In Emergency Vote,GOP KILLS ELMO and Supports the Plague

You really can't make up what the House is doing even if you ingested massive amounts of drugs. Prompted by the James O'Keefe video punking of NPR fund-raisers,the House called an emergency vote and suspended the rules to vote to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS.

Anthony Weiner from New York claimed on the House floor that Republicans really knew what disturbed Americans--Click and Clack. He went on to say that these two characters, when talking about fixing cars, were actually sending messages to the enemy. Weiner didn't have the decency to mourn the death of Elmo.

Democrats tried their own feeble attempt to submit a law that would prohibit any government funds from being used to advertise on Fox News. They, of course, failed. Instead,Elmo and the Cookie Monster got the ax.

But why do you need Sesame Street if all American children are going to die of disease? Just to make sure they were not sending a mixed message, the House also decided to eliminate funding for the Center for Disease Control. Read that over again--really, eliminate the Center for Disease Control, a government agency designed to alert Americans of health threats and the outbreak of deadly diseases. But maybe Jesus will heal us all.

In light of the Japanese nuclear crisis, the House should also vote to eliminate funding for the Nuclear Regulatory Agency because it "regulates" and that kills jobs.

Christianist Steve King of Iowa said about the previous vote to defund tsunami monitoring that the vote was water under the bridge and they shouldn't reconsider it. The timing of the Japanese tragedy was just coincidence and the media is paying too much attention to the House vote.

Maybe the GOP really does have a secret jobs agenda. If you exterminate enough Americans,the unemployment rate might go down.

Is the slogan,"Ignorance in making laws is no excuse"? Something like that.

There seems to be an unbroken continuity between the teabaggers and the Republican state governments.

Government Scott Walker's "budget repair" bill cut $500 million from health programs that benefit over 1.2 million people. But the generous thing is that Walker increased the funds for funeral and cemetary costs.

Our man Randy Hopper is now running ads attacking the Wisconsin demonstrators and defending himself. Well, the Randy Man seems to have opened up another can of worms. Remember his mistress' bio and photo were scrubbed from the lobby group she worked for. The local press wondered where the lucky woman is. She got a job with the state government. Coincidence? We report, you decide.

The Randy Man seems a bit alarmed about being recalled. A state senator in a Midwestern state. Who do you call? He hires a big-shot in Chris Chrissie's New Jersey campaign to assist him. Business must be good,heh?

The Wisconsin Republican Senators flew in last night for a thank-you fund-raiser at Haley Barbour's Lobby Shop, now run by his son. In olden days before the internet, you could do such a thing. But the Senators were greeted by a demonstration that reached 1,000. It got so crowded, the D.C. police closed off the street. With the crowd increasing, the group just formed a parade and marched down the street to the Chamber of Commerce to protest. A fun time was had by all.

The Mayor of Lansing, Michigan has joined the demonstrators in that state. The demonstrators have found out that they can recall Rick Snyder and his behavior modfication team in July.

Meanwhile in Ohio, John Kasich is touring the state trumpeting his plans to eliminate state pensions. His 800-page budget is getting less than rave reviews from the Republicans who see their electoral fortunes going down the drain.

Oberlin College students cut a video saying they have sex and that's why they need Planned Parenthood. Nice idea but the plague is coming.

Sarah Palin is going to visit Israel because that's where Jesus lives. That really is connected to all of the above. In more ways then you can know.

PPP found out that Charlie Sheen would defeat Sarah Palin for President. Now that's a group that is smoking too much ganja or has too much time on their hands.

My favorite Jack Nicklaus golf course bill was defeated. Jack won't be building the golf courses in the Everglades. And I'm not so sure many people would like to play on them anyway.

I've wanted to do a Florida post since the insanity began building there in earnest but I've been waiting for Carl Hiassen to comment on this with his unique genius and language in capturing the gonzo aspects of the state. Where are you, Carl, Jesus Loves You More Than You Will Know.

The Spring of Our Discontent

I shouldn't make jokes about Randy Newman. It's like magical thinking. Yes,indeed, folks, Governor Kasich yesterday opened the Ohio state parks to oil and gas drilling and severely cut the state's environmental agencies. Yesterday, Koch Industries and their subsidiary Georgia-Pacific were being investigated for polluting the Coffee Creek in Arkansas, pouring 45 million of waste in, producing an "odorous foam and patches of black water." The Creek feeds into Louisiana's Quachita River, which had been a recreational area for its pristine waters but which has seen its local economy disappear with the pollution. So Randy and his burning river will soon return to Ohio. And our own House of Representatives just put on the floor a bill to limit any restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions--not limit greenhouse gas--limit the restrictions on them. Thanks Charles Koch.

