Month: January 2011

Speaker John Boehner: Inappropriate Responses To His Position And Significance!

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Speaker of the House John Boehner has demonstrated inappropriate responses to the position he holds, by recent actions rejecting gestures from President Obama.

In November, he refused to meet with the President on the budget at a White House meeting.

Last week, he rejected the offer of the President to travel on Air Force One to visit wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, and to attend the memorial service for the victims of the Tucson shootings.

Now he has turned down the offer to attend the State Dinner for the Chinese President, who is visiting the United States.

What Boehner fails to understand is that he is not just a Congressman from Ohio now! He is the Speaker of the House, two heartbeats away from the Presidency!

Therefore, he has a special responsibility to attend important meetings and significant events, and to bone up on dealings with foreign nations, as the burden of the office of the Presidency could theoretically fall into his hands at any time!

His significance in the government structure is such that he has a responsibility to stop acting in a petty, overly partisan manner!

Right now, he is an embarrassment to the distinguished office that he has inherited! 🙁

Budget Cuts In The Real World: Total Confusion Of Americans!

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A CBS News Poll demonstrates the difficulties involved in the need to cut government spending.

77 percent want spending cut to deal with the deficit and the national debt, while only 9 percent want to raise taxes.

But ask people what should be cut, and then one realizes just how difficult it is going to be for either the Republican House or the Democratic Senate and President Obama to come to grips with the crisis.

63 percent say to cut cut Social Security for the wealthy, but how is the issue of what is “wealthy” to be determined, particularly in a nation where tax cuts for the wealthy have been part of policy under Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Republican Congresses, and was part of the Obama tax deal with the GOP in December? Interesting that people want the wealthy to lose benefits, and yet the Republican Party is bitterly opposed to any such idea.

58 percent support reducing money for projects in their area, what is now called “earmarks”, but is that really true when such “pork” helps creates employment, boosts the economy, and promotes infrastructure improvement and public works which people like and want?

55 percent want farm subsidies reduced, such as for tobacco, cotton, and dairy, but will GOP representatives and senators whose constituents want it and vote for the Republican party, really vote for that?

52 percent want to reduce defense spending, but it could be argued that it could undermine our national security, and would force the closing of naval, air and military bases in many states, affecting the economy in a detrimental way.

Other areas to cut spending get a negative reaction, such as 48-45, people are against eliminating the mortgage interest deduction; 54-43 against raising the retirement age; 56-41 against reducing money for student loans; 65-33 against raising taxes; 67-27 against reducing health care and education spending (which the Republicans want to do, including repealing the Obama Health Care plan); and 69-26 against taxing health care benefits.

So what it comes down to is that Americans want to “have their cake and eat it too!”, pay no more in taxes but only hurt others rather than themselves!

In other words, the American people don’t want to face reality, and that makes the job of the politicians extremely difficult over the next two years of the 112th Congress!

Reflections On The Eve Of Two Anniversaries And The Recent Arizona Tragedy!

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This week marks the birthday and national holiday for the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr., who would have been 82 years old yesterday.

It also is the 50th Anniversary of the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy this coming Thursday.

And sadly, it is just a little more than a week since Jared Lee Loughner opened up fire in Tucson, Arizona, and killed six, wounded nineteen and attempted to assassinate Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at a Congressional meeting with constituents outside a supermarket.

These three events all are tied together by the connection of gun violence, and by the specter of the plague of mental illness which is so much ignored in this society, as compared to people who have physical illnesses, such as heart disease or cancer.

Besides having reasonable controls on the type of ammunition available, and preventing unstable people from having the right to weapons, we need to recognize that mental illness is a malady which must be addressed, instead of overlooked and ignored until a tragedy occurs.

The need for national health care is ever more important in the midst of this recent tragedy, and the critics of the health care legislation that the Republicans are now trying to repeal must accept that the responsibility of all Americans is to help prevent future tragedies by providing necessary intervention, no matter what the cost in taxes!

The sooner we realize that we all have a responsibility to each other, that this is not just a ME society, but rather a WE society, then we will be able to start healing as a nation with many troubles, trials, and tribulations!

The Hispanic Leadership Network Inaugural Conference And The Republican Presidential Field: A No Show Except For Tim Pawlenty!

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The inaugural conference of the Hispanic Leadership Network is taking place in Coral Gables, Florida, designed to promote a connection between the Hispanic community nationally and the Republican Party.

