Senate Democrats try to thwart GOP move on pay

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats are trying to thwart Republican efforts to force a vote on congressional pay raises on a must-pass spending.

Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter's amendment to the stopgap legislation would ban congressional pay raises unless lawmakers vote to increase their own salaries. He argues that these automatic salary boosts are inappropriate while the nation is mired in a recession.

Lawmakers aren't arguing publicly with that reasoning. But Democrats want to bring up the proposal as a separate bill even though its prospects would be dim. Critics say that's really an effort to kill the proposal.

Many lawmakers are loathe to go on the record in favor of raising their own salaries during the economic crisis.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

You know the joke

The one that goes "Why don't conservatives ever get together and hold a protest? It's because conservatives have jobs."

I don't know how funny that joke is, but it's true. It's also true that conservatives, by and large, don't feel like going out and waving a sign all day. So historically the Right has never done the protests, the chants, etc etc etc.

Ummmmmmmmmmm......

Now I've heard some folks on the right sneering at the low turnout at various Tea Parties, and saying how this doesn't mean anything.

200 on a workday is low turnout? There was a group of us who wanted to hold one here, but we all had to work. Getting 200 people to take the day off and actually hold this thing is impressive! But what really torques me off is how dismissive I've seen people on the Right be about these "Tea Parties". Hey, assholes: Could you step down off of your high horse long enough to at least show a little support? You don't have to say much of anything, hell, at this point not STABBING FELLOW CONSERVATIVES IN THE BACK would be a good start.

Bah. And every shop I went to yesterday was out of 7.62X54R ammo. Not a single cartridge to be found. I'm getting ticked off. I'll be buying the corrosive stuff online before too long, if they're not out of THAT at cheaperthandirt.com.

Republicans step up to bat???

Republicans set course in Congress budget battle

WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Top Republicans charged President Barack Obama with driving the United States toward socialism on Friday, opening an ideological attack on his big spending plans.

While the tough rhetoric was certain to rev up hard-line Republicans -- many of whom regard "socialism" as anathema to American life -- it was unclear how much it would change the debate in the Democratic-led Congress, which begins hearings next week on Obama's $3.55 trillion budget proposal.

John Boehner, Republican leader in the House of Representatives, on Friday called Obama's new budget proposal and recently passed economic stimulus plan "one big down payment on a new American socialist experiment."

Obama's budget proposal increases taxes on the wealthiest Americans to pay for more government attention to healthcare, education, climate change and social programs along with efforts to jolt the economy out of a deepening recession.

The budget also forecasts the biggest U.S. deficit ever at $1.75 trillion, adding to widespread sticker shock in Congress where Democrats already pushed through Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package with just three Republicans votes in the in the 100-seat Senate.

"The problem for Obama is more a question of whether the increased government intervention actually works -- gets the economy moving, creates the sense, within the next year-plus, that we are turning the corner," said Norm Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

"The second question is whether he can keep his own Democrats together behind his tax plan and his budget hopes," Ornstein said.

MODERATE REPUBLICANS WORRY

This is a powerful article and I would have posted it all if it wasn't bad form. I encourage you to read the full article.

I'm not the only one

Who thinks Colin Powell needs to STFU. We listened to Colin Powell, and RINOs like Colin Powell. Guess what we got? John Fucking McCain.

How did that turn out again?

Found via Curmudgeonly & Skeptical.

Collectivist-Left.v.Individualist-Right

There is an ongoing debate about what path the (R)epublicans should take to save our future. I can't think of anything more healthy or important.

To have a political spectrum there must be opposite views on a particular subject. The polar opposite of Collectivist-Left is not "Compassionate Conservativism" but individual liberty best represented by Libertarianism. That is not to say the loony Libertarians who you read about in the news, but true Conservatives, who represent the Libertarian ideal of Individualist-Right.

