A recent article in the New York Times asked the rhetorical question: Why do voters tune out Democrats? It was with a dose of vinegar that Stanley Greenberg, author of the piece, stated: “I see clearly that voters feel ever more estranged from government — and that they associate Democrats with government.” Really? He is just figuring that out? But then he goes off the road. He further states: “If Democrats are going to be encumbered by that link, they need to change voters’ feelings about government.”
His premise is that the American people see government as corrupt. They see government representing all of those big, bad corporations and wealthy Wall Street types to the detriment of the little guy on the street. The Democrats have to change the perception, and go after all of those bad guys in order to get the confidence of the people back.
Of course, let’s start with the struggling little guy who pays NO federal income tax. In 1975, the percentage of American who paid no federal income tax was 17%. Now it is 53%. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that the little guy is getting a pretty good deal, even if the big guys might be getting a better one. Case in point: General Electric.
But that’s just an aside. Americans have an innate distrust of government. What they are feeling is an oppressive government smothering them to death at the behest of whack-a-doodle special interests. It interferes in every aspect of their lives. It hinders their ability to make a living and provide for their families. Every new regulation, every new rule promulgated, every new compliance requirement, kills jobs. It costs the public money. And there is no more money.
I had a box in the back seat of my car with melted glue all over it and warnings in big black letters going up and down every side of the box. You had to see this thing. I was afraid to open the box to see what was inside the warnings were so dire. You know what it was? One of those squiggly light bulbs! I have kept the box to bring it with me when I give speeches as Exhibit A. God forbid you use a regular light bulb you earth destroyer!!!!
The EPA has just stiffened ozone particulate regulations from 75 ppb (parts per billion) to 60 ppb. What does this mean? For the energy industry, it means about $90 billion over the next few years; for American drivers it means about $1.00/gallon. That is really going to encourage job growth.
The EPA is now attempting to impose by regulation the cap and trade bill defeated by Congress last year. Even the Democrats voted against that one. Yet the Obama EPA refuses to listen to the will of the American people and is implementing these horrendous provisions where lots of people will make trillions of dollars trading air credits at your cost and mine. The money will come right from Joe Bag of Donut's pocket.
They want to regulate what you eat. They want to regulate how warm or cool you can keep your house. They want to regulate what you can drive. They want to regulate how you raise your children. They want to regulate, regulate, regulate…all of which is done by legal coercion. My favorite is the attempt to regulate water usage. Why? Conserve water for what? You take a shower. It goes down into the sewer. It goes through water treatment into the Mahoning River into the Beaver River into the Ohio River into the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico where it evaporates and flies through the air back to Meander Reservoir when it rains into the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District system into the water storage tank into the pipes then back to my shower. And the cycle starts all over again. Water is NOT a limited resource. It recycles NATURALLY. But some do-gooder in Washington…probably a Democrat….knows what is best for you.
In fact, if you look at all of the whack-a-doodle legislation that we have to deal with in our daily lives, you will find some do-gooder Democrat leading the charge with some pie in the sky cause that absolutely must be shoved down our throat to save the world, or make it fair. God forbid life might be unfair.
And that, Mr. Greenberg, is the reason Americans tune out the Democrats.
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