Voodoo Economics

The Republicans have all the good catch phrases.

But one of the most revealing aspects of our new political "discourse" is that they have moved so far to the right that Democrats can now use their old catch-phrases against them. It was George H.W. Bush who coined the phrase, "Voodoo Economics" when he was running in the primaries against his future boss, Ronald Reagan ... who wound up raising taxes, by the way. And why? Because in the real world, when you cut taxes revenues drop.

That's because you have less money.

It's not calculus, or even algebra -- it's barely arithmetic; yet somehow today's Republicans still can't figure it out. Yesterday Illinois Repupblican Joe Walsh (His slogan could be "There Goes the Neighborhood") went on TV to say, and I quote, "Every time we've cut taxes, revenues have gone up."

Right. And every time I rob you, you get richer! So don't complain when I stick a gun in your ribs and empty your wallet --I've just increased your spending power.

Lucky you.

My question is, why do talking heads on television let people like Walsh get away with this brazen amoral mendacity? The proper follow-up question is: "Why do you think people will believe that lie -- and who's paying you to say it?"

But of course, the same people are paying the talking heads! That's why you have to read foreign newspapers and watch Al Jazeera English and the BBC news to find out what's going on in your own country.

But I wonder how extreme the Republican statements would have to become before someone (anyone) demurred. "Every time you jump off a building, you float up like a snowflake in the wind! Sometimes you go up one story ... sometimes two or three! That sepends on a lot of complex factors. You should read the heritage Foundation report on it. But this Democrat whining about 'Falling to your death' just makes me sick."

I wish Walsh had made that claim.

We could have asked him for a demonstration .