US House Of Representatives

The Republican House Of Representatives Repeal Of The Obama Health Care Law: What It Means!

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The Republican controlled House of Representatives has just voted to repeal the Obama Health Care legislation.

In so doing, the GOP has made clear it has no desire to protect the health of the American people, but rather cares more about the insurance companies, the corporations, and keeping their own excellent health care.

They demonstrate that they do not care about 129 million people with pre-existing conditions, many of them unaware because they have not been able to afford health care!

They show that they do not care about the cost of prescription drugs to senior citizens, and the slow closing of the “donut hole”.

They make it clear they do not care about children being able to be under their family’s medical plan, if the family has one, to age 26, at a time when many young people cannot find work and cannot be protected, therefore, for health care.

They indicate they do not care about people bring thrown off their health care plan once they get sick.

They leave no doubt that they do not care whether someone has a lifetime limit on health care coverage, including children who have serious health issues.

They demonstrate all of this and more, that they are a party which only cares about the rich and the corporations, that they have no humanity or empathy for the sick, that they do not concern themselves with the sustaining of life, and would rather demagogue the issue of health care than come up with a real alternative that allows the most advanced nation in the world to protect people’s health, as every other democracy in the world has.

They have shown how far right the Republican party has gone, considering that Theodore Roosevelt first proposed national health care in the 1912 Presidential campaign; that President Dwight D. Eisenhower first promoted and supported a cabinet agency of Health, Education and Welfare in 1953; that President Richard Nixon proposed a national health care plan in the early 1970s; that Senator and later Presidential candidate Bob Dole offered an alternative health care plan to that of Bill Clinton in the early 1990s; and that President George W. Bush and his party instituted a prescription plan in the early 2000’s.

Now the GOP has nothing to offer except negativism, and mean spiritedness, and most of its membership is monstrous and nasty and leaves the image of “to hell with the American people”!

One can be assured that their negativism will go no further in success, and that the American people will surely reject them once they understand what Barack Obama and the Democrats have been trying to do—promote health care for all as any civilized nation should have done long ago!

Gabrielle Giffords’ Congressional Seat: Should It Be Taken Away After Three Months? NO! :(

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A controversy has developed about Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ Congressional seat, as there is an Arizona law that states that if a member of the legislature cannot serve for three calendar months, then the seat should be declared vacant, and an election held to replace that member.

It is only felt to affect state legislative seats, and not the US Congress, which has always been the judge of its own membership.

Even the suggestion that her seat be taken away from her after three months due to the long period of recovery from being shot in the head in Tucson is an outrage!

There have been many examples of members of Congress who had long recuperations from injuries or health crises and did not see their seat taken away.

A few examples are as follows:

Senator Lyndon B. Johnson took six months off after a severe heart attack in 1955.

Senator Ted Kennedy was in the hospital for months after a small plane accident in 1964.

Senator Joe Biden was out of commission for months while recuperating from brain surgery in 1987.

Senator Tim Johnson had a long recovery after suffering a massive stroke which paralyzed him for a period of time in the early part of the past decade.

Of course, Congresswoman Giffords would have to decide whether she could seek reelection in 2012, but in the meantime, the only thing that is lost is her vote, as her staff is well equipped to handle all constituent needs without her presence.

It would be unjust to strip her of her position in the present Congress after such a horrific attack.

If she chooses to leave, that is her own choice, and if she chooses not to run for reelection, that is also her choice, but she should not be pushed out.

And certainly outrageous would be to hold an election, which would likely lead to a Republican replacing her. If anything, a Democrat could be appointed to replace her without an election, so that the party victory is upheld.

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!

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!

Guns And Congressmen: Unacceptable! :(

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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! 🙁

The Urgent Need For Some Limits On The Second Amendment!

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In the wake of the Tucson disaster last weekend, there is an urgent need for reasonable limits on who purchases guns, and the ability to acquire extended magazines for weapons, such as the one that allowed the perpetrator to fire 33 rounds without reloading. New York Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, whose husband was killed on the Long Island Railroad, and whose son was wounded, in an incident in 1993, which led to her election to Congress in 1996, is proposing such a bill about the magazines.

A background check, which was part of the former Brady bill, which was the law from 1994 to 2004, needs to be reinstated.

Also, the need to ban weapons within 1,000 feet of a federal official, including members of Congress, is being proposed by Congressman Peter King, a Republican, who thinks he can get this through the House of Representatives, after this horrible tragedy in Tucson. Right now, there is legislation on the books preventing a firearm within 1,000 feet of any school.

At the same time, the thought that members of Congress might carry firearms at public events for self protection, as suggested by two members of Congress, is pure insanity, and sets a bad standard.

And the idea that universities and colleges should allow staff and faculty and students to carry firearms to prevent another incident equivalent of Virginia Tech in 2007, is also a terrible idea, and is sure to lead to more bloodshed and violence, as guns do not belong in an educational environment! 🙁

Irony Of Republican Attempt To Repeal Obama Health Care Plan: It Would Add To National Debt, Raise Health Care Costs, and Be A Job Killer! :(

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The House Republicans are attempting to repeal the Obama Health Care legislation, which will fail, in any circumstances, with the Democratic controlled Senate and President Barack Obama standing in the way!

