Last Thursday (2.26) we had the opportunity to attend the Iowa Politics.com “Cookies & Conversation” forum at Drake University. The subject was Iowa’s budget and economy. The participants were Brad Hudson, a lobbyist for the ISEA (yes, that is a Labor/Socialist/Democrat special interest), Auditor of State David Vaudt and Iowans for Tax Relief President Ed Failor, Jr. (no, that is not a special interest because ITR does not ask the government for money for any one preselected beneficiary of government largesse-an important distinction that we should never fail to draw when discussing the “lobby” at the Golden Dome).
After listening to all three speakers it was abundantly clear that facts still affect the LSDs like garlic affects another group of bloodsuckers. Although repeatedly pressed for details, Mr. Hudson exposed the greatest failing afflicting the failed public education he represents, a complete inability to deal with objective reality. Mr. Hudson responded with a bizarre collection of homey stories about his parents, generalized and contradictory criticisms of the latest Bush Administration and emotive appeals to class hatred and division. Details were completely absent from the Hudsonian presentation.
Mr. Hudson’s Republican counterparts focused on facts, and the rational inferences that arise therefrom. Mr. Failor raised chilling economic statistics as an explanation for Iowa’s lack of demographic growth and economic prosperity, to wit: Iowa is 5th in marginal corporate tax, the 10th highest per capita in number of public employees (remember that we are only 1% of the national population with an aging population); 14th most progressive income tax and an overall 45th in economic performance. Auditor Vaudt, easily the most charismatic CPA in the state, explained how the Democrats budgets have become progressively more excessive and disconnected from Iowa’s economic base. Mr. Vaudt used real numbers to state the obvious; Iowa has an enormous budget deficit of $500-$700 million dollars. Both Mr. Vaudt and Mr. Failor also emphasized the even more frightening real historic corollary; the huge deficits were created during a period of rapidly escalating state revenues.
Mr. Hudson’s only response to the foregoing weight of factual fire was to say that every one agrees we need schools (utter non sequitar, of course) and that the tax cutting economic model hasn’t worked out so well ( I believe that to be a quote) and corporate America was too greedy (an even more ridiculous non sequitar).
Interestingly, when asked why the state of Iowa could deliver the core services of schools, roads and courts and assemble a $200 million surplus when Governor Branstad ran the state and now, with a budget that is several times larger than anything Governor Branstad ever signed, now has a $500 million dollar deficit can no longer insure the state's core functions of schools, roads and courts are fully operational, Mr. Hudson said that the national economy had done pretty well from 03-07. Aside from the obvious, yet another meaningless, and in this case just utterly false (assuming the ordinary meaning of the words, of course) non sequitar the remarkable statement was made after about an hour of attacks on the 03-07 economy! We call that a contradiction.
The highlight of the event came when Mr. Failor responded to the same questions about the growth of government. For the first time in years an audience heard a Republican explain not just the growth of government, as if it were univerisally understood to be inherently bad, but also the philosophical and historical reasons that so clearly establish and evidence the Republican model of smaller government and lower taxes as the model of both prosperity and freedom. As we have often said on these pages, Republicans can no longer assume that the generation that has grown to maturity since 1980 remember liberalism running amok during the Carter years. Moreover, that same generation has been educated in schools that teach America is bad, socialism is good, traditional morality is always wrong (and bigoted and evil) and counter intuitiveness is the pole star of intellectual and critical thought. Or, as Peggy Noonan first said, we can no longer assume that this is 1980 and the country is with us. Mr. Failor took the time to first explain why Labor/Socialist/ Democrat policy fails the public good. We Republicans need a lot more of that kind of public education if we are going to successfully woo the public back into our philosophical arms.
In the end, the anvil of reality crushed the ant of emotion.
After listening to all three speakers it was abundantly clear that facts still affect the LSDs like garlic affects another group of bloodsuckers. Although repeatedly pressed for details, Mr. Hudson exposed the greatest failing afflicting the failed public education he represents, a complete inability to deal with objective reality. Mr. Hudson responded with a bizarre collection of homey stories about his parents, generalized and contradictory criticisms of the latest Bush Administration and emotive appeals to class hatred and division. Details were completely absent from the Hudsonian presentation.
