A week has gone by, the August 2 default deadline creeps ever nearer, and still the antic debt ceiling political dance continues. It’s like an old fan dance, where the flashing fans of the dancer seek to tantalize while hiding what lies beneath. The Senate has contributed the ill-defined “Gang of Six” proposal. The House [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Congress’
Not Distracted By The Debt Ceiling Fan Dance
Posted in America, Politics, tagged America, Budget Deficit, Congress, Debt Ceiling, Fan Dances, Federal Spending, House Republicans, Politics, President Obama, United States Senate on July 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Our Gilded Congress
Posted in America, Politics, tagged America, Congress, Democrats, economy, Harry Reid, john boehner, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Politics, recession, Republicans, United States House of Representatives, United States Senate on June 16, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Congressional disclosure forms were released yesterday and they show that our elected public servants are doing very well, indeed. The wealth in Congress knows no party-line boundaries; Republicans and Democrats alike are doing well. According to the reports, the Minority Leader and Majority Leader in the Senate are both multimillionaires who saw their wealth rise [...]
Weiner’s World, In Treatment Mode
Posted in America, Politics, tagged America, Anthony Weiner, Congress, Politics, Treatment on June 12, 2011 | 2 Comments »
These days, whenever a politician or celebrity engages in unacceptable behavior, they try to take the heat off by saying they are going to receive “treatment” for their condition. I guess we are all supposed to feel sorry for them, applaud their courageous decision to seek treatment for their affliction, and lay off any further [...]
Token Drawdown
Posted in Politics, tagged Afghanistan, Al Qaeda, Congress, John McCain, Supplemental Defense Spending, troops on June 8, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Within the next few weeks the President will make what I believe is a very important announcement as to the number of troops he plans to have brought home from Afghanistan. Currently we have approximately 100,000 troops there and we have been fighting the war there since October 7, 2001. It is hard to believe [...]
Weiner’s World, Crashing Down
Posted in America, Politics, Technology, tagged America, Anthony Weiner, Congress, Politics, Technology, Twitter on June 6, 2011 | 1 Comment »
After days of pushing a lie about his Twitter account being the subject of a hacking incident — and then watching his story slowly, painfully unravel — Congressman Anthony Weiner ‘fessed up today. A watery-eyed Weiner admitted that he sent the Twitter picture of his groin to a Seattle college student, acknowledged that he has [...]
Have Tooth, Will Travel
Posted in America, Ohio, Politics, tagged Congress, Dennis Kucinich, Ohio, Politics, Redistricting, Washington on May 24, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Dennis Kucinich, currently a Democratic Representative from Ohio, is getting ready for his next congressional race — which may be in Washington state. In Ohio, as in other states, redistricting is occurring on the basis of the 2010 Census population figures. Ohio is going to lose two seats, and apparently one of the seats on [...]
Ho Hum
Posted in America, Politics, tagged America, Congress, Politics, Scandals, Senator John Ensign on April 22, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Yet another leading American politician has resigned in disgrace, in the face of a lingering sex scandal and an impending ethics investigation. This time, it is Nevada Senator John Ensign, whose inability to refrain from sexual dalliances has mired him in a protracted scandal that implicates federal lobbying laws. Ensign managed to cling tenaciously to [...]
The Republic Is Saved!
Posted in America, Politics, tagged 2010 Federal Budget, America, Budget Deficit, Congress, Debt Ceiling, Democrats, Federal Budget, Harry Reid, john boehner, National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, Politics, President Obama, Republicans on April 9, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
A budget deal has been struck (at the last minute, of course)! So today, the federal government is open for business! History has been made! The National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade can go forward! The Republic is saved! From the self-congratulatory tone of some the public statements of the participants, you’d think our elected [...]
The Greenbrier Bunker
Posted in America, Politics, tagged America, Cold War, Congress, Cuban Missile Crisis, Politics, Soviet Union, The Greenbrier, The Greenbrier Bunker on March 15, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Yesterday Kish and I took the “Bunker Tour” at The Greenbrier. It was a fascinating 90 minutes. For those not familiar with the story, during the Cold War America decided to build an extensive fallout shelter for the legislative branch of government for use in the event that bombers from the Soviet Union dropped nuclear [...]
Time to Put Matthew Lesko Out Of Business
Posted in America, Politics, tagged America, budget deficits, Congress, Federal Budget, Free Money For Everybody, Government spending, House Republicans, Matthew Lesko, News, Politics, President Obama, Republicans, Spending Cuts on February 14, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
If you’ve watched TV at odd hours, you’ve seen Matthew Lesko. He is the hyped-up guy wearing a suit covered with question marks who hawks books about how to get government money so that you can realize your dream of becoming a French chef. One of his books is called Free Money For Everybody. [...]
Sailing Through The Loopholes In The Corporate Tax Code
Posted in America, Politics, The Economy, tagged America, Budget Deficit, Carnival, Congress, Corporate Taxes, economy, Federal Budget, House Ways and Means Committee, Politics, President Obama, taxes on February 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The New York Times recently carried an interesting article on the odd state of corporate tax payments in the United States. The Times asked a research firm to analyze the tax payments of Fortune 500 companies over a five-year period, and the analysis showed significant discrepancies in the tax payments made by those companies. Although [...]
Another Demonstration Of Why Balancing The Federal Budget Is Such A Huge Challenge
Posted in America, Politics, tagged America, Congress, Federal Budget, Federal Debt, Federal Deficit, Federal Spending, Lobbyists, Special Interest Groups on February 4, 2011 | 2 Comments »
ABC News had an interesting story today that demonstrates why cutting spending and balancing the federal budget is so difficult. The story is based on an email sent out by an unnamed Democratic staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee subcommittee that will address the Labor and Health and Human Services budget. The email set [...]
Veggie Wraps, Olive Pits, and Dumb Decisions
Posted in America, Food, Humor, Ohio, Politics, tagged America, Congress, Dennis Kucinich, Food, Humor, Lawsuits, Ohio, Olives, Politics on January 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich has settled his dental injuries lawsuit. Kucinich became the butt of jokes here and elsewhere for his decision to file a lawsuit seeking $150,000 for injuries allegedly caused by biting into a veggie wrap that included an olive pit. He apparently concluded, wisely, that pursuing the lawsuit would only expose him [...]
Veggie Wraps, Olive Pits, And Congressional Lawsuits
Posted in America, Food, Humor, Ohio, Politics, tagged America, Congress, Dennis Kucinich, Food, Humor, Lawsuits, Ohio, Olives, Politics on January 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich is suing a House of Representatives cafeteria for $150,000 because it allegedly sold him a vegetarian wrap sandwich that contained an olive pit. Kucinich asserts that biting into the sandwich caused him “permanent dental and oral injuries requiring multiple surgical and dental procedures.” The $150,000 figure includes sums for Kucinich’s pain, [...]
States In The Red, Looking For A Way Out
Posted in America, Politics, tagged America, bankruptcy, California, California budget deficit, Congress, Illinois, Politics, Public Employee Unions, Retirees, senior citizens, Seniors, State Budgets, State employees, Tea Party on January 21, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
As even a casual follower of the news knows, many states are struggling with huge budget problems. Ohio is one of them. Usually the problems are the result of declining tax revenues, increased government spending and support obligations, and the fact that bills are starting to come due on grossly underfunded state employee pension and [...]
