by | BLOG, HYPOCRISY, POLITICS, TAXES
As the Senate prepares to pass the Sandy Hurricane Relief Act for $50.5 Billion, it’s worthwhile to consider this piece of legislation within the bigger picture of looming the fiscal crises. No one will deny that those citizens who were affected by this catastrophic and legendary storm deserve help. However, the bill perfectly encapsulates the dysfunction of our Congress. In merely a few short weeks, Congress has managed to figure out how to fritter away a year’s worth of revenue that was raised — after many months of wrangling and negotiations. (more…)
by | BLOG, ECONOMY, HYPOCRISY, OBAMA, POLITICS
From the Government Printing Office *and* the Heritage Foundation, here is the full text of Obama’s 2006 speech arguing vehemently against raising the debt ceiling (when Bush was President). (more…)
by | BLOG, HYPOCRISY, OBAMA, POLITICS
Under law, the White House must submit a budget this year by February 4. According to the Hill,
Late Friday evening, Deputy Director Zients confirmed that for the fourth time in five years, the president’s budget will not be submitted in compliance with the law,”
Only 1 budget out of 4 have been submitted on time — the budget in 2010. The rest of the years, the budgets were late. That year, the budget failed in the Senate 0-97. And last year, the President’s budget failed 0-414. Not one Democrat or Republican voted for them or was willing to sponsor them, because they were so outrageous.
Of course, this doesn’t mean we actually have a functioning budget for the United State. The Senate has not passed a budget since April 29, 2009 — which is currently 1356 days and running.
It’s okay to break the law when it comes to submitting a budget but dammit, we MUST NOT break the law when it comes to our ability to spend bumping up against the debt ceiling, or else “Social Security benefits and veterans’ checks will be delayed”, Obama sternly warned today.
And yet, in 2006, Obama voted against the debt ceiling. The NRO reports that Obama said at the time,:
“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. … Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better”.
We certainly wouldn’t want to know what kind of spending proposals and debt problems are in Obama’s new budget now, would we?
Obama once again, is the president of “Do as I say, not as I do”.
by | BLOG, CONSTITUTION, ECONOMY, OBAMA, POLITICS
There are two important fiscal dates coming up in February: February 12 and February 15.
February 12 is the scheduled date of Obama’s State of the Union speech, which is also Lincoln’s birthday.
It also happens to be three days before the “X Date”, February 15, the estimated date that the Treasury may not be able to pay its bills. The debt ceiling deadline.
Does anyone want to speculate as to whether the President of the United States is going to announce during his State of the Union Address that he will be unilaterally bypassing Congress to raise the debt ceiling?
Picture the all-too-familiar scenario: it’s February 12th, and Congress will be deadlocked over raising the debt ceiling, cutting spending, raising taxes, and sequestration scenarios. We know that there will be no decision by then, because deadlines mean nothing in Congress – as we just witnessed with the fiscal cliff debates running down to the wire.
The Senate Democrats have already set up a plan in preparation. Senator Harry Reid sent a letter to Obama saying,
“In the event that Republicans make good on their threat by failing to act, or by moving unilaterally to pass a debt limit extension only as part of an unbalanced or unreasonable legislation, we believe you must be willing to take any lawful steps to ensure that America does not break its promises and trigger a global economic crisis — without congressional approval, if necessary”
Such fiscal urgency from the same group that has failed to pass a budget since April 29, 2009.
Can Obama do this? That’s up for debate, as both sides of the aisle have given their evidence for or against such a move.
But wait. Does anyone remember the “We Can’t Wait” policy implemented by Obama in the fall of 2011, following the last debt ceiling showdown? The White House describes the program:
“President Obama is not letting congressional gridlock slow our economic growth. Without a doubt, the most urgent challenge that we face right now is getting our economy to grow faster and to create more jobs…. we can’t wait for an increasingly dysfunctional Congress to do its job. Where they won’t act, I will.”
The narrative is being shaped. We have Obama’s program “We Can’t Wait” in place. According to the whitehouse.gov , Obama has issued 45 Executive Orders under this program. Couple the program with Reid’s letter, the time frame for the State of the Union and the potential default of the Treasury, and you have a perfect storm.
