Ben Franklin Would Shudder

07/12/2007

Paul Munnis


Is anyone happy with the Bush Administration’s stewardship of our economy? I can’t find anyone in my travels.

The news that we are spending $12 Billion PER MONTH of borrowed money on Bush Wars it is not going over too well.

If this is a battle over oil access then I must say we could have paid out a lot of subsidy for the amount that we have spent on Iraq. When you add in the costs to rebuild our decimated military these costs go even higher. Bush seems unfazed and he keeps saying – “give the commanders on the ground what they want.” I don’t think so -- the lollipop is about licked off the stick. They better start identifying what programs they want to kill off.

The news that we can’t afford a healthcare plan for America is being looked at in the context of that $12B per month war cost and people are vowing to vote against the GOP come November of 2008. We’ll see if they keep that vow or not.

But the stock-market is rising. Yeah, after a 50% devaluation of the dollar it should be. Inflation is rising too. So is the cost of living. So are local property taxes. So are gas prices and food costs. Yesterday gas was $3.26 in Mankato according to our e-mail.

Have you looked at the price of outfitting four kids with new sneakers for back to school lately? Only two will get them now and maybe two more come October if we get our property tax refund. Pawlenty may have to spend it for something like funding the GOP Convention in Minneapolis.

About the only thing not rising is the Bush and Congressional job satisfaction ratings.

One thing we have learned: (No New Taxes = No Growth). One exception though -- there is growth in overhead costs even though Pawlenty seeks to ignore inflation projections.

Now the AMT is squeezing in on the upper middle class and the rich while Democrats are supposed to rush to rescue the GOP fat cats who have been on the dole of low taxes paid for by the middle class. I don’t think so, let them pay up, they have been free-loaders on our economy for long enough. Some tell me they favor a surtax on the rich to make them pay back the subsidy.

Speaking of the GOP, we have our own problems here in Minnesota.

The GOP is trying to bail out Pawlenty on his failure to fund MN transportation. They will use our Federal money to cover his “No New Taxes Pledge” that is killing our NorthStar commuter rail program. Local communities have had to pony up $24 million to save the rail effort. Local government is also trying to keep our roads open after the transportation bill failed. May the axel break on Pawlenty’s SUV on his way home across our Minnesota roads. Oops, the SUV is supplied to him by taxpayers – sorry.

Under Pawlenty's stewardship we have seen the Minnesota economy decline too. One good thing, as McCain sinks so too does Pawlenty’s prospects for VP. He and Norm Coleman can start a joint lobby firm after the 2008 election is over. Maybe Jesse will hire them for his publicity promotion.

Seriously though, the Federal and State economy is doing very poorly under the GOP. I think that Democrats can and would do much better but they are handcuffed right now.

You can fix that if you want to.