This gentleman claims to be a "I used to be a Republican But"... yet he says he can't vote (R)epublican because the "Religious Right" works to "ban abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and gay marriage" and then he perpetuates the Jeffersonian myth that "there should be a ”wall of separation“ between church and state. Public policy should not be based on religious doctrines".

First, Jefferson mentioned the ”wall of separation“ once in a letter sent decades after the Constitution was adopted. Although I support the concept of a ”wall of separation“ I am not so arrogant as to argue that canard. Perhaps he might read the Federatlist Papers and review his own statements?

Second, "gay marriage" is not a "right" but a social preference that Gays are entitled to already. Any person may marry one of the opposite sex. To force a "change" over the will of the society that indulges such contracts with preferential treatment is both collectivist totalitarianism and an indulgence of a self-defined professional victims' group with a history of anti-Christian activity. The 'Gay activist' lobby is currently "demonstrating" all of their hateful excess. Should we reward their bullying such victicrats will not be satisfied.

Third, stem cell research is a wonderful, privately funded success, that is making many investors rich. Embryonic stem cell research is a black-hole of failure seeking tax-payer funded subsidies. Why is it a Lefty will howl about the 'evil drug companies' yet now demands that the tax-payer subsidize those very same 'evil drug companies'?

Finally, whether you believe life begins at conception or not, a child is viable outside of the mother long before birth. Ask yourself why we spend billions to save premature births if the whim of a mother is enough reason to murder that child? If you saw a car sinking into a river and dove in to save the family would you not reach for the child before the mother?

You will notice none of my arguments are based on Religious grounds. I just happen to notice that the Collectivist-Left aganda of the "Religious Right" is consistent with government getting out of my life, even when in opposition to my reasoning, as their arguments would involve the morality of the collective society.

The reality is that the "Religious Right" is a myth, they in fact represent the Collectivist-Left of the "RightWing" mostly defined by the opposition in the (D)emocrat party. For does anyone doubt the collectivist inclinations of a Church? They have been drivin into our arms, yet a schism exists because they are not truly 'of us' on the Individualist-Right.

But unless you want to leave government to the self-perpetuating professional politicians of the Collectivist-Left you better find some common ground, like I have, and embrace those that will work with you reasonably.

Also, it is worth remembering that true Liberalism, that liberated the slaves, gave women the vote, passed civil rights legislation etc... was all led by the "Religious Right" and if you do your homework you will find out that the Marxist posers calling themselves "Liberals" today are anything but.

In 2004 I had two types of people knocking on my door. One set wore ties, white shirts, smiles and exuded optimism and faith. Not that I rewarded them for that. The other wore save-the-whales T-shirts and slashed the tires of a neighbors' SUV.

I've picked sides with the God Squad. I may not have faith... but I believe in them.

Cross Posted at DANEgerus

Another right wing wacko emerges

Yep, thanx to SlimyBill, another voice will occasionally contribute to this excellent collection of sanity in a world gone stone freaking mad.
Did anybody notice that even in the madly slanted exit polls, a lot more people describe themselves as conservatives than describe themselves as liberals?
Does anybody else think that we have a road map to victories, if only we draft leadership smart enough to read it and then follow it?
Think about this summer and the one bright light in the current Congress: the house GOP staying on the floor, even with the lights out and the cameras off, to push for an end to the offshore oil drilling ban?
We found out that 70 percent -- that's about 17 percent or so more than elected the O to the presidency -- were with us on that.
Where the hell was the campaign on that, other than Sarah?
Right now is the time to revive "drill here, drill now, pay less."
Newt, are you freaking listening?
Revive it. Beat the drum. Incessantly. Loudly. It's not over yet, but we can't freaking wait.
There are a lot of other issues where we right wing wackos have majority support -- if we can only get the leadership to get off their all-too-comfortable asses and start screaming.
It's going to take a certain discipline which we right wing wackos often lack.
But it's the only way to (1) drive the agenda in the right direction for this great country and (2) expose the fascists who now control the agenda for what they really are.
Let's get it started.