[lbo-talk] a shred of hope

[H. Curtiss Leung]

I remember people making the same argument when Bloomberg threatened to cut
out recycling glass and plastic.  And then he went ahead and did it.  Now
maybe that's just Bloomberg, or perhaps the rules have changed.


> 
> Mayor Bloomberg is proposing draconian cuts in New York City.  The purpose
> is to put pressure on the state and federal government to vote for help for
> the state and approve new taxes.  States not proposing draconian cuts are
> essentially collaborating with the GOP in Congress who argue funding for the
> states is unneeded.
> 
> It's called the "statute of liberty" play-- when you want to pass new taxes
> or demand help from a higher level of government, you propose slashing
> funding for the things the public most strongly supports.  That puts
> pressure on those opposing tax increases to relent and pass the needed
> revenue.
> 
> Davis is more conservative than Burton and no doubt wants less revenue than
> the legislative Democrats, but ignoring such basic realities of political
> gamesmanship just makes the analysis silly.
>