Also, because Ohio had to deal with the budget, it was another opportunity to restrict abortion rights. The actual Ohio budget was published by the Columbus Dispatch, despite Governor Kasich's prohibition. And what a budget it is. All the prisons will be privatized and all parole officers eliminated. He says this will earn the state $200 million and save another $20 million per year. All the state liquor stores will be sold. (In Virginia, this is being debated but legislators found that after the first windfall, it actually costs the state money.)

Then we move to budget cuts. All local governments are cut by 25%. Libraries are also cut. Then the interesting stuff begins with the re-organization of the school systems. Education in theory gets a raise and tuition hikes to state colleges are kept to about a 3% range. But then you get into the whole hocus pocus of charter schools, vouchers and the like. I tend to think this creates educational apartheid but I may be wrong.

Now Back in Wisconsin, Governor Walker has already created 10,000 jobs through his policies. That was quick. Well, he was actually quoting the last governor's numbers as his own. Instead, what Walker faces is no longer a trickle but a torrent of retirements and he will soon face a severe deterioration of services throughout the government.

Walker also has proposed that the mediator for contract or labor disputes be a political appointee. Given the prospects of his recall, that might not be bad. But it's nuts.

Conservative websites are apoplectic over unions pulling out their funds from the M & I bank. They've even accused unions of being disloyal. Disloyal to a bank? What happened to the free market and choice?

Our Man, Randy Hopper continues to step in it. Complaints have been filed at the Attorney-General's office because of the discovery he doesn't live in his district.

Tough Man Majority leader Fitzgerald relented and rescinded the fines against the Democratic senators . He even decided to return their voting rights in committees. Big of him.

The occupation of the Michigan capital has begun. Michael Moore is leading the charge with the UAW. Newly elected Republican Rick Snyder has embraked on perhaps the most radical restructuring of Michigan. If you read the entire bill on "financial martial law", you have a fascinating document , which may serve as the model for other state governments and finally our national government. This program deserves real study and analysis because it is far worse in its implications than the unions or the Left believe.

This plan is like the entire state of Michigan becoming an auto company under U.S. government receivership. First, the Governor has severely cut state funding of local governments. Then to prepare for the impending disaster, he can unilaterally place "emergency managers" in charge of school boards,towns, counties and cities. First, a corporation must determine whether there is such an emergency. Once the manager is sent in, he or she can fire elected officials unilaterally,undo the results of democratic elections, dissolve or disincorporate governments, unite desparate governments and cancel union contracts.

You can play around with this for some delightful scenarios. The Mayor of Detroit becomes popular and thinks of running against a standing Governor. The Governor to embarass his rival declares a financial emergency in Detroit and sends a corporate manager to take over. The Mayor calls out the police to prevent the manager from taking office. The Governor sends in the National Guard. And off we go.

Now the next phase is something out of USAID programs gone mad. The officials, who the corporations have determined didn't make the grade, will be sent for re-education to a team of corporate managers, including General Motors and will be taught how to get efficient results. If they successfully complete the course, then they may be allowed to return to their position.

Now there is no sunset clause in this law when a school board or a town is returned to democratic rule. Let's say Ypsilanti goes under a financial manager and the situation straightens out in a year. There is no provision to allow the city to return to its original democratic state.

Then you have the reality of corporations wanting to own towns and cities. Since the Governor can act unilaterally,he just has to pay off campaign donors. You literally will have company towns back in America again.

This reminds me of the movie "Brazil". I have a cousin, a lesbian teamster with a semi living in Michigan and I hope she joins the WOW--WAR ON WORKERS rally of the teamsters. She looks just like the lady truckdriver in the movie. It would be appropriate if she drove by the capitol.

Now there is a little notion of democracy to consider here. This is a radical program, which brings up a whole host of public policy issues. There was no public debate over this. There was no discussion in the camapign on this. It's simply that one political party has agreed to ram this through without any dissent. This is such a significant move that the whole state should be hosting debates, having news casts about the pros and cons. If people are going to give away their democratic rights,at least have them do so openly and after discussion.

But, folks, this is the state to watch in terms of the dystopian future. These moves in Michigan and to a lesser degree Kasich's less radical but nonetheless politically altering policies make me think that the gig is up for the Republican presidential nomination. I believe alot of these managerial moves in government are preparations for Mitt Romney.

And this doesn't interfere with the social conservatives. Nine--that's right 9--anti-evolution bills have been introduced in state legislatures since January 1.