Archive for the ‘Congress’ Category
The dreaded 1995 bogeyman
Will there be a government shutdown? If Senate Democrats and President Obama refuse to cooperate with the GOP-led House of Representatives and begin the process of cutting the government down to size before we reach the national debt limit, it’s possible.
The Democrats are betting that Republicans will blink and they are using the last, and what they believe to be the best weapon in their arsenal, the 1995 bogeyman, to scare them into abandoning their principled stand.
This boogeyman is without form or substance but in the years that followed those infamous government shutdowns, it has been known to strike fear into the hearts of the most dedicated fiscal conservative representatives on Capitol Hill. Indeed, this creature has left many a congressman shaking in his or her boots or stilettoes. Read the rest of this entry »
Media Fiddles while U.S. Burns
The unrest in Egypt is unsettling. The possibility that the country could fall under the control of the Muslin Brotherhood would cause numerous dangerous problems. The news media is in hyperdrive covering events in Cairo. Unfortunately, what we are seeing on the nightly news and most cable outlets could be described as “all Egypt, all the time.” As a result, the American public is being poorly served.
This is a seminal moment in the life of our country. The actions taken by our elected representatives over the next few weeks are critical to our survival as a free and prosperous nation.
The Flimflam Artist Versus the Green Eye Shade
The response to the annual State of the Union address usually receives about as much attention as a quilting contest.
If the State of the Union address is a yawner, than the response is a sleeper: a deep, deep sleeper.
Not this year. With the country’s economy stagnant and jobs as scarce as boyfriends for Ellen DeGeneres, we were ready for the unvarnished truth and that is exactly what we got from Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.
The Tragedy Tramps
I call them “tragedy tramps,” those who would seek to capitalize on human suffering.
The events in Arizona have made us sick to our collective stomachs. Even as we go for the Alka-Seltzer, there are those who make us sicker still by trying to capitalize on this tragedy. Read the rest of this entry »
New Congress: Does it have the Stomach for real Reform?
The new Congress began with something quite extraordinary, a reading of the U.S. Constitution.
One of the new rules imposed by the new GOP leaders is also quite extraordinary: The author of every bill must submit a “statement citing, as specifically as practicable, the power or powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact” it.
Just how many of our established federal programs or agencies are Constitutional? Read the rest of this entry »
