In national news, the word of the year is given a prefix:
Pledging “a new era of responsibility,” President Barack Obama unveiled a multi-trillion-dollar spending plan Thursday that would boost taxes on the wealthy, curtail Medicare, lay the groundwork for universal health care and leave a string of deficits dwarfing any in the nation’s history.
Why, yes, “new era of responsibility” is euphemism for unrivaled irresponsibility.
Meanwhile, in state news, a fait accompli is finally acknowledged:
The specter of tax increases is growing in the Legislative Building as state lawmakers try to tackle a growing budget deficit and declining revenue.
Remember, when faced with an economic downturn, public officials will seek to protect government revenues at all costs, which they achieve by heaping misery upon misery on families and businesses already suffering from the sour economy.
I’ve noted the idioms as they’ve occurred concerning how different groups act during an economic downturn: families tighten their belts, consumers pinch pennies, businesses throttle back spending, and churches stretch every dollar and make it count.
Governments, meanwhile, just raise taxes. Survival of the host isn’t a concern of the parasite.
