REALITY CHECK: Simplifying the Budget Impasse

The debate over whether raising taxes or cutting spending is the way to avoid default has moved into high gear as the President issued a "Grand Compromise" to the Republican Congress that includes significant tax increases, as well as long-term spending cuts. So far, the GOP is having none of it. But I think we can simply the political calculation going on in the halls of Washington:

• IF the US Government goes into default, we will vote everyone out.
• IF the only spending cuts are to take place 2, 3, or 4 years out, we will vote out every Republican
• IF there are tax increases, we will grumble but live with it. Your job is probably safe.
• IF there are ONLY tax increases and no substantive spending cuts, we will vote out every Republican.
• IF Medicare, Social Security, and Military Spending remains off the table, nothing will be resolved and we will vote everyone out.

Hopefully, the President and Congress are keeping these important realities in mind as they play hardball in their negotiations.

We call this kind of thing "Checks & Balances"!

I am sure many will decry today's vote by the House of Representatives to deny the president authority to continue the war in Libya as a political stunt. However, it is an excellent example to our children of the many Checks and Balances that the founders put into the Constitution to ensure each branch had the ability to limit the power of the others. This is exactly how our government is supposed to work:

- Congress declares War
- Congress funds War
- The President wages War
- The President negotiates a Peace
- Congress ratifies the Peace

It is not this action which is an aberration, but rather the last few military operations where Congress minimized it's involvement. Except in times of national emergency - and even then - we need to maintain a balance of power in our government to ensure our freedoms are protected.

FYI: The President is NOT your Friend. And He Shouldn't Be!

It is funny how the flow of politics works. Two years ago, the Democratic Party was literally in lockstep, riding the Tidal Wave of the 2008 elections. Republicans were in disarray, and everything seemed to be coming up Donkey. 2010 is the complete opposite, as Republicans are riding the Tidal Wave and Democrats are in disarray. This has lead some prominent Democrats to criticize or even curse out the president, as he tries to find a modus vivendi with the new Conservative majority.

Here's the reality, legislators of both parties, THE PRESIDENT IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. No president is. The whole system is set up to put the branches of government at odds, in order to preserve the rights of the People. So, the Executive SHOULD be looking out for his own ability to govern, and NOT worrying about your ability to get stuff done without him. You've seen what perfect party unity has gotten you - extremely unpopular bills passed despite CLEAR signs that the American people were against you - so maybe it is time for a little disunity to allow sanity to return.

Here's hoping a return to divided government means a return to humble government. And a government where checks and balances are seen for what they are - our most valuable hedge against tyranny (whether of the sinister or the well-meaning).

I'll do anything... except the one thing you want me to do

President Obama had admitted that the results of this week's elections were bad for him - a "shellacking" is the term he used. Clearly, the nation wants a change in course from the last 2 years, and has handed the reins of the House to the Republicans. But with a divided Congress, compromise and negotiation will be critical. So, what is the president's idea to start negotiations?

To take the one thing Republicans are sure to want off of the table completely.

"At a time when we are going to ask folks across the board to make such difficult sacrifices, I don’t see how we can afford to borrow an additional $700 billion from other countries to make all the Bush tax cuts permanent, even for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans," the president said. "We’d be digging ourselves into an even deeper fiscal hole and passing the burden on to our children."

Obama noted the importance of extending the tax cuts in the lame-duck session, but focused the address on digging in against the full extension sought by Republicans and some Democrats.

Well, clearly the president is eager to take back the "Party of No" label he had previously stuck onto the GOP. Unfortunately for him, I get the sense that many Democratic congresspeople are more ready to compromise in order to win back the electorate.

Congresses passes (and Obama vetoes) bill no one wanted

If you're looking for a perfect example of how dysfunctional the current Congress is, consider this story. A well-meaning bill to enhance interstate commerce was passed without debate, and almost unanimously. Only problem? It also would make fraudulent foreclosures MUCH easier, just at the moment we are learning many of the major banks ignored regulations.

Democrats were trying to figure out Thursday how they allowed a bill to pass that critics say would introduce more fraud into the system, a Pelosi staff member said. It was sponsored by Rep. Robert B. Aderholt (R-Ala.), the first measure he sponsored that passed.

Even he was surprised that it passed, his spokesman said.

Might I be so bold as to suggest the current practice of congresspeople voting on bills without reading them might be the cause?

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) said in a statement that his office heard no objections from inside or outside the Senate and even asked the Justice Department to review the language. His committee then approved the bill and it passed by unanimous consent after every Senate office was notified.

Yet another example of how our "professional politicians" are anything but acting professionally in this Congress.

If you want to know why Incumbents will be thrown out in November...

...consider the political cowardice demonstrated by a Congress unwilling to pass a budget when the current one runs out tomorrow! Could anything be more emblematic of our problems than a legislature unwilling to even vote on keeping itself running? Clearly, incumbents realize any action will be criticized by their opponents. But don't they see that no action is at least equally contemptible?

Goodbye Congress 2010. We look forward to your replacement, and hope it looks nothing like the body that just left the dinner table without finishing the vegetables, or even offering to do the dishes.

A Humble Proposal

The People are speaking loud and clear. Less than 10% of voters believe Congress is doing a good job. President Obama's positives appear to be in free-fall, but Republicans get as poor ratings as Democrats. Politicians grumble that American is "ungovernable", but the truth is that it it the governing who can't see past their own agendas.

Let me humbly propose a change in course. Stop the mammoth do-it-all bills, where pork is the norm rather than the exception, and take a page from the Republican Revolution of 2004. Put down the ideas you want to pass in single-issue bills, debate them and have an up-and-down vote. For instance, on Health Care, give us mini-bills for:

• A ban on denying coverage for pre-existing conditions.
• A ban on dropping insurance for individuals undergoing treatment for an illness, unless they have hit their stated policy maximums.
• Opening up sales of insurance across state lines (but without removing the power of state laws and regulations).
• A public option - whether medicare-for-all or a state-sponsored private plan, let's have the debate on this specifically.
• Extension of COBRA - it is due to expire soon for those laid off at the start of the Great Recession without any bridge to the new system.
• Ability of individuals or states to challenge egregious premium increases before an arbitrator.
• A cap on malpractice settlement payouts to limit the potential costs of honest mistakes.

Let any Republican try to stand against the more obvious cases here. Let any Democrat try to defend a public option without all of the other "hard cases" around it. Let's have a real debate, pass some real bills, and show the American people that Congress is about more than grandstanding and stalling for time.

President Obama doubles-down on Health Care Reform

Congress put forth two unpopular Health Care Reform plans - one by the House and one from the Senate. Both were pushed with considerable urgency by the White House. And these plans and the sense of reckless pace of passage was extremely unpopular with voters, and lead to the lowest ratings in recorded history of Congress. And, of course, the election of Republican Scott Brown to the Senate seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy. So, what do you do if you are President Obama? Apparently, more of the same stuff that ruined Democratic chances for 2010.

President Barack Obama is putting forward a nearly $1 trillion, 10-year health care plan that would allow the government to deny or roll back egregious insurance premium increases that infuriated consumers....
It conspicuously omits a government insurance plan sought by liberals.

They say "insanity" is defined as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.". I realize the president is trying to pass something before his Democratic majority is either reduced, or eliminated altogether in the 2010 elections. But one has to wonder if this would be easier to sell if the various measures were passed separately and the overall scope reduced.

Olympia Snowe on Congressional Attitudes

Senator Olympia Snowe (R - Maine) was the only Republican to vote for one of the Health Care Reform Bills to come out of the Congressional committees. She sat down for an interview with ABCNews and gave a very weak defense for her vote. But there was one nugget of gold in the interview.

I think for so long the art of legislating has been lost here in Congress and it’s all about just moving it along on the fast track, and I think that unfortunately the big issues have been set aside.

I think this hits the nail on the head about a major problem with the current Congress. Rather than taking on an issue, having a full public hearing and debate, and then a vote, everything in the "Democratic One Party Congress" is rushed through. This has lead to cases where Congresspeople of both sides are required to vote on multi-thousand-page legislation without any time to read it. And has allowed no opportunities for bipartisanship.

Listen to Senator Snowe, Democrats. A Congress without time to do it right is a Congress who can accomplish nothing, except for things they will regret later. "Anything now" is not better than "the right thing later".

House Guidelines: You can't call the President a Liar

The "You Lie" fiasco was in horrible taste, simply wrong, and bad strategy. But it has been amusing seeing the Democratic Party falling all over themselves to condemn the outburst, after having spent most of the last 8 years calling President George W. Bush a liar on the floor of the House over the Iraq War. The latest is a new "primer" which specifically admonishes congresspeople to NOT call the president a liar. Here's hoping the same rule is put forth by the Democrats when a Republican is president. But I doubt it.

Senate passes ANOTHER DTV Delay

In a comedy of congressional dialogue, this week the Senate passed a bill to delay the digital TV cutoff to June which the House then voted down. Now, the Senate has unanimously passed another bill to delay the DTV cutoff which it is sending to the House again. This time, the switchover's delay will be voluntary. No broadcaster will be required to switch over on February 17, but will have until June 2009 to do so.

My guess is this one will pass the House. The question is whether it will really make any difference in the end. The only advantage after all to the broadcasters is power savings.

Democratic House to Repeal Openness Rules

President-Elect Barack Obama has made much about "change" and bringing in a new era of open government. But it appears that the Democratic majority is on a different page, and are planning on repealing a number of reforms brought on with the Republican Contract with America.

Reforms to the House Rules as part of the Contract with America were designed to open up to public scrutiny what had become under this decades-long Democrat majority a dangerously secretive House legislative process. The Republican reform of the way the House did business included opening committee meetings to the public and media, making Congress actually subject to federal law, term limits for committee chairmen ending decades-long committee fiefdoms, truth in budgeting, elimination of the committee proxy vote, authorization of a House audit, specific requirements for blanket rules waivers, and guarantees to the then-Democrat minority party to offer amendments to pieces of legislation.

I hope this is a misunderstanding, and Chairperson Pelosi has no such plans. But majorities tend toward corruption. Then again, maybe it is the opening the GOP needs to reunify itself for a comeback in 2010.

Is Congress becoming irrelevant?

When George W Bush announced loans to automakers from the TARP program, after Congress failed to pass a bailout, I asked the question why Congresspeople were praising the move. If the President can bypass Congress in something like this, why not bypass them altogether? Now, George Will is asking whether Congress has essentially become irrelevant for the foreseeable future of government.

Congress' marginalization was brutally underscored when, after Congress did not authorize $14 billion for General Motors and Chrysler, the executive branch said, in effect: Congress' opinions are mildly interesting, so we will listen very nicely -- then go out and do precisely what we want.

Friday the president gave the two automakers access to money Congress explicitly did not authorize. More money -- up to $17.4 billion -- than had been debated, thereby calling to mind Winston Churchill on naval appropriations: "The Admiralty had demanded six ships: the economists offered four: and we finally compromised on eight."

If the use of TARP funds is not challenged in the Supreme Court, then Congress will simply have given up and we may well be on our way to a dictatorship. Or at least an Empire.

Georgia ensures no filibuster-proof majority for the Democrats

Losing the presidency was like a nightmare for the Republican Party. Losing both houses of Congress was like their worst nightmare. The prospect of the Democrats also having a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate - effectively denying the minority party ANY vote - would have been the end of their world. But it had seemed possible with Georgia and Minnesota in the midst of runoffs and recounts respectively. But the win of Republican Saxby Chambliss has ensured that the GOP can still have a voice in the upcoming Congress. A small tiny, whiny voice. But a voice nonetheless

n the end, Martin, a 63-year-old former state lawmaker from Atlanta, wasn't able to get Obama voters back to the polls in large enough numbers to overcome the Republican advantage in Georgia, which has become an increasingly a reliable red state since 2002.
Turnout was light throughout the state Tuesday. A spokesman for Secretary of State Karen Handel predicted between 18 and 20 percent of the state's 5.75 million registered voters would cast ballots - far less than the 65 percent who voted in last month's general election.
The runoff between the former University of Georgia fraternity brothers was necessary after a three-way general election prevented any of the candidates from getting the necessary 50 percent.

Congress Does Something Right

Congress finally did something right today. They told the Auto industry that they needed to show how a $25 Billion bailout would transform the industry. This is exactly what needed to happen. Someone had to stand up to the Auto industry and say "OK, you need money now. If we give you money now, what is to make us believe that anything will change and we won't have to give you more money in 6 months?" Bravo congress for getting it right.

House passes Bailout Bill 2

The House bails us out... which must be why my wallet suddenly feels so empty. Here is hoping we can undo the damage that the "bailout bill" will do as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, you can assume incumbents will NOT fare well with me in the Fall.

Truth in Comicky form

From here if you want to see the original. Couldn't have said it better myself.

Congress: "You take care of it, I'm going home."

You've gotta love it. This Congress has been attacking GWB right and left for "excesses of Executive power", where the President or an agency under his authority goes and takes on responsibilities duly delegated to Congress. So, what does Congress do when the Economy is in a tailspin, banks are failing left and right, and the people demand action? They go home and tell the Executive branch to deal with it. Ah, the irony. Is anyone surprised anymore that this is the Congress with the lowest approval rating in history? I wonder if the Democratic Party will be shocked to see a mass turnout of incumbents come November. A Democratic presidency and a Republican congress would be a logical reaction to the current situation.

Hilarity Ensues at the House of Representatives

This is hilarious. The Democrats don't want to vote on off-shore drilling, so they recess for the August break. Some Republicans don't want to recess until there is a vote, so they've decided to keep going. So the Democrats turned off the lights and the microphones. So the Republicans kept going and one Congressman punched a bunch of buttons into the PA system until he got the right code to turn it back on. Then the lights and microphones went dead again. So the Republicans cheered and kept going and sent out a request for a bullhorn. While this started out as a good thing, I worry that it's becoming more and more of a circus and will be look on as foolishness. Still, they haven't done up a picture of the Speaker of the House wearing a diaper like the Democrats did of Newt Gingrich. Original story here, with follow ups here and here.

The danger of CFLs

The house we live in came with lots of energy efficient lighting. I used to have an attitude of "well, it's not quite as great as a regular bulb, but at least it lasts five years." Then I heard about the dangers of if one breaks and how you should throw out anything that it touches. I recently heard about someone who had one break over their bed and is now out a set of bedding. Rep. Ted Poe of Texas speaks out some more on the dangers and inconveniences of CFLs.