Over at the Bee, they have some video of Freshman Assembly Member Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) calling for the state to stop “raping the taxpayers.”
Is this a valid analogy these days? I thought we were trying to cut down on all the rhetoric, after all we’ve been moving away from all the war analogies. But apparently, rape, yeah, that’s still on the table.
Meanwhile, the Taxpayers’ Caucus got off to a rousing start, with Sen. Tony Strickland, with his fellow right-wing zealot, Asm. Wagner, there to kick off the party. Apparently they have one simple goal: denying the people a fair say at what they desire for their future.
A group of Republican state lawmakers announced today the formation of a legislative Taxpayers Caucus, pledging to oppose Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to ask voters to extend increased tax rates set to expire unless commensurate tax cuts are also placed on the ballot.
Just over two-thirds of the Republican legislators — 21 in Assembly and eight in the Senate — have signed on to join the unofficial caucus, which organizers say is open to members of both parties. (SacBee)
Of course, this isn’t really a problem. It just means the remaining members of the Republican caucus is going to get some extra attention as the time for for votes approaches. Strickland and his cronies are essentially driving their car straight down the road to irrelevance.
{eschewed tasteless joke about secondary and tertiary definitions}
But then stupid is as stupid does, To borrow a phrase from Forrest Gump…
Right-wing, Republican males have zero sensitivity about any issues affecting women and for them to casually equate taxes with rape is vulgar and should be unacceptable. However, this is just par for the course for members of a party that, in other states, is seeking to further stigmatize and punish rape victims (hello, Georgia). Just how low is acceptable to the far-right these days? I think it’s a bottomless pit, and one that leads to…(just where do you arrive at in the far extremes of the right? Check history).
Unless taxpayers can show signs of physical assault, I say it’s not rape. And Republicans everywhere should agree with that. Right?
Well I think Republicans do not want to be tarnished for the vote for these taxes. Might need to get the signatures outside the supermarkets instead.
I am just fearful that we will get much nuttier Republicans to replace the Republicans who get thrown out in the 2012 elections. Republicans will remove their masks and show themselves for the true nutjobs they are.
If Brown is depending on Republican support then
my idea of compromise would be is to have two escape clauses, where if state tax revenue decreases two years in a row, unemployment fails to go lower than 9 percent by June 30th 2014. If either one triggers the tax increase ends.