Republicans Play Politics With Defense Spending Bill
Dec 19, 2009 Political
Oh the left is up in arms! The Defense Appropriations Bill is before the Senate and it is usually a bill that passes quickly but Republicans are using legal procedural tactics to delay the vote on the bill. The reason for this is obvious, they want to take up time with this bill to delay getting to the health care bill. This is perfectly acceptable and in no way harms the troops.
The bill had a cloture vote at 0100 this morning and Democrats got enough votes for cloture. They then immediately asked for the bill to be voted on but at least one Republican objected. This means there will be 30 hours of debate on the bill and it will be voted on Saturday morning at 0730. The defense funding ends at midnight but the delay to Saturday morning will not affect anything in defense.
The Republicans are smart to require all procedures to be followed and to use up time. If they can keep prolonging the health care debate by using parliamentary procedures and as long as it does not hurt the troops, which it does NOT, then it is OK.
Democrats are indignant about all of this and want to know how Republicans can do this to the troops. These guys have short memories and seem to forget all the times they opposed troop funding and delayed defense bills. The White House site is scolding the Republicans and using quotes from Republicans that were used in the past to oppose delaying funding the troops:
“Playing politics with the critical funding that our troops need now is political theater of the worst kind.” – Sen. John Cornyn, [Press Release, 4/26/07]
“We have plenty of time and plenty of opportunity to have political debates… but it’s just unconscionable to me to tie the hands of the very troops that we all say we support.” – Sen. John Cornyn, [Transcript, Senate Republican News Briefing, 4/10/07]
“Every day we don’t fund our troops is a day their ability to fight this war is weakened.” – Sen. Mitch McConnell, [Press Release, 3/31/07]
“No way to treat the troops, and it is entirely inconsistent with [Senators’] expressions of support for the troops.” – Sen. Mitch McConnell, [Congressional Record, 10/4/07]
“I don’t understand this attitude of, ‘We can play with; we can risk the lives of these troops by waiting until the last possible minute to get the funding to them.” – Sen. Jon Kyl, [FOX News Transcript, 4/10/07]
“Our obligation to those troops must transcend politics.” – Sen. Jon Kyl, [Press Release, 11/8/07]
All of these quotes were in response to Democrat opposition or delay with regard to troop funding bills. This list of quotes proves that Democrats were guilty of the very thing they are now acting high and mighty about. If Democrats were not guilty of the same thing in the past then these quotes would not exist.
The truth is that when the time for debate is over the bill will pass and all the Republicans will vote for it. They are just using all the time allotted for the debate.
Democrats act as if this delay will be the end of the world. When Obama took 90 days to decide on the troop request for Afghanistan the Democrats said he was deliberative and could not rush into a decision. Republicans use the 30 hours allotted for debate and they are the ones delaying the troops and causing harm.
Another point of contention in this bill is that Democrats added a “doc fix” to it. This is a non defense item that will raise the reimbursement to doctors under Medicare. This does not belong in the Defense bill but it was put in so it would be assured of passage. Putting it here rather than in the appropriations for Medicare allows Congress to hide the true cost of Medicare. This will go against defense when it really pays for Medicare. This is one of the accounting tricks I discussed in the past. The cost of Medicare is much higher than reported because of things like this, which happen every year.
This is the bill that Democrats wanted to add a 1.9 trillion dollar provision to raise the debt ceiling. They could have put it in the appropriate appropriations bill but were afraid they would not get cloture so they were going to put it in the defense bill where they knew they would. It was not added because of other concerns including demands for a balanced budget. If it had been added then I would have expected all Republicans to vote against it.
They would still get a defense bill and fast but it would be without the debt ceiling provision.
In any event, it is the Democrats who are playing politics with the defense bill. They wanted to use it to slip the debt ceiling provision in and they have included the “doc fix” both of which are political issues. Let’s get it clear, the only reason this is in the defense bill is because it will pass that way and so they can hide the true cost of Medicare. The impact on our debt does not change but they can hide the true cost of the Medicare program.
This is what they will do every year if health care overhaul is passed. They will put anything that adds to the cost in other bills to hide the cost and the deficit will continue to increase while they lie about why.
The bottom line is, regardless of all the grandstanding being done by Democrats, the bill will pass and the Republicans will vote for it. It will not hurt the troops or defense.
