Gangsters, Pinocchio, and Government?

     In an editorial highly critical of Democrats efforts to cut from the budget Kevin D. Williamson hits the mark.  Gangster Government, Pinocchio Government, Whatever is from The National Review and was published March 8, 2011.  First off, the title grabbed my attention.  Gangsters and Pinocchio sounded much more intriguing than war, default, stocks, and money articles that I barely gave a glance. 

     I really appreciate the sarcasm and wit that Williamson uses to highlight his stance.  Williamson quips "Michele Bachmann  (and I) call it “gangster government.” The Washington Post calls it “three-Pinocchio” government, assigning the Democrats’ most recent budget claims a credibility rating of roughly You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me. Seriously: Even the Washington by-God Post is getting the message about Fiscal Armageddon."  At issue is the Democrats proposing cuts to a budget that doesn't exist yet.  In response to Democrats claims of meeting the Republicans in the middle for budget cuts, Williamson writes "At issue are Democratic claims that they are offering the Republicans a meaningful compromise on spending cuts, that they are meeting them “halfway.”  Which, as the Post points out, is true, if your baseline is an imaginary budget that was never enacted." 

     Williamson's intention is to appeal to a conservative audience.  The National Review is a conservative site so most people who will read his article are conservatives who use the site or other people seeing what the conservatives are saying.  While the intended audience is conservative Williamson does a great job (humorously) laying out some important national issues that can appeal to a broader audience.  The budget is a key issue for all Americans and many people around the world. 

     Williamson transitions from his general budget talk to his opinion and some specific numbers on Obama Care.  "Given the uncertain constitutional status of Obamacare, and given the sneaky way it’s been budgeted for, how about we hold onto that $105 billion in implementation spending that Michele Bachmann is so excited about until we’ve got a Supreme Court ruling on the mandate, etc? That does not seem to me unreasonable, and making the Republicans’ $60 billion in cuts $165 billion would move us that much closer to national solvency."  Once again mixing wit, sarcasm, and common sense to prove his point I find it hard to disagree with Williamson's logic. 

     The arguments in this article are convincing and well written.  I really enjoyed the humor he used to bring people on his side before he went into his own agenda.  In all I would recommend "Gangster Government, Pinocchio Government, Whatever" to anyone interested in American Government.