I am simply tired of this stuff: AT&T lobbies Wisconsin GOP to nuke Wisconsin’s best-of-breed co-op ISP for educational institutions

Something similar just happened in NC. I realize there’s a lot going on here, and that there are two sides to every story. But I have a sneaking suspicion that Grover Norquist’s “shrink government to small enough to drown in the bathtub” gambit would have a bumpy ride through the unmowed Lawn of Unintended Consequences if it were given a real chance to do so without a bailout.

So prove it, I say. Show me some evidence. Pick a state, Republicans, and really go for it. Privatize, cut taxes, go wild. But in return…don’t ask for any federal bailouts (beyond perhaps the total value of your citizen’s federal taxes) if and when the shit hits the fan. You don’t get anything from the rest of us until you cry Uncle!, and acknowledge that your worldview is broken, and you need to change things before we can have rational discourse.

And who knows, it might work. I can accept that; I’d be interested in seeing that (I’m a recovering libertarian). But right now, your assertions are unproven, and I argue, dangerous. Go experiment without risking the entire nation, if you don’t mind.