And I remember those cold, scary days when the federal government was shut down. One of my most traumatic experiences was being molested by a federal convict who was released as a result of the shutdown. After that molestation and on my way home from school, I was brutally beat by a gang of marauding Mexicans who were on the loose because the border was wide open with the shutdown.
And when I finally made it home, tired and bleeding, weeping uncontrollably from what I'd been through, I found I didn't have a home. The U.S.'s defense had been shut down because of the shutdown, and my home town in rural Virginia was destroyed by the Chinese People's Army.
I've spent the past 16 years trying to recover from those events in late 1995 and early 1996 . . .
Actually, none of that is true at all. The government shut down and you know what happened - not a whole lot! Honestly, if there weren't people talking about it on the news 24/7 I'm not sure anyone would have noticed.
I've been feeling a real disconnect from Washington Republicans as I here about how concerned they are about a shutdown. I think they completely missed the lesson they should have learned from the 2010 elections:
The federal government discontinuing all non-essential services is not a short-term problem, its the long term goal.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Wisconsin Sick Notes
Here's a PolitiFact article in which they appear to have confirmed that doctors in Wisconsin have in fact been handing out sick notes to the protesting teachers.
What I want to know is whether Dr. Lou Sanner or Dr. Kathy Oriel could face any type of repurcussions for this? Dr. Oriel in particular seems to have admitted on television to handing out sick notes to people who are not sick.
At the very least, I would think that given this the Wisconsin public schools should never accept a sick note from either of these doctors.
What I want to know is whether Dr. Lou Sanner or Dr. Kathy Oriel could face any type of repurcussions for this? Dr. Oriel in particular seems to have admitted on television to handing out sick notes to people who are not sick.
At the very least, I would think that given this the Wisconsin public schools should never accept a sick note from either of these doctors.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Rep. Steve King on Obamacare and Debt Ceiling
Great news in this article!
But before that, note that Representative King explains why the provisions that were included in the Continuing Resolution do not completely block Obamacare in the manner that his offered provision, which I blogged about here, would have.
Now, on to the good part. I'll let Representative King say it in his own words: "Weneed to put my language onto every appropriations bill all the way through the 112th Congress . . . [t]he debt ceiling is another good place for leverage . . . [t]here’s been a suggestion just to – with limited constraints – bring a debt ceiling bill and put the complete repeal of ObamaCare right on it.”
Exactly! Representative King is singing my song. If I were from the 5th district in Iowa, I'd be pretty proud for my congressman about now.
Now that I've gotten over my elation, I'll go back to my usual pessimistic disposition. If you read the linked article closely, and a few others Representative King has been in lately (I believe he had one in one of the Washington papers), its hard not to get the feeling that there are a lot of people in the leadership that don't really want to push this. And that's the House leadership. Oh well, its good to know there are at least a few Congressmen who are going to keep this fight alive and try and embarrass the leadership in really working to do what they've promised.
I was talking the other day to someone about Obamacare and criticizing the Republican leadership, and they said "But really, given who controls the senate and the White House, what could the really do?" My reply was that if Republican leadership cared as much about repealing Obamacare as they cared about being elected and advancing their own political careers, it'd be off the books tomorrow.
But before that, note that Representative King explains why the provisions that were included in the Continuing Resolution do not completely block Obamacare in the manner that his offered provision, which I blogged about here, would have.
Now, on to the good part. I'll let Representative King say it in his own words: "Weneed to put my language onto every appropriations bill all the way through the 112th Congress . . . [t]he debt ceiling is another good place for leverage . . . [t]here’s been a suggestion just to – with limited constraints – bring a debt ceiling bill and put the complete repeal of ObamaCare right on it.”
Exactly! Representative King is singing my song. If I were from the 5th district in Iowa, I'd be pretty proud for my congressman about now.
Now that I've gotten over my elation, I'll go back to my usual pessimistic disposition. If you read the linked article closely, and a few others Representative King has been in lately (I believe he had one in one of the Washington papers), its hard not to get the feeling that there are a lot of people in the leadership that don't really want to push this. And that's the House leadership. Oh well, its good to know there are at least a few Congressmen who are going to keep this fight alive and try and embarrass the leadership in really working to do what they've promised.
I was talking the other day to someone about Obamacare and criticizing the Republican leadership, and they said "But really, given who controls the senate and the White House, what could the really do?" My reply was that if Republican leadership cared as much about repealing Obamacare as they cared about being elected and advancing their own political careers, it'd be off the books tomorrow.
