December 17, 2010
Steny and Decker
Two Democratic Party "leaders" explain why lots of working people no longer give a damn about politics. Take Steny Hoyer first. He was bloviating for weeks that the leadership--Pelosi and Steny--would fight like hell for a fair tax plan as a sub for the absurd McConnell-Obama travesty with it's Neiman Marcus price tag--$800 billion, all on credit, and all for millionaires! Fight on, oh brave ones! Fight on! The Charge of the Light Brigade comes into my mind, the 1854 battle with poem by Tennyson. They got Tennyson we get Hoyer! Some deal!
All day I listened to NPR with fingers crossed that our heroes would come through. And finally I felt safe in going to bed before the vote, secure in mind and heart that Steny Hoyer would stand at the gates to protect us from a hoard of Gucci slippered millionaires storming the people's home away from home, demanding an end to the death tax! The vote came but not until swearing that they were prepared to ruin their own Christmas to remain in the lion's den and fight for us--you and me. Oh, they warmed the cockles of me heart! I went to bed secure in the belief that Steny would deliver the goods!
But this morning the message from Hoyer was, "nobody likes this bill" but "business groups say it will help--I hope they are right." Thank you, brave heart. Thank you. While you gave a tax exemption of the first $10 million, and kept the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, I hope you had some good brandy to settle the nerves. After all, you gave your all to working Americans. There are few opportunities to demonstrate the sameness of the two parties--rarely performed in the open. This one was transparent, nicely wrapped and ready for stuffing.
Since most members of Congress are millionaires, this was, in a perverse way, a little bonus for Christmas. Who picked up the tab? Don't ask, and I won't tell.
Do you think Nancy Pelosi and Hoyer will tell us why they lost their nerve? Can't be that as millionaires themselves they kind of liked it. Can it?
What should Congressional Democrats do now? Seriously, they should all resign. Force new elections and stand tall!
As for Wisconsin's Russ Decker, his vote to stick it to working people is as stupid as Walker's decision to send $810 million back to Washington. Walker/Decker. Tell us, Russ. What in hell were you thinking about?
Last note this morning. Ron Johnson (R-Plastics) has hired a communications director. Previous job? Worked for Michele Bachman. Help!
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If you earned millions of dollars each year, would you vote yourself a tax cut or would you choose to up your own tax rate?
If your buddies and financial backers also earned millions, would you choose to raise their taxes, too, or would you give them a break?
The tax cuts have nothing to do with the economy. The wise person know this. The cuts have to do with self interests and keeping one's friends.
-Franz Fripplfrappl | Out | December 17, 2010
Tax cuts mean nothing to the unemployed. Good jobs do. If someone is paying taxes, this means that the individual is making money.
Using congressional logic, maybe we ought to suspend all taxes for 2 years. Would the economy boom or the country go bust?
PS: What we really need in the northwoods is a snowflake czar, one who is proficient in keeping track of snowflakes. We don't need a deer czar. We have more snowflakes than whitetails.
-Pietr Haikuu | Hurley | December 17, 2010
Why does Ron Johnson continue to staff his organization with people from outside the Badger State?
Is he for or against us? Looks like we won't have to wait the full 6 years to find out.
-Maria Caliente | Middleton | December 17, 2010
Current immoral and unethical values seem to dominate the international/national control of our government. Some Congress men and women even say so. Owners of the companies,(and investors?) who relocated US manufacturing overseas should be stripped of US citizenship, business licenses and deported to those countries. Those who created the biggest financial meltdown prior to Dems getting in, (by set ups, scams on the poorest among us with predatory arm loans, creating an energy/worker-layoff downturn, then the previous "outfit" forcing taxpayers to pick up the tab for corporation-casino insurers on loan failure!) should have been prosecuted and jailed.
Politics will be learned the very difficult, and I predict, eventually the old fashioned, violent union way. The same group of people affected most by Corporate/Investor greed, and forced wars, are the people who will probably charge into violence eventually, to make a point, rather than even vote.
How sad...of course, middle aged yuppies are more concerned with Paris Hilton's latest escapade or purchasing the latest electronic
"stuff" for their computers, than with what Congress does or does not do. Unfortunately, it matters not which party. The only ways to now affect current huge international corporate control of this country is directly through their pocket book....yuppies do find it so hard to do without "stuff"...to the tune of credit card thousands.
The lack of money slamming into corporate receipts is the only thing these companies notice. Believe it.So who has the control to try to keep that money from going into their wallets? Well, for "extras," we do. There are: 1.absolute and outright purposeful boycotts of products not made in the US by US workers; 2. worker-owned start-ups, cooperatives, housing coops, kids living at home, 3. personal conversion to as much passive renewable energy as possible; purchase of solar products (you may have to buy things from more renewable energy bound countries' industries); moving closer to work to avoid driving; 4. teaching politics, (teaching yuppies to look, at least, at political history...how a nation of no protection, once got to a better place; how the US middle and poor classes have been ambushed, robbed, and raped by those prostituted to war, oil, Wall Street, and their snake-oil advertising; and by 5. guarding, preaching voting.
These are not "politically correct" actions for yuppies, and difficult for others trying to survive, so before these ideas are even entertained by the populace, more people will have to become really, really miserable.
Temporarily, probably Republocrats will make everything look and feel just "ducky" to justify: (a) their political posturing as the "big no" for social programs benefitting anyone but corproate welfare, (b.)their pseudo-patriotic sobbing, and whining, while planning their next big armed robbery of the majority of US citizens, because (c.) Gotta keep those international yachts "pig-polished."
So, the "games" continue while pigs fatten up. Oh, I forgot, they'll still "look" ok; they have a personal trainer! !
-J. M. | Madison | December 17, 2010
RE Plastic Man's communication director:
Michele Bachmann churns through communications directors like Michele Bachmann churns up lies. Constantly.
Most of them quit because they can't stand the extreme looney lying show.
So they might not be quite as crazy as Bachmann. Faint praise, I guess.
-Tim | Barron, WI | December 17, 2010
As a vilified Wisconsin state employee and member of the Wisconsin Professional Employees Council at UW-Milwaukee, I would LOVE to see some facts/figures on the benefits, health care premium costs and coverage, salaries (including per diems claimed) and pensions of Wisconsin legislators, who, at best, are part-time employees of the state. I suspect one could not find a better example of feeders at the public trough than our less-than-illustrious assortment of elected senators and congressmen/women. And why not throw in the figures for our soon-to-be governor for good measure? Everyone is so concerned with state employee salaries and benefits, why are we not getting more information and the full picture concerning that particular breed of state employee known as elected legislator?
-Marie Fernleaf | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | December 17, 2010
Well, you can't say he didn't warn us. During the campaign Obungle praised Reagan as a truly great transformational president. Now you know what that particular Rorschach blot turns out to be! Now we will just "transform" Obungle into a one-term president. Nobama is good 'bama.
As for the Dems what did anyone really expect? If their lousy performance weren't so sad it would be comical. Imagine a bunch of wet hens clucking around. Now imagine the Democratic Congress, but I repeat myself.
This just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser.
-Griebnotz Doerkpfester | Egg Harbor, WI | December 17, 2010
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