Big Dogs House

Obama To Bypass Congress

Feb 16, 2010 Political

Barack Obama criticized George Bush for using Executive Orders to get things done. The Democrats complained that Mr. Bush had taken too much power for the Executive branch. They did not like him getting things done via Executive Order.

Executive Orders have their place. The President can use them to issue orders to the Executive Branch departments and direct how they will run. The day to day kinds of things. There is an EO regarding the drug free federal workplace. This is an expectation from the Executive to the workers.

On the other hand, EOs can be very bad. The president signs them directing one thing or another and thus takes power away from the Congress. This is not good practice and it diminishes the legislative branch further. Right now, Obama’s team is looking at the things they could not get done through the Congress and are working on getting them done by EO:

“We are reviewing a list of presidential executive orders and directives to get the job done across a front of issues,” said Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff. NYT

We have seen this with some legislation that Congress has rejected. Obama said he would institute what he wanted via EO after Congress rejected it. This is wrong and it is not the way to govern.

To be clear, many past presidents have done this and it was no more right then than it is now. However, Obama was the one who made a big stink about EOs (and signing statements, which he uses as well) and he chastised Mr. Bush for what he did.

Now Obama is doing the very same things and his minions on the left are giving him a pass. How long will Congress sit by while their power is usurped by the Executive Branch?

Obama plans to push his agenda and get things done whether he has to do it through Congress or through EO. Congress needs to put an end to this.

As an aside, isn’t it funny that all the people, who for years criticized the way Bush handled the war on terror and terror suspects, are justifying what Obama is doing by saying he is doing the same thing Bush did?

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Tags: Congress, executive order, lies, Obama, signing statements

Evan Bayh Throws In The Towel

Feb 15, 2010 Political

This is shaping up to be a very bad year for Democrats. Despite requests from Barack Obama and Rahm Emanuel to reconsider, moderate Democrat Evan Bayh of Indiana will not seek reelection stating that he still has a desire to serve the people, just not in Congress.

Evidently, the hostile environment in Congress is becoming too much for the moderates. Bayh only voted with his party 71% of the time and I am willing to bet he got beat up over votes against the agenda or that he felt pressured to vote in a manner that he did not want.

Bayh’s decision comes as a surprise to many as it looked like he would probably win reelection. I doubt that the possibility of a tough race had anything to do with his decision. He probably is genuinely fed up with the atmosphere in Congress.

Bayh probably did not agree with the Obama agenda, or at least major protions of it. He endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.

Plus, he is a family man and likes to spend time with his children and attend their activities. No one can fault him for that.

Bayh’s decision caps off a trifecta that began when Christopher Dodd and Byron Dorgan announced last month that they will not seek reelection.

A commenter at the source site had a great point:

“To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills,” – Obama

Oh well.

Indiana is a conservative state and usually pretty red. Bayh is a well liked moderate but the state trends Republican. Obama won the state last year becoming the first Democrat to win it since Lyndon Johnson.

I bet the folks of Indiana have buyer’s remorse and will not go Democrat again for a long time. They are probably still asking what they have done…

Or maybe they are asking themselves the question Sarah Palin posed; “How’s that hopey-changey thing working out for ya?

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Tags: Clinton, Congress, emanuel, evan bayh, Obama, reelection, resign

Where Will They Go To For More Money?

Feb 7, 2010 Political

I wrote before the last election indicating that there was concern that the government would take control of our retirement accounts and redistribute the money in them as part of a scheme to even the playing field. The Socialists in DC are part of the spread the wealth paradigm and they have no problem forcefully taking that to which they are not entitled. There were hearings on Capitol Hill where this was discussed.

Doug Ross indicates that this might be where the next money influx to the government comes from as they confiscate our retirement (which contains trillions of dollars) and spread it among those who have not saved for retirement.

The [Congressional] testimony of Teresa Ghilarducci, professor of economic policy analysis at the New School for Social Research in New York, in hearings Oct. 7 drew the most attention and criticism. Testifying for the House Committee on Education and Labor, Ghilarducci proposed that the government eliminate tax breaks for 401(k) and similar retirement accounts, such as IRAs, and confiscate workers’ retirement plan accounts and convert them to universal Guaranteed Retirement Accounts (GRAs) managed by the Social Security Administration.

…The current retirement system, Ghilarducci said, “exacerbates income and wealth inequalities” because tax breaks for voluntary retirement accounts are “skewed to the wealthy because it is easier for them to save, and because they receive bigger tax breaks when they do.” [Original Source Carolina Journal]

The government has already pilfered trillions of dollars in Social Security that was paid in over the years and used that money for pet projects and as a slush fund. There is no money left in Social Security and the government does not have the money to meet the obligations of Social Security. It must borrow money to pay the recipients. This would not be the case if they had left the money alone.