But the irony is that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office makes it clear that doing such a repeal would add to the national debt, raise the cost of health care for everyone, and be a job killer to boot! 🙁

Medical spending would go up by $125 billion by the end of this decade; add $2,000 annually to each family’s health care premiums; and destroy 250,000 to 400,000 jobs annually over the next decade.

As Democrats have also pointed out, it would help promote more deaths of people who have no access to health care; would take away coverage of young people to the age of 26; would restore pre-existing conditions as a method insurance companies could use to deny health care coverage to millions, including many children; and open up the “donut hole” for medications for seniors, which is starting to close up, with 50 percent cut in the cost of brand name prescriptions newly instituted.

The truth about the Republicans is that they have no concern that millions have been denied health care coverage! They also have no concern that transplant patients in Arizona are being denied the ability to survive, with two already having died because the Republican Governor, Jan Brewer, has no compassion or interest in helping sick people, all over budget issues, when one can be sure there are other ways to cut budgets besides setting up what are the equivalent of “death panels”! 🙁

It is extremely ironic that Republicans argued about so called “death panels’ in the Obama Health Care legislation, which did not exist at all, but yet now REAL “death panels” are occurring in Arizona, and probably soon elsewhere! 🙁

Where are these Republicans now, including Speaker of the House John Boehner, Arizona Senators John McCain and Jon Kyl. and former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin? Why is it that they are not outraged by this, and feel the need and moral standing to speak up for LIFE, particularly when they are all supposedly PRO-LIFE for fetuses, but not apparently for sick people of all ages?

The Republican Party should be condemned for their lack of compassion, empathy, and concern for those who are sick!:(

They forget: “There but for the grace of God go I!”!

The Crisis Of The States: The Worst Is Yet To Come! :(

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With Republicans taking over the House of Representatives and many state governorships and state legislatures, the center of crisis will descend upon many of the states of the Union! 🙁

A Census Bureau report demonstrates that the Great Recession caused the loss of 30 percent of the states’ revenues in 2009, due to the high unemployment rate, the dramatic rise in foreclosures of housing, and the tremendous investment losses in the state pension funds.

The result is large budget deficits and increasing social service demands. Unemployment benefits, medicaid, and workers compensation needs became dramatically higher.

The year 2011 will be the worst ever in pressures on states, with the need to have tax increases and service cuts to deal with the largest budget deficits ever seen.

Forty states have reported a combined total of $113 billion in deficits, and the federal stimulus aid that the Obama Administration gave in the past year to avoid the loss of jobs and services in the public sector now is coming to an end. The Republicans show no interest in the suffering that will occur, that will cause many more unemployed people and horrific cuts in services, including education, health care, police and fire protection! 🙁

The only rhetoric we hear is that there must be reduction of federal spending and overcoming the federal budget deficits, as no one is thinking about the human costs that will occur across the country! 🙁

The budget gaps are particularly dramatic in California, New York and Illinois, and it will affect not just the general public in these and other states, but also the issue of state pensions and state worker employment.

So the economic crisis is far from over, and will almost certainly be reaching its peak over the next few years! 🙁

Another Potential GOP Presidential Candidate: Congresswoman Michele Bachmann Of Minnesota, An Absurd Candidate! :(

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As the new year has begun, we are getting more hints or rumors of possible Republican Presidential candidates for the 2012 election.

First, we added former Utah Governor and present Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman to the list of possibilities, arguably one of the better people on the long list.

Jeb Bush’s name has come up again, although he denies any interest, at least for 2012, but leaving open the possibility for 2016, which would be when Barack Obama would no longer be running for the position. It would also be precisely eight years after his brother’s term ended, while George W. ran exactly eight years after his father’s term was completed. This actually makes a lot of sense, as bad memories of George W. would be gone by then, and Jeb might have an advantage at that time, if his party failed to win the White House in 2012.

But now, an absurd and scary candidate is hinting at her interest in running, and the author is not referring to Sarah Palin!

Rather, it is the extremely controversial Congresswoman from Minnesota, Michele Bachmann, who has made a name for herself by her extreme right wing ideas and loony statements in the four years she has served in the House of Representatives. Now she is a member of the House Intelligence Committee, by choice of Speaker of the House John Boehner, and has announced she will be going to Iowa to speak to various GOP groups in the first Presidential caucus state.

Compared to Sarah Palin, she actually has advantages, including a law degree, four years and counting of congressional experience, a lot of press coverage already (although much of it negative in tone), and a very attractive personal presence. She certainly makes Sarah Palin look less appealing by comparison, but still she is a very scary proposition. The thought that such an extremist, who has no problem with distortion and manipulation of the truth on anything, could actually be the Republican nominee for the Presidency of the United States, is enough to give one nightmares! 🙁

So much of the potential list for President on the Republican side is so horrific, that it certainly makes people such as Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, and even Jeb Bush look far better by comparison!