Tag Archive: Republican


House votes to repeal ObamaCare

Filed under: Fundamental Rights, Healthcare, Government, Legislation, Taxation, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Voting — 2 Comments
May 16, 2013

photo obamacarelogo_zps3de31909.jpg

 

By Pete Kasperowicz – 05/16/13 06:28 PM ET

 

The House voted to repeal ObamaCare on Thursday for the third time since Republicans took over the chamber in 2011.

Only two Democrats sided with Republicans in the party-line 229-195 vote — Jim Matheson (Utah) and Mike McIntyre (N.C.). All Republicans voted in favor of repeal.

This is the 37th time the House GOP has voted to repeal or defund at least part of the bill, but this latest bill will also not become law given Democrats’ control of the Senate.

 

Still, many House Republicans had clamored for the bill from Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) to be considered, while Democrats accused the GOP of wasting the House’s time.ObamaCare’s implementation is expected to be a major issue in next year’s midterm elections, and some Democrats have expressed worries that the law and its implementation problems could be a problem for their party.

The two Democrats who voted for repeal were part of a group of five Democrats who voted with Republicans in last year’s repeal vote. The other three are no longer in office — Reps. Dan Boren (Okla.), Larry Kissell (N.C.) and Mike Ross (Ark.).

The vote followed a two-hour debate in which Republicans said ObamaCare repeal is needed more than ever in light of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) scandal, since the IRS will play a key role in enforcing the law.

Bachmann implied the scandal shows the IRS cannot stay neutral on these issues, and said Americans should be worried about IRS enforcement of the health law.

“In light of the recent revelations that have just come out within this last week regarding the outrageous activities of the Internal Revenue Service pointed against the people of the United States, every American should be concerned about the negative consequences of this bill, ObamaCare,” Bachmann said.

“The Supreme Court has ruled that ObamaCare is in fact a tax. Knowing that it’s a tax, the logical conclusion is that the entity in the United States tasked with enforcing tax policy is the IRS.”

Read Full Article Here

Related articles
About these ads
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment

“I’m Not The Strapping Young Muslim Socialist I Used To Be” Pres Obama 2013 Correspondents Dinner

Filed under: Politics, Legislation and Economy News — Leave a comment
April 29, 2013
Related articles
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Comment

Internet sales tax embraced by no-tax Republicans

Filed under: Budget Cuts, Corruption, Economic News, Financial, Fiscal Irresponsibility, Fiscal irresponsibility, Government, Government Overreach, Greed, Hypocrisy, Internet News, Loot and Pillage, Politics, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Special Interests, Taxation — 1 Comment
April 25, 2013

April 25, 2013
cnsnews.com
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER, Associated Press

Online Sales Taxes

FILE – In this Oct. 18, 2010 file photo, an Amazon.com package is prepared for shipment by a United Parcel Service (UPS) driver in Palo Alto, Calif. States could force Internet retailers to collect sales taxes under a bill that overwhelmingly passed a test vote in the Senate Monday, April 22, 2013. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — You don’t see this very often: a majority of Senate Republicans voting to make people who buy stuff on the Internet pay state and local sales taxes.

Anti-tax guru Grover Norquist isn’t happy about it and the conservative Heritage Foundation is questioning the senators’ conservative credentials. But the issue of taxing Internet sales is getting strong support from Republicans and Democrats alike.

The Senate could vote as early as Thursday on a bill to empower states to require online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. Under the bill, the sales taxes would be sent to the states where a shopper lives.

On Wednesday, the bill passed a test vote in the Senate, 74 to 23, with 27 Republicans voting in favor. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., vowed to pass the bill this week, before senators leave for a scheduled vacation.

“This is a matter of equity and fairness,” said South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, a Republican. “The same people who are selling the same products should be paying the same taxes.”

Under current law, states can only require stores to collect sales taxes if the store has a physical presence in the state. As a result, many online sales are essentially tax-free, giving Internet retailers an advantage over brick-and-mortar stores.

It is part of GOP orthodoxy to oppose higher taxes, a central issue that divides Democrats and Republicans. That’s why the bill faces an uncertain fate in the House, where some Republicans regard it as a tax increase.

But supporters of the bill insist it is not a tax increase. Instead, they say, the bill merely provides states with a mechanism to enforce current taxes.