However, only ONE of the generally accepted list of potential GOP nominees is appearing before the group–former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who claims no interest in running, is hosting the conference, and his brother, the former President George W. Bush, sent a message of support as well. Additionally, Florida Governor Rick Scott and Texas Senator John Cornyn are speaking before the group, as is former Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman.

But the fact that Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Haley Barbour, Mike Pence, John Thune, Mitch Daniels, and Rick Santorum chose not to appear is a sign of the problem the GOP faces–that they are unwilling to face the reality of the growing power of the Hispanic and Latino community, and that is at their detriment in the electoral future!

Reality: States With Higher Gun Ownership and Lax Gun Laws Have Higher Number of Gun Caused Deaths!

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The attempted assassination last week of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, which also led to six people dead and thirteen wounded, has again brought attention to gun control and access laws.

The astounding reality is that states with higher gun ownership and lax guns laws have much higher numbers of gun caused deaths!

It is ironic that the average citizen seems to think that owning and carrying a concealed weapon makes one safer, when in reality it does not!

One of the people in the crowd at the event in which Giffords was shot had a gun, had not pulled it out, and realizes now that he might have , in the heat of the moment, been seen as an accomplice had he done so. Also, others might have been shot in the moment of the anarchy of what was going on.

The idea, as in Arizona, that one can bring weapons to a bar or restaurant, where drinking can lead to arguments and fights, and that such carrying protects you, is a total insanity!

The idea being considered to allow people to bring guns on college campuses is totally unnerving, as an educational institution is no place for such weaponry!

We are becoming more and more two nations, defined by gun ownership and carrying of such weapons. Popularity of guns ownership is much higher in the South and the West, reminiscent of the old tradition in the nineteenth century of the frontier and the Wild West. The Northeast, Pacific Coast and major metropolitan areas in general see much lower rates of ownership and carrying, which is ironic as more people live in these areas, and yet the level of violence is much lower.

The fact that this nation is the most violent in the world, with the highest death rate from guns, should be a sobering point that makes us wonder whether there is not a need for some type of greater controls for reasons of public safety.

And the concept that ownership of guns protects us against a tyrannical government is truly insane, as we do not have that kind of government, and anyone who believes so is indeed dangerous, as he or she is paranoid and schizophrenic–in other words, mentally ill!

The Senate “Tea Party” Caucus: Jim DeMint, Rand Paul, And Mike Lee

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A “glorious” day is coming on January 27, when the so called Senate Tea Party Caucus is meeting with local Tea Party activists to consider making government smaller, and how to deal with the budgets, spending, and the deficit.

Three Republican Senators will be present at these meetings: Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Mike Lee of Utah.

All three are the most right wing members of the GOP, and by being involved with the Tea Party, they label themselves as the most extreme and loony members of the Republican Party! 🙁

What is fascinating though is that the other 44 GOP senators are NOT scheduled to be involved in this meeting, and realize that 13 new Republican Senators were elected to the 112th Congress, but only two of them, Paul and Lee, are willing to associate directly with Jim DeMint, who has become the worst of the worst in the party, so this move will label them as extremists who cannot be taken as rational and reasonable in their views! 🙁

Interpersonal Relationships On The Floor Of Congress: A Great Idea, And An Absolutely Insane Idea!

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Democratic Senator Mark Udall of Colorado and Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert of Texas have proposed totally different ideas regarding interpersonal relationships on the floor of Congress.

Udall has promoted that Democrats and Republicans mingle and sit together when President Obama gives his State of the Union Address on January 25, as a way to promote civility and greater respect for each other, despite party differences, setting a good example for the nation at large.

On the other hand, Gohmert, notorious for being a “Birther” who believes that the President is not a US citizen, and believing that illegal immigrants come to this country to have babies, then go back to their home country and bring their children up to be terrorists 20-30 years later, has come up with an absolutely nutty idea: that members of the House of Representatives be permitted to pack guns on their person on the House floor! 🙁

Why in the world would members of the House need a weapon on the floor, with people in the galleries and on C-Span able to witness that, when there is total security for everyone in the Capitol complex? Would they not be tempted to draw a weapon against an opponent who angers them with their rhetoric? 🙁

Are we going to go back to the pre Civil War era, when members of Congress packed pistols, and Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts was assaulted with a cane by Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina? 🙁

As usual, Gohmert is promoting insane ideas, while at the same time, Mark Udall is proving to be someone that his dad, former Arizona Congressman Morris Udall, once a presidential possibility in 1976 against Jimmy Carter for the Democratic Presidential nomination, could be proud of!

