The attacks on Unions, Federal and State employees, budgets,teachers, you think it wasn't planned?

[DainBramaged]

I think it was. Just like the GOP and their puppeteers plan for the long term (give up 2006 to concentrate on 2010 to redistrict yet again like they did in 2000 after the Census) put just the right Governors in and also federal employees in charge of important sectors of the government (Bush leftovers, there are a TON of them) and you can see what is happening. Drastically cut budgets and social spending, eliminate pension contributions, make teachers 'accountable' but don't raise a single tax, oh no, don't increase revenues, just slice off the lower and middle classes and make this country into a third-world nation.


The Kochs and their mega-wealthy buddies who control EVERYTHING are returning us to feudal times, mark my words......we are fucked.

[leeroysphitz]

1. It was planned 40 years ago. n/t

[QC]

2. Sure. Having taken possession of pretty much the entire private sector,

our overlords are now turning their attention to grabbing up the entire public sector. Convincing the people to hate their own public institutions is a necessary first step. Then they will gladly hand over what little of America they still own.

[proud2BlibKansan]

3. Yes we are indeed fucked

And mainly, IMO, because we can't depend on the Democrats to protect us.

[bluedigger]

4. Public employee unions are the strongest that are left.

Once they are done away with, they can move on to repealing child labor laws, etc.

[jody]

5. It's class warfare between taxpayers in the private sector v. their employees in the public sector.

[Davis_X_Machina]

6. From a political standpoint, what's not to like?

GOP R&D may have finally developed the new product they needed.

Crab-bucket syndrome (If I don’t have a job, then you don’t get to have one either; if my job sucks, your job has to suck too.) is

• bi-partisan—see discussions here on public-sector pensions
• ostensibly race-neutral—but you know who those employees all are, wink, wink
• not closely identified with any particular area of the country.
• not obviously part of the religious wars.

Ressentisment light—all the rage, without all the baggage.

I expect Chris Christie or something like to ride it all the way to the White House -- and not without some support here, for the position, if not for the man.

[Atman]

7. Do you think the sun rises in the east?

No deep thinking involved. Just observe the facts.

We've all quickly forgotten about GOP-controlled electronic voting machines and a total dominance of the computerized and totally non-transparent voting machine market by the GOP operatives. This is no conspiracy theory, just the facts. Of course the attacks were planned...as were the GOP victory which helped facilitate the attacks.

.

[dkf]

8. It's called starve the beast...

Lower taxes to create deficits. Pushing obligations into the future also contributes to further pain which then turns into starve the beast territory.

The problem is that people have discovered they like lower taxes and many are dependent on them as they expanded their spending and have no cushion.

[NOLALady]

9. We are fucked.

As long as we the people wait for the politicians to "do something", we will be fucked. It's up to us to initiate the change.
Slavery wasn't ended because TPTB thought it was a bad idea.
The civil rights bill wasn't signed because of the goodness of the politicians. The way I remember it, it was the agitation of Rev King along with many others who pressured the politicians to do the right thing.

[Davis_X_Machina]

10. "Slavery wasn't ended because TPTB thought it was a bad idea. "

What, exactly, was the 1856-1860 Republican Party, a bunch of guys in a church basement with a mimeograph machine? They were TPTB, or enough of them to produce a majority in the Electoral College in November, 1860.

DU's dream of politics-without-politicians, again.

[NOLALady]

13. The emancipation was a by product of the civil war.

The war was fought to keep the Union intact. The agitation of the abolitionists helped to promote the Emancipation. Just as the agitation of the activists helped to promote the passage of the Civil Rights bill.

[old mark]

11. K&R-The Media sez the GOP governors seem to have the same

solutions to the budget problems-cut workers and services, bust unions, cur regulations, pay your friends big money to "advise" you and control the state...Ask Christie.

Link- NYT-
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/17/us/17governors.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&src=ig


What a coincidence, huh?


mark

[upi402]

12. The business Roundtable -and Reaganism

after getting caught laying down in the 70's they took the media and fooled the people.

Yes, I agree - we are being screwed by some pretty nasty Kochs.

