After 2 years of deriding the organized marches of Tea Partiers as “astro turf”, yesterday the liberals returned fire on House and Senate Republicans with a march of their own, protesting GOP members of the budget committee who had the nerve to keep a school lunch program at its current funding level, rather than expand it as Democrats had proposed.
Confronted by a more than $1 billion budget shortfall, and a budget that has been balanced with accounting gimmicks for the last three years, Republicans on the budget panel are actually making the tough choices, and showing some brass doing it. While Democrats proposed to spend an additional $250,000 on the already fully funded school lunch program, Republicans said no, and will likely push to transfer the surplus money to the general budget to spare higher education and K-12 additional budget cuts.
But Sal “The Fist” Pace and his big government buddies are having none of it. Aided by the PR firm owned by Democrat operative Eric Sonderman and various other liberal non-profit organizations, yesterday Team Big Government marched on the Capitol to proclaim from the rooftops that they want to expand the school lunch program, even if it means more cuts to the state's colleges.
But let's be serious for one moment. The coalition marching on the Capitol grounds wants to expand every program, not just this one.
This is, after all, the same Sal “the Fist” Pace who last year voted to slap a huge new energy tax on one of Pueblo's largest steel producers, even though the steel manufacturer said the new tax would force numerous lay offs in Pace's hometown of Pueblo. Higher taxes on Pueblo steel meant fewer cuts to the programs that Pace and liberals truly value, which is why Pace and the Dems told the steel company and other businesses to pound sand.
Now we wonder, what about all the mom's and dad's who lost their jobs because of your energy tax, Minority Leader “Fist”?
What about their lunches, and their kids lunches, Mr. Sonderman?
Republicans should stand firm and respond with a strong and principled message of their own.
Yes, we love children and we value the school lunch program, which is the reason it isn't being cut. But in this budget environment, it would be irresponsible to expand this or any government program. Because we can't afford it.
Meanwhile, look for this to be the playbook of Democrats this session. At every available opportunity Democrats will have the faux outrage machine in full swing.
The one thing I wish the Republicans on JBC would do is quit playing defense! There is no need to be ashamed of this vote. There’s got to be a way to communicate it better. I hope they stand strong.
Dems should be ashamed! Budget troubles all around and Pace hires a campaign firm to grasstop his little budget game? What’s next? A congressional campaign?
Fist is off the deep end! Right now he is working on his name identification and locking up democrat primary voters in the 3rd. He’ll sound like Udall if he wins the primary in 2012.
Wonder how Mr. Sondermann’s other clients feel about his support of cuts to higher education. Specifically, College in Colorado, Colorado Commission on Higher Education, Colorado Community College System and CollegeInvest. My bet is we could see Sondermann’s firm make out on both side of this fight. For AND against cuts to higher ed!
The “Fist” and his posse of nanny-state fist-pumping pals are going to burn themselves out before February at this rate! Every day Fist feels pushed around its going to get worse. This is NO way to get elected to congress!