Mr. Hudson’s Republican counterparts focused on facts, and the rational inferences that arise therefrom. Mr. Failor raised chilling economic statistics as an explanation for Iowa’s lack of demographic growth and economic prosperity, to wit: Iowa is 5th in marginal corporate tax, the 10th highest per capita in number of public employees (remember that we are only 1% of the national population with an aging population); 14th most progressive income tax and an overall 45th in economic performance. Auditor Vaudt, easily the most charismatic CPA in the state, explained how the Democrats budgets have become progressively more excessive and disconnected from Iowa’s economic base. Mr. Vaudt used real numbers to state the obvious; Iowa has an enormous budget deficit of $500-$700 million dollars. Both Mr. Vaudt and Mr. Failor also emphasized the even more frightening real historic corollary; the huge deficits were created during a period of rapidly escalating state revenues.
Mr. Hudson’s only response to the foregoing weight of factual fire was to say that every one agrees we need schools (utter non sequitar, of course) and that the tax cutting economic model hasn’t worked out so well ( I believe that to be a quote) and corporate America was too greedy (an even more ridiculous non sequitar).
Interestingly, when asked why the state of Iowa could deliver the core services of schools, roads and courts and assemble a $200 million surplus when Governor Branstad ran the state and now, with a budget that is several times larger than anything Governor Branstad ever signed, now has a $500 million dollar deficit can no longer insure the state's core functions of schools, roads and courts are fully operational, Mr. Hudson said that the national economy had done pretty well from 03-07. Aside from the obvious, yet another meaningless, and in this case just utterly false (assuming the ordinary meaning of the words, of course) non sequitar the remarkable statement was made after about an hour of attacks on the 03-07 economy! We call that a contradiction.
The highlight of the event came when Mr. Failor responded to the same questions about the growth of government. For the first time in years an audience heard a Republican explain not just the growth of government, as if it were univerisally understood to be inherently bad, but also the philosophical and historical reasons that so clearly establish and evidence the Republican model of smaller government and lower taxes as the model of both prosperity and freedom. As we have often said on these pages, Republicans can no longer assume that the generation that has grown to maturity since 1980 remember liberalism running amok during the Carter years. Moreover, that same generation has been educated in schools that teach America is bad, socialism is good, traditional morality is always wrong (and bigoted and evil) and counter intuitiveness is the pole star of intellectual and critical thought. Or, as Peggy Noonan first said, we can no longer assume that this is 1980 and the country is with us. Mr. Failor took the time to first explain why Labor/Socialist/ Democrat policy fails the public good. We Republicans need a lot more of that kind of public education if we are going to successfully woo the public back into our philosophical arms.In the end, the anvil of reality crushed the ant of emotion.
4 comments:
Your recollection of Thursday’s forum is absolutely correct. Not only did Mr. Hudson fail to present a well thought out argument (which is difficult to do in any sense when explaining liberal ideology), he also exemplified how poor and destitute the public education he represents has truly become when he had to have the word “confiscate” defined for him. His argument, cyclical as it was, relied upon a flustered collection of words and immaterial stories to sway the panelists and audience into believing education was of utmost importance for the state (a moot point since Auditor Vaudt and Mr. Failor unequivocally agreed on that at the outset).
Perhaps most perplexing, however, was that for the most part, Mr. Hudson had no germane response to the facts presented by Mr. Failor. When comparing the current budget gap with the revenue use under Gov. Branstad, Mr. Hudson simply began a rant on President Bush’s economic policy.
Mr. Failor presented a factual case with tact, whit, and a logical progression of thought. I was very concerned, as a Drake student, that Mr. Hudson could not even present a somewhat coherent case for the liberal Democratic policies which have been forced fed to Iowan’s for years. I am sure of this: if my political mindset resembled that of a flower child hit hard by the 1960s drug seen, I would still be able to articulate a more organized and coherent case than Mr. Hudson.
For the sake of our cause, please work on your writing and grammatical skills.
No offense meant, but the very poor command of the English language combined with grade-school-like errors in grammer undermine the strength of our position.
Even so, kudos to Mr. Failor!
- One 4 Liberty
Drug scene . . . not drug "seen"
Grammar . . . not "grammer"
Not necessary to drop the F-bomb . . . ever.
Shitheels, the both of you. Worthless losers, with what's at stake, this is all you've got? Grammer? F bombs?
Losers.
Shitheels.
Way to change the world here, Spearer! You've got one hell of a following! With this kind of support, dare I say it, you could run for President!
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