Told You So: Congress considering changing rules for upcoming sequester
On Feb. 20, I told you Congress would probably just change the rules when it comes to the upcoming sequester just like they did with the infamous fiscal cliff. Right on cue, Senate Republicans are suggesting the rules be changed.
Days before the March 1 deadline, Senate Republicans are circulating a draft bill that would cancel $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts and instead turn over authority to President Barack Obama to achieve the same level of savings under a plan to be filed by March 8.
The five- page document, which has the tacit support of Senate GOP leaders, represents a remarkable shift for the party. Having railed against Senate Democrats for not passing a budget, Republicans are now proposing that Congress surrender an important piece of its Constitutional “power of the purse” for the last seven months of this fiscal year.
Since President Obama refuses to lead, the GOP is figuring this would be a step to put all the blame on Obama, but I don’t think it will work. This is a federal government problem and the Executive and Legislative branches are both to blame. Heck, even the Judicial branch is part of the problem.
Forget about the threats of cuts. It’s all political theater, since the federal government will spend more than they did last year and the year before that. The federal government is growing, and when these “disasters” come up, the political critters just change the rules and spend more money. Can’t you see the pattern?
SLASH federal spending in real, meaningful ways and move the power to the states. If the people want all of the programs and services now offered by the federal government that are not authorized in Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution, they should be bred and funded at the state level and the state level only. See the 18 bullet points in Article 1, Section 8? THAT’S IT … any other government function must be moved to the states. We must start now, with the understanding this can and will take decades to accomplish.
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Bingo on it being political theater- though I highly doubt that any of them have the slightest intention of doing anything meaningful about the debt until we are no longer to even service it.? Beyond the political blame game, the theater and scare mongering seems angled to engineer popular support for driving the country into default so that when whatever outside entity at very least usurps our economic sovereignty and imposes draconian austerity measures the treasonous empty suits can say that we demanded the crisis because we wouldn’t give up our (fill in the blank).
Is it not delusional to think the constitution means anything to anyone in Washington DC?
Without the mass media propaganda clutter it becomes abundantly clear that the Constitution represents nothing more than a manipulative prop to convince us that the criminals occupying government care about it.
I just don’t follow what these Republicans are up to.
State the facts and let the Regime spin its own web of deceit. They are good at that.
Since Congress makes the rules, it can change them just as easily (make new ones). This is another example of manipulation for the benefit of political theater.
It is obvously all about party and power and nothing to do with what is best for the American people.? Politicians and?lawyers?thrive on compromise.? Compromise is one of enemies of the Constitution.?
I watched both conventions for the 2008 elections – and woke up when I heard these quotes:
Rudy Giuliani (R) – “Facts can be changed.”?? Joe Biden(D) – “Facts can be ignored”.
JBS, we are being sold down the river half the country at a time. We take turns sleeping when our party is in power and think we are safe.
We are being put into slavery in many ways:? they are finacially draining us.? Our ability to hand build can’t be passed?down without a strong manufacturing base.?? The mortgage debacle now puts most properties into gov’t hands – as a back up in case taking guns was not successful and we pushed back when they imposed eminent domain.? It would be? a force multiplier if gun control worked.
Jim V had a caller the day after the markets fell in late 2007.? She said: “We went to bed in a Republic and woke up in a Socialist state.”? Very true indeed.? An astute thinker… or someone who knew all to well what just happened??
@PatRiot: These are some of reasons I stopped being a Republican and switched to the non-party affiliation of “unaffiliated” which should be a party unto itself — that’s another post. I have been very unhappy with the Republicans’ stands on many issues. The last election cycle gave many examples of the ‘publicans ceding issue after issue to the ‘crats; too often the ‘pubs were left looking or swinging at air. We all knew fielding Romney was a disastrous mistake, but the Party leader know better than the non-Democrats. That the Republicans chose to fight old battles over and over was maddening; the media all to cheerily and repeatedly handed the ‘pubs their butts.
This latest effort by the Senate Republicans is pure theatrics. The harm is the perception that the Republicans are trying to appease the Democrats; they are desperate to be seen as relevant; the Democrats and the media will portray Republican efforts to corner Obama as just that; the Republicans are wrongly trying to give away powers reserved to the Congress — that can only hurt Republicans. The ‘pubs need to stop trying to help. The gun-grabber control farce…
. . . is another loser for Republicans. In it all, Republican efforts to make things better only hurts the American people and helps the Democrats.
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I don’t think the Republican party can change from within. While it is not dead, too many people, cronies, are imbedded in the party and are satisfied with that arrangement. Professional politicians, with vested interests, control the present, and thus, the future of the Republican party. Example: Senate Republicans feel pressured on the sequester. Their response is to formulate a Congressional capitulation to Obama. I would like to hear a response rooted in the message of leaner government, the facts that domestic and defense spending is actually growing and sequester is only trimming a tiny percentage of the growth. And, that sequester is NOT a Republican creature nor is it a Republican problem.
I could go on . . .
The GOOP continues its oozing down the fiscal drain.
JBS, I agree with what you wrote above.
I can’t defend the old guard Republican Party and their ?entrenched politicians in Congress who are sucking the lifeblood from this country. But my dilemma is,what is the answer? The Democrat Party offers me nothing. So do I work for a Third Party? But then how does a Third Party raise the obscene level of money to get their message out. ?In my opinion, there are some wonderful moral and principled Republicans in the wings. My favorite right now is Marco Rubio. ?But there are many strong leaders like Ted Cruz, Allen West ( I know he didn’t win), Rand Paul, Paul Ryan etc. Dr. Ben Carson is unaffiliated and he shows promise. I think we need to raise our voices and shout our despair. We need to stay together and when one gets tired the others take over. ?But we just can’t give up on our Constitution.
In the last election, money talked and access was dependent on how much you would contribute. (Same in the Democrat Party.) Every time they stuck their hands out, I voiced my concerns or wrote a message. I’m still waiting to hear a reply. LOL
So, as part of the masses, what can be done to get the attention of the tone-deaf “leaders” of the party? Our voices are routinely dismissed. Heck, no one even calls to poll me. All I get is robocalls bleating for money and some inane monolog from a politician promising to “be my voice.” LOL
All of this occurs to a background of grand pronouncements by the professional consultant class. I really began to feel that the intrepid oracles were blowing smoke as hard as the opposition. LOL
Millions of dollars and those people couldn’t even decide what the temperature was with a thermometer. LOL
What is there to do?
?
JBS, as the Red Sox say “Believe”
As with the Red Sox: the owners get what they want, the players get what they want, the TV channels get what they want…. and the fans are left holding the bag.
True- but at least with the Red Sux, I can choose not to buy tickets and merchandise- as well as forgo subscribing to the networks carrying the games.
As of? Sunday, the MSM is calling it “Republicuts.”
I’m sure the White(wash) House will correct the media . . .