John Boehner: Poor Judgment!

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Speaker of the House John Boehner has shown terrible judgment in the past few days since the Tucson, Arizona tragedy.

While he expressed the proper statements in the wake of the attempted assassination of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and promoted an appropriate resolution through the House of Representatives on the matter, he showed very poor judgment in two other ways.

First, he failed to attend the memorial service on Wednesday evening in Tucson, which many politicians attended, and where Barack Obama gave what might be his best speech in office. The reason given is that he had a previous commitment that prevented him from attending–a Republican fund raising event! 🙁

Is a party fund raising event more important than the memorial service? Under NO circumstances is it an acceptable reason for the leader of the House of Representatives, second in line to the Presidency, to choose to play politics at such a delicate and significant moment! 🙁

The other example of terribly poor judgment is Boehner’s rejection of New York Republican Congressman Peter King’s proposal that a bill be considered to ban any weapon within 1,000 feet of any government official and any government event. Such a bill would make it a crime to do so, and lower the chances of such a horrific event as occurred last weekend, and it would also protect the ordinary citizen attending any public event hosted by a politician.

With the tragic event fresh in our minds, it is extremely disturbing that Boehner continues to play politics and to be unwilling to take leadership on an important suggestion that could save lives and make public events safer.

Boehner’s lack of principle so quickly just as he became Speaker a week ago is a bad sign of the future with him as a leader, and already makes one wish for the return of the accomplished leadership of Nancy Pelosi, hopefully in 2013!

The Tucson Speech Of Barack Obama

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President Barack Obama came through like the champion he is last night in Tucson.

He said all the right things and soothed the audience and the nation as they mourned the deaths of six people, and the wounding of fourteen others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords last Saturday.

His call for civility was appropriate, but to believe it will last is, unfortunately, to believe in the tooth fairy! 🙁

Nothing will stop the hate mongers who love to exploit the situation and earn millions of dollars from gullible people who hang on their every word, and do not care about the harm they promote! 🙁

It was inspirational that 20 year old Daniel Hernandez, an intern for Giffords who saved her life until ambulances arrived, was recognized by Obama and others as a hero. The young man, himself Hispanic in a state that has been hostile and antagonistic toward people from Mexico, and have passed discriminatory immigration laws now being challenged in the courts, came across as a very articulate and humble person, who amazed everyone as he spoke without notes, and was truly professional in his presentation. This young man represents the best of the younger generation, and gives us hope for the future of this nation! 🙂

It was also truly moving when Obama informed us that Giffords opened her eyes and acknowledged close Congressional friends who were visiting her bedside, along with her husband. It seems like a miraculous recovery may be in the offing! 🙂

As time passes, the belief of many is that Obama’s speech will rank among his greatest moments in the Presidency, and his call for reconciliation will match the Second Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln, and the call for unity of President Bill Clinton after the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995.

A whole group of prominent public figures were there, and to show Obama’s grace, he allowed new Congressman Ben Quayle, son of former Vice President Dan Quayle, to travel on Air Force One, despite the Congressman’s statement during his Congressional campaign that Obama was the absolutely worst President in American history. That shows true class, and makes Quayle look quite petty. Hopefully, Quayle will consider what he says in the future before he says it, rather than copying his own dad and Sarah Palin, who both have problems with expressing themselves in a proper fashion! 🙁

Guns And Congressmen: Unacceptable! :(

Ronald 1 Comment

The news that a couple of House members plan to carry weapons on their person when they go to public events, rather than simply have increased security at these events, is a troubling development.

Do they really plan to open up fire on an assailant, while surrounded by the general public?

Security personnel in the House and Senate make it clear that it is an unwise action, and it leaves the image that guns solve problems, which they do not.

With all of the murder victims brought about by the easy accessibility of guns, should members of Congress be advocating more people carrying weapons?

Are we to be an armed society, a nation which is already the most violent in the world?

Are we to go back to allowance of gun duels, like the one which led to Vice President Aaron Burr to kill former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1804, or Andrew Jackson to kill six opponents in such gun duels?

Are we to go back to the era of armed members of Congress before the Civil War, and have a Congressman, Preston Brooks, assault Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, with a cane, putting him in the hospital for two years of recovery, in the year 1856? There were also many threats of direct gun action on the floor of the House in the 1850s, besides this horrific event.

Members of Congress should realize they must set an example on carrying of guns, or otherwise we will have many more murders and woundings, and the society will collapse into a new civil war! 🙁