Economic Illusions

When I was young I recall sometimes hiking with friends or siblings up a wild creek that was near where we lived.  From time to time we would find a stick and use a pocket knife to create a sharp point and then try to spear the fish in the cool, shaded waters of the pools in the creek.   It was extraordinarily difficult because the way the light refracted off the water the fish were never where they appear to be.


Republicans economic ideas sometimes remind of of that experience.  It seems like somehow the Republican view of the world is refracted so what they see isn't reality.


Republicans believe government is what stands between us and peace and prosperity.  In fact good Government is what allows society to be peaceful, productive and compassionate.  The cultural evolution of our species for the last several thousand years consists of an achingly slow evolution away from government that consisted of greedy and selfish people using others for their own benefit towards government that exists to serve all people.


Government is absolutely necessary.  But we are still a long way from Government that exists to serve all the people.  The use of government to line the pockets of a few is still a big problem.  Here in California the Prison Guards union typify the modern iteration of greedy government.  As of a year or so ago somewhere around 50 of the California State Department of Corrections employee's took home over 1/2 million dollars in salary a year.  The lowliest prison guard makes well over $100,000 a year, and the retirement programs are exceedingly generous.  How did the Prison Guards union get their members these extraordinary benefits?  They teamed up with law and order Republicans 30 years ago, who rewarded them with big budgets for their electoral support.


Contrast that with 30 years of Republican attacks on teachers and teachers unions (because they support Democrats).  The average prison guard probably makes twice the salary of the average teacher, and no person in public K-12 education is making anything like half a million dollars in salary.  Yet to this day Republicans all over the country are going after teachers and school budgets, and saying nothing about law enforcement budgets.


It is not that Democrats aren't overly accommodating with public employee unions sometimes, but they are up front about it.  Republican's rail against the unions on one hand, then quietly hand huge paydays at taxpayer expense to those who support them.


For the last decade California has stood common sense on its head, spending far more on prisons than universities, and paying corrections officers 2 or 3 times as much as even the most well payed teacher receives.  Even as the third world races to lift the poorest members of society up to become healthy, educated and productive citizens that can contribute to making their country a better place for everyone we in California seem to be moving the other direction.