“This bill has nothing to do with imposing any kind of new tax or revenue generator,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. “What this law does is allow states that already have laws on the books to carry out the implementation of those” laws.

Read Full Article Here

************************************************************************************************************

10 Reasons Even Democrats Oppose the Internet Sales Tax

Published on Apr 24, 2013

Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Max Baucus (D-MT) explain why the Internet sales tax bill, known as the Marketplace Fairness Act, is bad for America.

********************************************************************************************************

Related articles
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

GOP fast tracks bill to fortify ObamaCare’s high-risk pools

Filed under: Government, Healthcare, Legislation, Politics, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle, Rising Costs, Special Interests, State Sovereignty, Taxation — Leave a comment
April 16, 2013

photo obamacarelogo_zps3de31909.jpg

………………….

The Hill

By Elise Viebeck – 04/16/13 10:14 AM ET

House Republicans are moving quickly on a new bill to strengthen ObamaCare’s temporary insurance plan for people with pre-existing conditions.

The Helping Sick Americans Now Act (H.R. 1549) was introduced late Monday and is scheduled for a mark-up Wednesday in the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

The measure seeks to shore up the Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan (PCIP), a struggling program designed to offer insurance to vulnerable patients while the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented.The Obama administration announced earlier this year that it would suspend enrollment in the PCIP, citing cost concerns.

GOP lawmakers have since mounted a push to transfer money from the law’s public and preventive health fund — disparaged as a “slush” fund by Republicans — to reopen the PCIP’s enrollment.

The new measure follows a letter from House GOP leaders to President Obama asking him to make that move without congressional action.

Read Full Article Here

Related articles
Tags: , , , , , ,
Comment

A group of high-profile social conservatives warned Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus in a letter this week that their supporters could abandon the GOP if the party seeks to change its position on social issues, particularly same-sex marriage.

Filed under: History, Politics, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle — Leave a comment
April 10, 2013

Battle Between The GOP photo Battlebetweenthegop_zps68d06c95.jpg

Social conservatives warn Priebus they could abandon GOP

By Michael O’Brien, Political Reporter, NBC News

Thirteen social conservatives, representing various influential groups, wrote Priebus ahead of the RNC’s quarterly meeting this week in Los Angeles to sternly rebuke the conclusions of a post-election report that advised Republican elected officials to adopt a softer tone toward social issues.

“We respectfully warn GOP Leadership that an abandonment of its principles will necessarily result in the abandonment of our constituents to their support,” concludes the letter, which was obtained by and independently verified by NBC News in advance of the meeting this week.

The letter further asks GOP committeemen to pass a resolution at their meeting this week re-affirming the party’s 2012 national platform, which includes language calling for bans on abortion and same-sex marriage.

“Chairman Priebus agrees that we must stand up for our conservative principles while we work together to grow our party and win elections and has been traveling the country with that message,” said Kirsten Kukowski, an RNC spokeswoman. Furthermore, she said that a resolution re-affirming the platform was currently being drafted, and would likely win approval from the full RNC this Friday.

The Growth and Opportunity Project report, commissioned by Priebus in the wake of Republicans’ losses in last fall’s elections, offered a number of recommendations for the party to broaden its appeal and be more competitive in future national elections.

Among its recommendations were that Republican officials speak with a more welcoming tone on social issues, particularly abortion rights and gay rights, the latter of which the report said had become a “gateway” for whether young voters decide whether to identify as Republicans.

To that end, several high-profile Republicans have emerged in recent weeks (along with a slew of elected Democrats) to back marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples, including Sens. Rob Portman, Ohio, and Mark Kirk, Ill.

Much of the conservatives’ letter to Priebus stresses the issue of gay rights, and challenges the logic of the Growth and Opportunity Project’s advice to broaden the party’s appeal. Holding the line against same-sex marriage, the letter argues, would allow Republicans to make better inroads, for instance, into more traditionally-minded corners of the African American community.

