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The framers of the Constitution knew the job of keeping the legislative power confined was tricky. They understood doing so is key to the nation remaining a representative republic. The power of the legislative branch couldn’t be trusted to self-policing by Congress. Separation of Powers… Often enough, legislators face rational incentives to pass problems to … Read more
By Brent Budowsky at The Hill:
It was a jobless Christmas,
throughout our American house.
Many people are suffering,
while politicians play mouse.
Unemployment is high,
jobless benefits run out.
“Tough luck,” said our leaders,
as invective they spout.
The workers now fear,
new taxes will crush.
“Don’t bother me,” say our leaders,
to the airports they rush.
How does one become an Occupy Wall Street Protestor? A quest for understanding in a somewhat complicated topic. Why? Because there are some who seem to demonstrate a modicum of intelligence and articulate usage of the language when the camera is rolling. And, there are some who dress reasonably normal (normal meaning, no obvious hygiene challenges, maintaining a groomed appearance). Those folks are in the vast minority. And certainly it would not be an accurate statement to say these slackers are all “youth generational.” The camera has caught some old enough to be peers of my parents.
But the task at hand is an immediate one. How do I blend in? How do I become an OWS protestor. I suppose I should start with something superficial. Ah yes! you say, “Things aren’t always as they appear.” and how right one might be to make such a characterization. But any good leftist will tell you, honesty is a relative term. “Your views are your views.” Kind of akin to calling people racists because they don’t like Obama… Yet, when it is pointed out that these same “racists” like Herman Cain, the argument shifts to, “you only like him because he gives your racism cover.” Rank dishonesty is the domain of the left. And outward appearance is what we first see from our friends in the lame stream media.
As a segue into my OWS protestor journey, I neither shave nor shower for an extended period of time. (if I wish to wholly embrace this slacker look, I don’t brush my teeth, either..If a casual observer spies a chive stuck in my teeth when I smile, I have arrived) It is important to engender that, “rail against the establishment” appearance. Smelling ones’ own smell, is sufficient validation one has achieved parity with the OWS appearance.
   
This week’s Rino of the Week Report is two days overdue. We have now moved into that area of RINO-dom where we are now looking at “RINO-esque” house votes versus overall house vote performance. Prior RINO-of-the Week selections were pretty clear. Republicans adhering to the part platform were very easy to distinguish from those who ran as Republicans, yet vote consistently with liberals. Now we are in that area where the constituents must decide if the Rep voted “RINO? of if the Rep is a RINO overall. At any rate, ROTW will continue to decide who the RINO is for the present week and the constituents can decide the rest.
In this next shade of the RINO Report, we now examine some house members whose records may show adherence to the party platform, but go off the reservation on key social and fiscal issues like the budget, parental notification or important gun and self-defense bills. Those Republicans we will now focus on.
Reading Steve MacDonald’s entry, “You Can’t Be A Republican And Vote Against Right To Work“…caused me to once again step back and reevaluate the public debate about Right-to-Work. I opened House Bill 474 and carefully read it again…and again…I could find no provision within the Legislation that abolished Unions. I read it yet again…. I could find no provision within the Bill that restricted, outlawed or otherwise “busted” Unions. Not one.
Several reasons brought me to revisit this. First, there seem to be many Republicans who fancy themselves “liberty-minded conservatives yet they support statutory Union oppression; Second, The strident opposition, bad behavior, swearing and threatening by Police and Fire over this bill has created a loss of confidence and apprehension within the communities they serve. Finally, What Unions say about this bill is absolute nonsense and nothing more than bold-faced lies.
“There is hardly a political question in the United States which does not sooner or later turn into a judicial one.” ~Alexis de Tocqueville The Senate has now voted to override the Governor’s veto of Senate Bill 88. The Bill next will come to the full house for concurrence, allowing “Stand your Ground” to become … Read more
CROSS-POSTED
“Remember that a government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take away everything you have.” ~Barry Goldwater THE RINO OF THE WEEK is four term House Representative William J. Remick. Representative Remick’s voting record reveals a demonstrated pursuit of the moderate label by voting with his liberal pals … Read more
Kate Lancor, former Moultonborough welfare director decries the Executive council’s recent vote to defund Planned Parenthood. In her Union Leader Opposite Editorial entitled, Women need the services Planned Parenthood provides, Ms. Lancor characterizes the council vote as, “A pathetic lack of creative thinking in this [sic]country’s elected bodies that even allow such choices to be made.”
While giving readers a thumbnail history of Planned Parenthood and extolling its “community virtues,” Lancor admonishes, “Don’t politicize this, and make it an abortion issue, but rather a health care issue for millions of needy women. Buried underneath the portrayal of Planned Parenthood by lobbyists and politicians as trained abortionists lies years of providing family-planning education and much-needed affordable healthcare to millions of women and men.”