The Republicans are within their right to use the procedures and they did so. If the Democrats wanted this voted on before the deadline then they should have introduced it earlier. The delay is all their fault and it is a failure of leadership.
At least Republicans are doing things legally. The Democrats stopped the reading of an amendment this week and did so in complete violation of Senate rules. They just decided they were going to stop it and allow the sponsor to withdraw the amendment. This is a violation of Senate rules but that did not bother the Democrats.
Yet when Republicans use the rules the Democrats get upset.
The hypocrisy makes me sick.
I do love it though. This forces them to commute to the Senate chamber in the huge snowstorm that is heading toward DC.
How appropriate considering the snow job the Democrats are involved in.
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Tags: defense, Democrats, health care, hypocrisy, Republicans, senate rules, troops
The Obama Hustle
Dec 17, 2009 Political
Back during the era of Disco (what were we thinking) there was a song called The Hustle. Obama and I are roughly the same age so I imagine that must have been his favorite song because he is hustling the American public.
During the campaign Obama vowed to take on the pharmaceutical companies. Dana Milbank of the Washington Post recounts this campaign pledge and the way that Obama broke his promise:
On the campaign trail, Barack Obama vowed to take on the drug industry by allowing Americans to import cheaper prescription medicine. “We’ll tell the pharmaceutical companies ‘thanks, but no, thanks’ for the overpriced drugs — drugs that cost twice as much here as they do in Europe and Canada,” he said back then.
On Tuesday, the matter came to the Senate floor — and President Obama forgot the “no, thanks” part. Siding with the pharmaceutical lobby, the administration successfully fought against the very idea Obama had championed.
“It’s got to be a little awkward,” said Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.).
I wrote earlier that the Democrats will do anything to get their health care takeover bill passed and I gave examples of the thuggish tactics used. In this case Obama flat out broke his promise in order to advance his signature legislation.
All Obama promises come with an expiration date and this is no different. He broke another promise in order to get what he wants (though that is still a long way off). Obama sided with Big Pharma over the people he pledged to help in a manner reminiscent of old style politics, the very kind of politics he vowed to put an end to. Another promise broken.
Obama is now using scare tactics to get this passed. He told Charlie Gibson that if we do not pass his bill that will lower costs, the country will go bankrupt under the weight of health care costs.
President Obama told ABC News’ Charles Gibson in an interview that if Congress does not pass health care legislation that will bring down costs, the federal government “will go bankrupt.”
This is basically true if there is no sensible reform (which I have discussed in detail) but under the bills being considered right now the country will most assuredly go bankrupt.
The government runs Social Security and Medicare and both of them are unsustainable. The unfunded liabilities are almost 100 trillion dollars for these programs and the cost continues to go up. There are many reasons for this but one is that Congress took all the money that was supposed to be in a “trust fund” and spent it while leaving worthless IOUs. The money is not there and we have no way of getting it back.
The plans being debated will cost an additional 2.5 trillion dollars and will not pay for themselves. Government has shown with the two previously mentioned programs that it is unable to run things efficiently. The costs for these two programs are well above what anyone ever estimated they would be and the cost of health care will be the same.
This is not about health and it is not about care. It is about control over our lives.
Obama might have telegraphed the danger we are in with the health care takeover when he said this:
“it’s clear we are on the precipice of achievement that’s eluded Congresses, presidents for generations — an achievement that will touch the lives of nearly every American.” Pajama’s Media, Roger’s Rules
Webster defines precipice as: 1 : a very steep or overhanging place; 2 : a hazardous situation; brink.
It is obviously not number 1 so it must be number 2 and that one is appropriate for this issue. This bill is the brink of a hazardous situation because it will add trillions to our deficit and it will cost more than we can pay. It will increase the costs of health care for the average consumer and premiums will go up. There will also be rationing and long lines. Obama told us what to expect and though, as I pointed out above, his word is not exactly his bond, on this one I think he is correct.
The Senate Bill will be coming up for a cloture vote soon and Senator Bill Nelson of Florida was on Greta’s show discussing the bill and laying out why he will vote for it. The meetings that have taken place behind closed doors have resulted in some concessions to his state (and a few others) which remove the burden off Medicare recipients there. He also indicated that Medicare will be made solvent by cutting reimbursements to doctors, nurses, and hospitals. In other words, the Senate expects these people to work for less than it costs to treat people or, in some cases, for free. Obama has stated that the way to control Medicare costs is to cut payments to those providing the care. He called it a “safety valve.”
