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Tim Skubick in the Oakland Press: Social Conservatism Is Crack Cocaine Or Something

By Theblogprof, Section News
Posted on Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 05:19:06 PM EST
Tags: liberal bias, media bias, Tim Skubick (all tags)

(Promoted by Nick...)

Cross-posted at theblogprof

That Tim. What a class act! Seems that Skubick has had quite a busy May bashing conservatives in any way he can. Just this month, he hit conservatives on not having a big enough tent (as if freedom and liberty aren't big enough to encompass everybody), blamed the Republican minority in this state for the budget problems (I kid you not!), and proposed raising taxes while providing flak cover to Granholm for cuts she never made. Like I said, Skubick has had a busy month. He's finishing off May with another hit piece focused on conservatives, but cloaked in non-partisanship: Despite their claims, no candidate can fix economy. In other words, what Tim is getting at here is that we as a state are screwed. It doesn't matter who's Governor, we're screwed.

Just as the old-time snake oil salesman hawked his magical elixir to cure your every ache and pain, this next batch of candidates for governor will try to sell you on the notion that they can fix Michigan's ailing economy.
Buyer beware: They can't.
Just as it was in 2006, the major theme in the next race for governor will be the economy. Dick DeVos and Jennifer Granholm ran on a platform of turning the economy around.
"I'm a businessman. I know how to do this," lectured Mr. DeVos. The incumbent countered, "We've started the job, now let me finish it."
The economic turnaround issue is now three years older, and there is no turnaround in sight yet the 2010 candidates are in full bloom picking up where DeVos and Granholm left off.
Political neophyte Rick Snyder is traipsing around the state saying the economy is his top issue and he doesn't want to talk about anything else. It's wishful thinking.
He can't avoid being drawn into a debate over stem cell research, abortion, guns and gay marriage. Those are the crack cocaine issues of the GOP far right and the addiction means the Rickster can't avoid them.
Likewise for Congressman Pete Hoekstra from West Michigan. He, too, is hitting on the economy, as are Mike Cox, Terri Lynn Land and others.

Two things up to this point. One - why mention Rick Snyder up front rather than Cox, Land or Hoekstr? Unless, of course, it is a setup for his snide comment regarding social conservatism. Two - although it is true that government cannot create jobs directly, what it can do is provide fertile soil for business to grow. The current administration basically poisoned that soil and made it difficult not only for new businesses to grow, but for current businesses to even survive. So yes - government can help grow or kill business in the state. The mechanism is the tax structure and regulation. Too much of either is a killer. Unfortunately, we already have too much of both. Skubick goes on:

...when they come calling, ask them for specifics. What can you do to turn the economy around?
And when they launch into their, "We will cut business taxes blah, blah, blah," call for a time out.
If cutting taxes were the answer, how come former Gov. John Engler's $2 billion in tax cuts did not insulate the state from an eight-year recession?
When they can't answer that, they will launch into turning the economy around by eliminating all the bureaucratic red tape in Lansing.
Take this to the bank: if there were not an inch of red tape left, that would not work either. If no one wants to create jobs, red tape is a moot issue.

After more than 6 years of the Granholm administration, Skubick like the good liberal must bring up John Engler who is still despised by the left in this state. Now, who ever claimed that tax cuts insulate from future recessions? All conservative pose is that low taxes incentivize business. That's it. Skubick hasn't gotten a grasp on that simple concept yet. Apparently, Skubick not only doesn't blame the abominable Michigan Business Tax, but the 22% MBT surcharge as well in directly causing the Michigan economy to be where it is today. The recession has gotten worse under Granholm's so-called 'leadership' and that is directly traceable to her tax and regulatory policies. Not only does Skubick believe that lowering taxes will have no impact, but lessening burdensome regulations won't do a thing either!

Skubick's solution? It can be summed up right here in short order:

One final thought - it is interesting to me that Skubick is trying to take the economy off the table for the upcoming 2010 election. Who do you think would benefit in such a case? The current governing party that screwed up the economy, or the party that wants to change it? Tim Skubick - doing the liberal dirty work around here.

