Thom's blog - Friday January 7th, 2011
By shawnt56
You need to know this. Republicans aren’t off to the best start in their reign as majority in the House of Representatives. To begin with – their promise to cut $100 billion in spending this year has already been whittled down to about $50 billion. Even that number may be hard to achieve, given that the Congressional Budget Office released a report yesterday saying the GOP’s healthcare repeal efforts will add $230 billion to the deficit. Republicans are pushing forward with the budget busting measure anyway. Republican Congressman Pete Sessions offered the motion to repeal Obamacare in the House Rules Committee – the only problem was – Sessions wasn’t officially a Member of Congress yet. He and Republican Mike Fitzpatrick missed the swearing in ceremony – instead choosing to attend a lobbyist fundraiser. The GOP leadership is now trying to find a way to resolve the issue. On top of all that – the Republicans were unsuccessful in their first pledge as the majority – to read the entire Constitution aloud on the House floor. First, they read an edited version. On top of that, one Republican accidently turned two pages at once – skipping two sections of the Constitution. After screwing that up – let’s just say the bar is set pretty low for GOP leadership over the next two years.
Comments
#2
I am troubled that the R's in Congress spit out the word "entitlement" as if they don't have any! Just look at the number of things they feel "entitled" to (beginning with their super-generous health care coverage provided by the taxpayers). What portion of the cost do they contribute to their health care? Do we know? Most of us have a deduction from our paychecks that goes toward our employer's cost for providing healthcare coverage. Poor people aren't the only ones who benefit from "entitlements". I, personally, feel that tax credits for the uber-weathly are an "entitlement". An entitlement is a benefit that is unearned, right? I don't think that just because a peson is able to purchase favorable legislation that a benefit has been "earned". I don't understand how the R's in Congress feel that Medicaid, Social Security Disability, Food Stamps, and unemployment beneifts are "unearned" by the working poor, or the disadvantaged/disabled citizens of this nation. Just don't get it.
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Thom have you ever asked a right-wing guest this question. "You say people need to be responsible for themselves when it came to buying a house, but when it comes to requiring that person to have health coverage you believe the government can not require them to be responsible for there own wellbeing. Going by your conflict on the areas of responsibility, it appears when it comes to healthcare it OK for a person to shun there responsibility and pass there burden onto those who chose to acquire healthcare coverage which cause responsible members of society to bare the burden of the irresponsible members". The only way I can relate to that type of mental gymnastics is to equate irresponsible members of our society with the Bank CEO's who believe we the tax payers are there servants who have to clean up there messes much like those created by a baby. I know the republicans say they have a big tent, it's a shame it's a used Barnum and Bailey one.