I picked up a paper today because I felt out of touch with the world. Turns out I'm not, but it is.
Tim Stubick is a columnist I've been reading for quite some time. An article by him today poked some half serious criticism at Jennifer Granholm's State of the State Address, calling it "feel good cheer-leading," and chiding the Gov's dismissal of the brutal realities, while being mindful of the "buffo stuff" 55,000 jobs created out of the nothingness of tax cuts. Nothing serious, mind you.
The serious "stuff" came at the end of the article, as it usually does. I had no idea that a political journalist could be so willfully uninformed of the basics, treating politics like a game, but making sure the board stayed even somehow. Especially if it means sticking a few jabs into the opponents. In Michigan, Democrats do, and always have, ruled. It the only reason we're in this mess. To quote from the article:
"Lest you think the governor is the only one in town who paints a rosy picture, the legislative Republicans are not far behind. If you believe their Johnny-one-note rhetoric, all we have to do is cut taxes and happy days WILL be here again. That also lacks a dose of reality. Yes, lower taxes are a constructive goal, but how can you do that and maintain the essential service government should provide?"
What "essential services" are those, Tim? He doesn't say (naturally). It's always better to leave the end open when speaking about "essentials." That way, everything is essential, and nothing is superfluous, non-essential, or otherwise "wasteful."
Stubick's last sentence claims "Tough times demand that politicians be candid."
That's true, which is why I would expect a political journalist to follow his own advice here. Using open ended concepts like "essential services" is misleading.
Michigan could cut right down to the bone. Don't be fooled by Granholm absorbing 18 State Departments into 8 big, fat, juicy bureaucracies. We want facts. How many state employees are getting the ax? I hear "0." Do you honestly think a 10% pay cut to state executives (who have no real job skills, unless manipulation is a skill worthy of such a salary) is a serious attempt at spending cuts? Do YOU think it's fair that some get tax cuts, excuse me, "tax credits," while the rest of those employing people in Michigan get the shaft? Please...
Let me help you understand what an "essential service" is, Tim. It's Police, Court, and Jail. That's it. Whatever is involved with protecting the "rights of the people" is an "essential service." Remember those things, Rights? Rights can only work in conjunction with action and property, and can only apply to individuals. No one has a right to the property, time, or effort of others. Unless, of course, you're a governor like Granholm or president like Obama.
There is no "right" to housing, food, education, clothing, employment, transportation, intelligence, good humor, or anything that must be provided by someone else, or can only be provided through one's own means. There is no "right" to the labor of others to provide you with the means of survival.
"That's mean!" you say, but it's no meaner than the state putting a gun to my head and demanding a chunk of my life to redistribute in a way, and to those, I consider utterly unworthy. The state doesn't set the standards for my life. I set them. It's my life, after all.
Unless you're prepared to argue that I am the property of the state, then you aren't prepared to disagree with me.
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