[Imajika]

14. It's not a conspiracy...

It was planned in the sense that this is what Republicans stand for. When Republicans win lots of seats, they get to push an anti-union agenda. In 2010 they won LOTS of seats and particularly crushed us at the local/state level where Democrats really and truly were massacred (counting post election party switchers, we are down some 700 state legislative seats).

The GOP did not "give up on 2006", they just lost. Period.

You make it sound like the Republicans throw an election here and there, have some secret agenda they hiding from us all, and wait for the perfect time to pounce. This is silly. The Republicans have, more or less, the same anti-union agenda they've had for years and they push it every election cycle.

As to Republican attacks on local, state and federal employees, this isn't a mystery, it simply because public employees are now the majority of unionized Americans. There are now more government workers unionized than private sector workers. It is only natural that Republicans will attack this group as these people fit in 2 categories the GOP loathes - government AND union.

2011 is going to be a bloodbath for the public sector and its unions. There is just no way around it. Hell, even some Democratic governors are threatening public sector unions and making harsh demands of them. Republicans are going to de-certify public unions in some states, there will be no state aid coming from Congress with a GOP House which means massive state government employee cuts (largely teachers being fired), laws will be passed to make it harder for unions to collect dues from its membership, etc, etc, the list goes on and on. Think New Jersey, but in many states with a GOP legislature to go along. It's actually even worse, in some states like Florida the Republicans now have super majorities in the state legislature. Even if a GOP governor were to try to moderate, they won't be able to. Remember that hideous anti-union education bill Crist veto'd? Count on it coming back and being even more odious - but this time being signed in a heartbeat by that Republican crook Rick Scott.

[DainBramaged]

18. "The GOP did not "give up on 2006", they just lost. Period."

Uh, your opinion. You've been here a long time too. They lose, they move on and plan the next victory, been doing it since Carter was elected. We've had how many small victories before Obama (to which the jury is out) and they've had a generation of victories.

[Imajika]

20. I just don't get what your driving at...

..and yes, you've been here a long time too and I mean no disrespect. I just don't get what your saying.

"They lose, they move on and plan the next victory, been doing it since Carter was elected."

In a functioning democracy people will periodically vote for the other party, sometimes to give different ideas a try and sometimes punish the party in power. That's just how it works. Both sides try to win every cycle. Sometimes the public is very against one party so the playing field is reduced and they target their efforts in fewer places, but they still want to win everywhere if they can. The Republicans tried desperately to hold on to every seat they could in 2006. They tried no less hard in 2006 than they did in 2010. The difference is the environment changed allowing them to win more seats this time around. Neither party marshals their efforts for some future election cycle rather than fight as hard as they can in the current one.

Since 1976, its been 4 years of Carter, 8 of Reagan, 4 of Bush, 8 of Clinton, 8 of Bush, and now at least 4 of Obama. If President Obama wins a second term, which I am very confident he will, that means both sides will have held the White House for 20 years since 1976. I don't see how your suggesting they (Republicans) have some huge number of victories and we don't.

[DainBramaged]

22. 8 years of Clinton was 6 years of Republican controlled Congress, which sucked.

and has led to the state we are currently in (IMHO)......just got home, desperately need a nap, nice to see you posting again.

Be well.

:hi:

[Imajika]

23. True...

..but we held the House for like 40 years straight till the GOP won in 1994.

Nap well, I'm about to do the same!

[inna]

15. planned and well described, long in advance

[Hannah Bell]

16. yes, i think it was. the attacks are obviously coordinated as well. same talking points, etc.

[jotsy]

17. RECOMMENDED

Everybody here knows the big ass zombie banks have issued credit default swaps against cities and states, yes? That writing was on the wall as of 9 months ago.

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/27/banks-bet-against-us-citi_n_553891.html>

[LWolf]

19. Of course it was planned. Decades ago.

Ronald Reagan, the conservative and blue dog hero.

I wish I could disagree with your assessment, but I can't. :(

[earth mom]

21. I've been sounding the alarm about this to family, friends, and here on DU for years...

it is so damn frustrating that people refuse to read the writing on the wall!

Those bastards won't rest until they make sure we're all broke, homeless and at their mercy! :grr: