Greed & Guns

WE WERE SCREWED – There are times when we feel that the sense of entitlement that is fostered in our society has overwhelmed any true sense of reality.  This is one of those times.

A number of AIG shareholders led by ousted (and  very pissed off) former CEO Maurice Greenberg have filed a suit against the federal government alleging that the terms of the bailout agreement were unfair to shareholders.

You may recall that the federal government poured $182 billion taxpayer dollars into AIG to rescue the mammoth insurance firm from bankruptcy.  If the bankruptcy had gone through these same shareholders would have been left with nothing.

This is the same AIG whose greed and reckless business practices threatened to bring down the entire US economy.  Yet here are these shareholders suing the government because they feel that the terms of their bailout agreement were less generous than those awarded to other banks who profited through greed and reckless business practices.

CLINGING TO THEIR GUNS – Vice President Biden is scheduled to meet with members of gun advocacy groups including representatives from the NRA.  This is all in keeping with the Vice President’s efforts to cobble together a comprehensive gun control policy to be presented to the president by month’s end.

In truth this is little more than a dog and pony show for the press.  Base on NRA President Wayne LaPierre’s statements during both his press conference and his recent appearance on “Meet the Press” the chance of there being any meaningful reform on firearms is slim to none.

Since the Sandy Hook shooting we have discussed gun control with a number of gun owners.  We found a general consensus that more stringent gun control laws are needed.

None of the gun owners that we communicated with either in person or via email saw any need for assault weapons or extended capacity magazines to be available to the general population.  None of them understood why it is easier in most states to buy a gun than it is to buy and license a motor vehicle. 

All the gun owners we talked to believed that they had the right to own a pistol to protect their home and family, and a rifle or shotgun for recreational hunting.  All of them believed that the gun show loophole should be closed.  And all of them believed that a background check should be conducted with particular emphasis on keeping guns out of the hands of those listed on terrorist watch list.

But when we got into mental health issues and the production of violent video games we saw quite a divergence of opinions.  Mental health issues were seen as more private family matters not subject to government intervention.  And naturally those in the entertainment industry were opposed to the government regulating movies and video games.  So while gun owners on the right were more concerned with second amendment issues, gun owners on the left were more adamant about protecting first amendment rights.

And that is why any legislation on gun control that manages to pass under the current political environment will probably fall short.

If we want true comprehensive gun control then we can’t just talk about assault weapons, extended capacity magazines, background checks and gun show loopholes.  We have to incorporate mental health and substance abuse issues into the mix.                            

Playing The Revenge Card...Again!

Yesterday, the president officially named Chuck Hagel as his nominee for Secretary of Defense.

As expected…John McCain who sees himself as highest authority when it come to foreign policy…stated that he has some “serious concerns about positions Senator Hagel has taken on a range of critical nation security issues…”

In 2008, then presidential candidate McCain said that if elected he might offer Hagel a spot in his administration.  He said Hagel would make a great Secretary of State.

But then Hagel had the audacity to speak out in opposition to McCain and the Iraq war.  Hagel of course was right…and McCain and his neo-con buddies were wrong.

Funny how hypocrisy can worm its way into a situation when one allows revenge to be the source of one’s motivation.  

What A Waste Of Time

President Obama is expected to name former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as his nominee for Secretary of Defense. Naturally, Republicans will pull out all stops to block Hagel’s appointment because…well, because he is Obama’s nominee. 

Chuck Hagel is a Vietnam veteran who earned two Purple Hearts for wounds suffered in combat.  He still carries some of the shrapnel in his chest.  He is chairman of the mainstream conservative American Council and Co-Chairman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board.  He has served as a member of the Secretary’ of Defense’s Policy board as well as the Foreign Relations Committee.  He is currently teaching at Georgetown University where he holds the position of Distinguished Professor in the Practice of National Governance at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.  A moderate conservative who has seen firsthand the horrors of war, Hagel’s views on foreign affairs are consistent with those of George H. W. Bush and Colin Powell.

As expected the Republican drumbeat against Hagel has begun even though the former Nebraska Senator’s name has not yet been put into nomination.

An ominous sounding Mitch McConnell says that Hagel will have to answer some very tough questions regarding his support of Israel and his views on Iran’s nuclear program.  This is the same Mitch McConnell who effusively praised Hagel’s “clear voice on foreign affairs” during a floor speech honoring Hagel’s retirement from the Senate.

Neo-con Lindsay Graham said Hagel will face a tough road to confirmation because: “he is out of the main street thinking on foreign policy issues…antagonistic against Israel…an in your face nomination by the president to all who are supportive of Israel.”  Graham also sees Hagel as being soft on Iran.  Keep in mind that Graham has never met a war he wasn’t willing to send someone else in to fight.

Once again, these objections are nothing but pure politics.  Republicans believe that Hagel has been less than supportive of Israel…a definite “no, no” in Republican circles.  However a review of Hagel’s voting record shows that he has been nothing but supportive of the Jewish state.  He just believes that US foreign policy should not be dictated by the Israelis. 

As far as Iran is concerned…Hagel prefers diplomacy and sanctions over bluster and bombs.  Perhaps his years in Vietnam watching his friends die have given him a perspective of war that Graham and his neo-con war mongers can only dream about.

There is also a revenge factor to this opposition against Hagel…much like the events surrounding the Susan Rice nomination for Sec. of State. 

Rice had served as Obama’s chief attack dog against McCain during the 2008 election.  McCain’s vengeful vicious attacks blew up her nomination before it every got off the ground.  Hagel, who originally supported the Iraq war, had the audacity to change his mind.  He came to realize the horrendous mistake that the war was and said so publically.  The GOP elephant has a long memory…and paybacks are hell.

So the president will nominate Hagel…and Hagel will wander up to the Hill where he will kiss some Republican ass.  Then will come the long drawn out and senseless confirmation hearings where Republicans will spend more time making ideological speeches than asking pertinent questions.  Eventually Hagel will probably be confirmed because who is going to say no to a decorated war hero with shrapnel in his chest.

Meanwhile a serious debate about debt and deficit sits idly on the sidelines.  And while responsible gun control laws are ignored, 412 people have died as a result of gunshot wounds since the Sandy Hook tragedy.       

        

Meet The New Boss...same as the old boss!

The 113^th congress was sworn in yesterday and took up the task of doing the people’s business.  There is little doubt that the circus has returned to Washington.  Let the clown show begin.

Here are some of the highlights.

John Boehner was elected to a second term as Speaker of the House.  But not before a revolt by radical right members of his caucus threatened his seat.  In an embarrassing challenge to Boehner’s leadership, twelve conservative members cast votes in opposition or voted “present.’  Another 20 members were ready to join the open rebellion but backed off at the last minute.  The vote was a clear shot across the Speaker’s bow by the far right.  Their message was clear.  The speaker will listen very carefully to the more conservative members of his caucus given the reality that they have the numbers to vacate his seat at any time.

Michelle Bachman offered the first piece of legislation for the new congress to consider…the repeal of Obamacare in its entirety.  Haven’t we seen this movie before?

Boehner announced that he will no longer participate in one on one negotiating sessions with the president.  Apparently Boehner has decided to take  his ball and go home…which is just as well  because every time he and the president strike a deal Cantor and the Tea Party bunch shoot it down.

Speaker Boehner announced that he would finally allow the House to vote on the $60 billion aid package for victims of Hurricane Sandy.  Inexplicably the House will vote on $9 billion in relief today and the remaining $51 billion on January 15??  Hurricane Sandy victims have waited 68 days and counting for congress to approve this relief aid package.  It only took 10 days for congress to approve a similar aid package for Katrina victims.

Boehner had come under scathing criticism from within his own party for cancelling the vote on the Sandy relief package following the passing of the fiscal cliff tax bill.  Yesterday, members of the Republican caucus praised Boehner saying that Boehner was right to pull the vote because the relief aid bill contained billions in pork.

Avowed capitalist and anti-socialist Mitch McConnell proved that he can be quite flexible in his ideological beliefs when it comes to his constituents.  McConnell who has railed against the president for what he believes are the president’s socialist tendencies had no problem adding a “European socialist style” agricultural subsidy to the fiscal cliff tax bill.  The subsidy provides direct cash payments to extremely profitable dairy producers.  Unlike in the case of the Sandy relief bill, McConnell’s pork infused agricultural subsidy did not hamper passage of the fiscal cliff legislation.

Republicans kicked off their media campaign for the upcoming debt ceiling in debate.  The president has said that he would not negotiate over raising the debt ceiling believing that the country must pay for goods and services that congress has enacted into law.  Republicans spun this refusal to negotiate as a presidential power grab.  They accused the president of wanting a blank check and ridiculed his willingness to max out one government credit card after another.  Perhaps these congressmen have failed to read the constitution which clearly states that only congress…not the president…controls the nation’s purse strings.  And perhaps they have forgotten that a large chunk of the nation’s debt stems for congressional approval to wage two unfunded wars.

For the past ten years Republicans have said that there was no need to offset the Bush tax cuts with like cuts in spending because the tax cuts would pay for themselves through economic growth.  Yesterday, the Republicans said that the middle class tax cuts that the president left in place would have to be offset by spending cuts.  They proposed that these offsets be part of the upcoming debt ceiling debate.

And there you have the first day of the 113^th Congress of the United States of America.

Meet the new boss…same as the old boss.

           

The 113th Congress: A New Beginning Or More Of The Same?

The 113^th Congress will be sworn in today.  Will this new congress follow in the steps of its predecessor and continue along the intransigent path dictated by its far right Tea Party members?  Or will it choose a more moderate path that will allow it to find compromise and actually govern?

The first task will be to elect a new speaker.  Rumors abound that John Boehner is in danger of losing his speakership; the most prominent being a serious plan among 20 House Republicans to block Boehner’s re-election.  It is no secret that Boehner is perceived as a weak leader incapable of corralling the far right wing of his party.  He has dared to remove troublesome members from their committee appointments.   He has come under intense criticism for his failed “Plan B” option to the fiscal cliff negotiations and his decision to allow a vote on the Senate bill was roundly panned by his caucus.  Add to that the outrage he incurred by failing to bring up the Hurricane Sandy aid bill on Tuesday and you have a speaker facing a groundswell of opposition from within his caucus.  But speakers hold immense power.  They make committee appointments and control the administrative purse strings of the House.  Most importantly they decide which bill reaches the floor for a vote.  So if you have piece of legislation that you want passed you need the speaker in your corner.  The point being…if you are going to try to unseat Boehner you had better be successful.  If you fail, the repercussions will be difficult at best.

The next order of business will be to pass relief aid for the victims of Hurricane Sandy.  Boehner had promised representatives from the affected states that this vote would be taken after the fiscal cliff vote last Tuesday.  But Boehner decided that his members would look like hypocrites arguing for spending cuts and then authorizing $60 billion in unfunded relief aid for New York and New Jersey.  So he pulled the bill off the floor without giving anyone the courtesy of an explanation.  Boehner was pilloried by lawmakers from both parties for his decision.  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, whose repeated phone calls Boehner were ignored, accused the speaker of using Sandy’s victims as political pawns.  The 112^th Congress had no problem throwing the poor, the homeless or the disable under the bus for political gain.  Will the 113^th congress bring us more of the same?

The next step for the 113 congress will be to approve an increase in the debt ceiling so that the country can pay for goods and services it has already received.  The 112^th congress refused to raise the limit which resulted in the first downgrade of the nation’s credit rating in history.  The president has said that he will not allow congress to hold the debt ceiling limit hostage as they did before.  He has said repeatedly that he will not negotiate whether or not the country will pay its bills.  It should be noted that the president has a 58% approval rating.  The 112^th congress left office with an 8% approval rating.  That is a lower approval rating than Manual Noriega, Nixon during Watergate, implementing Sharia law or the prospect of Communist Party taking over our politics. As one pundit said: “If the new congress wants to defy this president and lash itself to the mast of debt ceiling debate; then they will go down with that sinking ship.”

In the months that follow the 113^th congress will undertake a series of debates about spending.  An integral part of those negotiations will be entitlement reform and the defense budget.  The 112^th congress was famous for funding new weapon systems that the pentagon didn’t want.  And while they talked tough about reforming entitlement programs they walked away from two “Grand Bargains” that would have done just that.  The truth is the 112^th congress was afraid to tackle spending cuts because they are so popular with the electorate.  There is no better way to get yourself sent home than to vote to cut Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security.  The question is will the 113^th congress work with the president to cut spending and lower the debt and deficit in a responsible way?  Or will it continue to produce the gridlock that awarded its predecessor with an 8% approval rating?

And then there will be the dreaded debate on gun reform.  Today, the survivors of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting return to school.  We are not only reminded of the horror of that day but we remember the spineless silence on the part of Republican leadership as they awaited their marching orders from the NRA.  Are Republicans in congress so wedded to their ideology that even the massacre of 6 and 7 year olds won’t allow them to compromise on sensible gun control regulations?  Moderate gun owners from all over the country have called for background checks on all gun purchases and the elimination of assault weapons and extended clip magazines.  Will this new congress heed the call of sensible gun ownership and regulation or will they continue to listen to conspiracy theories of a government takeover and the ranting of the NRA?         

The 113^th congress has an opportunity to rebuild the brand of the Republican Party. They can return to the party of compromise and governing or they can listen to the voices of their predecessors and bring the party and the country to its knees.  

We’ll be watching.  

      

         

         

Congress: Turning "Procrastination" Into An Artform

By means of a bi-partisan vote Congress avoided the fiscal cliff; passing a bill that raises taxes on individuals making over $400,000 and households making of $450,000.  The bill also extends unemployment benefits for one more year.

The bill marked the first time that congress has increased taxes in 20 years.

The bill, which included not one dime in spending cuts, was passed in the middle of a debate that was supposed to be about REDUCING spending and the national debt.  According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill INCREASES the national debt by $4 trillion.

The Speaker o f the House normally doesn’t on vote on pending legislation.  Speaker Boehner voted for the bill.  He was joined in this debt increasing effort  by Republican Budget Chairman and fiscal HAWK, Paul Ryan.

Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy voted against the bill…proving once again that Boehner has zero control over his caucus. 

Cantor had intended to amend the bill by adding $350 billion in spending cuts.  But Cantor is in bed with Wall Street; and the money guys told Cantor to back off, preferring the certainty of an agreement on higher tax rates over the uncertainty of a plunge over the fiscal cliff.  Still Cantor voted “no” as a direct snub against Boehner’s leadership.

Congress knew for the past two years that this deadline was coming.  Still they managed to wait until the deadline passed to come to an agreement. 

Republicans wanted to wait until the Bush Tax Cuts expired so that they were in fact voting for a tax decrease.  Conservative Lobbyist Grover Norquist, whose anti-tax pledge Republicans clutch to their breast like a newborn baby, gave absolution to this dubious tactic eliciting a sigh of relief from those who worship at Grover’s alter.

Republicans wanted to deal with entitlement reform.  On two separate occasions the president made offers that include reductions in entitlement programs.  Republicans walked away from those offers.  In the end the deal Republicans were forced to swallow was far worse than the deals they turned down last week…last month…or last year.

Congressmen from New York and New Jersey took to the podium with their hair on fire; incensed that the Speaker would not allow a vote on a $60 billion dollar unfunded aid package for those ravaged by Hurricane Sandy.  These gentlemen were among those who only minutes before were complaining about the nation’s massive debt and Washington’s runaway spending.

During the fiscal cliff debate House Majority leader Harry Reid, under whose leadership the Senate has failed to pass a budget in four years, took it upon himself to criticize Speaker Boehner’s refusal to bring any bill to the House floor unless it had the support of a majority of Boehner’s majority party.  Reid called Boehner’s leadership style “a dictatorship.” 

Later, when the two legislators bumped into each other by chance, Boehner told Reid to go f—k himself…twice.

Thus, we bring down the curtain on the 112^th Congress of the United States of America…the most inept, ineffective and impotent do nothing congress in American history.

We can only hope that the 113^th Congress will be more effective.  They will get their chance in two short months.  Because while the existing congress took the easy vote on taxes, they passed on dealing with the sequestration spending cuts, increasing the debt ceiling and the continuing resolution which funds the government and allows it to operate.  Each of these issues must be dealt with in either February or March. 

And the stakes will be much higher.  While the “fiscal cliff” debate that we just witnessed had an effect on our economy; the debt ceiling has international repercussions.  For if we default on paying our bills the consequences could result in a global recession.

So what have we learned…if anything?

We’ve learned that governing by “deadline” doesn’t work.  It makes for bad decisions.  By allowing our core issues to fester until we reach the 11^th hour of a lame duck congress we have managed to increase our debt by $8 trillion dollars in the past two years.

Congress is in disarray.  They have proven their inability to lead time and time again.  If we are to right ourselves we need leadership.

It all starts with the president.

We need the president to use the bully pulpit to speak the truth to the American people.  Most Americans know that our current course in unsustainable.  Most Americans know what needs to be done.  Most Americans are light years ahead of the politicians in their willingness to do what is right. We just need the President to lead.

Because the only thing congress knows how to do is procrastinate.      

     

"Thank You!"

Today is January 1, 2013. 

Happy New Year! 

And welcome to the bottom of the fiscal cliff.

We should probably be writing about how congress  failed to reach an agreement on the fiscal cliff issues before the midnight deadline; once again placing their ideology and job security before the good of the nation.  After all such historic incompetence warrants comment.  But we’ll save that for  when and if a deal is actually voted into law.

In case you were too deep in the cups to notice; two hours after the deadline the senate managed to cobble together a lame ass bill that addresses the tax issues but puts off the really tough decisions on spending for a couple of months.  The House is supposed to vote on the matter at noon today.  But with the Tea Party crazies involved passage is anything but certain.

So rather than waste your time on “ifs and buts” we’d like to take this opportunity to say...

“Thank You!”

“Thank You” to all of you who have taken time from your busy lives to read our ramblings.  “Thank You” for your comments… both pro and con.  “Thank You” for your support and encouragement.

We have tried our best to cut through the noise and bring you the sometimes ugly and dysfunctional truth about our politics.  To say that our self imposed task is often frustrating is an understatement.  But your encouragement and support over these past two years and 546 postings make it all worthwhile.

Thank You!