Sequester Misinformation 7.16.13

Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio on the sequester via the rechtsdreck‏ site Newmax:

We need to get serious about tackling our debt and growing our economy. Unless the President steps up to plate too, all of us — especially our children and grandchildren — will suffer from his political stunts that do nothing to put people back to work, solve our debt crisis or safeguard our national security.

The political stunt was Rubio and his ilk's refusal to raise the debt ceiling in July/August 2011, which led to the sequester compromise. Until then, raising the debt ceiling had been so routine that it had been done 74 times between 1962 and 2011, including 10 times between 2001 and then. Note: Raising the debt ceiling is not to be mistaken for increasing spending, but is simply a way for the government to pay its previously incurred bills.

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The Fox News [sic] Web site has removed its musings on the sequester improving the economy. There are some videos online where they have apparently broadcasted such a turn of truth on its head, but I haven't watched them.

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Georgia Republican Congressman Austin Scott claims he warned us about the sequester even though he voted against increasing the debt ceiling leading up to the sequester.

Bullsh*t Scandals Push Sequester Out of the News

Particularly on the national level, the Republican Party has been a crime organization masquerading as a political party since President Nixon and Watergate. Nixon had to resign because he ordered the break-in to the Watergate hotel in order to spy on the DNC. The Administration of President Reagan and then Vice-President Bush illegally sold weapons to Iran in what came to be known as the Iran-Contra Scandal, and 11 members of Reagan-Bush administration were convicted of crimes. President George H.W. Bush then shamelessly pardoned some of these criminals during his single term as president. In 2000 his son, George W. Bush, stole the presidential election and subsequently should have been impeached for numerous illicit activities. Hence, Republicans went after President Clinton and are now going after President Obama in order to try to make the playing field look level, when all the executive-level criminals has been Republican for the past 40 years.

Here is my summary of the so-called Obama scandals: 1. Benghazi--complete bullsh*t. It's sad 4 Americans died there, but this was through no fault of President Obama, and deaths overseas have been happening all too frequently since Bush's illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003. 2. IRS investigating Tea Party groups applying for tax exempt statuses: complete bullsh*t. Common sense should tell you that if a group hates the federal government and has members who equate taxation with stealing, such a group merits some extra scrutiny if they apply for tax-exempt status. And if those groups were truly educational, one of their characteristics would be that they would be geared toward the long, arduous process of education, so growing pains during one election cycle would be no big deal. [update: the IRS also scrutinized liberal groups because political activity is not tax exempt] 3. NSA surveillance scandal--the only one that should bother Americans. Sadly, it is a continuation of the Bush administration's policies and is probably all legal under the Patriot Act.

Thus, Republicans and bogus scandals are muffling the news we should be hearing about how harmful the sequester has been and continues to be. Government employees are losing jobs and leaving services undone which need to be done, and this should be making us boiling mad. But we're just not hearing enough about the insidious sequester.

Answer this if the mainstream media is liberal

What mainstream news sources are reporting that there is not enough spending by the U.S. government and the rich are not paying enough taxes?

There's Stupid, and Then There's Tea-Party Stupid

I am neither a Democrat or a Republican. Just to be clear, I usually vote for the Democrat as the lesser of two evils, but I'd rather not vote evil at all. Hence, I long for a decent third party. The Tea Party, however, makes a mockery of this longing and actually makes the other two parties look good. Well, it makes the Democratic Party look good anyway.

On February 19, 2009 CNBC on-air "Editor" Rick Santelli called for the Tea Party because he opposed upside-down home owners receiving any bailout money. It is important to note that Santelli and his ilk at the Chicago Board of Trade did not raise a fuss about the $700 billion dollar Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 that gave money to bankers; it was only the possibility  homeowners he dubbed "losers" receiving money that raised their ire (these homeowners wound up receiving very little.) Santelli ranted to cheers from people he falsely claimed represented a "good statistical cross section" of America.

Big Tobacco and the Koch Brothers actually made the Tea Party a reality. And when the lemmings found out President Obama wanted sick people to be able to see a doctor, angry mobs of drooling-out-of-the-sides-of-their-mouths, knuckle-dragging Cro-Magnons turned out in droves.

And thus, the sequester became history.

The Politics of "Terrorism"

Yesterday's bombings near the end of the Boston Marathon were a horrible tragedy that should make all Americans sad, regardless of our political inklings. At the time of this writing three people are dead and more than 100 people are injured. What a very, very sad tragedy.

I was watching the events unfold on CNN yesterday, and just before President Obama made his comments the (female) reporter on CNN said that President Obama had come under a lot of criticism for failing to use the word "terrorism" early enough regarding the Benghazi attacks, and should probably do so right away this time. Obama's calling Benghazi an "act of terror" was not enough even for factcheck.org. This is really ridiculous to me.

We don't know who set off the bombs yesterday. If it was a terrorist attack, what was their motivation and why isn't any group taking credit?  I think it is useless, if not counterproductive, to speculate. I have my hunches, but I will keep those to myself, my wife, and perhaps some close friends and family. We really don't even know if it was terrorism at this point. One alternative could be that it was just an sick, angry person behind it. We don't know yet.

So I am in no rush to judgment, and I am interested in hearing the facts that unfold. The facts may wind up be damning to someone, but I am willing to wait to let the facts do their job.

It is also to soon to try to be funny. My cousin pointed out that one way we know this is that comedians are not touching this yet. There will be a time for joking to help us deal with this tragedy, but once again, I will be patient for this time to come.

For those who lost their loved ones, only time will lessen the pain. It seems right to me for us to wait, so that we don't add to the pain to the world. What a sad, sad event.

The NRA was for Backqround Checks Before They Were Against Them

 It is difficult for me to be enthusiastic about the gun legislation that is still might be considered by Congress. If it doesn't contain a renewal of the assault weapon ban, another Newtown will probably happen again. Nevertheless, universal background checks on gun ownership would save some lives.

So, as I hoped the Affordable Care Act would pass despite of its lack of a public option, so I support universal background checks with or without an assault weapons ban.

90% of all Americans support background checks. The NRA used to support universal background checks for gun ownership, and 74% of NRA members still do. The GOP filibuster of background checks is downright despicable.

Dishonest Republicans on the Filibuster

Republicans say they are in favor of spending cuts, yet after passing the austerity cuts known as the "sequester" they doggedly try to blame President Obama for their draconian measures. Republicans have successfully changed the economic debate from full employment to reducing the deficit. They have successfully avoided raising enough taxes for sufficient government revenue in order to protect their donors from paying their fair share in taxes (such donors they euphemistically call "job creators.") And when those of us effected by the sequester complain about the problems the sequester is causing they have their cake and eat it to by passing the blame for the cuts onto the president.

Here are two indisputable ways we all can know the sequester was the Republicans' idea. Please tell these to anyone who says otherwise, and you need not cite my blog. They should just be common sense.

1. Republicans repeatedly say the sequester is not so bad.They do this because it is what they want. If it was what President Obama wanted they would be calling it Communist, Nazi, Muslim, etc.

2. The Republicans have tried to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act almost 40 times since it passed  in 2010. Yet the only ones trying to appeal the sequester are the Congressional Progressive Democrats. If the Republicans didn't like the sequester, surely they would join the progressive Democrats in repealing it.

So if you're among the 13% or so who approve of this Republican Congress, be proud of their sequester.