Are Conservatives drowning Coatesville’s government Norquist style?

I believe an attempt to shrink Coatesville’s funds to zero was made by some John Birch Society members and conservatives who I believe were also followers of Grover Norquist of Americans For Tax Reform.  They tried to drown the City of Coatesville with 33 lawsuits. Coatesville won all the lawsuits, but at considerable cost.

Grover Norquist famously says his quarter century goal is to "get government down to the size where [conservatives could] drown it in the bathtub." I believe a few local conservatives tried to do just that to the City of Coatesville a few years ago.

Most people believe that Norquist only means to “drown the Federal Government in a bathtub”. That’s bad enough, but people who follow Norquist's dream are "drowning" town and city governments all across America. 

The problems the City of Coatesville has in financing its police department is happening in small towns and large cities all over the nation. It’s not just a result of an economic turndown. It’s not an accident. Grover Norquist planned it that way.

I have been saying for many years that the most important elections, the elections that have a direct effect on most people are elections between presidential elections. The people who win those in-between elections will run your state, county and local governments. Voter turnout in those local elections is abysmal.

To people who do not keep a very close eye on politics this article will be a stunner:

“Since Norquist let us all in on his destitute government wet dream in 2001, folks have at least tried to be vigilant in documenting the shrinking boundaries of the federal government’s fisc. Unfortunately, by focusing on the feds, we missed the Norquist ball soaring over our heads into the net, scoring (if something dramatic does not change pretty damned soon) the game-winning goal of drowning "the government"—by destroying the ability of state and local governments to provide for their citizenry.
Few, however, have noticed.”

“Unfortunately, most of us have been spending so much time obsessing about the least important part of government in Real People's™ lives—the federal government—that we overlooked the importance of holding the line closer to home. Home where, quietly, our towns and cities and states are being starved to death, with the acquiescence if not enthusiasm of many of those who took oaths to serve the public. It is undeniable that on their watch and largely while our backs were turned, more and more of our cities started drowning. Our states, theoretically charged with jumping in the water to save them, are being pulled below the surface slowly by the undertow themselves. But make no mistake: There is no longer any big rescue boat—no federal government—willing to save either any more. Not when it now costs a billion dollars just to do a decent campaign for president (which simply ain't going to be raised at local bake sales).”

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Sun Jul 08, 2012 at 09:30 AM PDT

The successful drowning of local and state government

by shanikka for Daily Kos