The lack of self-awareness is almost amusing.

[ksmith]

From this morning's Washington Monthly:

"In a smart column today, Bruce Bartlett looks at why it will be so hard for politicians to cut government spending: because so many Americans who say they support cutting government programs don't realize just how much they benefit from them.

Remember, for example, when a town hall attendee famously told his congressman to "keep your government hands off my Medicare"? Apparently that bewilderingly blinkered sentiment is hardly unique."

Comments

[e-moon60.livejournal.com]

It would be easy for politicians to cut the government spending that benefits only themselves...but just like everyone else, they won't (cut Congressional health care benefits, cut programs lobbied for by big industry) and they will instead cut "wasteful spending" that benefits those who don't directly benefit them: the poor, the unemployed, the sick, children...

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Hopefully, they won't be able to once they understand what's involved, because many of their TP constituents screaming for gov't cuts would be affected. Whether they realize it or not.

[e-moon60.livejournal.com]

They won't understand "what's involved" until it's too late, because the politicians are cleverly hiding what they're doing and blaming smaller entities and "those people." It's already happening in Texas and Wisconsin and no doubt other states I know nothing about.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

Florida is going to get hammered. I don't know what they were thinking, voting in a damned full-blown sociopath for governor.

[cailleuch.livejournal.com]

Michigan is already getting hammered. Idiots voted Republican everything in at the state level. They have already planned to cut way too much.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I don't understand--what did people think they were voting for? Did they really think they weren't going to be touched by cuts, that only "those people" would be affected?

[cailleuch.livejournal.com]

One of my student aides' parents are state employees. Voted Republican and may now be laid off. And they are pissed. I truly don't understand what they thought.

The state library was basically closed down and Detroit is closing all the public libraries for lack of money. It is appalling.