THIS JUST IN!

In the conversation between Gail Collins and David Brooks in today's (Wednesday) NYT, David bemoans the disdain for, and lack of faith in, "Washington," as exhibited by the rugged individualists in Northern Montana, where he was vacationing. Gail points out that states like Montana are among the most heavily subsidized in the country. For every $1000 they grudgingly pay in federal taxes, they get back nearly $1500, some of it of course coming from Ned. (And if they decry sending money to other states, remind them that when they visit DC, they are riding a subway that collects 30 cents in fares from them for every dollar in expense.)
It was further noted that Montana has one Senator for about every 400,000 or so citizens, while California has one Senator for every 18 MILLION citizens. Even nearly deserted Oregon has one Senator for about every 2 million citizens. So, Ned's readers might well ask, what the f*** are they complaining about? Ned suggests it is pure and simply Republican obstructionism, but those cowpokes and cowgirls aren't paying close enough attention to know that. And how would they find out? Not by watching Fox News, certainly, nor by listening to "talk" radio, full as it is of misinformation, lies, name-calling, socialist-baiting, and hate.
No friends, they would have to work it out for themselves, from the speeches and writings of the VERY REPUBLICANS THAT ARE CAUSING THE POLARIZATION AND GRIDLOCK IN WASHINGTON D.C. because they make no secret of the fact that they want to destroy the effectiveness of the Federal Government, or, in the words of that great intellectual Grover Norquist, "we want to starve it so that we can eventually drawn it in the bathtub. " But the problem is that Republicans don't want to drown government, they simply want to pillage it for themselves and their idols, the rich, whose spittle they eagerly lap up.
So, Ned hopes that the Democrats will make this their message to Montanans in the Fall: "We have tried to clean up the terrible mess George Bush and his Republican stooges left in Washington, but they are stonewalling us at every step, and trying to destroy the effectiveness of YOUR federal government, that pays you 1500 dollars, from your fellow citizens, for every thousand you send here. Elect us with a veto-proof majority in the Senate and then HOLD US TO ACCOUNT. But at least give us the tools to get the job done."
Ned still trusts the American people to see through the Republican tactics, despicable as they are. But, after legally electing George Bush in 2004, he isn't sure of anything any more.