The Patricians, Part V

Part five of the Patricians for Peasant Responsibility plan to stick it to the pesky commoners:

That's why we support a strategy to Invest for Real Prosperity, developed by a dozen community leaders working with Growth and Justice. It would raise $2 billion more a year, to invest wisely in our state's future, with accountability for results. That's an average of one penny per dollar earned by Minnesotans.

A dozen community "leaders"?

Who are these "leaders?" Because if they're "leaders", shouldn't all of us mere followers know who they are? Shouldn't they appear in the rhetorical public square riding a horse with a cockaded hat and a powdered wig, for us knaves to fall into line behind, singing our crude peasant work songs and carrying our hoes and spades on our shoulders, as we march out to do the work that the "leaders" have appointed for us?

I'm sorry. This paragraph in particular made me want to chunder - partly because of its rank arrogance ("you peasants and your "no new taxes" pledges can't run a state - get out of the way"), and partly because of the weaselly double-talk.

"Invest for Real Prosperity"? If the kind of prosperity that leaves me in a house and able to afford to send my kids to college isn't "real", I'm still waiting for the "Community leaders" to say what is.

The "plan" would spend one cent on every dollar earned by Minnesotans. They're banking - correctly - on the fact that most readers will see "one cent", and not the "Every dollar earned". In other words, they propose raising state taxes a percent, expressed across-the-board - and even more, considering they propose to focus these taxes on "rich" Minnesotans who make more than $45,000 a year.

And this "plan", by these "leaders", will be accountable for results? To whom? The other "leaders"? Seriously - weasel-talk. It'd be a government program. And if you need an illustration of exactly how "accountable" government can be when a powerful elite wants something, look at the stadium bills.