Posts Tagged ‘congress’
How to Tell If Congress Is Working Again
By Lee H. Hamilton There have been encouraging signs that the Republican leadership on Capitol Hill wants to make Congress function again. They’ve talked about using conference committees more, allowing a more open process for rank-and-file members, enacting separate appropriation bills rather than using omnibus bills, and letting committees lead on legislation rather than hoarding all power in the leadership offices. Perhaps most important, they’ve acknowledged that Congress has many ... Full Story
Berthoud’s Hero Dog goes to Washington
One-eyed Chihuahua 'testifies' to Congress about puppy mills TheDenverChannel.com Team , KRDO WASHINGTON, D.C. - A little Colorado dog with a big message traveled to Washington, D.C. to bring awareness to puppy mills. “Dear Mr. President, I had to ask my mom to read this letter, because I am only a dog,” said Harley’s owner Rudi Taylor in a video before going. “I am a puppy mill survivor. I spent 10 years living in a small, filthy wire cage in a puppy mill.” Harley, ... Full Story
Greenwald on Clapper
Inside the Mind of James Clapper By Glenn Greenwald I’m going to have a story published later today about a new document, but until then, this new interview with (and profile of) Director of National Intelligence James Clapper by the Daily Beast‘s Eli Lake is worth spending a few moments examining. Last week, Lake published one excerpt of his interview where Clapper admitted that the U.S. Government should have told the American people that the NSA was collecting their ... Full Story
Politics and National Policy
Deficit Reduction Declines as Policy Priority Just Half of Democrats Rate Deficit as ‘Top Priority For the first time since Barack Obama took office in 2009, deficit reduction has slipped as a policy priority among the public. Overall, 63% say reducing the budget deficit should be a top priority for Congress and the president this year, down from 72% a year ago. Most of the decline has come among Democrats: Only about half of Democrats – 49% – view deficit reduction as a top priority, ... Full Story
Selling health insurance across state lines
To the Editor, Republicans want to scrap Obamacare and, instead, allow the sale of health insurance policies across state lines, claiming that increased competition will lead to lower premiums. Will it? Let’s review a parallel history of credit card interest rates. Back in the 1970s, if you wanted a credit card, you went to your local bank. States set maximum interest rates of around 12%. In the 1980s, Congress and the Reagan Administration allowed credit cards to be issued across state ... Full Story
Al Jazeera on Snowden, WikiLeaks and Greenwald
Snowden, Greenwald and Wikileaks are winning Americans are becoming more concerned that government 'anti-terror' programmes are actually restricting civil liberties. Last Modified: 07 Aug 2013 11:33 By Mark Weisbrot: Opinion NSA whistle blower Edward Snowden and Sarah Harrison (L), a legal researcher for WikiLeaks, leave Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport after Snowden spent nearly six weeks in hiding there "It is a slap in the face of all Americans," said Senator John McCain (R - ... Full Story
Bribery keep domestic spying in place
Domestic Spy Program Remaining In Place Thanks to Legal Bribes By Justin Acuff The recent failure of Congress to reign in the domestic surveillance capabilities of the NSA wasn’t split along party lines; instead, the 217-205 vote was split along which congresspeople get paid more by the defense industry. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that those getting more money from the defense industry voted against cutting that power back. Our government is deeply corrupt on a ... Full Story
Darrell Issa Lied about IRS “scandal”
Full Transcript Reveals That Darrell Issa Lied About Obama Involvement In IRS Scandal By: Jason Easley By releasing the full transcript of interview with the IRS Screening Group manager, Rep. Elijah Cummings has proven that Rep. Darrell Issa lied about Obama’s involvement in the IRS scandal. Rep. Cummings absolutely destroyed Issa’s conspiratorial claims that Obama was masterminding the IRS scandal: This interview transcript provides a detailed first-hand account of how these practices ... 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 thereby lose ... 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
