(Notice! This post is not by Goldy. Read the byline!)
John Madden, the famous football coach, once said about Packers quarterback Brett Favre, “he’s so good, he could beat you with yours.” You see, Favre is so good, he could be swapped to the other and lead the other guys to victory. With all the recent introspection by right-wing bloggers, I’d be a failing our conservative friends if I didn’t put forth my own ideas. Does this Democrat think he could beat Democrats with his own ideas? Hey it’s worth a shot. If they don’t like my ideas they can go back to those bullshit sex offender mailings!
First off, my GOP friends, who’s running things back at HQ? Mike Hargrove? After Chris Vance quit as party chief, the GOP base passed on the ‘establishment’ candidate to replace him and picked Diane Tebelius. She was supposed to be a departure from “Vance-style centrism,” which irritated the base. While Tebelius can’t be blamed for everything, she has to go. A huge loss like this must result someone (other than your candidates) losing their job.
Education. Here’s a haymaker you can use on Democrats. Why not call their bluff on teacher pay and per pupil funding? Try this: Increase teacher pay by 100%, but make it much, much easier to fire the bad ones. Pay science and math teachers more than others. Keep superstar teachers from leaving their field for higher paying jobs at Microsoft. Young teachers will love it, and good teachers will earn more money.
While money isn’t everything, our per pupil spending is too low. We’re at about $9,000. Instead of bumping it up a few hundred bucks, let’s really show folks we’re serious about educating our kids by boosting that number up to, say, $15,000. Now hold your (Gold)water, my conservative friends. Instead of sending that money directly to school districts, let’s send it to the parents of school children so they can choose which school is best for their kids. Contrary to the fears of liberals, most parents won’t leave their public schools. Parents with kids stuck in bad schools with have a real ‘out.’ The problem with most GOP voucher plans is that they are stingy with the money!
Speaking of money, let’s talk taxes. Let’s say it: Income tax. Folks, it’s coming whether we like it or not. This stuff is complicated, but one thing is sure. Our tax system sucks. Let’s swap the B&O tax for a state income tax (one that WA taxpayers can write off on April 15th). Let’s do like Rep. Toby Nixon said: a flat income tax with plenty of write-offs for poor and middle class folks. Liberals will yelp that it’s not progressive, but that’s the beauty of it. If you get there first, you can set the terms of the debate. The Democrats can’t amend the state constitution without your votes, so bargain hard and make ’em squeal.
One final note, and it’s on transportation. You guys got murdered in the suburbs. No wonder… THEY LIKE ROADS, AND THEY LIKE TRANSIT!!! I know how much you guys hate Sound Transit, but face it, dudes; it’s looking a lot better these days. Do like the GOP did in Denver: approve big increases in the sales tax to build light rail to the suburbs. When moderates, swing-voter suburbanites start taking the train, they’ll reward the folks who brought it to them. Make sure that’s Reagan Dunn and not Ron Sims! While GOP stalwarts like Kemper Freeman may not like light rail, try this instead: run light rail right under Bellevue Square! It’ll bring folks to his mall! As for highways… well, you’re going to have to give up on I-605, or any such nonsense. We’re out of the freeway business, boys. It’s better to focus on keeping current infrastructure maintained.
I hope ya’ll find this useful. It’s the best I can do. If you want to discuss this more, feel free to drop by Seattle’s Drinking Liberally every Tuesday at 8:00pm. I’ll be there… with the rest of the winning team.
Never happen. They’d rather be rightwing than elected.
Besides, people whose heads are stuck in the 19th century don’t need transit. Horses are fine.
And you don’t need readin, writin, or rithmetic to work in a sweat shop. http://www.fundamentalfinance......-labor.jpg
It’s Favre, not Farve. Please fix it.
So many republicans guilty of child molestation, so little time.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/.....ing05.html
It’s Favre, not Farve. Please fix it.
Mike Hargorve would fix it.
Hey guys, try it nice.