How many doctors or hospitals will continue to accept Medicare patients if they cannot get paid adequately for their services? How many will drop Medicare patients for the same reason?
Maybe we should consider cutting salaries to members of Congress.
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Tags: bankruptcy, bill nelson, health care, Obama, precipice
Republicans Must Save Country From Slavery, Again
Dec 7, 2009 Political
It looks like Harry Reid is cracking up under all the pressure being put on him to get a health care bill passed. Combine that pressure with his diminishing chance for reelection and it all adds up to a crack-up. Today, Reid compared Republicans’ resistance to the health care legislation to those who opposed the ending of slavery in this country.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took his GOP-blasting rhetoric to a new level Monday, comparing Republicans who oppose health care reform to lawmakers who clung to the institution of slavery more than a century ago.
The Nevada Democrat, in a sweeping set of accusations on the Senate floor, also compared health care foes to those who opposed women’s suffrage and the civil rights movement — even though it was Sen. Strom Thurmond, then a Democrat, who unsuccessfully tried to filibuster the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and it was Republicans who led the charge against slavery. Fox News
It was indeed the Republican party that ended slavery in this country and the Democrats were the ones opposed to it. Republicans were the movers and shakers in the ending of the suffrage of women and in getting civil rights legislation passed. The Democrats were the ones who opposed all those things so at least Reid has his party’s history to look at when making the comparison.
The Democrats still espouse slavery in this country and they work hard to keep minorities, particularly blacks, on their plantation. Democrats do not work for equality and support plans that view minorities and women as second class citizens who need a helping hand because they are unable to make it on their own. The Democrats keep select groups enslaved in order to ensure votes. They are aware that as long as they keep promising to make things better they will keep people in chains, beholden to the Democrats who look down upon them.
The health care plan being pushed along will make every American, except the very wealthy and the political elite, slaves to the government. We will depend on government for one of the most important and personal items in our lives, our medical care. The Democrats know that if they can take over health care they will hold people hostage and will use this advantage to ensure wins in future elections.
Look at how the elderly are held hostage over Medicare and Social Security. The Democrats, at election time, always talk about Social Security and how it will be lost under Republicans. The Democrats use the threat of decreased SS or Medicare benefits as a weapon to keep the elderly in line. Fear of losing these benefits is what the Democrats want.
This will happen if we are all forced to be at the mercy of government. The government can justify anything it wants if it holds the keys to the health care mansion. They will regulate what you eat, how much exercise you get, what your kids do, and will increase taxes all under the threat of health care expense and in the name of the common good. It is a dangerous game and it is up to Republicans to stop it.
Republicans ended slavery in this country at the cost of a lot of lives all because Democrats wanted to keep blacks on a leash as servants.
After bondage ended the Democrats worked to enslave blacks and other minorities with social programs that keep the downtrodden at the bottom of the social ladder and always looking up for a hand.
“Please sir, I want some more.”
Republicans have traditionally believed that people who need a helping hand get one but that it is temporary and that the help one gets should be in helping him to improve his lot in life. We believe that you cannot make the poor wealth by making the wealthy poor and that making people dependent will not miraculously lead them to independence. Democrats don’t actually believe it either, they know that making the wealthy poor makes everyone poor and that the best way to control people is to make them dependent. This is their goal.
Once people are hooked they will always do what their masters say because they are afraid of losing what meager things they get.
One only needs to look at how people in New Orleans were unable to care for themselves after Hurricane Katrina to see the harm of dependence on government.
Republicans must rise up and defeat this health care legislation so that we maintain our independence.
I never want to have to tell my grandchildren that they are servants of the government because I stood silently and allowed it to take away our freedom.
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Tags: democrat, dependence, health care, Obama, Reid, republican, Senate, slavery
Good Luck With That, ACORN
Nov 13, 2009 Political
Seems like the community criminal organizing group known as ACORN has filed suit against the US Government for voting to cut off its funds after employees of the group were video taped encouraging people to commit criminal acts. The last video demonstrated that the powers that be in ACORN lied about the encounter in one of its offices.