The Continuing Resolution and the House Rules Committee's Valentine to Obamacare
Red Meat Conservative has some nice posts here and here about Republican opposition to some proposed spending cuts in the Continuing Resolution. I've long thought someone needs to put together a group to pressure Republicans to vote for spending cuts in the way that Americans for Tax Reform has pressured candidates to sign no tax increase pledges. Those pledges actually do seem to have some effect.
For me, the biggest dissapointment on the Continuing Resolution was the failure of the (Republican controlled) House Rules Committee in a vote on Valentine's Day to give a special rule to Representative Steve King to offer the following amendment:
"Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds made available in this Act or any previous Act may be used to carry out the provisions of Public Law 111–148, Public Law 111–152 [Obamacare], or any amendment made by either such Public Law."
Because he didn't get a rule the amendment was out of order under House Rule XXI.
This was really a beautiful amendment, and would have been much more efficacious than the reconciliation strategy I blogged about here because it would have prevented funds to be used to enforce the law, including the guaranteed coverage provisions. My understanding is that it would have been at least somewhat unusual for the Rules Committee to have given Representative King a special rule, but in any case I think its fair to say that there are a lot of people even in the House leadership who want to move pass Obamacare and get onto other things. That's why we as conservatives need to keep the pressure up.
Note that this Continuing Resolution is to authorize spending, not borrowing, and this bill isn't the same thing as the debt ceiling vote I blogged about here. That's still the point where Republicans are likely to have their greatest leverage, and I hope Representative King or someone else tries this again on that vote.
For me, the biggest dissapointment on the Continuing Resolution was the failure of the (Republican controlled) House Rules Committee in a vote on Valentine's Day to give a special rule to Representative Steve King to offer the following amendment:
"Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds made available in this Act or any previous Act may be used to carry out the provisions of Public Law 111–148, Public Law 111–152 [Obamacare], or any amendment made by either such Public Law."
Because he didn't get a rule the amendment was out of order under House Rule XXI.
This was really a beautiful amendment, and would have been much more efficacious than the reconciliation strategy I blogged about here because it would have prevented funds to be used to enforce the law, including the guaranteed coverage provisions. My understanding is that it would have been at least somewhat unusual for the Rules Committee to have given Representative King a special rule, but in any case I think its fair to say that there are a lot of people even in the House leadership who want to move pass Obamacare and get onto other things. That's why we as conservatives need to keep the pressure up.
Note that this Continuing Resolution is to authorize spending, not borrowing, and this bill isn't the same thing as the debt ceiling vote I blogged about here. That's still the point where Republicans are likely to have their greatest leverage, and I hope Representative King or someone else tries this again on that vote.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Gary Stewart - Drinkin' Thing
Get it here: Drinkin' Thing
I don't think Gary Stewart gets enough play among casual country music fans, but he's not a secret by any means to critics. He had a technically weak vibratto voice, and frankly the vast majority of his stuff didn't really connect with me. But goodness gracious when he hit one out of the park, he really did.
This song has the exact same subject matter as most of his really great ones. He's got a drinking thing to keep from thinking about his wife or girlfriend cheating on him.
You can tell his voice really strains on this song, but somehow that just makes it sound even better. You never hear a voice more perfectly suited to a song than with Gary's big hits.
These songs to me sound like a weird combination of super hardcore honky tonk and late 70's early 80's pop. I ready somewhere that he actually didn't like these songs but was forced to do them by the record label guys. If that's the case, then its another example of what I think is a rule in hillbilly music: To be any good, it needs to be hardcore, but it also needs to be commercial.
Killer Line - "I've got this drinkin' thing, to keep from thinkin things"
If you like this one, a couple more greats are here:
1. Out Of Hand
2. She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)
I don't think Gary Stewart gets enough play among casual country music fans, but he's not a secret by any means to critics. He had a technically weak vibratto voice, and frankly the vast majority of his stuff didn't really connect with me. But goodness gracious when he hit one out of the park, he really did.
This song has the exact same subject matter as most of his really great ones. He's got a drinking thing to keep from thinking about his wife or girlfriend cheating on him.
You can tell his voice really strains on this song, but somehow that just makes it sound even better. You never hear a voice more perfectly suited to a song than with Gary's big hits.
These songs to me sound like a weird combination of super hardcore honky tonk and late 70's early 80's pop. I ready somewhere that he actually didn't like these songs but was forced to do them by the record label guys. If that's the case, then its another example of what I think is a rule in hillbilly music: To be any good, it needs to be hardcore, but it also needs to be commercial.
Killer Line - "I've got this drinkin' thing, to keep from thinkin things"
If you like this one, a couple more greats are here:
1. Out Of Hand
2. She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Why is NPR Trying to Encourage "Climate Migration"
Here's a link to a story I heard on the way to work this morning.
Click on "Listen to the Story" from Morning Edition at the top and click to around 6:25 to listen to the NPR's smug correspondent literally trying to convince islanders from Kiribati to leave their
homes because of climate change. Here's the money quote:
"I told him and his wife that the earth has gotten warmer, that glaciers are melting, that sea levels have already risen, but nothing changed their minds . . ."
Listen about 30 seconds before too, though, so you get to hear the uneducated islanders poking fun at the NPR correspondent's climate change religion. As between the guy saying he thinks God will take care of him and the guy who says "quick, run now before climate change drowns your family" I know who sounds more reasonable to me.
Your tax dollars at work.
Click on "Listen to the Story" from Morning Edition at the top and click to around 6:25 to listen to the NPR's smug correspondent literally trying to convince islanders from Kiribati to leave their
homes because of climate change. Here's the money quote:
"I told him and his wife that the earth has gotten warmer, that glaciers are melting, that sea levels have already risen, but nothing changed their minds . . ."
Listen about 30 seconds before too, though, so you get to hear the uneducated islanders poking fun at the NPR correspondent's climate change religion. As between the guy saying he thinks God will take care of him and the guy who says "quick, run now before climate change drowns your family" I know who sounds more reasonable to me.
Your tax dollars at work.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Some Good Ideas
Most of this won't make it, but we can dream. Some of the proposed amendments to the Continuing Resolution:
1. Amendment No. 11—Rep. Pence (R-IN): The amendment would direct that none of the funds made available by this Act may be made available for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. or any of its main affiliates.
2. Amendment No. 25—Rep. Graves (R-GA): The amendment would prohibit any of the funds made available by this Act from being used to implement or enforce the Report and Order of the Federal Communications Commission relating to the matter of preserving the open Internet and broadband industry practices (FCC 10-201).
3. Amendment No. 42—Rep. Sessions (R-TX): The amendment would prohibit funds made available by the bill to be used to implement any policy, directive, administrative regulation, circular, or action to convert from private sector to public sector performance any functions or positions that are not inherently governmental in nature. [I don't even know what that means, but I like it.]
4. Amendment No. 79—Rep. Gardner (R-CO): The amendment would prohibit any funds made available in this Act from being used to pay the salary of any employee or officer of the Department of Health and Human Services who develops or promulgates regulations or guidance regarding Exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ObamaCare”).
5. Amendment No. 109—Rep. Griffith (R-VA): The amendment would prohibit funds in the bill from being used to carry out, implement, administer, or enforce any policy or procedure set forth in an EPA and Defense Department memorandum entitled “Enhanced Surface Coal Mining Pending Permit Coordination Procedures” dated June 11, 2009. The amendment would also prohibit funding to set forth the guidance issued by the EPA entitled “Improving EPA Review of Appalachian Surface Coal Mining Operations under the Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and the Environmental Justice Executive Order.”
6. Amendment No. 119—Rep. Gohmert (R-TX): The amendment would prohibit any funds made available in this Act from being used to carry out any program under, promulgate any regulation pursuant to, or defend against any lawsuit challenging any provision of ObamaCare.
7. Amendment No. 149—Rep. Luetkemeyer (R-MO): The amendment would prohibit any funds made available in this Act from being used for contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
8. Amendment No. 198—Rep. Poe (R-TX): The amendment would prohibit the use of funds made available by this Act to be used by the EPA to implement, administer, or enforce (1) a cap and trade program; or (2) and requirements pertaining to the emissions of green house gases.
9. Amendment No. 199—Rep. Poe (R-TX): The amendment would prohibit the use of funds made available by this Act to be used by the Department of Justice, or any other Agency, to litigate the continuation of the case Untied States of America v. The State of Arizona and Janice K. Brewer regarding Arizona law S.B. 1070.
10. Amendment No. 204—Rep. Scalise (R-LA): The amendment would prohibit any funds under the bill from being made available to pay the salaries and expenses for the following positions and their offices:
12. Amendment No. 263—Rep. Broun (R-OH): The amendment would prohibit funds from being used to pay dues to the United Nations.
13. Amendment No. 266—Rep. King (R-IA): The amendment would prohibit funds from being used to carry out the provisions of Public Law 111-14 or Public Law 111-152 (ObamaCare).
14. Amendment No. 164—Rep. Mulvaney (R-SC): The amendment would prohibit the use of funds made available by this Act in excess of the amount available for such accounts during fiscal year 2006, with certain exceptions including the Department of Defense and Israel.
Not all of the good ones, obviously, I just flipped through. Unfortunately, I think the rule mavens may strike a lot of these as out of order because they legislate, including Representative King's. He asked for a special rule from the Republican controlled rules committee and didn't get it.
1. Amendment No. 11—Rep. Pence (R-IN): The amendment would direct that none of the funds made available by this Act may be made available for any purpose to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. or any of its main affiliates.
2. Amendment No. 25—Rep. Graves (R-GA): The amendment would prohibit any of the funds made available by this Act from being used to implement or enforce the Report and Order of the Federal Communications Commission relating to the matter of preserving the open Internet and broadband industry practices (FCC 10-201).
3. Amendment No. 42—Rep. Sessions (R-TX): The amendment would prohibit funds made available by the bill to be used to implement any policy, directive, administrative regulation, circular, or action to convert from private sector to public sector performance any functions or positions that are not inherently governmental in nature. [I don't even know what that means, but I like it.]
4. Amendment No. 79—Rep. Gardner (R-CO): The amendment would prohibit any funds made available in this Act from being used to pay the salary of any employee or officer of the Department of Health and Human Services who develops or promulgates regulations or guidance regarding Exchanges under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ObamaCare”).
5. Amendment No. 109—Rep. Griffith (R-VA): The amendment would prohibit funds in the bill from being used to carry out, implement, administer, or enforce any policy or procedure set forth in an EPA and Defense Department memorandum entitled “Enhanced Surface Coal Mining Pending Permit Coordination Procedures” dated June 11, 2009. The amendment would also prohibit funding to set forth the guidance issued by the EPA entitled “Improving EPA Review of Appalachian Surface Coal Mining Operations under the Clean Water Act, National Environmental Policy Act, and the Environmental Justice Executive Order.”
6. Amendment No. 119—Rep. Gohmert (R-TX): The amendment would prohibit any funds made available in this Act from being used to carry out any program under, promulgate any regulation pursuant to, or defend against any lawsuit challenging any provision of ObamaCare.
7. Amendment No. 149—Rep. Luetkemeyer (R-MO): The amendment would prohibit any funds made available in this Act from being used for contributions to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
8. Amendment No. 198—Rep. Poe (R-TX): The amendment would prohibit the use of funds made available by this Act to be used by the EPA to implement, administer, or enforce (1) a cap and trade program; or (2) and requirements pertaining to the emissions of green house gases.
9. Amendment No. 199—Rep. Poe (R-TX): The amendment would prohibit the use of funds made available by this Act to be used by the Department of Justice, or any other Agency, to litigate the continuation of the case Untied States of America v. The State of Arizona and Janice K. Brewer regarding Arizona law S.B. 1070.
10. Amendment No. 204—Rep. Scalise (R-LA): The amendment would prohibit any funds under the bill from being made available to pay the salaries and expenses for the following positions and their offices:
- Director, White House Office of Health Reform;
- Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change;
- Special Envoy for Climate Change;
- Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, and Council on Environmental Quality;
- Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury assigned to the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry and Senior Counselor for Manufacturing Policy;
- White House Director of Urban Affairs;
- Special Envoy to oversee the closure of the Detention Center at Guantanamo Bay;
- Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation, Department of the Treasury; and
- Associate General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer, Federal Communications Commission.
12. Amendment No. 263—Rep. Broun (R-OH): The amendment would prohibit funds from being used to pay dues to the United Nations.
13. Amendment No. 266—Rep. King (R-IA): The amendment would prohibit funds from being used to carry out the provisions of Public Law 111-14 or Public Law 111-152 (ObamaCare).
14. Amendment No. 164—Rep. Mulvaney (R-SC): The amendment would prohibit the use of funds made available by this Act in excess of the amount available for such accounts during fiscal year 2006, with certain exceptions including the Department of Defense and Israel.
Not all of the good ones, obviously, I just flipped through. Unfortunately, I think the rule mavens may strike a lot of these as out of order because they legislate, including Representative King's. He asked for a special rule from the Republican controlled rules committee and didn't get it.
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