July 13, 2009
Gitmo – Democrats’ About Face
Could there a better example of ‘politics as usual’? As this article points out, the Democrats were unanimously critical of the Bush administrations’ use of Guantanamo Bay to house suspected terrorist, but now are defending their own Presidents’ right to keep it open for the same reason. Nothing has, or will, change in Washington. There were plenty of good reasons to close Gitmo during the Bush years and nothing has happened to change that. But, as usual, ‘we must protect our President no matter how wrong he is’. Where have we heard those silent spoken words before? Hint: the last six years.
Obviously, there is no simply solution to this Gitmo problem. I imagine had there not been torture by the U.S. going on there and other places, the issue wouldn’t be such a hot button. But, like the Nazi concentration camps in Europe, Gitmo now has a very dirty smell to it and has to be closed to begin the healing process. So the Democrats can continue with their hypocrisy if they like (and I’m sure they will), but all that does is make them as sickening as the last administration.
Rep. Conyers’ Behind-the-Scenes Ace-in-the-Hole
Monica Conyers, wife of Democratic Representative John Conyers Jr., has pleaded guilty to bribery charges. As of now, there’s no real estimate of how much she has “taken-in” over her time as a city council member in Detroit, Michigan, but she has admitted to taking nearly $10,000 in bribes. Now I’m not saying John Conyers was aware that his wife was receiving bribes, but certainly he had to know that the family seemed to always have some extra “pocket money” that was unaccounted for. Uhhhhhhh! Yea, right, and I’m also sure that those who made big money off Bernie Madoff never suspected he was up to no good either.
Conyers — LEAVE; GO HOME; GET OUT OF OUR LIVES!! You’re an accessory to the fact, which makes you a crook too! As such, how much have you taken from the national taxpayers over the past 44 years? Enough, I suspect, to make the pitiful amount your wife stole from Michigan taxpayers seem like chump change.
Obama Attacks Liberal Extremist Groups
President Obama wants the extreme left wing liberals to stop attacking Democratic lawmakers for their less-than extremist views. Obama says the group’s needs to be focused on more important things such as health care reform. But I doubt they will do it. Like the far right Republicans, they intend to draw no quarter. It’s there way or no way, and ‘we’re willing to destroy the party in the process if that’s what it takes’.
In February The New York Times published this article about how bloggers and unions were joining forces to push Democrats to the far left. There objective was not only Washington, but at state levels also. These extreme left wing liberals are asking bloggers to put together information on Democrats at the state level that they, the bloggers, think are good candidates to be attack. This is exactly what this country needs. We’ve already have a concentrated effort that started 20 or so years ago to divide Democrats and Republicans so we can not unite against the bigger problem. Now we have the extremist in both parties trying to divide Party members so they can’t unite against the inside bigger problem. Here, again, we have a minority in each Party demanding they rule. Unlike Bush, at least Obama is critical of those in his party.
Health Care Industry Buying Health Care Reform
The health care industry is spending $1.4 million per day lobbying lawmakers to write the new health care bill so that it favors them instead of the recipients of health care. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufactures of America (PhRMA) has spent $7 million in the first quarter of this year in lobbying efforts, and Pfizer spend more than $6 million during the same period. You may remember that it was just last month the drug manufactures pledged $80 billion in drug discounts in order to help pay for healthcare reform, and PhRMA said they approved of the pledge. Obviously, that was either their public statement intended to be overridden with their private intent, or they plan to make up that $80 billion, plus billions more to make it worth their while, by getting the bill to be worded in their favor. Sounds like the same deal George W. Bush and Representative Billy Tauzin gave them in 2003.
To help make sure their money is well spent and they get their way, the health care industry has hired 350 former government staff members and retired members of Congress to push their wished through. Republican Richard (Dick) Armey and Democrat Richard Gephardt, both ex-congressmen, are among those 350. No word yet on how many millions of dollars ordinary citizens are spending on lobbying the lawmakers, but —. Wait!! I got that number! Excuse me while I run a few figures. ——— I’m back. It’s about $700,000 per day; that’s about $250,000 per day for salaries for the 535, plus somewhere in the neighborhood of another $450,000 per day in perks, expenses, and hired help for them. Aw, shucks! We taxpayers are coming up short. That amounts to only one-half of the $1.4 million per day the health care industry is spending. And when you add the really big bucks those lawmakers will be making as a lobbyist for the industry when they retire from working for us, — well, we’re just out numbered and don’t stand a chance. So suck it up and quit your complaining! Besides, by the time the compromising is over, we’ll be screwed royally anyway.
™