Mitch McConnell is worried that states might be too generous to their employees
. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Once upon a time, the Republican Party, in order to signal its support for decentralized government, made unrestricted fiscal assistance to state and local government a signature initiative. Indeed, when Richard Nixon introduced General Revenue Sharing — no-strings aid for state and localities, which he called “a New American Revolution” — it was the centerpiece of his 1971 State of the Union.
Right now state and local governments are dealing with most of the front-line responsibilities for battling coronavirus at a time when the economic collapse is destroying their revenue bases; unlike the feds, they can’t just print money, and most toil under balanced-budget requirements. So they could use some no-strings help, but the party of Richard Nixon is hostile to the idea, even though Republicans completely control 21 states and share power in 14 others.
In an interview with conservative pundit Hugh Hewitt, McConnell became more specific and adamant in his complaints about the unworthiness of the states, as The Hill reports: This is a favorite complaint of conservatives who don’t like public employees — particularly unionized ones — to begin with, and are likely enjoying the devastation the bear market has wrought on public pension funds. In conversation with Hewitt, McConnell even raised an idea he would never endorse with respect to anyone in the private sector:
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