Insensitive quote of the day

That distinction, based on my quick reading of the day’s news clips, belongs to rightwing activist Michael Quinn Sullivan, who views the state budget strictly in terms of big numbers and political opportunity, not actual, living people.

In a story in The Dallas Morning News about the deep cuts proposed in the initial House budget plan, Sullivan was quoted as denouncing “crisis mongering” by critics of the proposal.

“Taxandspend liberals would have us believe that all music, joy and laughter will fade away unless legislators hike spending and raise taxes,” he said.

Well, that probably won’t be the case at Sullivan’s house, as long as he can make a living stirring the pot of antigovernment folks who don’t need public health care, think they don’t need the public schools and don’t really give a twit about the future of Texas. But laughter and joy may be suppressed in the households of laidoff teachers or state employees or workingclass families who lose health care coverage for their children, real people who may become real victims to budgetcutting numbers. And, there will a lot of those if agitators like Sullivan have their way.

What’s more, parents who suddenly discover that their children’s grade school classrooms have become stuffed with 30 or 35 kids each also may find a big chunk of their joy replaced by anger.

In case you don’t know, this is the same Michael Quinn Sullivan who managed to antagonize most Republican members of the Texas House by trying to stir up public opposition to Speaker Joe Straus because Straus actually believes the world is round.