Tag: Legislation

GOP Shutdown is Subverting Our Democracy

people-politico-gop-shutdown-memo

The Republicans and the GOP Leadership are using the government shutdown to take America hostage against the Affordable Health Care Act, also known as Obamacare. This can be made no clearer by this document that was sent through the house Republicans. They signed it, and made it their plan, their goal, to shut down the government. The GOP is responsible for the government shutdown, plain and simple.

They want to negotiate something that they have already lost, a long time ago.

  • They lost several elections to health care reform.
  • They have failed to stop it with 41 separate votes in Congress.
  • The Supreme Court of the United States of America has upheld Obamacare.

This guise of the GOP compromising and sitting down to discuss Obamacare happened years ago, and Obamacare is the compromise they got. We would have a single payer system if “health care was rammed down their throat”.

This piecemeal idea to funding government subverts the democratic process we have used to create these programs in the first place. They are simply taking the lives and well beings of America and Americans hostage.

There is a “clean bill” that has passed the senate that will start the government immediately. It will fund everything “as is”. Just like it was before the government shutdown began. There are enough votes and support in Congress to pass this “clean bill” to get everything up and running again. John Boehner simply has to call an up or down vote and this shutdown would be over. However, he is bowing to the minority right wing tea party extremists.

Eighty Republican members of Congress signed a letter which has created the government shutdown. Though they blame the Democrats and President Obama for the shutdown, it is so obvious that the blame for this extortion lies squarely with the GOP.  The Democrats want to pass a budget and get the government working again, but the Republicans are trying to take advantage of the situation. This clip from the Daily Show with John Stewart explains the letter the Republicans signed.

If you would like to skip right to it, start watching at the 5:20 mark. However, I encourage everyone to watch the entire episode. It is fantastic.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/wed-october-2-2013-sandra-bullock

It’s OK for Republicans to disagree with Obamacare. It’s OK for them to have the opinion that other government programs and legislation are bad.

It is NOT ok for them to take us all hostage because of their beliefs. In a democratic society you must take the majority opinion over the minority. That is the whole point. If they want to change or modify existing programs or laws they should be drafting legislation to do so. They should NOT be threatening the lives of millions of Americans or the future prosperity of America.

Stop the shutdown immediately! Call a vote on the “clean bill” now.

Please post your thoughts and opinions below as well as on any and all social media that you are involved with so we can get the message out that taking America hostage is WRONG.

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President Barack Obama Lays Out Gun Control Steps: Press Video

people-politico-gun-controlPresident Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden addressed the nation today in an important press conference focused on stopping the escalating gun violence in America. The press conference was just under a half an hour long but I would urge everyone to watch the video below.

President Barack Obama had many different things that he put out on the table in an effort to confront the increasing gun violence and death in America. The numbers are truly staggering and heartbreaking. This is an issue that shouldn’t be as divisive as it is. But I hope everyone will take a moment to think of the tragedies that are happening in America every day and talk to their families, neighbors and representatives about taking steps slow down the daily gun violence in our country.

One important note was that President Barack Obama is in favor of 2nd Amendment rights. There is nothing in his proposal to take guns away from Americans. President Barack’s proposals center around making it harder for those that are not legally allowed to have guns to get them. Prosecuting those that circumvent the gun laws and illegally give or sell guns to those that shouldn’t have them. The closest thing he has to taking any guns is to reinstate the assault weapons ban. Even with this there was no mention of turning in or giving up any legally owned guns that American’s already have.

Along with this specific gun related laws President Obama also said that he wants to see studies increased on violent video games, the affect of gun control laws and even hinted that the GOP in Congress need to reconsider the further cuts they are pushing into mental health.

This is obviously a huge issue in America and it has been avoided for some time. But with the recent massacres, yes MASSACRES in America we must do something about this problem. This is a common sense issue.

Here is the video of President Barack Obama’s press conference about new steps to control gun violence in America.

President Barack Obama’s Gun Control Press Conference

Republican Mitch McConnell Filibusters his Own Fiscal Cliff Bill in One of the Douchiest Moves Ever

people-politico-mcconnell-filibusters-himselfThis should make everyone angry (not just Democrats): on December 6, Republican Mitch McConnell introduced a debt ceiling bill, only to filibuster his own bill when Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid calls for a vote on it. This is so insane that I, as many have already, had a hard time even articulating this audacity other than with a primal scream of absolute frustration.

We are doomed; there is no doubt, to go over the fiscal cliff. Like Thelma and Louise we are flying over with Republicans Mitch McConnell and John Boehner driving.

It is as simple as that.

The Senate Republicans can’t even pass a bill that was introduced by Republicans. Everyone must understand, the person who made, crafted, created the bill, Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was the one to reject his OWN LEGISLATION! Seriously, what the hell is wrong with him and the Republicans? For the sake of the American people, and our future, this Republican obstinacy has to stop.

How the hell are we supposed to get anything done with this dysfunctional Republican policy of completely and totally blocking anything the Democrats want to do? Even when what the Democrats want to do is accept the Republican legislation!

This must be clear and everyone needs to understand. It is not Democrats and Republicans fighting over what was to be done.

  1. Republicans said we want Mitch McConnell’s debt ceiling bill.
  2. Democrats said, OK.
  3. Republicans said they do not want Mitch McConnell’s debt ceiling bill.

It was that simple and about that fast, astonishing.

This is precisely the insane shit that needs to be splattered all over the news. Luckily, this was getting some attention because it is so totally and completely insane.

Luckily the American people are smarter and have longer memories then the Republicans want to believe. This last election made it clear that:

  • Americans watched the Republicans obstruct government.
  • The American people know it was the Republicans who damaged America by not even trying to come to reason on the debt ceiling talks.
  • The American people now have seen the Republican Leader in the Senate filibuster his own bill.
  • The American people see the Republicans playing political games with their livelihoods.
  • The American people now know the Republicans are not serious about solving any issues. Their only interest is to obstruct Democrats.

I am so flabbergasted by this whole thing it took me some time to even form my rage into comprehensible thoughts. There was all this talk after the general election in politics that the Republicans were humbled and that they were going to change their ways or at least not be so overzealous in obstructing everything the Democrats wanted to do. That is clearly not the case.

The reality of the situation is that they are wounded toddlers. Angry and upset without the ability to comprehend what damage their actions do. The only thing they know is that they didn’t get to do what they wanted. So now, they will make it their mission in life to make those that spanked them pay for it with every opportunity that arises regardless of the damage it does them or to America.

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