… from ljtmalden:
The reason is they want to dismantle the government. Period.Agreed. As far as I can tell, the reason is that many republicans in congress see their victory as permission to dismantle not only the New Deal, but also much of the executive branch and long-standing institutions such as public schooling.
Right on the nose. As we’ve been told, take the autocrat at his word. Or in this case, at his chief advisor’s word. Here’s Steve Bannon:
I’m a Leninist,” Bannon proudly proclaimed.
Shocked, I asked him what he meant.
“Lenin,” he answered, “wanted to destroy the state, and that’s my goal too. I want to bring everything crashing down, and destroy all of today’s establishment.” Bannon was employing Lenin’s strategy for Tea Party populist goals. He included in that group the Republican and Democratic Parties, as well as the traditional conservative press.
He’s got more than that, now. He’s got the government itself, which is supposed to work for the people. The list of cabinet appointees who are flamboyantly unqualified and/or openly hostile to the agency’s mission, proves the point.
- DeVos is there to kill public education.
- Pruitt is there to kill the EPA.
- Price is there to kill the Affordable Care Act (and privatize Medicare/Medicaid).
- Perry … Perry doesn’t even know what he thinks he’s going to be doing. Managing the nuclear stockpiles is a big part of the job. (I’d joke and say “Oops” but that kind of gallows humor just turns my stomach these days.)
- etc.
It’s a “government” run by corporate custodians, billionaires, on behalf of their interests. It is indeed a hollowing out of the institutions that were brought about to serve and protect the public. God knows how long it will take to rebuild them.
fredrichlariccia says
Father of the atomic bomb, quoting from the Bhagavad Gita ( blessing song) — a sacred Hindu text composed about 200 BC
Fred Rich LaRiccia
hesterprynne says
The 30 or so Trump staffers who are reporting to work at the Department of Labor tomorrow right after the inauguration to begin rolling back worker protections are called the “beachhead team.”“
johntmay says
I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.
Grover is like that other guy, John Stossel, born into privilege, with a upper middle class family in an upper upper middle class neighborhood with great public schools, safe streets, a supportive community…..and both guys think that they worked hard to get where they are and never needed the government.
marcus-graly says
is having once said he didn’t think the DOE should exist. That’s the common theme in Trump’s nominees: they all advocated for the abolition of the agency they’re tasked with running.