They Live

In 1988 John Carpenter made a film called They Live, which was, more or less, a morality play on the gods of consumption and free markets.  Toward the end of the film, there's a great scene where the wealthy elite humans and wealthy elite aliens have an underground meeting to reflect on their financial success at the expense of the masses (who are subliminally coaxed to consume and obey).  This is the image I carried in my head as I read about Gov. Snyder's appearance at the yearly Mackinac Policy Conference (which is, more or less, a circle jerk for conservative dorks and free market apologists).

And there's reason to celebrate for said circle jerk participants--the governor got his budget and continues to be convinced that his tax plan will create jobs.  Screw the fact that there is no empirical evidence anywhere that supports his faith.  Gov. Snyder is going to do his Joel Osteen impersonation and the jobs are just going to magically appear.  Yeah surreee.

And if you listen to Brian Dickerson, he just may be magical--I mean, whoever could have guessed that Snyder could pass his entire conservative agenda with overwhelming republican majorities in the Michigan legislature.  It's about as big of a shock as the New York Yankees beating the local tee ball team.  I will give Snyder credit for being shrewd:  his big centerpieces, a tax cut for corporations, taxing pensioners, and cutting benefits for the poor are right up republicans alley.  I mean, let's face it, republicans worship at the altar of corporate America, and if there's anything republicans hate more than people who receive pensions, it's the poor.  Give me a fucking break--Gov. Snyder is just a shrewder version of Wisconsin's Scott Walker.  The result will be just like Carpenter's They Live--more and more Michiganders living on the fringe and more and more wealth ending up in the hands of the already filthy rich. 

Peace,
emaycee