UPDATE: I was remiss in pointing out a fact with which Skubick ought to be familiar with: Non-Shock: Unemployment 20% higher in Democrat strongholds That was from May 25, just 5 days ago. How's about them apples, Tim?

< What A Fix I Am In | Tea Party Convention >

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Tim Skubick in the Oakland Press: Social Conservatism Is Crack Cocaine Or Something | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)

You'd also be remiss in not pointing out the fact. (none / 0) (#1)
by LX on Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 05:55:41 PM EST

...of what we learned from the Mackinac Policy Conference.

Jobs & Establishment Growth - CSA* ranks 53rd of 54 metros in establishment change (loss).

The Detroit CSA had 3,159 fewer establishments in 2006 than in 2003, putting it at 53rd of 54 metro areas. This translated into 417,918 jobs lost during the same time period. The only metro losing a greater number of establishments and jobs was New Orleans.

Source: County Business Patterns

*Combined Statistical Area

http://www.onedscorecard.org

Can't blame Engler for that!

Scooby-Scooby Skubick (none / 0) (#2)
by dsheill on Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 07:42:34 PM EST

Skubick is right to argue out of the current candidates, none of them have the chutzpah to make anything better. Can anyone tell me which of the Republicans currently running is as conservative on economics as Dick Devos or even Posthumous, or even Engler?

That's not the same as saying that four more years of Granholm would make things even worse. But once they've become worse, a hole has been created that realistically no governor will likely be able to climb out of in the next 5-10 years.

Skubick has really been harping on the right-to- lifers lately and how it is a litmus test to getting nominated in the Republican Party. There's a lot of truth to that. However, the conclusions he draws from this observation are ridiculous. He really isn't that bright of a guy. I mean, there are times on his show when he makes predictions and even Cathy Barks Hoffman is shaking her head like, "where the hell do you get that." Comparing social conservatism to crack cocaine is an example of this.

Dumb (none / 0) (#3)
by dsheill on Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 09:59:50 PM EST

"Take this to the bank: if there were not an inch of red tape left, that would not work either. If no one wants to create jobs, red tape is a moot issue."

This is just a dumb comment because it fails to ask why no one would want to create jobs even if there was no red tape. But like I said earlier, there is no Dick Headley in this race. None of these current Republican candidates for governor have the will power (and even if they did, they would have to deal, barring a miracle with a Democratic legislature) to make the fundamental reforms in order the grease the skids of economic growth. Mere rhetoric about cutting taxes and regulation won't do it. Engler did a lot of good things, but he did some bad things as well. Among them was creating the DEQ based on the absurd idea that if you split it off from the DNR, you could isolate the influence of the radical environmentalists that work in a state agency.

I actually asked Rick Synder what role, if any, did he think the government had in creating jobs. And more specifically, did he think the Economic Development Corporation or the 21st Century jobs program was effective in doing so. He claimed, that when he was in charge in of the Economic Development Corporation "it was working" (another creation of Engler), but he did think that the 21st Century Jobs program was a total waste of money.

Michigan has been in a recession (none / 0) (#4)
by steve on Mon Jun 01, 2009 at 11:09:37 PM EST

Michigan has been in a recession for the last six years and will still, more than likely, be in a recession two years from now. The best thing for conservatives is to contentiously point out how Liberal Democrat policies have failed and offer common sense conservative ideas will restore the economy.

You could even bring out JFK to help make the point.

Steve

Term Limits (none / 0) (#5)
by wctaxpayer on Tue Jun 02, 2009 at 02:06:23 AM EST

Tim Skubick needs to be term limited like our legislators. He has been in Lansing so long that he has become part of the problem. Skubick is one of the good old boys. That bird flocks with the left.
Rose Bogaert, Chair Wayne County Taxpayers Association, Inc.

Amen! by LX, 06/02/2009 01:53:43 PM EST (none / 0)

Tim Skubick in the Oakland Press: Social Conservatism Is Crack Cocaine Or Something | 6 comments (6 topical, 0 hidden)

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Tim Skubick in the Oakland Press: Social Conservatism Is Crack Cocaine Or Something

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