Georgia Republicans: Where Is Your Galt Now?
September 23rd, 2009
David B. Livingstone
What a difference a disaster makes.
Only a scant few days ago, the righteous red citizenry of Georgia were holding teaparties and disrupting townhall meetings with their anti-federal government placards and slogans.
Having proudly cast their state’s electoral votes against Barack Obama in antideluvian 2009, these self-professed patriots continued to trumpet their righteous umbrage against any and all things socialistic, inveighing against public health care, stimulus packages and federal bailouts in the name of glorious capitalistic principles, with their weasel-eyed governor Sonny Perdue leading the charge. But let it rain a little bit — OK, a lot— and see what happens.
Who's shrugging now, Galts?
Floodwaters rise and suddenly the good folk of the Peachtree State go all commie on us.
Even the reptilian brain of Sonny Perdue seems to have figured out that market-based solutions aren’t going to rescue Atlanta from ten feet of floodwater. As houses, cars, and people are washed away, the righteous libertarian raises his bleating little voice in a plea towards Washington: President Obama, save us.
The ironies are obvious. Perdue, one of the lead cheerleaders for state “sovereignty” and a tireless ranter against a supposedly overweening, over-interfering Federal government, is now approaching the same administration he has spent months deriding to ask for a handout.
Perdue, and presumably his million-odd right-wing dingbat supporters, want Federal disaster assistance. Perdue wants emergency housing, FEMA intervention, cleanup dollars, men and materiel from the selfsame administration he has loudly and publicly loathed. His constituents want their homes rebuilt, their roads reopened, their ruined crops compensated for, and their lives restored to a semblance of normalcy by agents of the state, and at the expense of the American taxpayer.
It is of course necessary to acknowledge the fact that not all residents of Georgia are Republican anti-government knuckleheads. Some of them actually deserve a helping hand, and if only for their sake, the government should of course intervene. But that doesn’t mean that there still isn’t the strong temptation to tell Georgia to go soak its head, if it hasn’t already.
If this were four or so years ago, it would have happened by default. Michael Chertoff, “Heckuva Job” Brownie and their miserable, incompetent serfs would have been too busy dining with lobbyists in swanky D.C. restaurants to save Georgia from drowning. But things are different now: Adults are in charge; emergencies are addressed; and Obama has already dispatched the money and manpower to mitigate the human disaster unfolding around Atlanta. But that’s no reason Georgia Republicans shouldn’t stand on principle.
For their brave talk of succession and their proud pronouncements of their righteous anti-federal stances to mean anything, it is the responsibility of the teabag brigade to refuse any and all offers of federal help as a matter of personal integrity. No search and rescue operations. No emergency medical relief. No dollars for cleanup, rebuilding, or recovery; no payouts from federal flood insurance plans. Nada, nothing. The Perdue Crew are duty-bound to find free enterprise-based solutions to their current problems, or to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.
Rather than whimpering to Obama, Sonny Perdue should lead by example. He can begin by ducking his head under the muddy deluge and holding his breath until the waters recede, even if it may be a long time. Meanwhile, maybe proud Georgia businesses such as Coca-Cola, AFLAC and Arby’s can step up to the plate and clean up the mud and brush, while federal bailout recipients SunTrust pick up the tab for rebuilding swamped homes and businesses. Wouldn’t that do Ayn Rand proud, though? An entire state just saying no to the effeminate, socialistic weakness implicit in every federal dollar spent to save it, and instead proudly relying upon itself to regain its footing.
Funny – doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. When push comes to shove, the mushy Georgia peaches are right down there in the mud with the rest of us, scrambling for whatever benefits they can get.
Posted in David B. Livingstone
14 Responses to “Georgia Republicans: Where Is Your Galt Now?”
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This article was so asinine (not to mention poorly-written) that it scarcely deserves comment. But I’ll leave one brief one. So long as Georgia (or any other state) remains part of the union, and its citizens pay tax to the federal government (and they do…BELIEVE ME they do), they have every right to expect, no, to DEMAND, that they receive assistance FROM the federal government in the aftermath of a natural disaster!
Of course, this is an opinion piece, not an “article”, so Mr. Livingstone is free to spout whatever inanities he wishes. This column amounts to nothing more than ad hominem attacks (with a few childish epithets tossed in for good measure). Poor spelling and grammar round out the trifecta. So read at your own risk, with the admonition that these will be two or three minutes of your life that you will never get back.
