As one who believes our system of government is completely broken, no longer bearing any semblance of the democracy and limited government our forefathers designed for us, I cannot in good conscience firmly back either candidate in this year's Presidential election. I think we lost our chance to restore liberty when we were too short-sighted to see the wisdom behind Ron Paul's campaign in the Primaries. However, I can make a string case against Barack Obama being chosen to lead this country.
You have all heard the rumors of Obama's background and associations, many of which are true, but even they have no bearing on my argument.
It's really quite simple. The man is a Socialist, period. He may be registered as a Democrat and may have earned the reputation as the nation's most liberal Senator, but his political views go far beyond even the liberal tax and spend ways of Democrats and well into the realm of Socialism and Marxism.
That in itself is enough to make me refuse to ever vote for him, regardless of who is running against him.
However, an even stronger argument is preservation of a balance of power. Unfortunately most Americans seem to have forgotten their high school civics class and the fact that this country is currently a two party system, which I think led to the utter ruin of our great nation, but that's another argument for another day. No, today I am merely concerned with the fact that, if Barack Obama is elected our next President, we will have a Democrat-controlled White House AND a Democrat-controlled Congress. Our entire country will be led and governed by a single party. How on earth will we ever be able to keep this man, the most liberal (translation: dangerous) Senator in check if we hand him control of the White House when Congress is also controlled by liberals?
The thing I can't seem to wrap my mind around is how our nation has turned a blind eye to the tyrannical rule of these two parties for so long.
Showing posts with label Congress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Congress. Show all posts
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Hold your nose boys, the stench of this one is overwhelming!
In typical Washington fashion, lawmakers bent on passing the bailout added a few carrots in the hopes of getting more support.
Most major news organizations will tell you the bill ballooned to $810 billion with added tax breaks and "other sweeteners."
It's those other sweeteners that should concern you. It's typical Washington. Unfortunately most Americans aren't aware of how common the practice is, completely distorting the public's perception of proposed legislation.
Can't seem to figure out why your congressman didn't vote for legislation intended to stop government corruption and wasteful spending? It's entirely possible it was the added "sweeteners" of sending $50 billion to the Congo to study the mating habits of gorillas, sending $140 billion to a research company trying to discover if people who like the color red are more inclined to shop at Target and another paragraph buried that would allow the mice squatter's rights in your home. (*Please note these are fictional examples, however many of the measures slid into legislation are even more ridiculous.)
This is what causes lawmakers to "hold their nose" to vote for key legislation. Yes, I have actually heard US Congressmen use that phrase on more than one occasion.
This recent bailout, which seems more like a temporary stop-gap to prolong the inevitable and a fast track to the slippery slope of socialism, is no different. The legislation that began as less than 20 pages is now the length of a novel and includes such "sweeteners" as the following:
• More than $100 billion in tax breaks for businesses and the middle class. Most of these breaks are merely extensions of current breaks offered, but there are a few tempting extras such as $8 billion in tax cuts to those affected by natural disasters in the Gulf. Some of the more obscure tax breaks will go to certain wooden arrows made by children (no, this is not an exaggerated example) and litigants in the '89 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
• Raising the Federal Deposit Insurance Cap from $100,000 to $250,000. Lawmakers say this measure was included to alleviate panic among the citizens, fearing that people jerking money out of the bank would further cripple the country's ability to receive credit. It may be a bit more reassuring if the FDIC actually had the funds to cover the current deposits. There's no way they'll be able to cover an additional $150,000 per depositor and lawmakers are banking on the American people being too stupid to realize that. The media doesn't seem to be going out of their way to educate folks either. And have any of these economic geniuses realized yet that living on credit is what got us into this mess to start with? In an effort to make this seem more like a bail out of middle America than Wall Street, several lawmakers actually offered the example of small to medium-sized businesses who couldn't make their payroll or stock their shelves if they couldn't be extended credit for those expenses. Seems to me like if you can't keep your folks paid or your shelves stocked without taking out a loan, you're probably not going to be in business much longer anyway.
• Also crammed into the bailout bill is a measure to force large companies' health plans to give equal treatment to mental health and addition issues, if such are covered by the plan. Can anyone tell me what THAT has to do with the current financial crisis, other than the fact that the complete incompetence of our leaders is enough to drive anyone over the edge?
MEANWHILE....The Securities and Exchange Commission has decided to make it a little easier to allow companies to look better on the books, easing rules that currently call for companies to devalue assets on their balance sheets to reflect the price they can get on the market. In other words, this whole crisis would seem much less dire if you guys could go back to inflating the worth of your assets.
Jackasses. No matter how much sugar you add to a big boiling pot of shit, it's still a pot of shit and no one in their right mind should be able to "hold their nose" to get past THAT stench!
Most major news organizations will tell you the bill ballooned to $810 billion with added tax breaks and "other sweeteners."
It's those other sweeteners that should concern you. It's typical Washington. Unfortunately most Americans aren't aware of how common the practice is, completely distorting the public's perception of proposed legislation.
Can't seem to figure out why your congressman didn't vote for legislation intended to stop government corruption and wasteful spending? It's entirely possible it was the added "sweeteners" of sending $50 billion to the Congo to study the mating habits of gorillas, sending $140 billion to a research company trying to discover if people who like the color red are more inclined to shop at Target and another paragraph buried that would allow the mice squatter's rights in your home. (*Please note these are fictional examples, however many of the measures slid into legislation are even more ridiculous.)
This is what causes lawmakers to "hold their nose" to vote for key legislation. Yes, I have actually heard US Congressmen use that phrase on more than one occasion.
This recent bailout, which seems more like a temporary stop-gap to prolong the inevitable and a fast track to the slippery slope of socialism, is no different. The legislation that began as less than 20 pages is now the length of a novel and includes such "sweeteners" as the following:
• More than $100 billion in tax breaks for businesses and the middle class. Most of these breaks are merely extensions of current breaks offered, but there are a few tempting extras such as $8 billion in tax cuts to those affected by natural disasters in the Gulf. Some of the more obscure tax breaks will go to certain wooden arrows made by children (no, this is not an exaggerated example) and litigants in the '89 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
• Raising the Federal Deposit Insurance Cap from $100,000 to $250,000. Lawmakers say this measure was included to alleviate panic among the citizens, fearing that people jerking money out of the bank would further cripple the country's ability to receive credit. It may be a bit more reassuring if the FDIC actually had the funds to cover the current deposits. There's no way they'll be able to cover an additional $150,000 per depositor and lawmakers are banking on the American people being too stupid to realize that. The media doesn't seem to be going out of their way to educate folks either. And have any of these economic geniuses realized yet that living on credit is what got us into this mess to start with? In an effort to make this seem more like a bail out of middle America than Wall Street, several lawmakers actually offered the example of small to medium-sized businesses who couldn't make their payroll or stock their shelves if they couldn't be extended credit for those expenses. Seems to me like if you can't keep your folks paid or your shelves stocked without taking out a loan, you're probably not going to be in business much longer anyway.
• Also crammed into the bailout bill is a measure to force large companies' health plans to give equal treatment to mental health and addition issues, if such are covered by the plan. Can anyone tell me what THAT has to do with the current financial crisis, other than the fact that the complete incompetence of our leaders is enough to drive anyone over the edge?
MEANWHILE....The Securities and Exchange Commission has decided to make it a little easier to allow companies to look better on the books, easing rules that currently call for companies to devalue assets on their balance sheets to reflect the price they can get on the market. In other words, this whole crisis would seem much less dire if you guys could go back to inflating the worth of your assets.
Jackasses. No matter how much sugar you add to a big boiling pot of shit, it's still a pot of shit and no one in their right mind should be able to "hold their nose" to get past THAT stench!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Want to know where YOUR money's going?
If you're anything like me, I'm sure you would be angered to see exactly where billions of our tax dollars are being spent.
The Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 (H.R.2764) has been passed by the US House of Representatives, sent through Senate Committee and is now being reported in the Senate where it will soon come to the floor for a vote.
While I am certain someone has what they consider to be good reasons for these expenditures, I fail to see how many of them are in the best interest of the American people when our nation is on the verge of economic collapse.
