Having hung up my purely partisan boxing gloves a couple years ago and adopted a different approach to politics (principled conservatism) I find life much more liberating and refreshing. Which means I am free to call 'em as I see 'em.
In last night's budget address Governor Beshear got a few things right. First, he stated his willingness to cut spending, rather than raising taxes as the more desirable method of dealing with the seemingly endless increasing costs of government. The squeals you heard from around the Commonwealth were coming from both camps. The big spenders and their pork fed constituents were being squeezed.
On the other hand tax hating conservatives were expressing a skeptical form of delight. Why skeptical? First because this kind of talk from a democrat is usually double talk, and second because many people believe that the Governor is talking tough in order to win support for gambling. Which brings me to where he got it wrong.
I remember George Carlin's comedy bit a few years back where he drew laughs by showing us silly word juxtapositions. The one that comes to mind is "Jumbo Shrimp."
In similar fashion Governor Beshear earned a laugh or two of his own last night by invoking his new phrase "Limited Expanded" gambling.
The phrase itself is funny, but by suggesting that he could satisfy an admitted addiction to tax dollars by creating a whole new addiction to gambling dollars, Governor Beshear was exposed for his unconvincing on stage portrayal of a potentially fiscal conservative.
You can't cure a heroin addiction by trading it for a methadone addiction. You can't stop teenage sex by handing out condoms in gym class. And you can't cut the size of government by increasing the amount of money you give to the government to spend, no matter what the source.
If he really wants to make government leaner, he has to start by weaning the bloated baby off of the government tit, not just keep up the on demand feedings by switching to a bottle.
