Tag Archives: United States Congress

making Monday &some News


Unless you live under a rock, much has happened in the news lately. While “the media” continues its quest for more info about OBL or have decided to put that special Media spin on the OBL story most seem to be having on and off camera tantrums. There are few reports on what Republicans Governors are doing, flooding in the South,Vermont’s quest for Single Payer, abortion, that family values platform, more oil spill news, Marches against discrimination and legislation that take away rights from our fellow Americans seemingly all led by Republicans are getting promoted on shows like fox and definitely take over real valuable news time. I am offended by and somewhat curious to know what the people from Right Wing Media tell family, friends and neighbors or others with diverse backgrounds that they know or kids know about the offensive platform and racist positions they push to millions. I do not understand allowing racism, discrimination and or lack of tolerance be a part of the news spot, segment unless of course the agency is private and then why would we subscribe to allowing a private entity promote discrimination, fear monger advocate or campaign for people who are racists or who fear the unknown. I wonder just how these people played or worked with others in school and were they mostly in private school or had vouchers.

Congress is back in Session with plenty to do and plenty of complaints about another recession or worse only a month ago or as talking heads and Republicans refer to it as a double dip. The fact is things look better than even “the Media” will allow us all to hear. The weekend panel shows swiped past the number of jobs gained by the private sector so quickly it seemed like bad news. Yes, the unemployment rate went up and just so, folks know … that was because more people jumped into the fray of looking for work again and unfortunately the Republican effort to squash Public Service jobs is succeeding . However, it is obvious that most if not all the JOBs BS could be avoided if folks in Congress would just work for the best interest of the people instead of what will keep them employed on the Hill. We all know Republicans voted against the unemployed, women, gays, children, first responders, people of colour and every social service that should be handled by our government or at the very least reformed to work better or is moved into the 21st Century. There are many, mostly those in “the media” who feel the vote for President Obama hangs on the employment numbers. I have to disagree with the idea that using polls and or jobs numbers to decide President Obama’s fate are legitimate. However, if you are having issues deciding whom to vote for President in 2012, which is odd because it seems obvious no one on the right is doing a thing to help we the people. I say use your vote for President Obama in 2012 to voice and or say how those NO votes made our Teachers, Police, First Responders and 99ers feel and vote out Republicans.

The party of no is living on borrowed time as more and more constituents probably have family, friends and neighbors directly affected or are now experiencing hard times with Republicans putting Profits before the People. It is hard to believe Republicans still think the outcome of the November midterms is still valid and unless they turned off their hearing aids, those comments and challenges from their constituents should put some fear into their moves between now and the 2012 elections. I can only hope that voters will continue to seek the truth, question and challenge what words Republicans seem to be leaving out of their speeches, seminars, and or town halls. If more people would just stop and listen more people would definitely see the light and stop supporting and or putting up with the Republican Tea Party lies let alone side with Wall Street waging a war on Main Street and those on The Street looking for work who might not have money but definitely have a vote .

Yes, the public is finally noticing the verbal conflicts, manipulation, and avoidance, lack of facts and truths having started calling out Republicans during that long break at town halls. It is upon us all to continue the push for more accurate information more truths to get the rest of those doubters to lean left.

Other News

 **Floods in Mississippi , Missouri

**Vermont continues it quest for Single Payer -insurance

CTV.ca

Hundreds Reported Arrested as Syria’s Crackdown Widens

Paula Abdul Joins Simon Cowell’s ‘X Factor’ as Judge – It’s Official

$2B for rail projects, speed upgrades announced

Newt Gingrich to launch presidential bid Wednesday

Yemen Security Forces Kill Two Protesters

EGYPT: Religious conflict becomes the revolution’s biggest enemy

CSPAN

U.S.-China Meet on Strategic and Economic Issues

http://c-span.org/Events/US-China-Meet-on-Strategic-and-Economic-Issues/10737421393/

Oil, Gas Prices and Budget Debate in Congress This Week

http://c-span.org/Events/Oil-Gas-Prices-and-Budget-Debate-in-Congress-This-Week/10737421391/

Tea Party Activists Take on GOP on Deficit

Address need for leadership http://c-span.org/Events/Tea-Party-Activists-Take-on-GOP-on-Deficit/10737421394/

Joel Lane was born in the colony of North Carolina in 1739 and lived there till his death in 1795. He was involved in North Carolina’s transition from colony to state and with Raleigh being chosen as the state’s capital.

http://c-span.org/Events/Joel-Lane-and-His-Slaves/10737421319/

Republicans continue to choose -Anti-Choice Legislation


Last night House Republicans voted in favor of an appalling piece of anti-choice legislation that could force victims or rape and incest to relive their trauma during an IRS audit and deny millions of American women access to life-saving reproductive health care.

http://www.dccc.org/page/m/1d63cab1/1b9dd8ab/4a3ad271/4e0ce84b/3136141357/VEsE/

Their assault on women has nothing to do with saving money and everything to do with forcing extremist beliefs into the tax code of the United States of America.

And they didn’t stop there. They used the occasion to sneak in a provision restricting the definition of rape to deny victims access to reproductive health care — even after they claimed to have removed the language in the face of overwhelming public opposition.

We must take immediate, decisive action against this attack on women’s health and reproductive freedom.

Help us hold House Republicans accountable: Contribute $3 or more right now so we can get hard-hitting Rapid Response ads up holding Republican extremists in Congress accountable for their radical assault on women’s health care and reproductive freedom.

Republicans’ H.R. 3 bill would drastically restrict women’s options for reproductive services by imposing burdensome new regulations on public and private insurance coverage. If made law, women would be denied using money from their personal health savings accounts to pay for abortion services.

I know how important it is for all women to have access to reproductive health care and it is unconscionable that one party would hold women’s health hostage and use the tax code as a moral club to force their religious beliefs on every American.

We are just $27,215 short of our emergency Rapid Response goal of $100,000 by Midnight Tonight to fight this Republican extremism.

http://www.dccc.org/page/m/1d63cab1/1b9dd8ab/4a3ad271/4e0ce84b/3136141357/VEsE/

Help us hold House Republicans accountable: Contribute $3 or more right now so we can get hard-hitting Rapid Response ads up holding Republican extremists in Congress accountable for their radical assault on women’s health care and reproductive freedom.

With your help, we will stand up to this extremism and protect women’s reproductive freedom.

Thank you.

Rep. Jackie Speier

P.S. House Republicans will stop at nothing to appease their extremist anti-choice Tea Party backers. Please contribute right now so Democrats can get hard-hitting Rapid Response ads up to hold the extremists in Congress accountable for their radical assault on women’s health care and reproductive freedom.

Monday mashup &some News …


So, two weeks without both Chambers of Congress doing the Peoples Business makes me a little unsettled. I wonder what all of us political junkies will do, the weather is very cold here, definitely not spring like and gotta say it makes me think about and I wonder how many left of center members of Congress will support the President’s Budget on camera given what happened last week on the Floors of Congress. I hear some say that they support this President but I have to say the silence from most left of center members of Congress two years ago was and still is a bit much for me as a voter who definitely will vote for Barack Obama in 2012. 

How a Bill Becomes a Law <<

When performing legislative research, it is important to understand the legislative process. The numerous steps that result in a bill becoming a law are described in this 24th edition of “How Our Laws Are Made.”

Failed Promises ?

my take on failed promises? or change to or redirection of promises?

i would say the day the system crashed was the day we all should have hit the re-set button to any campaign pledges that may need a new process to achieve a positive outcome.

Community Organizer and young Senator Obama watched from the side lines, watching, hearing and knowing the status quo had to change; no financial crisis to speak of but things probably were not as they should be so Presidential Candidate Obama had an agenda for America. It is possible some financial issues are brewing, the house of Bush was focused on the surplus, waging a couple of Wars and giving out tax breaks to what I would say were his friends at least two times.

If we compare and contrast what Bush did to what Candidate for President Obama did, he ideas, his values and visions for America not only seemed far ahead of the Republican Administration but Barack Obama’s other competitors as well. To be sure it is obvious that Barack Obama knew what he wanted to do which included changing the way things are done on the Capitol Hill, Congress. We all know that change takes a while maybe positive change takes years and so does co-operation and as months went by there are more rumblings of financial problems. As more rumors came out about a financial issue some candidates stayed quiet some said our economy was fundamentally strong while others seemed to lose it as more private meetings with candidates became the norm. The political competition, cableheads and or negative noise about candidate Barack Obama started grew stronger. face a lot of criticism from not just the Republican Party but from people from our own party putting out doubt about where he was born, was he an American and did he pal around with terrorists or those questions about his ability to bring in the vote of not only women but white women and men. As all these political debates happen the race card gets pulled out by some if not all candidates who say they want to represent all Americans. As the weeks pass more information about how bad things were started to come out and like everyone else we all started to notice that there were a lot of layoffs happening on a weekly and or monthly basis. I remember the news coverage of employees coming from corporate America companies crying and or leaving the building with boxes or their belongings. While the media dissed candidate Obama, talked about Bush being less available and McCain tells Americans that our economy is still sound and strong though it is clear by his behavior the news is bad. It is also obvious Hillary Clinton opts to say little; seemingly in such shock herself and quite rattled about the financial news of an impending Wall Street crash. It was at that moment that I along with a whole lot of other folks came to believe Hillary did not have what it takes to handle that 3am call not to mention she was engaging in some of that race card nonsense the Republicans were fully engaged in. In my opinion the fact that she even went there was offensive as a democratic candidate for President of the US of A.

In just months before Americans had to vote for President of the United States the House of Bush slowly opened the doors of pain. I believe Americans figured it out themselves long before Bush decided to come clean what with friends, relatives and or neighbors with homes suddenly leaving the area and neighborhoods were definitely emptied and the question that still haunts me is; why did they wait until the next administration was about to be put into place?

Other News …

**Storms in NC kill

**Last day for Taxes

**Japanese voters

**Japanese voters call for prime minister Naoto Kan to step down

**Libyan Rebels Battle Qaddafi Forces as Migrants Flee Misrata

**French minister under ‘attack from Taliban’

**Many dead after Nigerian election protests

**Inflation in China Poses Big Threat to Global Trade

**Libyan forces shell Misrata, 17 killed: rebels

CSPAN

Pakistan Foreign Minister on U.S.-Pakistan Relationshttp://c-span.org/Events/Pakistan-Foreign-Minister-on-US-Pakistan-Relations/10737420948/

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A Look at Offshore Drilling and Environmental Regulationshttp://c-span.org/Events/A-Look-at-Offshore-Drilling-and-Environmental-Regulations/10737420946/  

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Washington Journal Special Series: National Debt

 http://c-span.org/Events/Washington-Journal-Special-Series-National-Debt/10737420941/

Focus on Bi-partisan Fiscal Commission

There’s nothing courageous about it


For days, I’ve been reading in the press about the “courage” of a Republican budget proposal that abolishes Medicare to pay for more tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires and slashes investments in energy, education, and infrastructure.

On Wednesday, I heard President Obama say exactly what I’ve been thinking: There’s nothing courageous about it.

The Republicans are pledging to cut investments to clean energy by 70 percent, education by 25 percent, and transportation by 30 percent. Their plan would see as many as 50 million people lose their health insurance in order to reduce the deficit. Instead of creating jobs, they want to create $1 trillion in new tax breaks for the wealthy.

That’s not a brave vision for the future. It’s a rejection of the idea that there are brighter days ahead.

Today, the House of Representatives will meet to vote on the GOP budget proposal, and if they insist on pushing this plan forward — if they can’t come together with the President to find common ground — we’ll make sure their constituents know about it. If they choose to try to privatize Medicare, we will put ads on the air and organizers on the ground, and we’ll talk about this vote over and over again. We’ll make this stick.

But we need your help to do it.

www.democrats.com

This week, President Obama offered a path forward that I believe in: $4 trillion in deficit reduction; responsible investments to improve our schools, fix crumbling roads, and develop clean energy; and a total rejection of the notion that spending cuts must come on the backs of seniors and poor children.

He laid out a vision where we all make sacrifices, but none of us is left to bear the burden alone. And he offered a forceful, unapologetic response to those who don’t believe in the responsibility we all share to move our country forward together.

This isn’t just about this week’s vote or the latest shiny object to capture the attention of Washington for a news cycle or two. This is about the very future of this country and the direction we take.

We know that because the Republican plan hasn’t just been adopted by a few ideologues in Congress — it’s been embraced by the candidates who want to take President Obama’s job.

If we want to win this fight about the direction our country takes, then we must start now — as Congress considers the GOP proposal.

Can you chip in?

http://my.democrats.org/Medicare

Thanks,

Patrick

Patrick Gaspard

Executive Director

Democratic National Committee

a message from Joe Solmonese …Our enemies are relentless – we need your help


You can be a leader in helping us defend critical victories in the fight for equality. All it will take is 67 cents a day – less than the cost of a candy bar or a bottle of water.

An end to the hateful Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Critical protections for same-sex couples. Constant pressure on Congress – and unyielding work to secure lasting marriage equality in state after state.

Will you be one of the select few – the HRC Partners – who don’t just join these fights, but lead our movement to victory?

By midnight tonight, HRC needs 100 people like you to take their support to the next level with a monthly gift

Why give monthly?

www.hrc.org

•It’s easy on your budget, and it goes a long way. Most of us don’t think twice about keeping the lights on or the car insured – aren’t fundamental rights just as essential?

•The enemy is relentless, shameless, and animated by hatred. A Congress elected to tackle economic issues has set its sights on defending discrimination at any cost. It takes steady resources to fight back with national grassroots pressure, direct lobbying, public education programs, and hard-hitting media campaigns.

•Monthly giving is the right wing‘s bread and butter. We need to match our opponents – gift for gift, dollar for dollar. Or, to put it a finer point on it, for every 67 cents they pour in, we must do the same. These are the critical funds we use to counter right-wing lies and push back assaults on equality – all at a moment’s notice.

That’s why we need you to become an HRC Partner by midnight TONIGHT and claim your eco-friendly tote as a thank-you gift.

Now’s not the time to relent – we can’t afford to give one inch back to the radical right. Take the next step with us, and help us ensure we don’t.

Warmly,

Joe Solmonese

President