The Community Organizer in Chief distanced himself from the people he used to work with and members of Congress voted to cut off TAXPAYER money that was being sent to the ACORN crime family.
ACORN is suing basing the claim that it is unconstitutional for Congress to cut its funding.
That qualifies the legislation as bills of attainder, according to the Center for Constitutional Rights, which filed the suit on behalf of ACORN. A bill of attainder punishes a person or group without the benefit of a trial, and is illegal under Article 1 of the Constitution.
Bills of attainder have traditionally been understood to have more serious legal consequences — including the seizure of private property and even capital punishment — than Congress’ decision to withhold funds that are at its discretion to disseminate. Though members of Congress have accused ACORN of corruption, it is not clear how the exercise of its own prerogative is outside the bounds of legislative power. Fox News
Maybe I have this wrong but I have never seen in the Constitution where TAXPAYER money is allowed to go to a group like this in the first place. Be that as it may, what makes the people of ACORN think that TAXPAYERS are supposed to fork over money to them when they are continually involved in crime?
This group is a partisan organization that works to get Democrats elected. Why should any Republican have to pay tax dollars to support something like this? Why would any self respecting Democrat (I know, if they were self respecting they would be Republicans but stick with me on this) want TAXPAYER money spent on this kind of stuff?
Suppose there was a group that said it was a community organizing group and it took tons of TAXPAYER money to do “good” things. Then suppose it registered people but threw out all the cards where people registered as Democrats. Suppose the group pushed the agendas of Republicans and suppose members were caught giving advice to people on how to engage in prostitution using illegal alien minors or how to evade taxes?
Don’t ya think people like those at ACORN would be up in arms about it?
I guess since ACORN happens to be a liberal organization that uses TAXPAYER money to advance liberal causes it figures it is OK to bilk the TAXPAYER.
Congress is well within its right to cut off the funding at any time and for any reason.
If ACORN does not like that then perhaps they should all go out and get real jobs.
I understand that the new government run health care system will need people experienced in committing fraud…
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Tags: acorn, Congress, Democrats, health care, law suit, Republicans
Obama Might Just Be On To Something
Nov 10, 2009 Political
In an interview with Jake Tapper of ABC, Barack Obama discussed the health care debacle that is working its way through Congress. Tapper asked him about the provisions in the bill for people to go to jail if they do not get insurance and refuse to pay the tax that will be levied on them for the refusal. Obama danced around the jail issue and said that everyone had to buy insurance. He likened it to car insurance, an argument that I have already destroyed. People are only forced to buy car insurance if they own a car. People do not have to have a car. Here is a part of Obama’s answer that shows promise:
“I think the general broad principle is simply that people who are paying for their health insurance aren’t subsidizing folks who simply choose not to until they get sick and then suddenly they expect free health insurance. That’s — that’s basic concept of responsibility that I think most Americans abide by,” Mr. Obama said, “penalties are appropriate for people who try to free ride the system and force others to pay for their health insurance.” [emphasis mine] ABC
This is interesting indeed. I think Obama might be on to something. Let me change that last sentence to this [select one or more of the options]:
“penalties are appropriate for people who try to free ride the system and force others to pay for their [welfare, abortions, tuition, tax liability, home heating fuel, electricity, cars, and other social programs].”
Barack has hit the nail on the head. We have far too many people in this country who are on welfare and who do not pay any income taxes (not including the people in his administration). We have people who expect the government (read the taxpayer) to pay for abortions. There are programs to pay for electricity and heating fuel and all of these come from the taxpayer. Cash for clunkers was nothing more than taxpayer money going toward a vehicle for another person.
If all these people abode by the idea of basic responsibility then we would not have them running around with their hands out looking for more taxpayer money. We should have an appropriate penalty for those who are getting money, a free ride, while the rest of us do what is right.
The other interesting thing is that Obama said that it is not right for these free loaders to expect someone else to pay for their health insurance but the government plan is nothing more than taxpayers paying for people’s health insurance. Isn’t that a bit ironic?
I wonder why so many people fail to see the contradictions.
I wonder how long it will be before the liberals tell me that it is different…
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Tags: free ride, health care, jail, Obama, penalties, tapper