Monthly Archives: June 2012
GOTP House Buckles Under Pressure?
Well, wonder of wonders, the Republican Tea Party (GOTP) dominated House buckled under and approved legislation preserving jobs on transportation projects from coast to coast and avoiding interest rate increases on new loans to millions of college students. The bill, which then sailed through the Democratic controlled Senate (for once with no threats of GOTP filibusters), was then sent for the President’s signature.
With the bill’s passage, just over $100 billion can now be spent on highway, mass transit and other transportation programs over the next two years, projects that would’ve expired Saturday without congressional action; it also ends the stalemate over student loans.
Under the bill, interest rates of 3.4 percent for subsidized Stafford loans for undergraduates will continue for another year, had the uber-right Tea Party members had their way, interest rates would have mushroomed to 6.8 percent for 7.4 million students expected to get the loans over the coming year, adding an extra $1,000 to the average cost of each loan.
The Democratic-led Senate passed the measure by a 74-19 vote, after the GOTP-run House approved it 373-52; with all the no votes – of course – being cast by the uber-right conservative members of the Congress.
The final version of the transportation measure dropped a provision – which had drawn a Presidential veto threat – that would have forced government approval of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to the Texas coast.
According to the Associated Press (AP), White House spokesman Jay Carney said the administration was glad Congress acted “before middle class families pay the price for inaction.” He said President Obama will keep pressing for approval of more of his job-creating proposals from last year, to hire teachers, police officers and firefighters and for tax credits to companies that hire new workers.
Financing for most of the measure came from extending federal taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel for an additional two years which levies, unchanged for nearly two decades, are 18.4 cents a gallon for gasoline and 24.4 cents for diesel and which fall woefully short of fully financing the highway programs they were designed to do.
About $20 billion would be raised over the next decade by reducing tax deductions for companies’ pension contributions and increasing the fees they pay to federally insure their pension plans. In return, a formula was changed to, in effect; let companies apportion less money for their pensions and to provide less year-to-year variation in those amounts.
Additional revenues will be raised by charging interest on subsidized Stafford loans no more than six years after undergraduates begin their studies.
A loophole was also tightened making it harder for businesses with roll-your-own cigarette machines to classify the tobacco they sell as pipe tobacco – which is taxed at a lower rate than cigarette tobacco. The change is expected to raise nearly $100 million.
The measure also extends Federal flood insurance programs that protect 5.6 million households and businesses, allowing higher premiums and limiting subsidies for vacation homes to help address a shortfall in the program caused by claims from 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.
It also steers 80 percent of the billions in Clean Water Act penalties paid by BP and others for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion to the five Gulf States whose beaches and waters were soiled by the disaster. The money would have otherwise gone to federal coffers.
Federal timber subsidies worth $346 million would be distributed for another year to rural counties, while other funds would be steered to rural school districts.
No matter how this is sliced it’s a victory for the President and a loss for the GOTP, particularly for the uber-right Tea Party; it’s one more victory in a week of victories which saw the Supreme Court’s overturning of the most controversial parts of Arizona’s papers please bill and the upholding of the Affordable Care Act. Try though they might, spinning this beyond their own will be extremely difficult.
Latest 2012 Presidential Polls – 27 Jun 12 Edition
Down to 19 weeks to go until the November election and Republican Tea Party (GOTP) “it’s my turn” bully-boy Willard Mitt Romney’s staff has been conducting “meetings” in dance clubs with bars serving champagne in uni-sex bathrooms, while Willard’s been forced to flip, flop and soften his staff on immigration following the Supreme Court decision to toss out the controversial sections of Arizona’s heinous anti-immigration law coupled with President’s announcement allowing children brought into this country illegally by their parents to be able to stay.
So, how does the GOTP candidate stand up against the President?
Still no new polls showing favorability of the candidates, but the last Bloomberg poll of voters conducted from 15-18 Jun 12, shows the President with a 55% favorability rating compared to Romney’s 39%.
So, who’s more electable right now?
In the most recent viable’ poll(s) – which are any group other than FOX News or Rasmussen (which are always skewed to the right) – the most current NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl poll of registered voters conducted 20-24 Jun 12, if the general election were held today:
President Obama 47/Romney 44
The most recent Gallup Tracking poll of registered voters conducted 20-26 Jun 12, if the general election were held today:
President Obama 46/Romney 44
And finally, the most recent Bloomberg poll of likely voters conducted 15-18 Jun 12, if the general election were held today:
President Obama 53/Romney 40
If the general election was held today, Willard Mitt Romney still loses to President Obama in the general election.
How big would Willard lose? Well, if the General Election were held today, the Electoral College totals based on all available current poll numbers:
Romney’s staff meets at dance club
According to news reports, staffers for Republican Tea Party (GOTP) presidential hopeful Willard Mitt Romney held a meeting at a club catering to adults offering “body painting”, ”Models/Dancers/Showgirls” and where the “The Mint’s three unique bar experiences will invite discovery and ignite excitement”.
But wait, that’s not all, one review of the “meeting place” said in a review, “The club also offers a ‘specialty champagne bar in the co-ed bathroom.’ In the marble unisex bathroom, a bartender makes drinks while patrons take ‘socializing in the bathroom to a new level”
Yep, it just speaks like the type of place the first Mormon candidate for President of the United States should have tied to his name and campaign; it just screams “family Values”!
Romney 2012! Family Values, and a whole lot more!
Some dare not call it racism
No other President has been treated with the amount of disrespect from his opponents – Congressman unprecedented interruption of State of the Union Address, and so-called “journalist” interrupting address in the Rose Garden – this one has; no other President has ever been asked for his birth certificate nor has any other President been called “boy”, or “man child” etc…
It’s got to be something, let’s look at what might attribute to this disrespect from opponents on the right?
He’s a Democrat!
Nope, that can’t be it we’ve had 16 Presidents who were Democrats and none were ever treated this badly
He’s a Lawyer!
Nope, we’ve had 21 lawyers, and while that certainly could be argued to be reason enough, no other Presidents who were lawyers have been treated like this
He went to Harvard!
Nope, had six of those
He was raised without a father!
Nope, had six of those
He’s a progressive!
Nope, we’ve had nine of those
He’s a man!
They’ve all been men so far – all 44
Well now, what does that leave us?
They hate him because he’s Hawaiian?
Somehow I doubt that’s the problem.
That leaves us with two things different from all the others, his name is Obama, or he’s Black?
Well, either of those things is certainly a first; he’s the first Black President and he’s the first one with a Muslim name – disliking him for either would be considered racism.