University of Montana budget

​University of Montana Professor Pay for 2016

​Conclusion

“Of course, while the president was pursuing his legislative agenda, anti-Lincoln Republican radicals and opponents in the Democratic Party fought him at every turn. But being the pragmatic politician he was, Lincoln expected it, handled it, and didn’t let it bother him. Essentially, he unwaveringly maintained his agenda, cooperated with those who supported him, and simply ‘plowed around’ those who did not.” (p 152)

“Recall that it was more than a decade from the time Abraham Lincoln started fighting slavery in 1854 to the time he actually ended it (with the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865).
 
If Lincoln were here today, he would advise our leaders to set out a long-range plan to achieve their major goals; focus on achieving each individual step along the way; wait for the timing to be right – and then seize the moment when it is.” (p 190-1)

“Many people these days think of Machiavelli as an amoral political operator, and his name is synonymous with political intrigue and backstabbing…But in an important sense, he was also part of a long political tradition on how to create political stability in a divided society. He was deeply concerned with the problem of economic inequality, and he supported constitutional structures to prevent inequality from spilling over into conflict.” (p 49)

“America of 1774 was surprisingly egalitarian. Considering all households, including slaves, the top 1 percent in America had 8.5 percent of total income. When only free households are taken into account, the number drops to 7.6 percent. In 2012, for comparison, the top 1 percent of Americans took 19.3 percent of total income. In fact, you have to go back to 1973 to find a recent number – 7.7 percent – even in the range of free 1774 America.” (p 62)

“In fact, 56 percent of all disclosed spending on lobbying in 2012 came from just 3,587 corporations. If we add trade associations and business-wide associations, the number jumps to 78 percent of all lobbying money. Between 1998 and 2010, corporations increased spending on lobbyists by 85 percent (to $2.09 billion) while trade associations increased spending by 53 percent (to $590 million).” (p 251)
 
 
“Between 1970 and 2000, the number of think tanks jumped from seventy to more than three hundred.” (p 252)
 
 
“According to data from the Tax Policy Center, only about 3,800 estates in the entire country – which amounts to 0.14 percent or one in every seven hundred people who die – pay any estate tax at all. In 1976, by comparison, 139,115 estates paid the tax (which was 7.65 percent of deaths).” (p 256)
 
 
“During the 2011-12 cycle of state supreme court elections, political parties and interest groups spent $24.1 million on advertising supporting or attacking judges – more than twice the amount spend in the 2010 cycle and almost ten times more than they spent in 2001-02.” (p 270)
 
 
“The defining feature of the 2016 election was the strength of anti-establishment candidates who channeled popular discontent with elites and with the current functioning of American politics.” (p 271)
 
 
“On Election Day, a Reuters poll found that 72 percent of voters believed ‘the American economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful.’” (p 272)

“The Money Trick lets current members of Congress get the credit for gratifying the public’s demand for tax cuts, benefit increases, and other spending increases, while shifting the blame for the inevitable tax increases and benefit cuts to their successors in office when the long-term fiscal consequences of these actions require painful adjustments. As a result, Congress has set a course that, unless changed soon, will require draconian tax increases and spending cuts across the entire population.
 
…
 
The Federal Mandate Trick lets members of Congress get the credit for the benefits they require the state and local governments to deliver, while shifting the blame for the burdens necessary to deliver those benefits to state and local officials. As a result, Congress mandates benefits without considering whether they are worth the burdens they place on us.” (p 3-4)

“The goal is to look ‘fuckable,’ Miranda said.”
 
“You don’t walk into a party without a couple shots of vodka.”
 
“The first step in hooking up is to get shitfaced.”
 
“Destiny emphasized how alcohol made her feel carefree three times in as many sentences.”
 
“Men who painted the word ‘pussy’ on a known non-drinker’s car.”
 
“Sure, it’s not a social tragedy to hook up with an average-looking guy. But hooking up with someone attractive is a social asset for sure. It raises your standing in the hierarchy of potential partners. It makes you more attractive.”
 
“In our room, sex is a commodity, which, like gold, increases a man’s social status, especially if he ‘scores’ or ‘pounds’ an especially blonde girl. Blonde is hot.”
 
“Frat stars and athletes – those are the only ones that matter. I mean, honestly.”
 
‘“I know I’m going to be really drunk,” said a female student to a friend, “so you need to stop me if you see me hooking up with someone who isn’t cute.”’
 
“Perhaps that’s part of what makes hookup cultures so gripping for some students: there’s always the possibility that they’ll hook up with someone above their social station and always the risk of hooking up with someone below it. Social mobility is real, and that’s both exciting and scary.”

Missoula

2018 Missoula tax increase

2018 Missoula mill levy increases

​Conclusion

​Conclusion

Calling Republicans fat and stupid = good. Calling Democrats fat and stupid = bad.