The Good: Finally Don't Ask, Don't Tell is a thing of the past! The only bad thing about this is that only eight Republican Senators voted to repeal this nonsensical, discriminatory law. The others should be ashamed of themselves. As for Senators like John Kyl (R-Ariz), who warned that the repeal of this law would cost the lives of some soldiers -- what do you even say about this? Earth to Senator Kyl! Gay people have served in the military for eons, and they're serving in the military NOW. And guess what? I have yet to hear that anyone has been killed because the guy next to them in the foxhole was gay.
The Bad: Senator John McCain (R-Ariz). What is in the water in Arizona? This man is just imploding. From what I understand, he is so angry that Obama won the election instead of him that he won't look the President in the eye when they're in the same room. He's always been known as a hothead, but since the election he appears to only be trying to obstruct everything on Obama's agenda, and viciously so, whether it makes logical sense or not. According to reports (see the article by Dana Milbank at washingtonpost.com, for an example - I tried to copy the URL but it wouldn't let me), McCain's legendary temper is constantly in evidence now. He used to be a moderate who was famous for working across the aisle, despite his volatile temper, but I now believe that his defeat in 2008 has affected him to the point where he can no longer function as a United States Senator. He needs counseling, and I'm serious as a heart attack about that. For his own good, for the good of Arizona, and for the good of the country, John McCain should resign immediately and seek a good therapist. That kind of anger and irrational resentment has no place in the Senate.
The Ugly: Ugly is the only word to describe this insanity. After 9/11 there were numerous first responders who became ill, and some who have already died, from being in contact with the nasty chemicals, dust, and other toxins at Ground Zero. There is a bill before the Senate that would provide funding for medical monitoring of these first responders, help with treatment at centers specializing in such toxins, and extend the Victims Compensation Fund until 2031. This bill would cost $6.2 billion over ten years. You would think the Republicans would be all for this, but no! Why are they passing up the opportunity to wave the flag and invoke 9/11 as they so often do? Because this bill isn't paid for? No! It is paid for -- by closing a corporate tax loophole. Ahhhh, now we get to it! Big corporations (most of whom pay no taxes... that's right, zero) might actually have one of their many tax loopholes snipped, and of course the Republicans can't have that. Never mind the fact that we have now been in two wars that were never paid for. Never mind that they just passed a tax bill that they insisted had to keep in place tax cuts for people who make more money than I'll ever see in my lifetime -- all paid for by tacking it onto the national debt. For 9/11 first responders facing disability, and even death, the Republican response is that they just don't give a damn. How do they look at themselves in the mirror in the morning, I wonder? Update: This law was passed (!) on December 22nd. Hallejuah!
The Funny: I can't resist throwing this in. Speaker of the House-to be John Boehner is handing out the committee assignments for the new Congress that will be sworn in next month. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), never known to be the sharpest knife in anybody's drawer, the same Michele Bachman who has suggested that there should be an investigation into whether Democratic Congress members are anti-American and stating that gay marriage is the biggest issue impacting the nation (more than, say, unemployment?) -- has been given a seat on the House Intelligence Committee. Insert obvious joke here. You just can't make this stuff up.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
A Potpourri of Stuff
Give it up, Dude: Alaskan candidate for U.S. Senate Joe Miller is refusing to give up his futile effort to be named the winner in November's election. Current U.S. Senator and independent candidate Lisa Murkowski lost the Republican nomination to Tea-Partier, Sarah Palin-backed Miller, so Murkowski ran as a write-in candidate. He has tried to exclude as invalid any ballot that didn't have the little circle for "write-in" properly filled in and/or any ballot that didn't spell Murkowski's name correctly. Now, I guess if your name is Joe Miller you don't worry so much about somebody misspelling your name... but here's the kicker - Murkowski won by over 10,000 votes, and even if you count the votes that could possibly be invalidated by Miller's reckoning, she still wins by over 2,000 votes! He has petitioned the courts and they have turned him down, because the man is a fruitcake. Long past time to pack it in, Joe, you're really just embarrassing yourself at this point.
A hero he ain't: Speaking of fruitcakes... how in the world could anyone consider Julian Assange of Wikileaks infamy a hero? This guy thinks that if the governments of the world were to just post all their secrets out on the Internet that it would all be hearts and flowers, we would all get along and sing kumbaya. Now, it's one thing to put out there some cables that say unflattering things about world leaders, but to put out there information that identifies sites vulnerable to terrorist attacks, or classified information about secret operations -- this is the stuff that gets people killed. As for the intelligence analyst who downloaded all this stuff and sold it to Assange, I hope he ends up sitting his butt in jail for the rest of his natural life. I'm sure that money will buy a lot of Cheese Curls in the prison commissary.
