In his New York Times column today rightfully excoriating New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's monumentally moronic decision to cancel the second tunnel under the Hudson River, Paul Krugman discusses how America has declined because of right-wing nuts like Christie and selfish, small-minded skinflints like our own congressman, do-nothing Jeff Flake. Here's the money quote:
It was a destructive and incredibly foolish decision on multiple levels. But it shouldn’t have been all that surprising. We are no longer the nation that used to amaze the world with its visionary projects. We have become, instead, a nation whose politicians seem to compete over who can show the least vision, the least concern about the future and the greatest willingness to pander to short-term, narrow-minded selfishness. . .
So here’s how you should think about the decision to kill the tunnel: It’s a terrible thing in itself, but, beyond that, it’s a perfect symbol of how America has lost its way. By refusing to pay for essential investment, politicians are both perpetuating unemployment and sacrificing long-run growth. And why not? After all, this seems to be a winning electoral strategy. All vision of a better future seems to have been lost, replaced with a refusal to look beyond the narrowest, most shortsighted notion of self-interest.
That's Jeff Flake all right: petty, pandering, penny-pinching Jeff Flake, unable to see past this latest five-figure campaign donation from the billionaire Koch Brothers, his corporate masters. Jeff Flake's hatred for America knows no bounds except his own greed.
If he'd been in Congress before, we wouldn't have the Hoover Dam, Erie Canal, Interstate Highway System or much of a country. Re-elect Jeff Flake and assure that our nation will be left in the dust by the Europe, East Asia and the emerging economies of the nations more concerned about the future than today's conservative Republicans will ever be. Jeff Flake is all about the past.