Lancor nails the talking points flawlessly in stating that, “Planned Parenthood provides contraceptives; breast, cervical and testicular cancer screenings; pregnancy testing and counseling; testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases; comprehensive sexuality education, menopause treatments; vasectomies, tubal ligations and abortion.” Kate Lancor paints us a picture of a multi-faceted, healthcare-focused organization that is invaluable to communities. Now who could possibly argue with that? Indeed, Ms. Lancor makes the case for its virtues. Ms. Lancor however overlooks the many problems with Planned Parenthood as an organization. So I’ll take them up where Ms. Lancor has conveniently left off.
Planned Parenthood is a corrupt organization. Despite repeated requests, Planned Parenthood will not open its books. Planned Parenthood spent more than $1 Million dollars in the 2010 election cycle supporting their candidates.
Planned Parenthood has provided services to men characterized as traffickers in the sex trade. Planned Parenthood has been the defendant in lawsuits charging the organization covered up the rapes of under-aged girls. Finally, numerous media reports detail clinics that overbilled by millions.
Americans For Prosperity has released its 2011 Score card for New Hampshire Legislators in the House, and the NH State Senate. The tally is based on eleven bills AFP focused on in 2011 and whether the New Hampshire Representative or Senator took AFP’s position.
Why can’t democrats trust their own constituents to do the right thing? Their first response to every problem is to institutionalize it with more government, typically as far up the legislative food chain as possible. That means as far away from you as they can manage, even to the point of giving control to unelected bureaucrats you can’t punish, just to keep you from messing with it. They entrench it in a bureaucracy, make it impossibly inefficient and expensive and then refuse to let anyone touch it ever again, while charging you more and more to maintain it.
The only reason I can think of for that kind of knee jerk behavior is that Democrats use themselves as the template for the rest of us. The left by their very nature must be selfish, insecure, inconsiderate and un-trusting. Only people so un-giving of themselves or simply incapable of volunteering their time and energy would have to mandate volunteerism and "giving" by legalizing the taking of other peoples time or property through mandates.
HOUSE BILL 474, “An act relative to freedom of choice on whether to join a labor union,” passed out of the house and obtained Senate Concurrence with Amendments. In laymen’s terms, both houses passed the bill. However, it is important to note that in the House, the bill did not pass with a veto-proof majority. According to the House Bill 474 Roll Call, the Bill passed 225 Yeas and 140 Nays.
How It Breaks down:
|
DEMOCRATIC |
|
Yea Vote |
|
0 |
|
Nay Vote |
|
93 |
|
Not Voting |
|
9 |
|
|
||
|
REPUBLICAN |
|
|
|
Yea Vote |
|
225 |
|
Nay Vote |
|
47 |
|
Not Voting |
|
21 |
|
|
|
|
|
INDEPENDENT |
|
|
|
Yea Vote |
|
1 |
|
Nay Vote |
|
0 |
|
Not Voting |
|
0 |
The first step would be to advance a theory where government didn’t have its fingers in every single pie. If the state left more decisions to local and individual control there would be a lot less to debate, and less heated rhetoric, because it would be none of the political classes damn business.
Marty Harty of Barrington resigned his house seat after making remarks that were both insensitive and inappropriate. The resignation was appropriate because to be a lawmaker in Concord, one must represent ones’ constituency with fairness and judiciousness. Comments made by Representative Harty fell short of that. But it’s not enough that Jim Splaine, writing on … Read more
So did Jeanne Shaheen vote for cloture on the Reid’s Frankenstein tax compromise and will she vote to pass it? I ask because it includes Billions for a one year extension of ethanol subsidies that Senator Shaheen just insisted we could not afford.
Charlie Arlinghous is the head of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy and is one of the most respected authorities on NH’s budgets and the process by which it is assembled ("crafted"? No, we shall not sully that word here). Over at NH Watchdog, he has let loose:
In most states, the budget process is dysfunctional. In New Hampshire it has turned into a farce. The state budget process has officially begun with two days of hearings over department submissions that increase spending 32% when every reality-based human knows the budget will have to be cut not increased.
Officially, the budget process began on October 1. At that time, each department head is required by law to submit a so-called maintenance budget – its estimate of what it would spend if it didn’t change anything it did or the way it did it. This submission, while required by law, has never born any relation to the reality of crafting a budget…
…Interestingly, the budget submitted for the governor’s office itself was a decrease of 9%. He’s right but everyone who works for him is living in the clouds. Their combined submissions were a 31% increase in the first year and an additional 4% in the second. In total, they ask for $3.9 billion, an increase of more than a billion over the baseline of the current spending level.
And here is the money paragraph:
Someone has just performed what appears to be a great service to the People of New Hampshire. (I just have not figured out who they are yet.) It’s called VoteCrier.com. It’s premise is to provide a database where New Hampshire legislators can explain how and why they voted for particular bills, and a method by which voters can sort and read these responses.
In the words of the Guinness guys. “It’s Brilliant!”
Filed under a new category: Political Accountability. Yup, now that the elections are over, NONE of us are done (and you thought it was time to go back to the couch)! We put them into their office – now it is time to hold them accountable. We should not, we can not, go back to … Read more