Gone too soon: R.I.P. Elizabeth Edwards.
If this ain't bigotry I don't know what is: I used to have some modicum of respect for John McCain, but now we see that he really has gone over to the dark side. What is up with this guy? He tries to block the repeal of DADT for this reason, then that... when the military studies and surveys all point to the vast majority of those serving, and the vast majority of the American public, being in favor of repeal. Then his wife makes one of those pro-repeal print ads. So what does he do? He makes her virtually change her position, evidently because it doesn't fit with his own political stance. Hey, McCain -- if you've got a problem with gays why don't you just man up and say so??? And Cindy, honey... you've got all the money in the family, and you've still got the looks to boot. You can do better than this guy!
Palin all the time: We just can't get away from this chick. She's constantly on the news, constantly on TV, constantly in the magazines... I'm with Barbara Bush, why doesn't she just go back to Alaska and stay there? I've never seen somebody who knows so little about so much go so far. It's really nuts. And it's about to get worse as the political silly season will soon start. If she runs in 2012 I sincerely hope she wins the nomination. If Obama can't beat her, then he doesn't deserve to be President! Palin recently took on a reindeer (a.k.a. caribou) on her reality show, and guess what -- the rifle with the scope won, whaddya know! Anyone who thinks hunting is a sport, who thinks killing animals is fun, is just sick. Period. I don't agree with eating meat, because I'm a pretty smart human being and I can get my protein elsewhere. Heck, broccoli has protein in it! Why should an animal have to die so I can have lunch? But I suppose those pictures of her standing in front of a guy shoving a chicken down a grinder, or clubbing a halibut, or killing a reindeer, for crying out loud, will make some pretty interesting campaign ads -- for our side!
A hero he ain't: Speaking of fruitcakes... how in the world could anyone consider Julian Assange of Wikileaks infamy a hero? This guy thinks that if the governments of the world were to just post all their secrets out on the Internet that it would all be hearts and flowers, we would all get along and sing kumbaya. Now, it's one thing to put out there some cables that say unflattering things about world leaders, but to put out there information that identifies sites vulnerable to terrorist attacks, or classified information about secret operations -- this is the stuff that gets people killed. As for the intelligence analyst who downloaded all this stuff and sold it to Assange, I hope he ends up sitting his butt in jail for the rest of his natural life. I'm sure that money will buy a lot of Cheese Curls in the prison commissary.
Gone too soon: R.I.P. Elizabeth Edwards.
If this ain't bigotry I don't know what is: I used to have some modicum of respect for John McCain, but now we see that he really has gone over to the dark side. What is up with this guy? He tries to block the repeal of DADT for this reason, then that... when the military studies and surveys all point to the vast majority of those serving, and the vast majority of the American public, being in favor of repeal. Then his wife makes one of those pro-repeal print ads. So what does he do? He makes her virtually change her position, evidently because it doesn't fit with his own political stance. Hey, McCain -- if you've got a problem with gays why don't you just man up and say so??? And Cindy, honey... you've got all the money in the family, and you've still got the looks to boot. You can do better than this guy!
Palin all the time: We just can't get away from this chick. She's constantly on the news, constantly on TV, constantly in the magazines... I'm with Barbara Bush, why doesn't she just go back to Alaska and stay there? I've never seen somebody who knows so little about so much go so far. It's really nuts. And it's about to get worse as the political silly season will soon start. If she runs in 2012 I sincerely hope she wins the nomination. If Obama can't beat her, then he doesn't deserve to be President! Palin recently took on a reindeer (a.k.a. caribou) on her reality show, and guess what -- the rifle with the scope won, whaddya know! Anyone who thinks hunting is a sport, who thinks killing animals is fun, is just sick. Period. I don't agree with eating meat, because I'm a pretty smart human being and I can get my protein elsewhere. Heck, broccoli has protein in it! Why should an animal have to die so I can have lunch? But I suppose those pictures of her standing in front of a guy shoving a chicken down a grinder, or clubbing a halibut, or killing a reindeer, for crying out loud, will make some pretty interesting campaign ads -- for our side!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Disappointed
I was really hoping President Obama wouldn't cave in to the Republicans, yet he has. What is astonishing to me is that the Democratic Congressional leadership was apparently blindsided by the tax cut "deal." The President went before the media and laid out the plan before he even informed the leadership what the deal was! I was hoping that having Joe Biden as his VP, who had been in the Senate for so long, would help Obama avoid this kind of political error. Obama, like the Republicans, has completely misread the mid-term elections. The results had everything to do with the demographics of the people who voted, it wasn't the blank check the GOPers think it was.
