Garrison Keillor and the Mayor of Akron, Ohio

I just picked up the book "Homegrown Democrat" by Garrison Keillor at the public library (another institution that Republicans would love to get rid of!) and on page 20 he echoes what why so many people who don't bother to stay well-informed can still claim the mantle of Republicanism. Keillor writes, "I am a liberal and liberalism is the politics of kindness. Liberals stand for tolerance, magnaminimity, community spirit, the defense of the weak agasinst the powerful, love of learning, freedom of belief, art and poetry, city life, the very things that make America worth dying for. The people who call themselves conservatives stand for tax cuts, and further tax cuts, annual tax cuts, the only policy they know."

Akron mayor Don Plusquellic said in a recent speech: "No tax cut ever rebuilt an old bridge." See what I mean: Tax cuts = selfish, because tax cuts lead to funding cuts, funding cuts lead to elimination of safety and educational programs, which then cause parents like you and me to have to pony up extra so our kids can be in music and sports programs. And guess what, we end up paying in fees, inconveniences and new levies more than what we gained in any friggin' tax cuts.