John Cole has it right. The current crop in Congress is positively evil:
Considering they haven’t created one job since taking office, and haven’t so much as advanced one plan to create jobs since they took office, and, mind you, presided over the worst economic collapse since the Depression, it’s pretty clear the Republicans are very serious about killing the economy:
WASHINGTON — The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a measure to increase the government’s debt limit, acting on a vote staged by Republican leaders to pressure President Obama to agree to deep spending cuts.
Republicans brought up the measure, which was defeated 318 to 97, to show the lack of support in the House for raising the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling without concrete steps to rein in chronic budget deficits.The preordained outcome followed several acts of odd political theater on the House floor: Republicans urged the defeat of their own measure, while Democrats — who not long ago were seeking just such a vote to raise the debt ceiling without attaching spending cuts — assailed Republicans for bringing it up, saying its certain defeat might unnerve the financial markets.
Just in case, Republican leaders scheduled the vote for after the stock market’s close, and in the preceding days called Wall Street executives to assure them that the vote was just for show, to show Mr. Obama that he would have to make concessions in budget negotiations if a debt-limit increase is to pass Congress.
Not sure why the markets care. If shit crashes, they’ll be made whole again by the taxpayers. Just like the last time.Gotta love the 80 or so Democrats who voted with the nihilists.
Who knows-that “Second Amendment solution” stuff may be right after all. If the markets tank because both the GOP and the average voter are certifiably stupid-there are definitely some excellent candidates to be hanging from lamp posts on Constitution Avenue. Starting with every member of the Tea Party Caucus.
You realize the debt ceiling is meaningless? The US is the only country with such a false premise. We did not have it until the last 50 years. All it does is allow for more posturing among the Red and Blue teams. Nothing but fucking gamesmanship. With the economy a mess, all EITHER of them can do is play games and pander in front of the television cameras. Cocksuckers.
It is clear in a fiscal sense that it is dangerous to keep raising the debt ceiling. But at some point refusing [to raise it] has the same consequence as raising it. So to some extend the question is, how do you balance the two? You start with increasing revenue to get to a balanced budget-then you make intelligent cuts. A really smart cut now would be to leave Iraq and Afghanistan-today.
Do that and I will believe you fuckers are serious. Till then, stop fucking with my hard earned savings and investments-just to appease the grifter class of teabaggers.
Now excuse me-I have to go clean some guns and buy some rags and gasoline.
Skippy,
You forgot to add that the Congress that was in before them really didn’t do anything either. As a matter of fact, we saw unemployment increase during their watch.
Maurice, Skippy has gone a long weekend without bashing the teaparty. Don’t you know that previous blame game only works when it’s laid back on Bush.
BTW, when Congress creates a job, it’s not in the private sector.
How does Congress CREATE a PRIVATE sector job?
Provide money to buy things that create jobs-not just have stupid spending cuts when the damn companies are not buying things, or hiring-just hording cash.
Also they pass repeal of the Bush tax cuts to get the budget back into alignment
Skippy,
The previous Congress provided money to the big banks to get rid of their toxic assets (TARP) so that they wouldn’t fail, and they didn’t but now those same banks are not lending money to people in order to continue business for expansion and improvements. That’s why businesses are holding on to the cash. Also, they are not sure how much they are going to have to give over in tazes and the new Health care costs are still not determined. Also, they gave GM a bailout, which supposedly saved jobs, but if you were an stockholder prior to that, you lost on the stock and were not able to get anything back on the new stock issue.
But that was then and this is now-GM is back in the black and most of its bailout money has been repaid and its stock is holding steady at around 32 dollars a share.
Same for TARP. Those fuckers have the money-they have paid back their loans.
Actually, I think Maurice has a point. The stockholders of the “old” GM got the shaft. It sucks to be a stockholder when the company goes broke. But isn’t that how capitalism is supposed to work, with stockholders assuming some risk?
What sucked about TARP is that it insulated the banks and their stockholders from the consequences of their own stupidity. This was wrong. I buy the argument that it was necessary to save the economy, but I don’t have to like it. And it’s worth remembering that the “previous congress” passed TARP at the request of the “previous administration”.
You mean provide money like “the bridge to nowhere?
Yes , I know that was cancelled but when GAO looked at the stimulus money to push forward “shovel ready” jobs they found. I know i was shocked too, that most was wasted on needless crap.
You have too much trust that the government will not only do the right thing but the necessary thing and that it will be effective and efficient, and if history teaches us anything it should dissuade us of that notion.
I have a idea.
Flate tax rate. No more freaking loophole for ANYONE. Cut some of the useless from society the ones who have never worked and never contributed.
While we are at it make sure people get what they put in as far as SS and medicare. Whats that you only worked 7 months the last 50 yrs and there was no medical condition to make this nessesary? Well cya.
There hasnt been a really good house of congress in a LONG time.
The Senate should go back to the way it was supposed to be. Proffessionals picked by the state legislatures as a balance to the short term short sighted congress.
Flat tax rates-in the end-are regressive and penalize the poor more than the rich. It sounds good until you map it out.
Tax reform with a closure of loopholes needs to be done-but it runs afoul of the most cherished Republican fantasy, that they can manipulate the economy through taxes.