Be prepared. Be prepared for Obama to trot out imagery, language and ideas from Lincoln and work them into his State of the Union address as a backdrop to an announcement on the debt ceiling. Obama can, and will, propose that “We Can’t Wait” for Congress to act (or not act) on a potential default – since it is certain they will be gridlocked – and will use an Executive Order lifting the debt ceiling limit. This will change the ensuing discussion on taxes, spending, and sequestration. But will it also change forever the nature and function of the presidency?
by | BLOG, ECONOMY, POLITICS, TAXES
I’ll be on the opening show of the third season of American Complaint Department, a radio show hosted on blogtalkradio.
You can tune in here at 11:45pm EST to listen live.
The American Complaint Department does just what they say — complain. They have a panel of moderators: liberal, conservative, and libertarian, so on the show and online, you’ll get views from all sides of the spectrum.
Tonight we’ll be discussing my views on the Fiscal Cliff. Enjoy!
Update: You can listen to the show here. I’m at the 45:00 mark.
by | BLOG, POLITICS, TAXES
The Democrats made the rounds over the weekend with their new talking point that they’ve already made substantial spending cuts. Here’s how it goes:
The Democrats are counting $917 billion from the Budget Control Act, passed in the summer of 2011, as proof that they’ve cut spending. By pitting it against the $620 billion in tax revenue hikes from the Fiscal Cliff deal last week, the Democrats are able to say that the ratio of spending cuts to tax hikes has been a 3:2 ratio so far.
The results of this math? The Democrats are poised to ask for further tax increases, because it’s “not enough”. Don’t forget, Obama said that the rich still weren’t paying their fair share in his January 3rd video.
What’s more, both Ben Cardin of the Senate Finance Committee and Chuck Schumer want to include interest savings in calculations, suggesting that the spending cuts are somewhere between $1.1 trillion and $2 trillion — making the ratio sound even larger.
The narrative is shaping up for a new tax fight with the impending debt ceiling debate. The Democrats are going to repeat this “talking point” as a justification for new taxes — saying that the past deals have been tilted toward cuts. Get ready to hear the Democrats repeat these numbers ad nauseum.
by | BLOG, ELECTIONS, OBAMA, POLITICS
While the country was discussing the Fiscal Cliff, guns, and Hurricane Sandy, a new bill was introduced in Congress on Friday.
Representative Jose Serrano (D-NY 15) put forth a bill, now called “H.J. Res. 15”, that proposes “an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President”.
According to GovTrack, it was then “[r]eferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”. Further, “[t]his resolution was assigned to a congressional committee on January 4, 2013, which will consider it before possibly sending it on to the House or Senate as a whole”.
So here we have one of the first bills introduced in the new Congressional session, which proposes removing term limits for the Presidency. Time to pay attention!
You can go to Govtrack and sign up for free to track this and other legislation.
Here is the Congressional page for Rep. Jose Serrano if you wish to contact him.
While this type of bill has been introduced in the past by Serrano (in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 [HJR 5] and 2011 [HJR 17]), the difference now is that Obama is in his second term of office and is not running for re-election anymore. He has less to worry about.
UPDATE: Serrano also submitted a bill on Friday that amends the Social Security Act and proof of citizenship…
by | BLOG, POLITICS, SOCIAL SECURITY, TAXES
Rep. Jose Serrano, the Democrat from NY who proposed H.J. Res 15, also put forth another bill — H.R. 211 — on Friday.
This bill proposes “To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to waive the requirement for proof of citizenship during the first year of life for children born in the United States to a Medicaid-eligible mother”.
Govtrack notes, “This bill was assigned to a congressional committee on January 4, 2013, which will consider it before possibly sending it on to the House or Senate as a whole”.
So the longtime Congressman who introduced the legislation to amend the Constitution and repeal term limits for President also wants to amend the Social Security Act with regard to citizenship.
What is the point of this legislation? Why is proof of citizenship in this situation not a positive thing? Thoughts?
by | BLOG, POLITICS, QUICKLY NOTED
After the passage of this “Fiscal Cliff” Bill, the last paragraph of Animal Farm says it all.
Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No questions, now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which. [Animal Farm, last paragraph]
Can we even tell Republican from Democrat and Democrat from Republican anymore?
by | ECONOMY, GOVERNMENT, HYPOCRISY, POLITICS
The House passes the Senate bill
257-167 was the vote tally.