Have we learned nothing from what's happening in Europe? Several countries in the European Union have come close to bankruptcy due to high debt. So what did they do? They put into place some "austerity" measures, cutting some services and raising taxes. They realized that you cannot bring less money in, keep spending more, raise the debt ceiling, and expect the budget to ever be balanced. It just simply is not going to happen. But that's exactly what we're doing.
By bluffing and blustering the Republicans got the tax cuts extended for everyone. Why? Because the wealthy are the ones who give to their reelection campaigns! This is why we need public funding for political campaigns, folks. Unless and until we have that, politicians will continue to do what's necessary to get reelected instead of what's best for the country.
Remember the last time we balanced the budget, under Clinton? The Republicans screamed and hollered, but there were 24 million jobs created during the Clinton Administration. What has happened since the so-called Bush tax cuts went into effect? Well, we know what's happened... yet they yell for more. I don't think we necessarily have to have no debt at all, but we do need to get it down to size. China is laughing all the way to the bank.
Have we learned nothing from what's happening in Europe? Several countries in the European Union have come close to bankruptcy due to high debt. So what did they do? They put into place some "austerity" measures, cutting some services and raising taxes. They realized that you cannot bring less money in, keep spending more, raise the debt ceiling, and expect the budget to ever be balanced. It just simply is not going to happen. But that's exactly what we're doing.
By bluffing and blustering the Republicans got the tax cuts extended for everyone. Why? Because the wealthy are the ones who give to their reelection campaigns! This is why we need public funding for political campaigns, folks. Unless and until we have that, politicians will continue to do what's necessary to get reelected instead of what's best for the country.
Remember the last time we balanced the budget, under Clinton? The Republicans screamed and hollered, but there were 24 million jobs created during the Clinton Administration. What has happened since the so-called Bush tax cuts went into effect? Well, we know what's happened... yet they yell for more. I don't think we necessarily have to have no debt at all, but we do need to get it down to size. China is laughing all the way to the bank.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Bush administration officials admit tax cut sunset was a trap
See the article below. Dan Bartlett, former communications director for the Bush administration, admitted that setting the "expiration" date for the Bush-era tax cuts at 10 years was a deliberate trap for the next administration. As I suspected, this date was selected so that the next administration would find the tax cuts (which went almost entirely to the wealthy) next to impossible to remove. Bartlett is crowing about how well the trap was set. Why do people vote for Republicans again?? What sleazebags!
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-12-02/tax-cut-extension-the-gops-fiscal-time-bomb/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-12-02/tax-cut-extension-the-gops-fiscal-time-bomb/
Friday, December 3, 2010
If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for
Yesterday a vote was held in the House extending the Bush-era tax cuts to everyone making under $250,00 (and, remember, giving people who make over that amount a break on their first $250,000 of income). This is what President Obama has been promising to do since he ran for President. Only three Republicans voted to extend tax cuts for the middle class. THREE. If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
After the vote Speaker of the House-elect John Boehner called the vote "chicken crap." If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
The Republicans just sent the President a letter stating that they will vote against all non-budget Democratic-sponsored legislation unless they get their tax cuts for the wealthy. If you voted fora Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
The Republicans are holding out for a tax cut for all income earners, including millionaires and billionaires, even though there have been many prominent wealthy people -- such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett -- who have asked Congress to let the tax cuts for the wealthiest people expire. (Remember, these cuts were created under the Bush administration because the Clinton administration left a big budget surplus, and the idea was to return the extra money back to the people. Anybody remember that?) If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
There was much angst over the $700 billion TARP bailout, and many people gave this as the reason why they were going to vote Republican this year. However, all but $20-some billion of that has been paid back. On the other hand, if we extend the Bush-era tax cuts to people who make over $1 million a year, guess how much will have to be borrowed? $700 billion! If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
The Republicans don't want to extend unemployment benefits for people who are out of work in the toughest economy since the Great Depression. They are willing to hold those people who are unemployed hostage in order for them to get their tax cuts for millionaires and above. If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
The Republicans say they want to cut spending. There is NO meaningful way to cut spending save to cut Social Security, Medicare and defense spending. Obviously the first two benefit the lower and middle classes most. John Boehner has already said he would like to see the retirement age for Social Security moved to 70, which means that older people would work longer (or to be forced to retire with less than full benefits) so they can have their tax cuts for the wealthy. The longer older people work the harder it will be for younger people to find jobs, thereby increasing the unemployment rate. If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
The Republicans voted to get rid of earmarks. Now, there are some earmarks, such as the Bridge to Nowhere, for instance, where it would be appropriate not to spend federal taxpayer money. But doing away with all earmarks is a purely symbolic vote on the Republicans' part. In a federal budget the size of ours, earmarks are less than 1% of that budget. Not all earmarks are equal, and some public projects will now not get done (affecting, ahem, the unemployment rate, anybody?) because the Republicans have made this ridiculous vote happen. If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
Why would anybody in their right mind -- well, unless you're wealthy and looking out after your own self-interest instead of the good of the country, say -- vote for these people? Why would anyone in the middle class vote Republican, completely against their own interests? I don't get it. Can anyone give me one bill that the Republicans have brought up that takes the side of the lower and middle classes against the wealthy? Or small business vs. big corporations? Any at all? I'll wait...