Will,
You misspelled Favre and Hargrove, and, I think the reference should have been Mike Holmgren. Also in the third paragraph from the bottom you used “their” instead of “there”.
I know how these things happen. We get passionate about what we are writing and,BOOM, our fingers are moving at speeds faster than our brains ever dreamed of.
Looking forward to your next post.
Carl Grossman
Liberal, Democrat and proud member of the winning side.
I miss JCH. We don’t have him to kick around anymore. I really do hope he is healthy and no longer posts here due to the asskicking he took last month.
Hey JCH if you are out there, at least let us know you are well. Us BHL’s care. (Rabbit, be nice).
“a flat income tax with plenty of write-offs for poor and middle class folks.”
The only people who want a flat income tax are rich!
Screw your flat tax – I want at least 15% of Bill Gates yearly income right along with every other multimillionaire in this state. It is way past time for them to start paying their fair share of taxes, instead of their usual begging for tax breaks!
Eiii! I fixed it, thanks folks. I’m still a n00b at this.
I’m sure the GOP losers appreciate all the advice, but in case you haven’t heard, the Dems now control the US Senate, the US House o Reps, the WA State Legislature — both houses with increased majorities, as well as the Governor’s mansion. No need to even go into local government with King Ron Sims and Greg Nickels and dimes.
Guess what? The GOP has very little to say about anything during the next two years and the public policy agenda before us. Your advice would be better directed at Nickels and his tunnel lust and Chris G and the spending spree that is about to begin in Olympia.
the goal of the fascist leaders of the thug party is to have all of us bottom 99.9% fighting each other to drink outta puddles to lick their boots.
too few Dems believe this, hence we keep electing people who won’t fight the bastards by the rules which exist or by making new rules.
I think the stooge peon thugs who vote for the fascist lies think that bush & cheney & rummy aren’t gonna throw them out to the puddle fields with the rest of the rabble, OR
maybe they are just spineless sacks who think that cleaning master’s crumbs after the nightly banquet is … the best they can do with their pathetic lives?
screw the thug party, let it die.
rmm.
I think after a few decades of investigations into GOP CRIMES, VOTER FRAUD, TREASON, and other wrongdoings covering up their crimes, I would assume the Republican Party is Dead.
They should split into their 5 basic factions. The real 5 Republican parties.
Neocon Warmongerers (funded by defense contractors)
Jesus Freaks (who want to force their god down my throat)
Corporatists (who want every american to be a profit center with no rights whatsoever)
Libertarians (no government whatsoever winner take all the rest can starve and die in squalor)
Aristocracy (inherited wealth decides all forms of legislation and there is a stainless steel celing for all in the form of taxation of the poor and middle class into oblivion while they pay nothing for government)
The real Republican Party
Instead of having 5 greedy blind parties, us Democrats inspire to only one thing
The American Dream
and it can be stated in 2 words.
THE CONSTITUTION
As I said above. The Republican Party is dead. The only ones escaping prosecution will be stripped of all power, and thrown on the scrap heap of reality, and history.
May Satan welcome their evil pathetic souls.
Anyone still calling themselves Republicans these days should really, really, really, really get some help.
They are the exact opposite of what our founding fathers dreamed of.
Definitely not Americans.
sgmmac @ 8:
15% of Bill Gates yearly income wouldn’t be that much in comparison to his accumulated wealth. Let’s face it: Bill doesn’t need a salary (which I believe is less than half a million a year currently) to get by.
If you’d really like to screw the rich, why not a yearly tax on the market value of all assets? How about 15% on total assets-owned with a date of valuation of December 31st? No exclusions – all assets includeds (house, investments,cars, coin collections, retirement accounts, etc.). What do you say?
You know, I’m not trying to screw the rich, but yearly income should include tax dividends and possibly capital gains. His wealth goes up by billions each year, so he’s getting taxable income somehow.
