Considering Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s ruinous budget proposal I thought — as I often do — are these Republicans/conservatives soft in the head? Then I considered how pejorative and negative that is. So I considered the opposite perspective.
Let me say that Republicans and conservatives are brilliant people (geniuses!) as long as you want to talk about how excusing the wealthy and corporations from paying taxes will somehow create an economic utopia. Or about the U.S. trade deficit with China. Or about “anchor babies” or chain migration. Or Sharia law in California. Or the thousands of Islamic prayer rugs littering the desert on the U.S.-Mexico border. Or how the black helicopters are coming with United Nations troops to take away all the guns. Or the deep state. Or fake news. As long as you want to talk about any of this absurd nonsense, Republicans and conservatives are intellectual giants.
[Alyse Galvin: Dunleavy’s budget will leave Alaska morally, economically bankrupt]
The problem arises when you want them to address anything connected to reality.
That brings us to Donna Arduin, Dunleavy’s Office of Management and Budget director, who has made a career out of being hired by Republican governors and being paid huge pots of public money for economic “studies” of no econometric value — not peer reviewed — that contain little more than Republican economic boilerplate propaganda. And now Dunleavy has brought her to Alaska to do her schtick. They are both a couple of Republican masterminds able to function only within their economic fantasyland echo chamber.
[Opinion: Be hard on the problems, not the people, in budget debate]
Except this time they’re coming for our schools, our university system, our health care system, our social safety net, our roads and infrastructure, our ferry system and our public safety system.
Donald R. Douglas,
Juneau
• My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire.