Happy New Year!...You're Cut Off...

1.3 million Americans will lose their unemployment benefits today.

Congress couldn’t find the money to extend these benefits for the long term unemployed.  The money is needed elsewhere.  There are armies to fund and roads and bridges to build in countries far away.

Democrats hope to revisit the subject when they return from their holiday recess.  Republicans have no interest.

Republicans say that these benefits create a culture of dependency.  They consider the recipients druggies and slackers who prefer to scam the system rather than earn a days’ wage.  They feel that they are doing the unemployed a favor by cutting these benefits; encouraging them to become less dependent and more productive.

Let’s examine the logic behind that train of thought. 

If by cutting “government handouts” we encourage the poor and the unemployed to be more independent and productive; then why do we give tax breaks and subsidies to major corporations and the very rich?  Are these tax breaks and subsidies not “government handouts” as well?            

The vast majority of the long term poor are those who want to work but have been unable to find a job.  They are not druggies or slackers but people who through no fault of their own have lost their job.  They want to support their family and pay their bills.  But there are 3 applicants for every 1 job; and the longer they remain unemployed the harder it is to find that one job.  So they turn to unemployment.  And for that they are labeled as losers.

The average recipient of unemployment benefits receives $1,166/mo.  It’s hard to support a family and pay your bills on $1,166/mo…$13,992/year. 

Republicans believe that these “slackers” snort this money up their noses or blow it on booze.  Several Republican governors set up laws that require applicants to pass a drug and alcohol test before receiving benefits.  99.98% passed…sober as a judge.

The truth is these “slackers” will put that $13,992 right back into the economy…buying food, diapers and medicine.  Cutting off these benefits hurts not only the unemployed but the economy as well.

We can build schools, bridges, roads and hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan…but we can’t take care of our own.  The money is needed elsewhere.

1.3 million Americans will lose their unemployment benefits today.

Apparently, we are doing them a favor.

Happy New Year!  You’re cut off!

  

  

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! 

Wishing you and yours a joyous and peaceful Christmas Day!

Does Budget Reflect America's Values?

There is an old adage in politics that says a country’s budget mirrors the values of its people.  

If that is true then you have to wonder just what exactly we value as a country.

The Senate passed the House budget by a 64-36 vote.  The budget now goes to the president’s desk to be signed into law.  When it comes to America’s values, this agreement poses more questions than answers.

-We must not value jobs…because there is nothing in this budget to encourage job growth.

-We must not value the unemployed worker…because this budget does nothing to renew the unemployment benefits set to expire on December 28.

-We must not value our veterans…because this budget cuts their benefits in 2016.

-We must not value those living in poverty…because this budget continues to cut food stamps and makes no mention of the farm bill nor increasing the minimum wage.

-We must not value our children…because this budget does nothing to address the fact that our children continue to lag behind those in other developed nations in math, reading and science.

-We must not value fair taxation…because this budget fails to mention tax reform.

-We must not value the needs of the fastest growing segment of our population…because this budget fails to address immigration reform.  

-We must not value our long term financial stability…because there is nothing in this budget that deals substantively with our deficit or long term debt.

-We must not value the continuation of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security…because this budget does nothing to address their impending financial demise 20 years from now.

-We must not value our word…because this budget does nothing to guarantee that we will pay the debts that we have already incurred.

-And finally, we must not value our economy…because the failure to address all of the above imperils our future economic prosperity.

What this budget DOES provide is a guarantee that our politicians will not have deal with a politically perilous government shutdown for another two years…

…and it gets them home for the holidays.  

 

Hat's Off To The Obama Administration!

Hat’s off to the Obama administration.

The White House announced the delegation which will represent the US at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Most notable on the list of dignitaries are two openly gay athletes: tennis great Billy Jean King and two time Olympic ice hockey medalist, Caitlin Cahow.

Notably absent from the list:  President Obama, Vice President Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama.

The chattering class sees this as a direct rebuke of the harsh and often brutal anti-gay policies of the Putin government.  If that is their intent…well done!  The White House isn’t saying.

President Putin will undoubtedly note the hypocrisy of the gesture given our own discriminatory shortcomings.  He would be right…we still have a long way to go.

Our diversity is a large part of who we are as a country.  We should embrace the advancements that we have made in terms of equality and diversification while acknowledging that our work is far from over.  Bringing everyone to the table is hard, messy work.  But we should never allow the difficulties of the journey to deter us from reaching our goal…a nation where all men are created equal.

To its credit, the Obama administration has celebrated our diversity while leading the way to a more tolerant and inclusive America.

We applaud this very proud and public display of who we are as a country.          

Snowden Vindicated?

In a scathing rebuke of the government’s controversial surveillance program; Federal Judge Richard Leon found that the NSA’s bulk collection of American’s telephone records is likely a violation of their fourth amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Leon’s 68 page opinion pulled no punches.  He disputed the government’s assertions that the NSA program was a key component in the governments’ fight against terrorism noting that the government failed to cite one instance where the program “actually stopped an imminent terrorist attack.”  “I have serious doubts about the efficacy of the metadata collection program as a means of conducting time-sensitive investigations involving imminent threats of terrorism.” Leon referred to the program as “indiscriminate,” “arbitrary” and “Orwellian.”  Channeling our Founding Fathers, Leon said that James Madison would be “aghast” at the scope of the agency’s collection activities.

The government responded to the ruling with a brief statement:  “We’ve seen the opinion and are studying it.  We believe the program is constitutional as previous judges have found.  We have no further comment.”

While this ruling is limited to the plaintiff’s noted in the complaint, and is “stayed” pending a certain  government appeal, it is noteworthy as it is the first time that the NSA program has been adjudicated in open court.  Previously, warrants authorizing the collection of American’s metadata were obtained through the FISA Court.  Deliberations in the FISA Court are held in secret with only one side, the government, providing testimony.  This historic venture into open court will certainly pave the way for a wide range of challenges to the program’s authority and legality.  The Supreme Court will have the final say.

This is what Eric Snowden said he wanted all along…a deliberation of the constitutionality of the NSA surveillance program in open court.

The jury is still out on Edward Snowden.  Whistle blower or traitor! 

One thing is certain.

Without Edward Snowden’s revelations…we’re not having this conversation.

        

The Empire Strikes Back

On Thursday the US House of Representatives passed a budget!  The bi-partisan agreement passed by a 332-94 vote.  Given the toxic atmosphere that pervades Washington; any compromise is cause for celebration.  

Speaker Boehner used the opportunity to take a “victory lap.”  For the second day in a row the Speaker criticized outside conservative groups for “misleading their followers” and “pushing members to places they didn’t want to go.”  “When groups come out and criticize an agreement they have never seen you begin to wonder just how credible their actions are.”  “They have lost all credibility.”  “They are using our members and they are using the American people for their own goals…This is ridiculous.”

Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, who led the budget conference committee, took to the House floor to defend the bill and chastise the far right opposition.  “We tried defeating this president.  I wish we would have.  Elections have consequences.  And I fundamentally believe that to do what really needs to be done we are going to have to win some elections.’  In the mean time, let’s try and make this divided government work.”

Conservative Wall Street columnist, Peggy Noonan echoed the sentiment:  “Tea Party lawmakers and their supporters should recognize an opportunity when it appears.  They suffer from a reputation of selfishness.  They only have to look to their base.  They only have to take care of themselves, and do. The Republican Party must operate nationally and make an impression on a big and various nation of 315 million.  There are moments when the Tea Party has to tug Republicans to the right.  This is a moment when cooperating-backing a deal that is better than the absence of a deal-would be statesman like. The thing about statesmen is that they are taken seriously.  And it isn’t only democrats who would benefit from looking serious.”

Make no mistake; this is a very small deal.  It does virtually nothing to address the major financial woes that we are facing.  But the significance of the deal isn’t in the details.  The significance here is that a compromise was achieved and moderate Republicans and their supporters are using this compromise to fight back against the right radicals that have controlled the Party and the government for the past three years.

Boehner isn’t just speaking out against the Tea Party members that have held his party hostage for the past two election cycles.  When Boehner attacks “outside groups” he is criticizing organizations that control the purse strings to the conservative movement.  Groups like Heritage Action, American Freedom Works and Club for Growth pour tens of millions of dollars into the Party coffers…backing Republican candidates…and funding primary challenges against incumbents not deemed “conservative enough.” 

Boehner, Ryan and Noonan are attacking the hand that feeds them.  We’ve not seen that before.  THAT is very significant.

Will this budget deal mark the end of an era of government gridlock and polarization?  Will it break the Tea Party hold on the Republican caucus? 

We hope so!

For this country runs best when we have two strong political parties that are willing to stand by their principles while finding common ground for the good of the country.               

    

Writer's Block? No Worries!

A friend of this space recently commented that it must be hard to find topics to write about five days a week.  Actually it is quite easy.  As long as we have the Republicans Party there will never be a shortage of material worthy of comment.  Take for example the three ring clown show the party has produced in the last 24 hours.

As you know Republicans in the senate have used the filibuster on a historic number of occasions to thwart the president’s agenda; so much so that it was taking 60 votes to get anything passed in the chamber.  Harry Reid had threatened on several occasions to use his majority leadership position to change the rules to where a simple majority vote would allow a measure to pass; the so called “Nuclear Option.”  In the past Reid always backed down after cooler heads prevailed.  That all changed last month when in spite of Reid’s renewed threats to “go nuclear,” Republicans  dared Reid to act by blocking three of President Obama’s nominees for the DC Circuit Court.  Reid went “nuclear.”  The rules were changed to a simple majority vote.  Thanks to Mitch McConnell’s miscalculation, Republicans in the senate now find themselves powerless to stop any of President Obama’s appointments.

McConnell threw a hissy fit.  Instead of boning up on the art of compromise, McConnell doubled down.

NBC NEWS is reporting that as we write this senate Republicans are in the midst of an all night “talkathon” in protest of the Democratic rule change.  That little temper tantrum forced a 1AM confirmation vote on President Obama’s latest nominee to the DC Circuit Court; Nina Pillard.  Thirty hours of debate are allotted for each nominee.  Republicans forced Democrats to use all thirty hours by refusing to yield back any time. 

Harry Reid has vowed to keep the chamber in session until all eleven of the president’s nominees have been confirmed. 

If Republicans continue with their tantrum, the process could keep the senate in session through Saturday evening.

“Break out the cots Martha!  The old white guys are havin’ a slumber party.”

It seems to us that by orchestrating this colossal waste of time, Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues are confirming the very point Harry Reid was trying to make; which is that elections have consequences.  The Democrats hold the majority in the senate.  The use of the filibuster throws a huge wrench into the chamber’s ability to conduct the people’s business.  It should be used judiciously and only on matters of extreme importance.

In the midst of all this nonsense, one question keeps popping in our head:  

Jobs? Jobs? Jobs?

Writer’s block?  No Worries!  The Republicans always see us through.