News Roundup for 10/20/09

Sen. Jim DeMint, shown denying he's Jewish

-Headline of the day-
"S.C. GOP chair won't ask leaders to resign after penny-pinching 'Jew' comments."

An op-ed by South Carolinan Republican leaders got off on the wrong foot when the authors used an antisemitic slur as a metaphor. You've got to give them credit for some restraint though, as they waited until the second sentence to get all Nazi on the editorial board of The Times and Democrat.


Recently your newspaper published a letter from state Rep. Bakari Sellers attacking U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint and his opposition to congressional earmarks.

There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves. By not using earmarks to fund projects for South Carolina and instead using actual bills, DeMint is watching our nation's pennies and trying to preserve our country's wealth and our economy's viability to give all an opportunity to succeed.


You see the problem here, right?

Apparently Edwin O. Merwin Jr., Chairman of the Bamberg County Republican Party and James S. Ulmer Jr., Chairman of the Orangeburg County Republican Party, did not. Still, the Juniors aren't going to face any sort of consequences.

"It was an offensive and inappropriate comment that Jim and Edwin have rightly apologized for. These kinds of stereotypes are absolutely unacceptable," said SC GOP chair Karen Floyd. "It goes without saying that some people will continue trying to exploit this mistake for political gain, but as far as we're concerned, their apology ends the matter."

I wouldn't count on it, lady. What with your corn liquor and your hound dogs and your banjos and your lack of book-learnin', you might not understand how stereotypes make people feel. Stick that in your corncob pipe and smoke it. (Raw Story)


-Redistributing the wealth-
With talk of an "opt-out" for a public option, where states with a majority of lunatics can opt-out of a government healthcare plan, financial writer Brett Arends dares to ask what should be an obvious question -- who would this help the most?

Turns out, the answer is blue states. "If Blue and Red America want to pursue separate policies, why shouldn't they?" he writes. "The unspoken secret of American politics is that Blue America would be far better off, economically and otherwise, going it alone. Blue America has a huge amount to gain and almost nothing to lose from undoing Lincoln's Folly -- a.k.a. the Civil War, the War of Northern Aggression -- and leaving the South and other red states to their own devices."

Arends took a gander at tax data and federal spending over the years and found another not very well-kept secret -- red states get more than they pay. "Look at the numbers. New Jersey got back just 61 cents for every dollar it paid in federal taxes. Connecticut: 69 cents. Illinois: 75 cents. New York: 79 cents. Massachusetts: 82 cents. In other words, being a member of the union is costing these states billions in lost money," he writes. "Meanwhile Mississippi gets back $2 in federal spending for every dollar it pays in federal taxes. Alaska: $1.84. Louisiana: $1.78. North Dakota gets $1.68, Alabama $1.66, Tennessee $1.27, Idaho $1.21 and Arizona $1.19."

What can we do about these lazy welfare states? Let them secede. The right's been making noise about it and maybe it's time to call the bluff. Hell, I'd favor an ultimatum -- either you guys start paying your fair share or we'll evict you.

I mean, here we are -- fine, upstanding, working Americans -- and we're all supporting lazy, shiftless welfare queens. What the hell? We didn't have a revolution so Mississippi could get a free ride!

Start paying your fair share, red states, or we'll put your stuff out by the curb. (MarketWatch, via reddit)


-Bonus HotD-
"Harry Reid: 'We're Leaning Towards Talking About A Public Option.'"

If the stars are right and the weather's good and the wind's at our backs and we get up early enough and the fish are biting and their bursitis doesn't act up and the grass doesn't need mowing... then, maybe...

For the love of God Harry, take a freakin' position! (Plum Line)