#303417

Why It's Important To Keep The Lights On (+)
by: Colorado Pols
Tue Apr 27, 2010 at 08:40:58 AM MDT


Two stories in today's Colorado Springs Gazette illustrate how the area's ideologically-driven experiment with "small government", a story given regrettable national attention in recent months as the situation has deteriorated, has turned both farcical--and tragic.

City officials say they mistakenly left all the streetlights on around the Broadmoor resort and the affluent Old North End neighborhood despite darkening about a third in almost every other area of Colorado Springs to save money this year.

But Councilman Sean Paige said Monday that he has doubts that it was a mistake because of an e-mail written by Jim Thomas, a field engineering supervisor for Colorado Springs Utilities.

"We hoped to protect the Utility and the City Council by not turning off these lights while the homeowners are still paying for them on their taxes," Thomas wrote April 20, referring to the Old North End's ornamental streetlights...

Just an accident, we suppose, that the rich part of Colorado Springs kept their lights on--or not, because the neighborhood is still paying off an assessment for their extra-fancy streetlights and nobody wanted to upset those wealthy residents? Which is it? Naturally, the "affluent" part of town is the part that can afford "ornamental" streetlight assessments to begin with--as notable for the conflicting excuses as the, you know, obvious appearances.

Meanwhile, in a less "affluent" part of Colorado Springs:

A 62-year-old man died after being shot Sunday night in a parking lot that has been dark since the city turned off the streetlight in a controversial money saving measure, a neighboring business owner said. (more at link)

Fucking unbelievable!!!

All the links and more to related articles at Colorado pols
http://www.coloradopols.com/diary/12271/#303417


I am on one hand pissed off at Colo springs and the GOP even more... Yet at the same time Colorado Springs gives us a prime example of the result of republican ideology. Also Why the rethuglicans should NEVER be in control of government again!

[kentuck]

1. Here is a link about the murder:

http://www.gazette.com/articles/springs-97715-police-colorado.html

[Froward69]

3. Thanks

I just tried to get the gist in as short a post as possible.
the rethugs are ignoring or saying it is all hype.

[liberal N proud]

2. Small government allows greed to rule

[Newest Reality]

4. Size and type of government

are not inseparable; both should correspond to necessity and pragmatism.

For instance: we can consider time and space independently, but in actuality, they only occur together.

We tend to abstract things to absurdity and create gross imbalances that are often far removed from actualities. I think that those are important factors in the creation of artificial political dilemmas and systemic collapse.

[Beer Snob-50]

8. one of the kids from my old boy scout troop is running as a rethug in state wide elections

i asked him how he would shrink the size of government. i further asked him to think it through before he gave me an answer. how would laying off educators affect the school system, ect.

no answer yet.

[Froward69]

10. Do Not expect one

A friend of mine from elementary school, turned hard line rethug. so proud of his son in the Marine corps. I got into it with him over Obama in 2008. his son got killed just before election day. I haven't heard from him since. not even the condolences card. he never really answered any questions I asked. just retorted with RW talking points. when we were talking.

[Urban Prairie]

5. RWers vision of a perfect Republic..

Would be that everything except the military as well as the three branches of government of federal, states, cities and towns became privatized. Never mind that most of them would not have survived, much less even been born if that were the case, since say the nineteenth century.

I would never accuse a RWer of thinking about anything like that thoroughly, because they only selfishly think about NOW and themselves. Their ranting about the debt burden that their children and grandchildren will face is really a smokescreen to create an excuse to eliminate entitlements, so that they can conceivably live out the rest of their lives more prosperously.

They act like stockholders in the US, treating it much like a capitalist corporation, and expecting a huge tax-deductible return on any investment in it, other than defending their assets and earnings from their perceived domestic and foreign "enemies" the latter being mostly the poor, unemployed, aged, and infirm.

[Brewman_Jax]

6. The GOP do live down to their billing...

Government is evil, inefficient, and will not help you. Elect us and we'll prove it.

[TwilightGardener]

7. I have said this before--the goal is to punish the poor and working class in COS, so that

they leave. Offer them less services, less safety, less amenities, and they will eventually move on. Then the folks who live in the nicer northern and eastern parts of the city and burbs can finally have their Republican utopia.

[proudohioan]

9. The Broadmoor, huh........

yeah, I used to live in Denver and would occaisionally drive down to "The Springs"; I once even attended a wedding held at Broadmoor. That the streetlights were kept on in that area of town sure doesn't seem like an 'accident' to me!