Instead, they will come after the money we have saved. It is there because strict rules forbid us from tapping into the retirement money until we actually retire. Congress had no such rules and raped Social Security and now the plan, at least one that was discussed in Congress, is to confiscate our retirement and use it to pay others.

This is a Socialist program and if the government goes through with this there is no doubt in my mind we will have an armed insurrection.

These bastards take enough of our money and spread it around. I will be damned if they are going to take what I have saved for my retirement without a fight.

I am sure many others feel the same way (not the slugs who would benefit from the work of others) and would be willing to fight for what is theirs.

Keep an eye on Congress. It will look for money and will take it any time it wants. The government will rape us any chance it gets so we must remain vigilant.

Buy guns and ammo. You will need them.

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Tags: Congress, lies. socialism, rape, retirement, theft

Now You Know How We Feel Congressman

Jan 14, 2010 Political

A New York Congressman is complaining about the secret negotiations going on between the House and the Senate over the health care bill. The faux reconciliation process has both chambers on edge as members of the House are upset with members of the Senate and vice versa. The House does not want to strip items such as the public option that it passed and the Senate cannot get votes with the public option. House members are tired of hearing the Senate leaders whine about how tough it was to get 60 votes:

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) issued a blunt, angry statement on Wednesday, accusing the Senate of conducting negotiations with the House while holding “a gun to our head.” The Hill

Well welcome to our world Congressman. The American public feels like it has a gun to its head. The majority of us do not want this particular piece of legislation to pass but you insist on doing it so that you can hold a gun to our heads.

Don’t get insurance, pay a fine. Have a good employer provided plan, pay 40% in taxes on it (unless you are a union member). Need a medical procedure, wait for a government bean counter to decide if you are worthy.

These items represent only a fraction of the things that will allow YOU to hold a gun to our heads.

You are complaining that you do not like a gun held to your head.

Now you know how we feel.

Jackass.

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Tags: anthony weiner, Congress, guns, house, Senate

Kratovil And Bartlett Use Smoke And Mirrors

Dec 15, 2009 Political

Maryland Congressmen Frank Kratovil (D – MD1) and Roscoe Bartlett (R – MD6) voted against the year end spending bill that contained millions of dollars in earmarks. They are touting themselves as champions of the people who are fiscally responsible.

The only problem is that this is all smoke and mirrors. Both of these Congressmen requested earmarks and those were inserted in the bill. They then voted against the bill knowing that it would pass and they would get what they requested while pretending that they were against it from the start.

If these two boneheads were actually responsible they would not have requested ANY earmarks. We are in tough financial times and while I am opposed to the earmark process all together, it is especially important not to request them when our economy is in dire straits.

Kratovil is my Congressman and I have a few words for him. You are out pal. Andy Harris is going to beat you in 2010. You rode the Obama coattails in on the anybody but Bush gravy train along with the turncoat Gilchrest supporting you in 2008 but MD1 is a Conservative district. The people here do not want you and you are going home as a one term Congressman.

You sealed your fate with this sham maneuver designed to trick people into thinking you are concerned about the budget. You and Bartlett played a parlor game with your vote and while you will tout your tough stance and principled position I will be out in the community working hard to defeat you. Gilchrest ignored me and he went home. You are on your way.

Those of you in MD6, please find a few good, responsible candidates to challenge Bartlett. He played the same game as Kratovil and he did it with the intent of deceiving you. Both of these men knew the bill would pass without their votes and they inserted earmarks knowing full well the bill would pass. Here is the hypocrisy from Kratovil:

Kratovil, in a statement, said that while the package included “many deserving programs and projects,” it failed to reflect the “tough choices” needed to control federal spending.

Frank, the tough choices are to NOT add earmarks. It is not a tough choice to vote no if you know the bill will pass and you will get what you wanted in the first place. The Democrats who voted against this bill are from conservative districts so their NO vote was cover for them (and I am sure they had earmarks as well). This is a game and it is Congress openly saying that the American public is stupid.

For those of you in Maryland who are out of work or having trouble making ends meet, Kratovil had 36 MILLION dollars in earmark requests (Bartlett had more than 16 MILLION dollars worth). It is always easy to spend someone else’s money. In this case, Kratovil is spending money we do not have, something he said we should make the tough choice not to do.

If either of these men had scruples or the courage of their convictions (or at least the convictions they claim to have) they would not have inserted any earmarks.

Source:
Baltimore Sun

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Tags: bartlett, Congress, deception, kratovil, lies