Category: Congress

When “Balanced” is Unbalanced

There are certain words that are overused in Washington.  They have proven effective in covering a multitude of sins and soothing an angry electorate: These words include compromise, bipartisan, comprehensive, and deficit reduction.

The beauty of using these words in Washington is that there is no expectation by lawmakers that they be grounded in reality.  The “comprehensive immigration reform,” during the administration of George W. Bush was the code for amnesty.   Before that, we had back-to-back “five hundred billion dollar deficit reduction” bills offered by George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.   Both of these bills had nothing to do with reducing the deficit and everything to do with getting out from under the constrains of the current budget.  They were designed to increase, not decrease, federal spending.

Now we have this new word, “balanced,” trotted out by Barack Obama.  On Monday, he used it seven times in his brief address to the nation.    It is designed to make us feel comfortable about rasing the debt limit, again, because we have maxed out the national credit card. Continue reading “When “Balanced” is Unbalanced” →

Charlie Rangel Preaches Jesus

“What would Jesus do?” is a popular question posed by Christians facing moral dilemmas.

However, the man using it over the weekend was none other than Charlie Rangel, the disgraced slick-talking New York congressman who was caught cheating on his taxes while chairing the committee responsible for the tax code.

No, Rangel hasn’t found religion but he isn’t above using it when it suits his purpose.    He’s been doing nonstop press interviews trying to prevent Republicans from following through on their promise to cut the size of our bloated government and get federal spending under control.    Continue reading “Charlie Rangel Preaches Jesus” →

The Takeaway from the Weiner Scandal

It would have been a cold day in hell before Anthony Weiner resigned on his own.  He tried to make it appear as if he were doing the right thing by falling on his sword.  However, everyone on the planet knows that the sword was at his back and he was forced by his party to “walk the plank.”

Why did it take so long?   Answer these questions: Where will he go?  What can he do?

Apart from politics, Weiner has no real world experience.  He is what you would call a professional politician – a member of the privileged ruling class.   Continue reading “The Takeaway from the Weiner Scandal” →

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.

Continue reading “Beyond the Weiner Scandal” →

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.”   Continue reading “Washington: Definition of a Budget “Cut”” →

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. Continue reading “Getting the Country out of Debt (It’s not Rocket Science)” →

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. Continue reading “The dreaded 1995 bogeyman” →

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.

Continue reading “Media Fiddles while U.S. Burns” →

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.

Continue reading “The Flimflam Artist Versus the Green Eye Shade” →