Here are just a few examples:
• For a grant to the Asia Foundation, as authorized by the Asia Foundation Act $16,000,000 (The Asia Foundation is a private, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization under the section 501 (C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code that "collaborates with partners from the public and private sectors to build leadership, improve policy and regulation, and strengthen institutions to foster greater openness and shared prosperity in the Asia Pacific region.)
• For expenses necessary to enable the Broadcasting Board of Governors, as authorized, to carry out international communication activities, including the purchase, rent, construction, and improvement of facilities for radio and television transmission and reception and purchase, lease, and installation and operation of necessary equipment, including aircraft, for radio and television transmission and reception to Cuba, and to make and supervise grants for radio and television broadcasting to the Middle East, $662,727,000.
• For necessary expenses of the United States Institute of Peace as authorized in the United States Institute of Peace Act, $25,000,000. (The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan, national institution established and funded by Congress. Its goals are to help prevent and resolve violent conflicts, promote post-conflict stability and development, and increase peacebuilding capacity, tools, and intellectual capital worldwide.)
• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapters 1 and 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, for global health activities, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, $6,531,425,000. (Keeping in mind this appropriation is under the Foreign Assistance Act, this amount shall be made available for such activities as: (1) child survival programs; (2) immunization and oral rehydration programs; (3) other health, nutrition, water and sanitation programs which directly address the needs of mothers and children, and related education programs; (4) assistance for children displaced or orphaned by causes other than AIDS; (5) programs for the prevention, treatment, control of, and research on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, polio, malaria, and other infectious diseases, and for assistance to communities severely affected by HIV/AIDS, including children displaced or orphaned by AIDS; and (6) family planning/reproductive health)
• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for international disaster relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction assistance, $322,350,000, to remain available until expended, of which $20,000,000 should be for famine prevention and relief.
• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $3,015,000,000. (This is listed as the Economic Support Fund, you've got to read the full text to fully appreciate it. Funds going to preserve wildlife in Lebabon, scholarships in Egypt, etc.
• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989, $294,568,000.
• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapters 11 and 12 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the FREEDOM Support Act, for assistance for the Independent States of the former Soviet Union and for related programs, $401,885,000.
• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, $1,200,000,000. (The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a United States Government corporation designed to work with some of the poorest countries in the world. Established in January 2004, MCC is based on the principle that aid is most effective when it reinforces good governance, economic freedom and investments in people.)
• To support counterdrug, economic and social development, rule of law, and other activities in the Andean region of South America, $415,050,000
• International Military Education and Assistance, $85,877,000. (That funds appropriated under this heading that are made available for assistance for Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Libya, and Nepal may be made available only for expanded international military education and training.)
• For the United States contribution for the Global Environment Facility, $106,763,000 to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development as trustee for the Global Environment Facility (GEF), by the Secretary of the Treasury. (GEF is an independent financial organization that provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit the global environment and promote sustainable livelihoods in local communities.)
• For payment to the International Development Association by the Secretary of the Treasury, $1,000,000,000. (The International Development Association (IDA) is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. Established in 1960, IDA aims to reduce poverty by providing interest-free loans and grants for programs that boost economic growth, reduce inequalities and improve people’s living conditions.)
• Up to $13,500,000 of the funds made available by this Act for assistance under the heading `Global Health Programs', may be used to reimburse United States Government agencies, agencies of State governments, institutions of higher learning, and private and voluntary organizations for the full cost of individuals (including for the personal services of such individuals) detailed or assigned to, or contracted by, as the case may be, the United States Agency for International Development for the purpose of carrying out activities under that heading.
• Of the funds appropriated by this Act, up to $1,057,050,000 may be made available for assistance for Afghanistan, of which not less than $75,000,000 should be made available to support programs that directly address the needs of Afghan women and girls, of which not less than $12,000,000 shall be made available for grants to support training and equipment to improve the capacity of women-led Afghan nongovernmental organizations and to support the activities of such organizations, and not less than $3,000,000 should be made available for reforestation activities.
And then we have the following:
• For necessary expenses of the Department of State and the Foreign Service not otherwise provided for, including employment, without regard to civil service and classification laws, of persons on a temporary basis, representation to certain international organizations in which the United States participates pursuant to treaties ratified pursuant to the advice and consent of the Senate or specific Acts of Congress; arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament activities as authorized; acquisition by exchange or purchase of passenger motor vehicles as authorized by law; and for expenses of general administration, $3,885,375,000.