Here’s the official list of yeas and nays:
—- AYES 257 —
Ackerman
Alexander
Altmire
Andrews
Baca
Baldwin
Barber
Barletta
Bass (CA)
Bass (NH)
Benishek
Berkley
Berman
Biggert
Bilbray
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Boehner
Bonamici
Bono Mack
Boren
Boswell
Brady (PA)
Brady (TX)
Braley (IA)
Brown (FL)
Buchanan
Butterfield
Calvert
Camp
Capps
Capuano
Carnahan
Carney
Carson (IN)
Castor (FL)
Chandler
Chu
Cicilline
Clarke (MI)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Coble
Cohen
Cole
Connolly (VA)
Conyers
Costa
Costello
Courtney
Crenshaw
Critz
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Curson (MI)
Davis (CA)
Davis (IL)
DeGette
DelBene
Denham
Dent
Deutch
Diaz-Balart
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Dold
Donnelly (IN)
Doyle
Dreier
Edwards
Ellison
Emerson
Engel
Eshoo
Farr
Fattah
Fitzpatrick
Fortenberry
Frank (MA)
Frelinghuysen
Fudge
Gallegly
Garamendi
Gerlach
Gibson
Gonzalez
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Grimm
Gutierrez
Hahn
Hanabusa
Hanna
Hastings (FL)
Hastings (WA)
Hayworth
Heck
Heinrich
Herger
Herrera Beutler
Higgins
Himes
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hirono
Hochul
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hoyer
Israel
Jackson Lee (TX)
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, E. B.
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly
Kildee
Kind
King (NY)
Kinzinger (IL)
Kissell
Kline
Kucinich
Lance
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
LaTourette
Latta
Lee (CA)
Levin
Lipinski
LoBiondo
Loebsack
Lofgren, Zoe
Lowey
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Luján
Lungren, Daniel E.
Lynch
Maloney
Manzullo
Marino
Markey
Matsui
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McGovern
McKeon
McMorris Rodgers
McNerney
Meehan
Meeks
Michaud
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Miller, George
Moore
Murphy (CT)
Murphy (PA)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Noem
Olver
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor (AZ)
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peters
Pingree (ME)
Pitts
Platts
Polis
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rahall
Rangel
Reed
Reichert
Reyes
Ribble
Richardson
Richmond
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Ros-Lehtinen
Ross (AR)
Rothman (NJ)
Roybal-Allard
Royce
Runyan
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Ryan (WI)
Sánchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schock
Schwartz
Scott, David
Serrano
Sessions
Sewell
Sherman
Shimkus
Shuler
Shuster
Simpson
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Speier
Stivers
Sullivan
Sutton
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tierney
Tonko
Towns
Tsongas
Turner (NY)
Upton
Van Hollen
Velázquez
Walden
Walz (MN)
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watt
Waxman
Welch
Wilson (FL)
Womack
Yarmuth
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
—- NOES 167 —
Adams
Aderholt
Akin
Amash
Amodei
Austria
Bachmann
Bachus
Barrow
Bartlett
Barton (TX)
Becerra
Berg
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Blumenauer
Bonner
Boustany
Brooks
Broun (GA)
Bucshon
Burgess
Campbell
Canseco
Cantor
Capito
Carter
Cassidy
Chabot
Chaffetz
Coffman (CO)
Conaway
Cooper
Cravaack
Crawford
Culberson
DeFazio
DeLauro
DesJarlais
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers
Farenthold
Fincher
Flake
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Gardner
Garrett
Gibbs
Gingrey (GA)
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Griffin (AR)
Griffith (VA)
Guinta
Guthrie
Hall
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Hensarling
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurt
Issa
Jenkins
Johnson, Sam
Jones
Jordan
King (IA)
Kingston
Labrador
Lamborn
Landry
Lankford
Latham
Long
Lummis
Mack
Marchant
Massie
Matheson
McCarthy (CA)
McCaul
McClintock
McDermott
McHenry
McIntyre
McKinley
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (NC)
Moran
Mulvaney
Myrick
Neugebauer
Nugent
Nunes
Nunnelee
Olson
Palazzo
Paulsen
Pearce
Pence
Peterson
Petri
Poe (TX)
Pompeo
Posey
Price (GA)
Quayle
Rehberg
Renacci
Rigell
Rivera
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney
Roskam
Ross (FL)
Scalise
Schilling
Schmidt
Schrader
Schweikert
Scott (SC)
Scott (VA)
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Smith (NE)
Smith (WA)
Southerland
Stearns
Stutzman
Terry
Tipton
Turner (OH)
Visclosky
Walberg
Walsh (IL)
Webster
West
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Woodall
Yoder
Young (IN)
—- NOT VOTING 8 —
Buerkle
Burton (IN)
Graves (MO)
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (GA)
Paul
Stark
Woolsey
Thoughts?
