Archive for the ‘Congress’ Category
Beyond the Weiner Scandal
You can’t make this stuff up. An arrogant, 46-year-old New York Congressman, who imagines himself to be above reproach, accidently broadcasts a picture, intended for a college coed, of his erect private part to his Twitter following and spends a week lying about it. The demanding egomaniac, who has never had a real job in his life, actually thought he could get away with it.
Now, it’s human nature to try to wiggle out of one’s wrongdoing when boxed into a corner, but this guy didn’t stay in the corner. He was out holding press conferences and sending out news releases claiming his account was “hacked.” Even that wasn’t enough for this twerp. He had his staff call all the major television networks to arrange one-on-one interviews where he lied and lied and lied some more.
Washington: Definition of a Budget “Cut”
There are a few simple words in the English language that are universally understood.
In 1998, President Clinton, caught in the Lewinsky scandal, strained our imagination when he uttered this now infamous line: “It depends what the definition of ‘is’ is.” Is, is the 3rd person singular, present indicative of the verb, “be,” and no amount of presidential posturing can change that.
There is another simple little word that is almost universally misunderstood, at least as it is applied in the nation’s Capitol. It is the word “cut.” Unlike the word “is,” cut has many definitions. However, all of them are quite simple with one big exception.
The definition of cut that is fraught with complexities inside the Washington beltway is “to lower, reduce, diminish, or curtail.” Read the rest of this entry »
Getting the Country out of Debt (It’s not Rocket Science)
The country is teetering on the brink of financial collapse. Getting our fiscal house in order is not just an economic imperative. It’s a matter of national security.
We now have competing budgets offered by President Obama and House Republican Budget Chair Paul Ryan. When faced with all the numbers and the sheer size of the federal budget, the average citizen may be tempted to throw up his or her hands. Don’t despair! It’s not rocket science. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
