| President Obama's speech was ambitious: energy, health care and education? The first two derailed our last two President's agendas. And he wants to take both of them on in the same year? You know, Governor PBJ was right in one respect ... Americans can do anything.
Governor PBJ's address was awful. In every respect. Tone, delivery, and message.
The tone and delivery was that of a kindergarten teacher talking to 5 year olds. I don't know what the hell he was thinking using such a tone, but he made people feel like they were being talking down to.
As for the message ... every single of the things he said Republicans were for - cutting taxes for working families and small businesses, as well as a new tax credit for home-buyers - were in the bill passed by Congress and signed by President Obama this past week.
I don't understand how Governor PBJ is against the federal government making an order for $300 million worth of hybrid vehicles. It will create/save American automaker jobs, cut down on the pollution released into the atmosphere, cut down on the oil needed to run it, AND save gas money for the federal government.
High-speed rail? Again, creates jobs, as the lines will have to be laid, the cars will have be manufactured, and conductors will need to be hired, and it will spur investment along the routes. And the money the workers make? They'll SPEND it.
About that $140 million for "volcano monitoring." I don't know where the Governor got that ... possibly from his imagination. But as the Governor of the state that was devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, he should have a wee bit more compassion for those that live near volcanoes.
If I were Governor PBJ, I wouldn't be crowing about the fact that the Louisiana Legislature, along with Governors Blanco and Jindal, cut taxes for the past six years. It shows a lack of foresight, a failure to look beyond the next election ... as we now have to deal with a budget shortfall of nearly $2 billion.
The plan that Governor PBJ advanced - all tax cuts all the time - as the GOP plan is, like Governor PBJ himself, cautious. It is a half-measure that will alleviate the pain of those who are wealthy. They'll have to learn to make do without the million dollar bonuses to which they've become accustomed ... so Governor PBJ wants to throw them a bone by cutting their capital gains taxes, which will give them a little extra spending money for their Botox treatments, yearly vacations and luxury cars.
What it won't do is alleviate the suffering of those recently laid off; those who have to declare bankruptcy because of their insurmountable medical bills; those who want to go to college, but can't afford to. That's because Governor Jindal and the Republican Party do not believe that government should help those people.
Mr. Jindal's message really is the reincarnation of Ronald Reagan ... as the message is what New York Governor Mario Cuomo told us what it was back in 1984:
"Government can't do everything, we were told, so it should settle for taking care of the strong, and hope that economic ambition and charity will do the rest. Make the rich richer, and what falls from their table will be enough for the middle class and those who are desperately trying to work their way into the middle class."
But what absolutely floored me is that he invoked Katrina as a reason to doubt the ability of government to fix a problem. I just wonder if he remembers exactly which political party controlled all three branches of the federal government at the time. I'll even give y'all a hint. It sure as hell wasn't the Democrats. |
