the legacy of reaganomics...

As silence sets in over a Gulf Coast devastated by Hurricane Katrina, it is also setting in among both political parties in Washington. Sure, there is a lot of finger-pointing from Republicans at Louisiana state officials. And there is chest-thumping from Democrats about our government's slow response. But that is all pantomime compared to the silence on taxes -- the real issue that is not only at the heart of the recent disaster, but at the heart of many of America's most pressing problems.

Our country spent the '90s building up a projected $5 trillion surplus as a rainy-day fund. But when it came time to prepare for the rainiest day of them all, the money we had socked away was, instead, used to pay for trillions of dollars of tax cuts -- tax cuts that Americans have never wanted to supercede other pressing priorities. Here are the facts.

from the san francisco chronicle

the republican rhetoric against "big government" denies the necessary role of government - providing for the collective good. obviously, this is a dramatic illustration - i wonder what some of the less obvious effects are re: cuts in education, etc...