January 24, 2012 6:43 AM

When government begins to talk sense, you can bet Republicans will soon muddy the waters

It’s an idea as sensible, reasonable, and…well, DECENT as it is sure to be torpedoed by Republicans:

Michigan Democrats Unveil Plan To Finance Free College Tuition By Eliminating Corporate Tax Credits

I know what you’re thinking…”Another government giveaway to a bunch of crybaby Libruls when we could be bombing the $#!@ out of Iran!” Amiright? Yeah, I know; talk about government overreach….

Except that this is EXACTLY the sort of thing that government SHOULD be doing. Why is it more important to ensure that corporations get tax breaks than ensuring that our children have access to an education that will prepare them to compete in an increasingly challenging global marketplace? Why is subsidizing corporations held to be of greater value and import than subsidizing people who want and need an education? Why is corporate welfare acceptable but individual welfare held to be the worst example of Socialism and enabling sloth and indolence imaginable?

Somewhere along the way, we managed to convince ourselves that the role of government is to kill people and prop up corporations. Subsidies for people is wrong, evil, and the worst sort of socialistic waste and inefficiency imaginable. Subsidies for corporations? Meh, not so much….

Under the Michigan 2020 Plan, Michigan’s high school graduates will be eligible for free tuition at one of Michigan’s community colleges or universities, where the median tuition level is currently around $9,575 per year. The program will be funded entirely by eliminating $3.5 billion in tax credits and loopholes and putting that money towards students….

….Michigan Senate Democrats note that the elimination of $3.5 billion in tax loopholes is only a 10 percent reduction in the tax credits the state already doles out. In fact, the program costs almost exactly as much as the $1.7 billion tax cut Snyder implemented for corporations.

Much bleating has emanated from the vicinity of the Tea Party about shrinking government, making it leaner and more effective. Unfortunately, too often when reforms are proposed by Republicans, those reforms are designed to make government leaner…while also making it meaner. There seems to be a real effort to prop up corporations and the wealthy. There’s a major emphasis on increasing our military’s size and strength in order that we may more effectively project our power around the world. Instead of using taxpayer money to support those actually paying taxes and offering a hand up to those in need, Conservatives argue that we need to be supporting the “job creators”…this despite any tangible evidence that the top tier of earners are actually creating jobs.

The sad thing is that the Michigan 2020 Plan is just the sort of thing that all of us should be able to get behind. Education is the sort of thing that can only help us providing well-trained and capable workers for corporations as they look to remain relevant in a tough, competitive global economy. Instead, it will likely get buried under a blizzard of propaganda that will convince Michiganders that it’s the worst, most egregious and unAmerican sort of Socialism imaginable.

Behold the power of propaganda.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on January 24, 2012 6:43 AM.

Today's example of the worst of humanity was the previous entry in this blog.

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