Read Full Article Here

Related articles
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment

Senator Lindsey Graham Questioned on Drones

Filed under: Black Ops, bureaucracy, Complacency / Apathy, Conspiracy Theories, Corruption, crime, Depravity, Excessive Use Of Force, False Flag, Fraud, Freedom, Fundamental Rights, Government, Government Overreach, Greed, Harassment, History, Human Rights, Hypocrisy, Indoctrination, Invasion Of Privacy I, Irrational Violence, Lack Of Transparency, Legislation, Loot and Pillage, Politics, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle, Provocation / Incitement, Psy - Ops, Rule Of Law, Secrecy, Security, Special Interests, The American Constitution, Unethical, Unmanned Drones, War Crimes, War on terror, Wars and Rumors of War — Leave a comment
March 18, 2013

wearechangewearechange

Published on Mar 18, 2013

At CPAC 2013, WeAreChange questioned Senator Lindsey Graham on Obama’s Disposition Matrix (kill list) and the ability to use drone strikes on American citizens.

********************************************************************************

Senator Graham Justifies Murdering Americans, Military Law, and Drone War with Eric Holder 3/6/13

ArizonaSean

Published on Mar 7, 2013

Read the information at the link below and join the Stop NDAA 2012 group:
https://www.facebook.com/events/20512…

NDAA 2012 (H.R. 1540) allows Americans to be classified as unlawful enemy combatants and indefinitely detained by the military, without access to an attorney or a trial by jury, on orders of the executive branch. Amendments to exclude American citizens were rejected by the Obama administration and senate vote (See numerous links below).

Our Congressmen have declared that America is part of the battlefield. As such, President Obama and congress believe the laws of war apply to us. The last time America was declared a military zone President Roosevelt authorized the internment of Americans with Executive Order 9066, issued February 19, 1942.

Sections 1021 and 1022 of the NDAA 2012 allow the indefinite military detention of Americans without due process. Congress needs to repeal sections 1021 and 1022. Call your congressmen today – contact and voting information below.

NDAA 2012 is unconstitutional. Sections 1021 and 1022 repeal the 1st,4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 14th amendments to the Constitution. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land and declares our right to due process. No law can supersede it. We have a right to our day in court with a jury of our peers.

U.S. Constitution Article III Section 2

The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury; and such trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes shall have been committed.

From Oath Keepers:

We will NOT obey any order to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to trial by military tribunal.

One of the causes of the American Revolution was the denial of the right to jury trial, the use of admiralty courts (military tribunals) instead, and the application of the laws of war to the colonists. After that experience, and being well aware of the infamous Star Chamber in English history, the Founders ensured that the international laws of war would apply only to foreign enemies, not to the American people. Thus, the Article III Treason Clause establishes the only constitutional form of trial for an American, not serving in the military, who is accused of making war on his own nation. Such a trial for treason must be before a civilian jury, not a tribunal.

The international laws of war do not trump our Bill of Rights. We reject as illegitimate any such claimed power, as did the Supreme Court in Ex Parte Milligan (1865). Any attempt to apply the laws of war to American civilians, under any pretext, such as against domestic “militia” groups the government brands “domestic terrorists,” is an act of war and an act of treason.

http://oathkeepers.org/oath/2009/03/0…

Our Declaration of Independence also states our right to trial by jury.

Senator Graham said that America is part of the battlefield, and as such, Americans can be captured, interrogated, and killed with no due process. Senators Graham, Kyl, and McCain say the laws of war (military law) apply to us.

The senators argue the 2001 AUMF is in accordance with 1971 Non-Detention Act and allows Americans to be detained indefinitely without access to an attorney.

Non – Detention Act 1971:

No citizen shall be imprisoned or otherwise detained by the United States except pursuant to an Act of Congress

The senators say the act of congress that allows us to be detained indefinitely is the AUMF 2001. So, no, the paragraph below from NDAA 2012 Section 1021 (d) does not protect you. We are talking about the laws of war applied to American citizens, not criminal law, which includes due process. You can now be considered an unlawful enemy combatant.

(d) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section is in
tended to limit or expand the authority of the President
or the scope of the Authorization for Use of Military
Force.

Senator Kyl on the section D amendment:

Unfortunately, on December 1, when the defense bill was considered on the Senate floor, an amendment was approved that added language providing that the bill does not expand or contract “existing law or authorities.” I opposed this meaningless amendment.

http://files.meetup.com/1275333/Lette…

Senator Graham: Under domestic criminal law, we can’t hold someone indefinitely.The only way to do that legally is under the law of war.

http://files.meetup.com/1275333/Senat…

Senator Kyl – I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a statement that makes very clear where military detention is necessary: to allow intelligence gathering that will prevent future terrorist attacks against the American people.

