Democrats like Scrooge? A Twisted GOP Christmas Carolization!

What are Republicans thinking when they watch Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? Thanks to Sen. Frank Lasee's holiday email, we now kind of know, although technically none of it makes any sense.

Never one to let a gift like this go unnoticed during the holidays, let’s unwrap this down-the-rabbit-hole present shall we.

Government is like greedy old Ebenezer Scrooge? Yes, according to Lasee (or whoever he plagiarized in his email update), government could learn a few lessons, just like Scrooge? It's a fascinating insight if anything, and head scratcher: 

The Great (Jim Doyle) Recession, was caused by tax increases and burdensome regulations? Please, my head is hurting. Forget those irresponsible Wall Street banks, Republican free market deregulation, and the resulting global economic collapse, it was all because of tightwad Scrooge Doyle's tax and spend policies, you know, like Fezziwig at Christmas (I just love the last highlighted line for being totally incoherent):

Wisconsin was in bad shape in 2009. With rising unemployment and a staggering decline in state revenues, experts advised us to brace for the worst. Wisconsin lost nearly 120,000 jobs that year and the state unemployment rate hit a 27-year high of 9.4%. Business morale was down and families were feeling the pinch. Democratic out of control spending by the Democrats and dubious budget accounting practices by the Doyle administration left Wisconsin with a $3.6 billion shortfall heading into 2011-2013 biennium, after a 5 billion dollar tax increase. These crippling tax increases and burdensome regulations hindered new investments and like Ebenezer Scrooge’s office, left Wisconsinites in the cold.

Huh...? Frank Lasee, not surprisingly, didn't bother to include Jacob Marley's foreshadowing message to Scrooge. Here's a reminder...:

(Marley) “My spirit never walked beyond our counting-house -- mark me! -- in life my spirit never roved beyond the narrow limits of our money-changing hole.

"But you were always a good man of business, Jacob," faltered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself.

"Business!" cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again.  "Mankind was my business.  The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business.  The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!"

The apparition walked backward from him; and at every step it took, the window raised itself a little, so that when the spectre reached it, it was wide open.  It beckoned Scrooge to approach, which he did.  Scrooge followed to the window: desperate in his curiosity.  He looked out.

The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and

moaning as they went.  Every one of them wore chains like Marley's Ghost; some few (they might be guilty governments) were linked together; none were free.  Many had been personally known to Scrooge in their lives.  He had been quite familiar with one old ghost, in a white waistcoat, with a monstrous iron safe attached to its ankle, who cried piteously at being unable to assist a wretched woman with an infant, whom it saw below, upon a door-step.  The misery with them all was, clearly, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power for ever.

Sen. Glenn Grothman a real Scrooge like Conservative. Now, if he could just bring back the workhouses...

Glenn Grothman continues to offer us insight into how conservatives think, and where they might want to take us as a nation. He’s not that outrageous, or a loose cannon, as some like to portray him. He’s a real conservative with a unreal and frightening appreciation for a more Dickensian time. Like the work week:

Huffington Post: Wisconsin state Sen. Glenn Grothman (R) is attempting to roll back one of the state's progressive labor laws, arguing that workers should be allowed to work without a day off if they so choose. “…all sorts of people want to work seven days a week," he told The Huffington Post in an interview.

Wisconsin … businesses "must provide employees with at least one period consisting of 24 consecutive hours of rest in each calendar week." Grothman said he finds this law "a little goofy," and he argued that rolling it back is a matter of "freedom."

He's proposing legislation that "would allow an employee to voluntarily choose to work without one day of rest in seven."

Ross Eisenbrey, vice president of the Economic Policy Institute, said Grothman's proposal is problematic because it may lead to employers forcing their staff to work overtime. Grothman replied, "Well, they're not supposed to ... Maybe somebody will try to break the law."

Maybe?

33 Years and Counting: Republicans extend their Boycott of "A Christmas Carol" for it's obvious liberal bias!!!"

Charles Dickens, who started the war on Christmas with "A Christmas Carol," is still considered the one of the original enemies of capitalism in the U.S.. While conservative groups denounced ringleader Jacob Marley and all three ghosts, they directed their scorn at Tiny Tim, who they say should have died and decreased the surplus population.

Ebenezer Scrooge pictured here before he went bankrupt.

A while back I wrote this about the slowly building "Scroogenian" movement:

Let’s begin to call it what it is, "Scroogenian." I made that up, but it's true. We can also call them Scroogists. The popular Dickens character Ebenezer Scrooge, described as “a cold-hearted, tight-fisted and greedy man, who despises all things which give people happiness,” is now the standard bearer of tough, effective, conservative economic policy.

Ending unemployment insurance, cutting food stamps, vilifying the poor and middle class as takers, heck, Scroogists everywhere can't help but celebrate today.

Asked about the ponderous chain they're forging in life, many did not know what that meant, but blamed Obama for it.

The New Scroogenian movement! Republican Budget Targets Proof of Moral Bankruptcy, in Wisconsin and Elsewhere.

Let’s begin to call it what it is, "Scroogenian." I made that up, but it's true. We can also call them Scroogists. The popular Dickens character Ebenezer Scrooge, described as “a cold-hearted, tight-fisted and greedy man, who despises all things which give people happiness,” is now the standard bearer of tough, effective, conservative economic policy.

Republicans think if the books are balanced, the human toll is of little concern. The ruthlessness of Scroogenian policy promoted by the Walker administration couldn’t be clearer.

WSJ: Gov. Scott Walker introduced his first budget — a spending plan that seems to uniformly favor Republican pets such as school vouchers, transportation and tax cuts while targeting nearly every Democratic sacred cow. 

Walker’s proposal, aimed at eliminating the state’s $3.6 billion shortfall, would cut more than $1 billion from education, knock more than 50,000 people off BadgerCare, roll back recycling and water purity requirements, and cut aid to the poor. 

Walker wants to cut legal services for the homeless, repeal environmental mandates, eliminate child care for state workers, reduce tax cuts for poor families, eliminate food stamps for migrant workers and end requirements that insurance provide coverage for contraceptives. 

It would expand the state’s school voucher program to students in higher income levels but restrict eligibility in state-subsidized health care plans to the poorest of the poor. It would scale back some mandates on local government but impose one of the toughest mandates possible — limiting the ability of cities and counties to raise taxes to make up for cuts in state aid.

The state constitution forbids the legislature from imposing such limits, which would interfere with the autonomous nature of city and county governments, but big deal. This is an economic crisis, ripe for a Scroogenian solution. 

Put another way:

“It is literally every single bad conservative idea of the last 20 years housed in a single budget document,” said Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now.