Left and Right United Against Cronyism – Save for a Few Wobbly Republicans

Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist made an excellent recommendation as to how best to oppose the old school crony government pork known as “earmarks” – which was district-specific spending, benefiting that district’s Congressman.

Getting riled up at that Congressman was a waste of time. He was the vote-buying beneficiary of the government money. What you needed to do was rile up the constituents of the House’s other 434 members – to get angry at their respective representatives for wasting their tax money on pork…that didn’t even benefit them.

This all-other-hands-on-deck approach – needs to be used against all things cronyism. Get everyone besides the cronies – all along the ideological spectrum – to gang up on the cronies. Politics makes strange bedfellows – often because it is very necessary.

The massive crony nightmare mess currently being attempted by New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo – is a great place to test drive this approach.

Cuomo is – in the name of fake energy (like solar and wind) – unilaterally imposing an $8 billion energy tax on New Yorkers. But instead of wasting that money on fake energy like solar and wind – Cuomo will hand that massive coin to crony company Exelon Energy.

What’s worse, REPUBLICAN state Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan – is helping Cuomo. He isn’t trying to kill the cronyism – he’s looking for alternative ways to fund it.

Of course we less government types have all along opposed the entirety of the Cuomo nonsense. But we’re no longer nearly alone. Flanagan’s inanity – has brought many additional Leftist environmental groups off the bench and into vocal opposition. Welcome to the cot, All.

Green Groups Criticize Flanagan’s Proposal for Nuclear Subsidy: “Groups that have campaigned against Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s subsidies for upstate nuclear plants – and environmental groups that have stayed on the sidelines – panned the Senate Republican leader’s proposal to fund it with money currently used for energy efficiency and renewable programs….

“Flanagan’s proposal…drew harsh criticism from two of those (previously sidelined) groups: the Natural Resources Defense Council and Environmental Advocates of New York….

“The measure, modified by Flanagan on Monday, would essentially strip funding from most other New York State Energy Research and Development Authority programs and use it to fund the state’s nuclear power plants….

“Flanagan’s proposal retains the subsidy for nuclear plants, which has strong support from upstate members of his conference who represent districts in which the plants are located.”

Of COURSE the representatives whose districts receive the cronyism – support the cronyism. What we need to do – is rally everyone else.

Flanagan and his alternative cronyism funding plan – is an exhibition of the addled government thinking that I like to call the Cargo Pants Fallacy.

Government officials who like to spend money – often take money from old programs to fund new ones. Democrat President Lyndon Johnson stole money from Social Security – to create Medicare and Medicaid. Democrat President Barack Obama stole money from Medicare – to create Obamacare.

It’s like they think government is a pair of cargo pants. And taking money from one pocket and putting it into another – magically makes it new money. Of course – it does no such thing.

And they all always forget that none of the money – is actually theirs. Every penny of it – was taken from us.

And does anyone really not think that once Flanagan has depleted these “green energy” programs to save Cuomo’s cronyism – the very Leftist New York state legislature won’t almost immediately thereafter replenish them with more stolen coin…oops, I mean hiked tax money?

Again, Flanagan is a REPUBLICAN. He should be opposed to Cuomo’s boondoggle – on principle. Not finding ways to save it.

His polluting the water spoils what should be massive opposition to Cuomo’s nonsense.

We actual less government types are – in Norquist fashion – sided up with Leftist environmental groups. And Flanagan – is on the OTHER side. Of all of us.

Which should cause him to ask himself – “Just how far from the path have I strayed?”

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