Ronald Reagan pushed the notion that if you made the wealthy richer, crumbs would “trickle down” to the less fortunate thereby generating economic growth. This economic theory came to be known as “Reaganomics.” Some opponents, however, derisively called this sham, “tinkle down” economics … a conservative economic system that essentially tells the poor and middle class, “piss on you!”
Today, thanks to North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, “tinkle down” has a whole new meaning.
When Gov. McCrory signed into law a bill regulating which bathrooms transgender people could use within the state, he stirred up a hornet’s nest. The fallout from the new “tinkle down” law was not only political but also financial. Major corporations labeled it discriminatory, saying it ran counter to their principles of equality and mutual respect for all citizens.
Since the law’s enactment just over one month ago, North Carolina has lost millions in revenue from conventions cancelled, concerts scrubbed and family vacations rebooked.
If this weren’t bad enough, yesterday, after having been given an ultimatum to repeal the law or else, North Carolina chose “or else” and was swiftly sued by the Justice Department.
Said Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, “This action is about a great deal more than just bathrooms. This is about the dignity and respect we accord our fellow citizens and the laws that we, as a people and as a country, have enacted to protect them – indeed, to protect all of us. And it’s about the founding ideals that have led this country – haltingly but inexorably – in the direction of fairness, inclusion and equality for all Americans.
Rather than see HR2 (as the anti-LGBT bill is formally known) for what it is – unconstitutional, unnecessary, and counterproductive, Gov. McCrory decided to “double down” by taking on the Justice Department over the law’s repeal. Now the people of North Carolina can add millions in wasted legal fees to the cost of discrimination.
North Carolina is not alone in passing a useless law for a problem that doesn’t exist. Other Republican-controlled legislatures have followed suit or are planning to do so.
If Republicans have shown themselves to be good at one thing, it is never admitting error. Look for this legal battle to find it’s way to the Supreme Court.
Bobby Jindal, in a moment of clarity, labeled his party, the “stupid party.” Boy does the GOP have its hands full these days with stupid stuff!
Photo | youtube.com
Well done!
Thanks Stephen.
If the people of North Carolina are not pissed off by their governor’s decision, I just don’t know!
Hey, they elected the moron and the legislators.
And Yet this party continues to think that they should lead this country. How come the GOP leaders have not denounced this asinine law. Where is Drumpf, Ryan, Romney, Bush, McConnell? All with their heads in the sand or up their asses. Just another reason that America CANNOT let this party of the 1800’s lead this country.
The problem is that these turkeys are elected by a hoodwinked majority of voters. But economic loss has a way of opening even their eyes. As I often say, in a battle between the Almighty and the almighty dollar, the greenback always wins.
Republican politicians have to continually tilt against windmills, so that their electorate never sees what’s they’re doing behind the scenes: wholesale giveaways to their contributors, who can expect 100-10000 times their “contribution” back in subsidies or lowered taxes, steady elimination of all protections for the lower 99%, setting up the laws (and even the SC precedents!) so that corruption becomes legal and untraceable, and setting up the election apparatus so that the voter is irrelevant to the outcome. The GOP voters can never know they are being trussed up just as much as a chicken in a factory farm.
Yes, they’ve worked with wedge issues for years. They lost out on gay marriage thanks to the Supremes. Now it’s LGBT rights.