And here are some of the things otherwise provided for:
• For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General, $35,508,000. (OIG inspects each of the approximately 260 embassies, diplomatic posts, and international broadcasting installations throughout the world, to determine whether policy goals are being achieved and whether the interests of the United States are being represented and advanced effectively.)
• For expenses of educational and cultural exchange programs, as authorized, $509,482,000.
• For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary to meet annual obligations of membership in international multilateral organizations, pursuant to treaties ratified pursuant to the advice and consent of the Senate, conventions or specific Acts of Congress, $1,374,400,000. (Such as the United Nations)
• For necessary expenses to pay assessed and other expenses of international peacekeeping activities directed to the maintenance or restoration of international peace and security, $1,352,000,000.
Oh and here's an interesting tidbit included in this appropriations bill:
International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico
• For salaries and expenses, not otherwise provided for, $30,430,000
• For detailed plan preparation and construction of authorized projects, $88,425,000
The appropriations listed here barely scratch the surface of federal spending. Read the full Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 (H.R.2764) here. This act alone contains billions more and doesn't even begin to address domestic issues. Can we really afford to continue giving away so much money?
The Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 (H.R.2764) has been passed by the US House of Representatives, sent through Senate Committee and is now being reported in the Senate where it will soon come to the floor for a vote.
While I am certain someone has what they consider to be good reasons for these expenditures, I fail to see how many of them are in the best interest of the American people when our nation is on the verge of economic collapse.
Here are just a few examples:
• For a grant to the Asia Foundation, as authorized by the Asia Foundation Act $16,000,000 (The Asia Foundation is a private, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization under the section 501 (C) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code that "collaborates with partners from the public and private sectors to build leadership, improve policy and regulation, and strengthen institutions to foster greater openness and shared prosperity in the Asia Pacific region.)
• For expenses necessary to enable the Broadcasting Board of Governors, as authorized, to carry out international communication activities, including the purchase, rent, construction, and improvement of facilities for radio and television transmission and reception and purchase, lease, and installation and operation of necessary equipment, including aircraft, for radio and television transmission and reception to Cuba, and to make and supervise grants for radio and television broadcasting to the Middle East, $662,727,000.
• For necessary expenses of the United States Institute of Peace as authorized in the United States Institute of Peace Act, $25,000,000. (The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan, national institution established and funded by Congress. Its goals are to help prevent and resolve violent conflicts, promote post-conflict stability and development, and increase peacebuilding capacity, tools, and intellectual capital worldwide.)
• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapters 1 and 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, for global health activities, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, $6,531,425,000. (Keeping in mind this appropriation is under the Foreign Assistance Act, this amount shall be made available for such activities as: (1) child survival programs; (2) immunization and oral rehydration programs; (3) other health, nutrition, water and sanitation programs which directly address the needs of mothers and children, and related education programs; (4) assistance for children displaced or orphaned by causes other than AIDS; (5) programs for the prevention, treatment, control of, and research on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, polio, malaria, and other infectious diseases, and for assistance to communities severely affected by HIV/AIDS, including children displaced or orphaned by AIDS; and (6) family planning/reproductive health)
• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for international disaster relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction assistance, $322,350,000, to remain available until expended, of which $20,000,000 should be for famine prevention and relief.
• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $3,015,000,000. (This is listed as the Economic Support Fund, you've got to read the full text to fully appreciate it. Funds going to preserve wildlife in Lebabon, scholarships in Egypt, etc.
• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989, $294,568,000.
• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapters 11 and 12 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the FREEDOM Support Act, for assistance for the Independent States of the former Soviet Union and for related programs, $401,885,000.
• For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, $1,200,000,000. (The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a United States Government corporation designed to work with some of the poorest countries in the world. Established in January 2004, MCC is based on the principle that aid is most effective when it reinforces good governance, economic freedom and investments in people.)
• To support counterdrug, economic and social development, rule of law, and other activities in the Andean region of South America, $415,050,000
• International Military Education and Assistance, $85,877,000. (That funds appropriated under this heading that are made available for assistance for Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Libya, and Nepal may be made available only for expanded international military education and training.)