“It is of course necessary to acknowledge the fact that not all residents of Georgia are Republican anti-government knuckleheads. Some of them actually deserve a helping hand, and if only for their sake, the government should of course intervene”
I suppose you know nothing of Fema and how much Georgia has paid in taxes to have these emergency services.
It takes someone of an extreme sick mind to have such adulation as you do for terrorist. Meanwhile you exhibit such contempt for fellow Americans. Exploiting drowning people and people flooded out of their homes has to be your new low Livingstone. I recommend you check into a state hospital for a psyc evaluation.
Humour me and explain how are bank/automobile/etc bailouts, a public option healthcare, an ACORN aided census, defense and military cuts (!) and more government intervention in every aspect of our lives going to help in this disaster?
Yeah, I thought as much. Now if only the POTUS was as passionate about doing his job as he is about campaigning, the outcome here might be different.
It takes a very sick mind to spin misfortune of others for personal gain. You sicken me.
According to The Tax Foundation, GA received $1.01 in Federal spending for every $1.00 given in taxes to the Federal government. This report is from 2005, but it’s the best I could find on the web. http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/266.html
QED: GA is neither a giver nor a taker regarding Federal tax dollars.
It is ironic that the anti-government pontificators now loudly voice requests for the Federal government to bail them out. Just goes to show that hypocricy is up there as the one of the oldest professions…
Reply to David B. Livingstone on The North Star National.
Your mother is so fat she is required to pay for two first class airline tickets. You have a nice head of hair there fellow. Where did you learn to write such drivel? Sorry, your opinion article made me project childish rants back at you. Have a good day if that is possible in you liberal bed wetting world.
Signed by a Republican anti-BIG government, flag waving, tea partier, FairTaxer, knuckleheaded, dim witted, slow talking, uneducated fool from Georgia. Sorry, I just wanted to reinforce the stereotypes you used to demean my fellow Georgians. I am sure you do not have the same opinion of our favorite dim wit, Jimmy Carter.
Wayne, Russell, David, and Phillip: I like it when pigs hate me. It makes me happy. Keep it up.
David, the worst thing about this (and there is a lot that is rotten) is that you have no idea what you are talking about. Governor Perdue is not one of the radical right-wing nuts we have here in Georgia, though we do have our fair share. I dont know where you live, or why you think you know the first thing about Georgia, but I can tell by reading this you dont live here. Governor Perdue was a Democrat just a few short years ago, and you never see him on Fox News railing against bailouts, stimulus, etc. He hasnt talked about seceding from the Union, or any of the other stuff you write as if it was fact. The whole thing was a big waste of time, both the time you spent writing and the time I unfortunately spent reading it.
David, I did not say hate anywhere is my response to your opinion article. My intent was to highlight the pathetic nonsense that you were espousing. Oh, I forgot, facts and truth have no meaning to liberals. EXAMPLE: The truth is that the push for health care reform is actually the BIG GOVERNMENT NIRVANA that has been advocated by liberals for decades. Thank you for acknowledging my comment.
Since you mentioned Ayn Rand I thought I would mention that it was her position that it is proper to accept government money previously taken from you, provided you continue to advocate the elimination of such socialism programs. Your claim that a person of principal would forgo Federal benefits, even though he paid for them, indicates a preference for the morality of self-sacrifice – the exact opposite of the rational self-interest advocated by Miss Rand.
In my post immediately above, “would forgo” should read “should forgo”
Stumbled across this ridiculous op-ed piece while searching for real information regarding the federal response to the recent flood damage in Atlanta. I do have a question for folks here – how bad of a hack does one have to be in order to post op-ed pieces here? Apparently, pretty bad.
Livingstone demonstrates well the mindless hate emanating from the lunatic fringe of our society. Somewhere in the world feckless, hormonal rants may garner some respect. However, most American have had their fill of the incessant whining and childish rhetoric regurgitated daily by uber-libs. Their “leadership” including Bawney Fwank, Pelosi, Reid and Dodd are completely out-of-step with American ideals and our founding social contracts.
Here’s a clue for Livingstone and his ilk – Redistribution of wealth and class unification does not sit well with Middle Class Americans. Please cease the whining and rants and go find a productive job and please don’t forget to take your friends at ACORN with you.
[...] in the SouthEast, who have been yelling a lot lately about how Government is never the answer, to change their tune and beg for government assistance in the wake of widespread flooding. But I resisted posting a story about that, since I hate to hit [...]
Porcine is in the eye of the beholder Dave, and in your case, we have a photo for additional proof. Screw off, ya little leftist twit!
all good things