If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
When fiscal crises become the "new normal" the public begins to remember that they elected politicians to do a job. And part of their job description is to take care of the public purse and not to create problems where none exist.
Sen. Mitch McConnell is guilty on both counts: What he believed to be news was a joke, and what he missed was the real news. It started on Nov. 12, ...
The House of Representatives, where Congress gathers to hear the president, used to be known as "The People's House." But money power owns the lease now and runs the joint from hidden back rooms.
If there were unlimited timeouts, football games would go on forever. So the NFL limits the number of timeouts. With those rules, the timeout becomes an essential part of strategy. "Clock management" is essential. Now, apply clock management to the U.S. Senate.
After all the vituperative crowing and chest-thumping is over, Hagel's nomination will likely pass, but not before more taxpayer time and money is wasted and voters' approval of Congress sinks lower than McCain's trumped-up standards.
With the success of important Obama legislative initiatives depending on a Democratic Senate for enactment, what was Harry Reid thinking? Reid's stunning flip in favor of retaining the most egregious elements of the Republican filibuster clearly jeopardizes the president's legislative agenda.
If you were seeking any further proof that both of our political parties have just as much of an investment in perpetuating the stagnant swamp that is our state of governance, look no further than what happened Thursday.
I hate to say it, because I wasn't a fan, but this never would have happened under George W. Bush. There was a president who got what he wanted.
The president waxed eloquent about a pursuit of progressive ideals; mentioning marriage equality, climate change and even slamming Paul Ryan's claim that society is being ruined by the takers. So as you can imagine, right after the president was sworn in, he was sworn at.
The actions of Amgen and its cronies on Capitol Hill show who the real takers are -- not those who look to government for support in old age and hard times but the ones at the top whose avarice and lust for profit compel them to take as much as they can at the expense of everyone else.
Harry Reid talked a big game about taking apart the filibuster leading up to his Grand Bargain with Mitch McConnell. The Kentucky senator now promises to play nice. But like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown, he has once again snookered the hapless Majority Leader.
There were those who believed that based on the predictions of The Mayan Calendar, the world would cease to exist after December 21st, 2012. For many in Newtown CT, where I happen to reside, the Mayans were only off by a week.
Current rules allow the mere threat of a filibuster to bring proposed legislation to a halt. This is contrary to the intent of the filibuster and needs to be changed. It's one thing to have checks and balances but an entirely different matter when arcane rules are used for partisan obstructionism.
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