The Republicans seem to think they have some kind of mandate out of this election. Yes, they won a lot of seats in the House, although they failed to win the Senate (due in no small part to Sarah Palin-endorsed wackos on the ballot), but let's get real about what happened in November. Young people and minorities just do not turn out to vote in mid-term elections. Who turns out to vote? Older white voters. And older white voters tend to vote Republican. So strap yourself in, Boehner, I think you're in for a rocky ride 'long about November of 2012!
A big shout-out to Nancy Pelosi, who has shown incredible courage in her tenure as Speaker in forcing votes like the one that happened yesterday, as well as getting health care through (although I do have my issues with what was in there due to Republican tinkering),. She has done this even though she knew there was a possibility that by doing so she would no longer be Speaker in 2011. Now President Obama needs to show the same kind of spine.
After the vote Speaker of the House-elect John Boehner called the vote "chicken crap." If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
The Republicans just sent the President a letter stating that they will vote against all non-budget Democratic-sponsored legislation unless they get their tax cuts for the wealthy. If you voted fora Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
The Republicans are holding out for a tax cut for all income earners, including millionaires and billionaires, even though there have been many prominent wealthy people -- such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett -- who have asked Congress to let the tax cuts for the wealthiest people expire. (Remember, these cuts were created under the Bush administration because the Clinton administration left a big budget surplus, and the idea was to return the extra money back to the people. Anybody remember that?) If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
There was much angst over the $700 billion TARP bailout, and many people gave this as the reason why they were going to vote Republican this year. However, all but $20-some billion of that has been paid back. On the other hand, if we extend the Bush-era tax cuts to people who make over $1 million a year, guess how much will have to be borrowed? $700 billion! If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
The Republicans don't want to extend unemployment benefits for people who are out of work in the toughest economy since the Great Depression. They are willing to hold those people who are unemployed hostage in order for them to get their tax cuts for millionaires and above. If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
The Republicans say they want to cut spending. There is NO meaningful way to cut spending save to cut Social Security, Medicare and defense spending. Obviously the first two benefit the lower and middle classes most. John Boehner has already said he would like to see the retirement age for Social Security moved to 70, which means that older people would work longer (or to be forced to retire with less than full benefits) so they can have their tax cuts for the wealthy. The longer older people work the harder it will be for younger people to find jobs, thereby increasing the unemployment rate. If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
The Republicans voted to get rid of earmarks. Now, there are some earmarks, such as the Bridge to Nowhere, for instance, where it would be appropriate not to spend federal taxpayer money. But doing away with all earmarks is a purely symbolic vote on the Republicans' part. In a federal budget the size of ours, earmarks are less than 1% of that budget. Not all earmarks are equal, and some public projects will now not get done (affecting, ahem, the unemployment rate, anybody?) because the Republicans have made this ridiculous vote happen. If you voted for a Republican for Congress, this is what you voted for.
Why would anybody in their right mind -- well, unless you're wealthy and looking out after your own self-interest instead of the good of the country, say -- vote for these people? Why would anyone in the middle class vote Republican, completely against their own interests? I don't get it. Can anyone give me one bill that the Republicans have brought up that takes the side of the lower and middle classes against the wealthy? Or small business vs. big corporations? Any at all? I'll wait...
The Republicans seem to think they have some kind of mandate out of this election. Yes, they won a lot of seats in the House, although they failed to win the Senate (due in no small part to Sarah Palin-endorsed wackos on the ballot), but let's get real about what happened in November. Young people and minorities just do not turn out to vote in mid-term elections. Who turns out to vote? Older white voters. And older white voters tend to vote Republican. So strap yourself in, Boehner, I think you're in for a rocky ride 'long about November of 2012!
A big shout-out to Nancy Pelosi, who has shown incredible courage in her tenure as Speaker in forcing votes like the one that happened yesterday, as well as getting health care through (although I do have my issues with what was in there due to Republican tinkering),. She has done this even though she knew there was a possibility that by doing so she would no longer be Speaker in 2011. Now President Obama needs to show the same kind of spine.
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