A few days ago, Jose Moreno, the left-wing academic and candidate for Anaheim City Council, posted this on his Facebook page:
Bernie Sanders, for those who don’t know, is a self-described socialist. His solution for “income inequality” is to classic left-wing “soak the rich” tax increases and re-distributive economics combined with restricting our 1st Amendment political free speech rights (to make it harder for “the wealthy” to fight back when the government confiscates more of their money).
Never mind that the “income inequality” that so bothers Sanders, Moreno and other leftists has worsened during the Obama Administration’s regime of tax increases, heavy regulation of the free market and huge increases in federal spending. Never mind that the program of progressive taxation and wealth redistribution is not only barren economics but also contrary to justice.
Yet these are the anti-free market economics that Jose Moreno embraces. If elected, not only would he do his best to bring these destructive, unjust policies to Anaheim, but he would work to elect to the Anaheim City Council others who share his leftism. He’s already working to elect a farm team to Anaheim school district boards: candidates like teachers union activist Ryan Ruelas and OCEA activist Al Jabbar (an appointed ACSD incumbent).
What is mystifying is how some Republicans and self-described conservatives in Anaheim have become so obsessively focused on a couple of areas of disagreement with other conservatives and Republicans that they are willing vote for a left-wing fox to guard the free market chicken house.
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October 7, 2014 at 11:42 am
David Zenger
And yet the quotation is so germane to government handouts in Anaheim, such as the $1 per year for land worth hundreds of millions – to a billionaire baseball team owner so he can keep paying hundreds of millions to grown men running around a field in their underwear.
Anti-market? That describes perfectly tax kick-backs in order to develop a hotel that can’t be financed without it.
And then there is the massive $200,000,000 taxpayer ripoff known as ARTIC, and the soon to be pushed through $300,000,000 taxpayer ripoff known as Anaheim’s street car; and the Convention Center expansion bonds – hundreds of million in debt based on the completely ludicrous assumption that the City owes the resort $6,000,000 per year compounded at 3% every year – for 30 years. The principle beneficiaries of course are politically connected engineers and contractors building these white elephants.
This behavior, and some people’s unwillingness to embrace it can’t honestly be described “a couple areas of disagreement.”
As for the Sander’s statement, who cares who said it? It’s true in Anaheim.
October 7, 2014 at 12:24 pm
James Robert Reade
The city government is a corporation and one of its responsibilities is to remain economically healthy by investing and partnering with private entities to create wealth.
October 7, 2014 at 1:46 pm
David Zenger
Aha. NOW we are finally wandering into fascism. And what an ambassador to welcome us to the conversation.
October 7, 2014 at 12:28 pm
Matthew Cunningham
Somebody send Zenger a voter registration card – he’s ready to join the Democratic Socialists of America.
October 7, 2014 at 1:45 pm
David Zenger
Well, there you go, again.
I believe someone says something true, therefore I believe everything he says is true?
That’s asinine, whether it’s applied to Dr. “Che” Moreno or me. Or even you.
Is that what they taught you would stick in you your high school debate club?
BTW, please explain to your readers why giving a hotel developer a $158,000,000 tax kick back is a free market strategy.
October 7, 2014 at 2:56 pm
Matthew Cunningham
Well, what we have here is Moreno saying Anaheim should follow the guidance give here by socialist Bernie Sanders, who believes government should take more money away from people with lots of it (i.e. making more than $200K annually) while denouncing cuts to federal programs – or more accurately, reductions in the rate of growth (assuming that is even happening).
And now you’re trying pound the square peg of your obsessive hatred for your imaginary oligarchy into the round hole of this topic. You’re like the hammer to whom every problem is a nail.
October 7, 2014 at 6:35 pm
David Zenger
No Moreno is pointing out that government has been used big business interests to enrich themselves. There’s nothing in that statement about wealth redistribution. In fact, just the opposite.
I don’t hate the oligarchy. I just want it to go away.
October 7, 2014 at 9:51 pm
Matthew Cunningham
Are you throwing bones and then divining Moreno’s meaning that way? Bernie Sanders – you know, the socialist – wants the government to take money from this group of Americans and give that money to that group of Americans, because he thinks the first group has too much of it. He’s very open about his socialist views, which form the context of the quote that Moreno showcases with such approval. Moreno thinks that is great government policy. And you defend Moreno and say you’re going to vote for him…and at the same time hold yourself out as some kind of arbiter of who is and isn’t a conservative. Maybe out on Planet Crazy, but not here in the reality that the rest of us live in.
October 7, 2014 at 10:03 pm
David Zenger
No, I’m taking Bernie Sanders’ statement for what it actually says. Moreno applies it to Anaheim and so do I. You try to make that mean Moreno and I are socialists; this is really ironic because Sanders is obviously addressing himself to the issue of crony capitalism.
That is not only illogical it is pathetic.
And you never answered the question of how giving a hotel developer a $158,000,000 tax kickback to build a hotel that the market would otherwise NOT support is in any way congruent with your alleged devotion to a free market.
Are you EVER going to answer that question? We out here on Planet Crazy would like an answer.
October 7, 2014 at 10:27 pm
Matthew Cunningham
I don’t know if you are a socialist, Zenger. If you thought becoming a socialist would bring down your imaginary oligarchy, I’d wage you’d probably become one.
As for Jose F. Moreno – yep, he’s pretty much there already.
And Sander is NOT “obviously addressing himself to the issue of crony capitalism.” That’s you grafting your thinking onto his quote.
October 8, 2014 at 1:34 pm
SKADOOSH!
SKADOOSH!
October 7, 2014 at 9:53 pm
Matthew Cunningham
“I don’t hate the oligarchy. I just want it to go away.”
Since it’s an imaginary oligarchy, that’s easy. Put on your ruby slippers, click your heels together three times, and say over and over, “There’s no place like home.” And it will all blow awaaaaay.
October 7, 2014 at 10:07 pm
David Zenger
The oligarchy is only imaginary in world of rhetoric-for-hire. It’s crystal clear to everybody else who is paying attention – and a lot of people are. Your job is to distract them so they don’t pay attention.
Fortunately, your enemy Mayor Tait is not going to lose.
October 7, 2014 at 10:22 pm
Matthew Cunningham
You are so deeply immersed in your imaginary conspiracy world, you are likely beyond hope.
But you know…they really can read your thoughts!
October 8, 2014 at 1:33 pm
SKADOOSH!
SKADOOSH!
October 8, 2014 at 1:33 pm
SKADOOSH!
SKADOOSH!
October 9, 2014 at 10:01 am
David Zenger
An imaginary oligarchy? You really want to stick with that?
Then explain the description of this little foul nest:
http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2012/08/disneys-incest-problem-1/
And of course that post omits reference to the cop and fire unions that have been loyal lockstepers with every single SOAR/Chamber/Pringle endorsed candidate for years.
The one candidate they couldn’t elect, they immediately seduced with fundraisers so she could pay herself back for her own debts.
Don’t run from oligarchy; embrace it.
October 7, 2014 at 12:13 pm
James Robert Reade
Let’s soak the rich unions!