6 years of Repub incompetence or deliberate sabotage?

[caseycoon]

I haven't seen this article posted here.

Excess Baggage
The conservative attack on government has left a major mess for Democrats to clean up.
By Greg Anrig
Web Exclusive: 12.15.06

When the outgoing Republican Congress failed to enact appropriations bills for the fiscal year that began October 1, all of their difficult spending decisions were left squarely on the shoulders of the new Democratic majority. Journalists and their sources invoked apt metaphors of sabotage. As David Rogers of The Wall Street Journal wrote: "Like a retreating army, Republicans are tearing up railroad track and planting legislative land mines to make it harder for Democrats to govern when they take power in Congress next month."

Rogers might just as well have been describing the entirety of what conservatives have been doing to both the executive and legislative branches of government for the past six years. It is crucial to understand that it’s not merely Republicans’ incompetence or political pandering that has left the government in shambles. Rather, many of their acts of sabotage were premeditated, often hatched in right-wing think tanks. The central if unstated mission of those idea factories, and their leading funders, is to weaken the public sector in order to minimize its capacity to tax and regulate the private sector. But because the general public doesn't actually share conservatism's deep hostility toward government, their most effective tactics rely on subterfuge and operate in ways that can't be easily detected.

(Much more here....)
http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=12303

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

1. Nicely written, clearly identifies the systematic approach the repubs have used to destroy

our government.

MKJ

[liberaldemocrat7]

5. Deliberate Sabotage.

The Republican party began this with Reagan. Run up huge deficits with increased defense spending, cutting taxes and they do this to put pressure on social programs including social security and medicare and then they cry we must have a balanced budget. Bush I and Bush II did this too.

The Republican party has spent alot in the past 6 years which has severely annoyed their conservative wing, however this spending has not helped the poor and the lower middle class. Rather this spending has helped the companies participating in the government business partnership. You can see this in the Medicare prescription drug law. The companies have made out well while regular people get a meager benefit.

The people need to see this pattern and decide that Republicans deliberately do this and not vote for Republicans to hold any power for another 40 years.

[JHB]

2. Absolutely. The goal of those pushing this is a return to the Robber Baron Era.

They try to disguise it, but every once in a while they actually come out and tell you that what they really want is to eliminate the entire 20th century (and slightly before) in terms of legislation which even token-ly aided ordinary people in opposition to the wealthy.

See thread from yesterday:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2938863&mesg_id=2939065

In short, what I've had in my sig for quite some time now: For people who profess so loudly their hatred of Communism, they're awfully eager to dismantle the mixed and regulated form of capitalism that defeated it and replace it with the raw, brutish, destructive form of capitalism that gave birth to Communism. Those who ignore history... condemn all the rest of us to repeat it.

[woodsprite]

3. Too early in the a.m. for these eyes. I thought it said

"Republican incontinence", which is appropriate also. Good article, though I'm going back and reread it after my coffee ;)

[Hideboh]

4. Pure Evil

Republican party is the party that exploits everybody to increase its own power.

[madokie]

6. its all about them and their pocket book

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