Posts Tagged ‘congress’
Yellowstone gets real about budget cuts
By Lisa Rein MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. — The giant yellow snowplows that wake Yellowstone from its winter slumber every March are idled, waiting for the sun to make up for federal budget cuts that are forcing the park to open late for peak season. Mandatory cuts kicked in three days before the plows were to start clearing snow and ice from 300 roads at altitudes that reach 11,000 feet. Faced with an order from Washington to slice $1.8 million from his budget, the park ... Full Story
Social Security Trust Fund
To the Editor, Is the Social Security Trust Fund empty because Congress borrowed and spent the money? No. The Fund invested the money in U.S. treasuries, and it will be repaid as needed. Suppose you were in charge of the Fund. Once the current year’s payments were made, what would you do with the billions of left-over dollars needed to fund future payments? Would you stuff them in a coffee can and bury them in the back yard, where they would earn no interest and ... Full Story
Colorado Reactions to State of the Union Address
Senator Udall Reacts to President's State of the Union Address Mark Udall spoke with reporters following the president's State of the Union address, welcoming his focus on job creation and strengthening the middle class. "I’ve been saying for several years that we have to keep a laser-like focus on crafting common-sense policies that encourage the private sector to create jobs. Growing the economy must be our top priority. And the president underlined that over and over again with a ... Full Story
Neocon Nightmare:
The Truth Behind the Attacks on Chuck Hagel By Arriana Huffington If President Obama's second term includes decision making as bold and intelligent as his nomination of Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense, his presidency might finally fulfill the promise of audacity and change that rallied so many to his campaign five years ago. In fact, the more ridiculous the claims being made by Hagel's critics become, the ... Full Story
Republicans protecting rapists?
Why Does Eric Cantor Want To Protect Rapists? by Jessica Pieklo - January 3, 2013 There is no greater coward in Congress right now than House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. Cantor and his GOP allies killed off the highly effective, highly popular Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) this session over a provision that would give Native American tribes limited authority to prosecute non-Native Americans accused of domestic violence, sexual assault and ... Full Story
Right-Wing lies about America
12 Biggest Right-Wing Lies About America By RJ Eskow These political fallacies are giving America a false vision of our economy and world. Our nation was gripped by so many fallacies and delusions in 2012 that the whole Mayan calendar end-of-the-world thing didn’t even make the list. Even those apocalyptic prophecies were more plausible than the idea that cutting Social Security will help the deficit, that government spending cuts ... Full Story
Where has liberty gone
The Bill Of Rights Has A Very Bad Week By Charles P. Pierce Of course, while everyone in Washington, and the courtier press that serves them, were endlessly droning on and on about the Gentle Fiscal Incline, the Bill Of Rights closed out 2012 by having one of the worst weeks it's had in the two centuries of its existence. But the courtier press paid that little mind, possibly because selling out the Bill Of Rights was done on a "bipartisan" basis, and the denizens of the ... Full Story
Ron Paul hates democracy
Ron Paul's Farewell Speech in Congress Lays Bare His Hatred for "Pure Democracy," and Love of Oligarchy Paul believes in liberty... for businessmen. November 28, 2012 | By Robert Parry Rep. Ron Paul, an icon to the libertarian Right and to some on the anti-war Left, gave a farewell address to Congress that expressed his neo-Confederate interpretation of the Constitution and his anti-historical view of the supposedly good old days of laissez-faire capitalism. In a ... Full Story
Civil Discourse and The Clash of Ideas
By Lee H. Hamilton The election of 2012 has called attention to how difficult it is for Americans to talk reasonably with one another about public policy challenges. Our civic dialogue — how we sort through issues and reason with one another — is too often lamentable. We live in a politically divided country. Congress, which ought to serve as the forum where politicians of diverse views find common ground, is instead riven by ... Full Story
Washington Needs to Lead. Now
By Lee H. Hamilton A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a group of prominent business leaders that I’m still mulling over. We were talking about the intersection between business and government, and they were pretty unhappy. The chief target of their displeasure wasn’t any of the usual suspects, though. Instead of lambasting taxes or regulations, they were most worried about ... Full Story