He’s also far from the only billionaire up in the Seattle area getting the hell over. Gates is just the one whinning about lousy schools even though his foundation cancelled money to the Seattle schools for not following the foundation’s demands.
sgmmac @16:
You know, I’m not trying to screw the rich, but yearly income should include tax dividends and possibly capital gains. His wealth goes up by billions each year, so he’s getting taxable income somehow.
1) I am not familiar with tax arcana. That’s why I have an accountant.
2) The majority of Gates’ wealth (which goes up by billions) is in the form of equities, primarily Microsoft stock. Very little of that wealth comes in the form of income.
When my stock portfolio goes up, I don’t pay anything unless I chose to sell it. There are some great tricks you can use to get money out of your equities without sharing with the taxman, but I’ll save those for another day.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....tes05.html
If a Democrat had said this, the right wing hate radio crowd would be flaming him. I wonder if this guy will take heat from his fellow rethugs for telling the truth about Iraq?
If the Republicans wanted to nail the Democrats on schools adding 20 days to the school year would be a good place to start.
Kinda sounds to me that a “flat income tax” with a lot of exemptions for people with lower incomes is actually a progressive tax with a sugar coating. In any case, Toby Nixon has some real guts for bringing it up–messing with the tax system has always been considered our state’s political “third rail”.
I have to admit, the more I hear from this guy, the more I like him.
Will, it wasn’t Madden talking about Favre. I know you’re too young to have ever heard of these guys, but the real apocryphal statement
has been attributed to Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips, about Don Shula in the 1970s, or perhaps to Clemson coach Frank Howard, about Bear Bryant in the 1960s.
Whichever it is, or even if it actually originates earlier (Bud Wilkinson, about Red Blaik?), it’s much more colorful and much more appropriate when it refers to a coach rather than a player.
I heard Phillips say it on TV, before you were born.
8 My Left Foot says: Hey JCH if you are out there, at least let us know you are well. Us BHL’s care. (Rabbit, be nice). 12/05/2006 at 7:25 am
He’s probably dead. The last tsunami got him.
22 That’s as nice as I ever get, where Republicans are concerned.
9 sgmmac says: Screw your flat tax – I want at least 15% of Bill Gates yearly income right along with every other multimillionaire in this state. 12/05/2006 at 7:29 am
Are you a fucking commie?!! Every other state income tax is 2%. Sheesh, talk about greed … what would you do with all that money? Pay teachers $500,000 a year? Create 10,000 new district judgeships in King County to give Richard a chance of getting elected to one?
11 Unfortunately it’s necessary for the state and city to spend a little now, because our most pressing problems were sadly neglected during the 12 years the GOP controlled the state senate and obstructed every constructive and necessary piece of legislation passed by the state house.
12 Rules? What rules? They don’t follow any rules, so why should we? Roger Rabbit says, kick ’em in the nuts!
12 (continued)
And don’t forget to kick ’em when they’re down!
Eiii! I fixed it, thanks folks. I’m still a n00b at this.
No worries. At least you didn’t forget the “l” in public… yet. :-)
My Left Foot @ 8:
The one thing I’ll say for JCH, at least he made good on his bet to me (us) that he’d never post on HA again if the Democrats took both houses of Congress.
Unlike, MTR, who is one lying piece of shit welcher.
Or, Puddybud, who still owes me lunch for the bet we made last year of David “I beat my own mother” Irons.
I don’t think the gut check the neocon’s had to take has fully sunk in just yet. For the most part, that gut check will finally become full blown reality for them when the first subpeona is issued to the White House.
You got to admit, their whole fantasy life of a permanet Republican majority came crashing down all around them like a house of cards last month. The realization that the American public soundly rejected their entire core politcal beliefs has to be quite a bitter pill to swallow.
Libertarian @ 15
I hope you’re being sarcastic about 15% of assets per annum. If not, you’re obviously a public school product. You make about 10% return on your investment capital over the long haul. Losing 15% of all assets, not just investments, per year would drive you into bankruptcy inside a decade.
I’d back a state income tax, provided the same constitutional amendment putting it in place outlawed sales taxes and the B&O tax.