• For the United States contribution for the Global Environment Facility, $106,763,000 to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development as trustee for the Global Environment Facility (GEF), by the Secretary of the Treasury. (GEF is an independent financial organization that provides grants to developing countries for projects that benefit the global environment and promote sustainable livelihoods in local communities.)
• For payment to the International Development Association by the Secretary of the Treasury, $1,000,000,000. (The International Development Association (IDA) is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. Established in 1960, IDA aims to reduce poverty by providing interest-free loans and grants for programs that boost economic growth, reduce inequalities and improve people’s living conditions.)
• Up to $13,500,000 of the funds made available by this Act for assistance under the heading `Global Health Programs', may be used to reimburse United States Government agencies, agencies of State governments, institutions of higher learning, and private and voluntary organizations for the full cost of individuals (including for the personal services of such individuals) detailed or assigned to, or contracted by, as the case may be, the United States Agency for International Development for the purpose of carrying out activities under that heading.
• Of the funds appropriated by this Act, up to $1,057,050,000 may be made available for assistance for Afghanistan, of which not less than $75,000,000 should be made available to support programs that directly address the needs of Afghan women and girls, of which not less than $12,000,000 shall be made available for grants to support training and equipment to improve the capacity of women-led Afghan nongovernmental organizations and to support the activities of such organizations, and not less than $3,000,000 should be made available for reforestation activities.
And then we have the following:
• For necessary expenses of the Department of State and the Foreign Service not otherwise provided for, including employment, without regard to civil service and classification laws, of persons on a temporary basis, representation to certain international organizations in which the United States participates pursuant to treaties ratified pursuant to the advice and consent of the Senate or specific Acts of Congress; arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament activities as authorized; acquisition by exchange or purchase of passenger motor vehicles as authorized by law; and for expenses of general administration, $3,885,375,000.
And here are some of the things otherwise provided for:
• For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General, $35,508,000. (OIG inspects each of the approximately 260 embassies, diplomatic posts, and international broadcasting installations throughout the world, to determine whether policy goals are being achieved and whether the interests of the United States are being represented and advanced effectively.)
• For expenses of educational and cultural exchange programs, as authorized, $509,482,000.
• For expenses, not otherwise provided for, necessary to meet annual obligations of membership in international multilateral organizations, pursuant to treaties ratified pursuant to the advice and consent of the Senate, conventions or specific Acts of Congress, $1,374,400,000. (Such as the United Nations)
• For necessary expenses to pay assessed and other expenses of international peacekeeping activities directed to the maintenance or restoration of international peace and security, $1,352,000,000.
Oh and here's an interesting tidbit included in this appropriations bill:
International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico
• For salaries and expenses, not otherwise provided for, $30,430,000
• For detailed plan preparation and construction of authorized projects, $88,425,000
The appropriations listed here barely scratch the surface of federal spending. Read the full Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 (H.R.2764) here. This act alone contains billions more and doesn't even begin to address domestic issues. Can we really afford to continue giving away so much money?
Friday, July 20, 2007
Congressional Resolution against the North American Union
On January 22, 2007, Rep Virgil H. Goode, Jr. [VA-5], sponsored and introduced a resolution "Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should not engage in the construction of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Superhighway System or enter into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada."
Read the full resolution here.
See a complete list of the resolution's co-sponsors here.
The resolution was of course promptly referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, who in turn, sent it to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
And in committee it will stay until the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi brings it to the floor for a vote.
Until then, I certainly hope the committee members are actually weighing the pros and cons of this thing. However, for some reason it is much easier for me to envision them playing golf with their special interest buddies or plotting around a poker table, using our tax dollars as the ante instead of actually doing the job we elected and pay them to do.
Read the full resolution here.
See a complete list of the resolution's co-sponsors here.
The resolution was of course promptly referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, who in turn, sent it to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
And in committee it will stay until the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi brings it to the floor for a vote.
Until then, I certainly hope the committee members are actually weighing the pros and cons of this thing. However, for some reason it is much easier for me to envision them playing golf with their special interest buddies or plotting around a poker table, using our tax dollars as the ante instead of actually doing the job we elected and pay them to do.
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