********************************************************************************

US senator says 4,700 killed in drone strikes

Revelation by Lindsey Graham marks the first time any US official has given a number

for drone fatalities.

Last Modified: 21 Feb 2013 12:06

Graham’s office insisted that the senator did not disclose any classified information [EPA]
A US senator has said that an estimated 4,700 people have been killed in America’s secretivedrone war, the first time a government official has offered a total number of fatalities caused

by nearly a decade of drone strikes, local media reported.Republican senator Lindsey Graham,

a staunch supporter of the drone raids, revealed the figure in a speech on Wednesday in his home

state of South Carolina.

“We’ve killed 4,700,” Graham was quoted as saying by the Easley Patch, a local website covering

the small town of Easley. ”Sometimes you hit innocent people, and I hate that, but we’re at war,

and we’ve taken out some very senior members of al-Qaeda,” he told the local Rotary Club.

Graham’s office did not dispute his reported remarks, but said that he had not divulged any

classified information.

A spokesman told the AFP news agency that the senator “quoted the figure that has been

publicly

reported and disseminated on cable news.”

US officials have sometimes hinted at estimates of civilian casualties, but never referred to an

actual

total body count.

“Now this is the first time a US official has put a total number on it,” said Micah Zenko, a fellow

at the Council on Foreign Relations.

‘Tactical weapon’

If there was an official death toll estimate, it would be classified as secret, he added, raising the

prospect that Graham could have broken secrecy laws.

Several organizations have tried to calculate how many militants and civilians may have been

killed in

drone strikes since 2004 but have arrived at a wide range of numbers.

The figure cited by Graham matches the high end of a tally by the London-based Bureau of

Investigative Journalism. It says the number killed in drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen and

Somalia is between 3,072 and 4,756.

The Washington-based New America Foundation says there have been 350 US drone strikes

since 2004, most of them during Barack Obama’s presidency. And the foundation estimates the

death toll at between 1,963 and 3,293, with 261 to 305 civilians killed.

US intelligence agencies and the White House have refused to divulge details about the strikes,

which are officially termed classified, but officials have suggested that few if any civilians have

been killed inadvertently.

In confirmation hearings this month for John Brennan, Obama’s nominee to lead the CIA, senator

Dianne Feinstein said she understood that the number of civilians killed was in the “single digits.”

Despite criticism from lawmakers and rights advocates who have questioned the secrecy and the

legality of the drone attacks, Graham defended Obama’s reliance on the unmanned, robotic aircraft.

“It’s a weapon that needs to be used,” Graham said. “It’s a tactical weapon. A drone is an unmanned

aerial vehicle that is now armed.”

The Obama administration has insisted the “targeted killings” are “a last resort” against those plotting

to attack the United States but who cannot be captured.

Opponents, however, say drone strikes amount to extrajudicial assassinations that sow resentment

among local populations and lack oversight by Congress or courts.

*************************************************************************

Correct  me  if  I am  wrong  Mr Graham, however , I  believe that we  had only

ONE  Commander  in Chief  in 2001  as  well……

**************************************************************************

Cheney Admits that He Lied about 9/11

Created on Friday, 08 March 2013 18:45

 

What Else Did He Lie About?

The New York Times

In a documentary soon to appear on Showtime, “The World According to Dick Cheney,”

[Cheney said]  “I got on the telephone with the president, who was in Florida, and told him

not to be at one location where we could both be taken out.” Mr. Cheney kept W. flying

aimlessly in the air on 9/11 while he and Lynn left on a helicopter for a secure undisclosed

location, leaving Washington in a bleak, scared silence, with no one reassuring the nation in

those first terrifying hours.

“I gave the instructions that we’d authorize our pilots to take it out,” he says, referring to

the jet headed to Washington that crashed in a Pennsylvania field. He adds: “After I’d given

the order, it was pretty quiet. Everybody had heard it, and it was obviously a significant moment.”

When they testified together before the 9/11 Commission, W. and Mr. Cheney kept up a pretense

 that in a previous call, the president had authorized the vice president to give a shoot-down

order if needed. But the commission found “no documentary evidence for this call.”

In other words, Cheney pretended that Bush had authorized a shoot-down order, but Cheney

now admits that he never did … and Cheney acted as if he was the president on 9/11.

Cheney lied about numerous other facts related to 9/11 as well.  For example, Cheney:….

Read  Full Post  Here

*************************************************************************

********************************************************************************

USA Has A History Of Attacking Themselves To Go To War!

RevolutionNewzRevolutionNewz

…

Uploaded on Feb 3, 2010

http://www.RevolutionNews.us — This film exposes how every major war in US history was based on a complete fraud with video of insiders themselves admitting it. Battleship Maine, Sinking of the Lusitania, Pearl Harbor, Gulf of Tonkin, USS Liberty (not covered in this clip), 911 … The film is “The New American Century”.

be sure to watch this video as well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aepfsJ…

This film goes in detail through the untold history of The Project for the New American Century with tons of archival footage and connects it right into the present.

This film exposes how every major war in US history was based on a complete fraud with video of insiders themselves admitting it. This film shows how the first film theaters in the US were used over a hundred years ago to broadcast propaganda to rile the American people into the Spanish-American War.

This film shows the white papers of the oil company Unocal which called for the creation of a pipeline through Afghanistan and how their exact needs were fulfilled through the US invasion of Afghanistan. This film shows how Halliburton under their “cost plus” exclusive contract with the US Government went on a mad dash spending spree akin to something out of the movie Brewster’s Millions, yet instead of blowing $30 million they blew through BILLIONS by literally burning millions of dollars worth of hundred thousand dollar cars and trucks if they had so much as a flat tire.

“A stunning film. It should be seen as widely as possible, in cinemas, bars, clubs, at meetings and, of course, through the internet. I’m sure the film will continue to be a source of debate and political education for many years.

Maybe until the war criminals have been brought to trial.” – Ken Loach

While Massimo Mazzuccos first political documentary, GLOBAL DECEIT (2006), focused on the long list of inconsistencies in the official version of the 9/11 attacks, THE NEW AMERICAN CENTURY explores the historical, philosophical and economic background that suggests a matrix for such events that is much closer to home than the so-called “Islamic terrorism”.

The film provides solid evidence for the true reasons behind the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, whose unfolding is described in chilling detail in a document called “Project for the New American Century”, published in the year 2,000, that seems to have served as the actual blueprint for such dramatic events.

Watch the entire film:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?doc…

….

The Lusitania – Pretext for WW1
Pearl Harbour – Pretext for WW2
Gulf of Tonkin – Pretext for Vietnam War
USS Liberty – Israeli attack on USS Liberty – Pretext to bring the USA into Israel’s war with Egypt (Fail) resulting in 34 unnecessary US deaths and 141 casualties
9/11 Pretext for war with Iraq and Afghanistan
What’s next? USS Enterprise as a pretext for war? USA + Israel vs Iran + Russia + China? India vs Pakistan?
All the above with the exception of the USS Enterprise (as yet) have been false flag or attacks with foreknowledge used as pretexts for war with the exception of the USS Enterprise. This is how the USA gain public support for war with countries that have never posed a threat to America.

Iran haven’t acted as the aggressor with any country for over 200 years so why would they start now? But the USA and Israel’s war drums are beating.

When are America and Israel going to cease their endless aggression with the rest of the world? Even when they are not physically warmongering they are still quite happy bankrupting nations with their worthless fiat currency. Concerns about the soundness of U.S. credit and financial markets in 2008 led to tightening credit around the world and slowing economic growth in the U.S. and Europe.

********************************************************************************

Internment of Americans of Japanese Descent during WWII

Heather Wokusch

Uploaded on Nov 26, 2011

Over 100,000 Japanese Americans were put into “internment camps” during WWII, a crucial yet often overlooked part of US history. We are joined by Madeleine Sugimoto, whose family was sent to Camp Jerome; this segment also features the paintings of her father, Henry Y. Sugimoto, documenting life inside the camps. From “The Broader Implications of War,” a series directed and co-produced by Gloria Messer for the Manhattan Neighborhood Network. Host and co-producer: Heather Wokusch.

********************************************************************************

Third Reich Began Persecutions
Years Before Laws Enacted in 1935

The Nuremberg Laws made official the Nazi persecution of the Jews, but the “legal” attack on the Jews actually began two years earlier.

After the Nazis took power in Germany in 1933, they became increasingly engaged in activities involving the persecution of the Jewish and other minority populations. They did it under the color of law, using official decrees as a weapon against the Jews.

In 1933 Jews were denied the right to hold public office or civil service positions; Jewish immigrants were denaturalized; Jews were denied employment by the press and radio; and Jews were excluded from farming. The following year, Jews were excluded from stock exchanges and stock brokerage.

During these years, when the Nazi regime was still rather shaky and the Nazis feared opposition from within and resistance from without, they did nothing drastic, and the first measures appeared, in relative terms, rather mild.

After Germany publicly announced in May 1935 its rearmament in violation of the Versailles Treaty, Nazi party radicals began more forcibly demanding that Hitler, the party, and the government take more drastic measures against the Jews. They wanted to completely segregate them from the social, political, and economic life of Germany. These demands increased as the summer progressed.

On August 20, 1935, the U.S. embassy in Berlin reported to the secretary of state:

To sum up the Jewish situation at the moment, it may be said that the whole movement of the Party is one of preparing itself and the people for general drastic and so-called legal action to be announced in the near future probably following the Party Congress to be held in Nuremberg beginning on September 10th. One has only to review the statements made by important leaders since the end of the Party’s summer solstice to realize the trend of affairs.

Read Full Report  Here

Related articles
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Comment

McCain, Graham assail Rand Paul on targeted killings policy…. Really Now??

Filed under: Corruption, Freedom of Information, Government, Human Rights, Hypocrisy, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle, Secrecy, Special Interests, Unethical, Unmanned Drones, War on terror — 1 Comment
March 7, 2013

****You  know  it  makes  one  wonder  what the  heck  these Politicians  are  thinking when they  say things  like this.  Please bear  in  mind  I am  no Rand Paul fan.  However,  Rand Paul only  vocalized the  question on  some  Americans  minds.  Judging  from the  total  disregard for  liberties  here at  home  and   complete  contempt  for the  value of  human life  abroad.  Add to it  the  NDAA, the  Patriot Act,   the lies, the   subterfuge as well as  the  petulance  coming  from the  Administration.    I fail to see how being  concerned  for the  safety  of  fellow  Americans could  be  considered offensive?  Or is  it  only  inoffensive  when  it is  the  life  or livelihood of a  politician  that  is the concern?  I  suppose the  rest  of  us  must worry in  silence  for  fear  of  offending  the Republicans  busy   schmoozing with  the President,  hmmmm?  Very Interesting how the  head  of  hypocrisy  seems to  be  rearing  it’s ugly  head.  Or so it  seems to me . 

As  far as  I  can tell it is  because  of   Rand  Paul and  his   filibuster that the  American  People  finally  have  an  answer  to a   question that  has  been  asked  many  times over the  last  few  months  and the  Administration was  too busy  hemming  and  hawing  to  give a  straight  answer.  Why was it  so  difficult  to  say?  Seems  they  don’t like  being  questioned.  My response to that  is  TOUGH!   I think it is  about  time someone said  enough  and  demanded  an  answer to a  question  on most  peoples  mind.  Those  who don’t like  it  may  want  to  consider the  fact that  to play tug – of – war it is  necessary to be there  on the same  level  as  the  rest  of the players.  Not  to mention  play  by the  same  rules.  I personally hope  this is  a  sign  of things  to come.  We  need  some  backbone  on  Capitol Hill.  It  has  been  filled  with yellow bellies  and  spineless jellyfish  for  far too long…….~Desert Rose~ ******

********************************************************************************

By Tom Curry, National Affairs Writer, NBC News

Highlighting the discord among Republicans over President Barack Obama’s targeted killings policy, two prominent GOP senators, John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, took to the Senate floor to criticize Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s 12-hour filibuster Wednesday.

Gary Cameron / Reuters

Senators John McCain, R-Ariz., (L) and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. confer at the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington March 5, 2013.

Thirteen Republican senators – including Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell and the junior GOP senators from McCain’s and Graham’s home states — joined Paul during his filibuster to show their support for his demand that President Barack Obama explicitly say whether he thinks he has the authority to order the killing of a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil who was a noncombatant and posed no imminent threat of an attack.

Paul has delayed the confirmation of Obama’s CIA nominee John Brennan in order to dramatize his demand for an answer from Obama.

On Thursday Paul received a letter from Attorney General Eric Holder saying that the president does not have the authority “to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil.”

McCain said Thursday the Senate needed to conduct hearings and an in-depth debate on Obama’s targeted killings policy, “but that conversation should not be talking about drones killing Jane Fonda and people in cafes. It should be all about what authority and what checks and balances should exist” in order to combat “an enemy that we know will be with us for a long time.”

Sen. John McCain voices criticism toward fellow Republican Senator Rand Paul for indicating that it was possible for the government to attack an American cafe with a drone strike.

In his filibuster Paul had approvingly quoted an article by National Review writer Kevin Williamson which said, “As satisfying as putting Jane Fonda on a kill list might have been, I don’t think our understanding of the law would have approved such a thing even though she did give communist aid to the aggressor in Vietnam (in the 1970s).”

While Paul was conducting his filibuster, McCain and Graham were among a group of Republican senators having dinner with Obama at a Washington, D.C. hotel.

Graham scoffed at Paul’s question about whether Obama thinks he has the authority to kill a noncombatant American citizen on U.S. soil.

“I find the question offensive,” Graham said Thursday on the Senate floor. “As much I disagree with President Obama and as much as I support past presidents, I do not believe that question deserves an answer.” Paul’s question, the South Carolina Republican said, “cheapens the debate.”

Graham said flatly that Obama would not use a drone against a noncombatant sitting in a café somewhere in the United States.

Read Full Article Here

********************************************************************************

Related articles
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment

Austerity USA Begins March 1st: Bipartisan Project to Impoverish the American People

Filed under: American National Debt, Austerity, Budget Cuts, bureaucracy, Corruption, Economic News, Elitist Privilege, Financial, Fiscal Irresponsibility, Fiscal irresponsibility, Government, Government Overreach, Greed, History, Hypocrisy, Ineptitude, Jobs, Lack Of Transparency, Loot and Pillage, Politics, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Psy - Ops, Rising Costs, Security, Special Interests — Leave a comment
February 28, 2013
Global Research, February 25, 2013

 

U.S. politicians have cried wolf over austerity long enough for the public to ignore them. A perfect time, then, for politicians to actually unleash the wolves. Barring an unlikely last minute deal, here’s a short list of some of the massive, national bi-partisan-created austerity cuts, according to the New York Times: 

-600,000 food stamp recipients will be cut from the program

-Massive education cuts. According to President Obama:

“Once these cuts take effect thousands of teachers and educators will be laid off and tens of thousands of parents will have to scramble to find child care for their kids. ”

-12 billion in Medicare cuts (more to come after 2013)

-Millions receiving unemployment will see their checks cut by 11% (an average of 132 a month)

-Federal funds to state governments will be cut, creating even more deficits for states and municipalities, and thus more localized cuts (the states have already made austerity cuts of $337 billion!)

Also, 700,000 jobs are expected to be loss, while 70,000 kids are also expected to be kicked off of Head Start

And this is just for 2013. The current plan for the austerity “sequester” cuts is $100 billion of federal cuts every year for ten years, equaling massive cuts to jobs, Medicare, education, and completely destroying federally funded social programs.

Will it actually happen this time? The New York Times reports: 

“In private, Capitol Hill staff members and members of Congress have admitted that there are no viable plans on the horizon to delay or offset the cuts.”

The finger pointing in Washington, D.C. has already reached a crescendo, with the perverted logic being that, if both parties are to blame, it’s really no one’s fault. In reality Democrats and Republicans created these “sequester” cuts, and they can just as easily undo them with a snap of the finger.Both parties are choosing not to delete the cuts. They just don’t want political responsibility for the fallout, which many economists have predicted will push the U.S. economy over the edge into official recession.

Obama has predictably blamed the Republicans for this mess, even though he personally began this process by creating the “deficit reduction commission” that helped shape the cuts (keep in mind there is zero debt crisis that calls for such drastic measures).

Obama could also just as easily appeal to the American public —over the heads of congressmen — to demand that the cuts be shelved forever. Instead, he’s proposing a “grand bargain” deal that he knows the Republicans won’t go for.

- See more at: http://www.globalresearch.ca/austerity-usa-begins-march-1st-bipartisan-project-to-impoverish-the-american-people/5324180#sthash.wiXrlRPe.dpuf

Related articles
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment

We care: Cantor wants to give GOP a ‘makeover’, change the message

Filed under: Extreme Political Correctness, Fraud, Government, Hypocrisy, Politics, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Power Struggle, Psy - Ops, Special Interests — Leave a comment
February 5, 2013

By Deirdre Walsh, CNN Senior Congressional Producer
updated 6:40 PM EST, Mon February 4, 2013
CNN Politics

Washington (CNN) — House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is giving the Republican party a message makeover.

In a sharp departure from the GOP’s emphasis on slashing federal spending, bringing down the deficit and moving legislation to assist the “job creators,” the No. 2 House Republican is rolling out a more personal appeal in a speech on Tuesday with an agenda to “make life work.”

Cantor is hoping to put last year’s bruising fiscal battles that pit House Republicans against President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats behind and turn the page to a new approach that demonstrates the GOP cares about problems Americans confront in their daily lives.

The speech comes one week before Obama is expected to outline his second term agenda in the State of the Union address.

According to prepared remarks released by Cantor’s office on Monday, the majority leader will highlight four main areas – education, health care, job growth, and innovation.

“Our solutions will be based on the conservative principles of self reliance, faith in the individual, trust in the family, and accountability in government,” Cantor is expected to say in his speech to the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.

Cantor’s tone and the substance of his speech are a departure from previous major speeches he’s delivered that centered on helping small businesses expand the economy.

“He’s going to be talking about bread and butter issues — from one parent to another,” a senior Cantor aide familiar with the speech told CNN.

But Cantor’s office stressed that these policy proposals are not in lieu of the House Republican’s goal of enacting major spending cuts and reducing the nation’s deficit.

They are meant to compliment that focus and show that the GOP understands the challenges of families, not just businesses.

This aide said this message focuses on those areas Republicans believe should be given a priority and where the federal government has a role.

Some of the proposals include items that the GOP-led House has already tackled in legislation in the last Congress, including an immigration bill for so-called “STEM” visas that would allow students born outside the United States who are enrolled in American universities studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to stay after they graduate and get jobs with U.S. companies.

 

Read Full Article Here

Related articles
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment

Senate GOP probes Treasury pick Lew’s failure to comply with Medicare law

Filed under: bureaucracy, Economic News, Fiscal Irresponsibility, Freedom of Information, Government, Healthcare, History, Politics, Legislation and Economy News, Taxation — Leave a comment
February 5, 2013
By Pete Kasperowicz – 02/04/13 12:01 AM ET
The Hill

Senate Republicans are demanding the administration hand over all documents related to Jack Lew’s failure, when he was head of the Office of Management and Budget, to comply with a law aimed at ensuring Medicare’s solvency.

The demand, led by Senate Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), is the latest sign the GOP may be intent on building a case against Lew, who was tapped by President Obama earlier this month to replace Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. Lew has served most recently as Obama’s chief of staff.

Most GOP senators haven’t said how they would vote, but those who have are expressing reservations about Lew, who irritated Republicans during last summer’s debt talks. Sessions has said Lew “must never” be Treasury secretary and has criticized the former top Obama aide for submitting budgets that failed to receive any votes in Congress.

Sessions has also accused Lew of misrepresenting Obama’s 2012 budget by saying that it would not add to the debt, a claim the Alabama senator pegged as the “greatest financial misrepresentation in history.”

A Senate GOP aide said Lew’s failure to comply with the Medicare law could stiffen opposition to Lew even further. This aide said there is a “growing sense” among Republicans that unless the administration adheres to this law, Obama will not find it easy to move Lew’s nomination along.

Under current law, the president must submit a legislative proposal to Congress that resolves Medicare funding issues whenever the Medicare Trustees release a warning that the program is in financial trouble.

 

Read Full Article Here

Related articles
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 709 other followers