The Real Engine of Blue America

City Journal ^ | Winter 2005 | Steven Malanga

[machman]

Great article. Truely deserves a BTTT.

[JFK_Lib]

"Of course they supply more votes than voters. LOL"



Now that this has been proven to have occured in King County, maybe we wont get sneered at so reflexively when we tell people about the Democratic vote manufacturing that goes on across the country and we will stop hearing about efforts to end the Electoral college?

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

spodefly thanks for posting

Pinging to interesting read.

[Graybeard58]

Nothing turns a "tax eater" into a conservative faster than becoming a tax payer.

[durasell]

The article focuses mostly on the cogs in the wheel of a complex infrastructure. Ignored is the massive concentration of wealth this infrastructure provides. Also ignored is the manner in which government programs keep the wheels turning, i.e. public housing allows for large corporations to hire workers below standard pay for an area, since they don't have market level rents.

[ThanhPhero]

Fo a long time I have thought of the Democrats as the Government Party but I cannot yet bring myself to think of the Republicans as the Peoples' Party.

[anton]

Maryland was a red state except for DC suburbs and Baltimore
Michigan was red but for Detroit
PA was red but for Philly

And when I say, "but for", I mean, if Bush and Kerry had tied in Philly, Bush would have easily won the state.

The author is right on the money.

[Puzzleman]

Great article!

Here's a link to a map that shows the red-state, blue-state counties for 2004.

[libertyman]

For the most part, I strongly agree w/ you. I would 1st abolish FEDERAL involvement in education, & give that (as well as dozens of other issues) back to the STATES where it belongs under our constitutional system.

We can work things out @ the state level later...some states may decide to divest their own government from the education lobby, while others may increase it. We can find out which works best over time (& being a former Libertarian myself, I would assume the former). Each state has different needs, based on what the people themselves desire to have.

But we have GOT to cut the Federal government down to its constitutional limits, & remove it from ALL areas in which it has no authority to be involved in, before we jump whole-hog into separating school & state entirely...& health care & state; & welfare & state; & transportation & state; ETC.

[libertyman]

You gotta remember tho, that these tax eaters have also expanded their influence over the REPUBLICANS too. No one can honestly deny this fact!

Take President Bush, for instance: has the size of the federal government increased or decreased under his watch? Has he vetoed any bills that would increase its power & authority, or has he signed ALL of them into law?

Isn't it true that former Presidents Eisenhower & reagan were DEMOCRATS? I think Eisenhower changed his party affiliation just in time to decide whether or not he would run for President did he not?

What about all of the big-government NEOCONS in the Bush Administration, so-called "conservative" think tanks, Congress, & the GOP leadership? How many times, if any, have you heard any of them call for the downsizing of the federal government?

[wtc911]

bump

[Gritty]

This writer has hit a home run.

Lamprey eel and prey

[zeugma]

I'd like to see the district by district map that the writer spoke of. The county map is telling, but the precinct level would be even more so.

[rogator]

"Abolishing public schools takes care of one problem, teachers are amongst the biggest government leeches."

Abolish public schools and we will be left with the great conservative private schools like Harvard, Stanford, and Georgetown?

[Willie Green]

"The tax-eaters’ party has seized control of many of America’s cities; now it is trying to make the next big leap"

Well George, the globalist GOP has abandoned any pretext of opposing the 'Rats in these metropolitan strongholds, opting instead to feed the beast with debt rather than taxes. IMHO, they have become the "tax dodgers' party", abandoning America and fleeing offshore in the face of the enemy. Backstabbing traitors.

[hosepipe]

Starve the "Tax Eaters"... O.K. well somebody better put Bush on a diet then.. The man is obese and obese'er.. At least Micheal Moore is not hiding the fat..

[Ditto]

Good article with some points that need made. It's kind of like Eisenhower warning about the "Military-Industrial Complex" back in the 50s that was more interested in spending than defence. Now we have a "Government-Union Complex" more interested in spending than services. Same game different players.

BTW. I'd dispute this particular part of the article.

With so much of their economic future at stake in elections, the tax eaters have emerged as the new infantry of political campaigns, replacing the ward captains and district leaders of old-time political clubs.

The "old time" (I can only go back to the 50s) ward bosses and foot soldiers in the Big City machines were all either city employees or contractors. It's the same game today only they play with a hell of a lot more money.