Note to Congress–work for free

Dana Millbank’s editorial (originally published in the Washington Post, republished in the Spokesman-Review) records the rather pathetic “debate” going on between Democrats and “TEA Party” members of the House of Representatives concerning the up-coming budget battle.  From what Mr. Millbank records, Budget debate in house woefully narrow, political that “TEA Party” Republicans argued over such silliness as Asian carp in the great lakes, whether locks should be open or closed, whether President Obama’s czars should get paid.  Whether implementing health care reform should be funded, whether implementing financial regulations should be funded.  And according to CBS News (found on Face Book) if the GOP concept of “budget” passes, that is a loss of some 800,000 jobs.  In a time of a struggling economy, that is one very massive hit.  I am not sure whether at this stage to simply shake my head in disgust or laugh out loud that this is what the “TEA Party” insisted on putting into this congressional debate.  To argue over petty issues without even beginning to address the real debt problems that face this nation.  Yes, Mr. Millbank did disclose that the Democrats argued rather pathetically and that President Obama sidestepped around really addressing some of our most pressing debt issues.  But as a Republican, I am only going to make my statements to the “TEA Party” extremists that populate Congress.

Part of our debt is held by China.  Perhaps the largest percentage of it is in fact held by China.  A large part of China’s financing of debt has to do with the war on terror that GW began in his presidency.  Part of that debt that we have involves trade, the trade imbalance between this country and the rest of the world.  The trade imbalance had been much supported by American-based corporations and their Congressional apologists and corporate shills.  Part of that massive debt involves low taxes on the very wealthy (regardless of Charles Krauthammer’s whining that the taxes on the wealthy here in America are twice that of Canada), compared to earlier decades, a 35% tax rate on corporations or the wealthy is far lower than the 90% they used to shell out.  But that is a 35% tax rate that only affects corporate wealth that isn’t tax sheltered.  Or income that the wealthy don’t put in Cayman Island or Swiss bank accounts.  Part of the debt is high unemployment.  Part of the debt is chronic poverty.  Part of the debt is subsidizing mega corporations.  But deciding to defund PBS would be an insignificant “debt reduction” and simply tells people who  depend on such public programming for news and information they are not likely to get anywhere else, how cavalierly the “TEA Party” is prepared to treat them.  Just as deciding that not funding enforcement of financial regulations to hold banks such as Capital One to account for failing to uphold such laws as the following link which describes a Capital One billing statement will show, would be like saying that we won’t fund prisons that house truly violent criminals, nor fund the courts that convict them, nor fund the police to protect the innocent from violent predators.  All in the name of whining about “too much government.”  The stench of corruption that has obviously followed the “TEA Party” into Congress wafts through the Milbank editorial as well.

Yes, I am going to take aim at the “TEA Party” who’s beyond partisan hatred of President Obama drove the 2010 elections.  Because who in their right minds would want to do further damage to their fellow Americans in the wake of the financial collapse in this country and around the world because what a lack of enforcement and refusal to regulate the banks resulted in.  The consequences were horrific.  I again refer my readers to the above link.  And those consequences were still being felt years later.  But if you are a “TEA Party” member who’s only purpose for being in Congress is to express nothing but opposition to the president, then a capitalistic society be damned.  Siding with and excusing criminal malfeasance in corporate offices; yes, absolutely.  Deciding that jobs that would actually add to state and federal coffers through income taxes, won’t even be on the radar.  Asian carp will be front and center instead.  The American people put this bunch of pure crap into office, it is a bunch of idiots who aren’t even doing the jobs that the American people asked them to do.  So, here is my solution to a significant reduction in debt.

I’ll borrow this idea from the education superintendent Tom Luna of Idaho.  Where he thinks that laptops and internet connections are what students need over and above the 700 teachers he wants to rid the state of Idaho in order to balance Idaho’s budget.  Laptops are apparently cheaper than teachers, I take it.  Well, then we put the members of Congress back home, they set up laptop teleconferences through say Cisco (sic) on their own dime not the taxpayers, and do the business of the people in their own homes.  And they are not to be paid, period, by the people for holding these congressional teleconferences within their home districts and at their home address.  The reason being quite simple; the American people did not ask the politicians whom they put into office to get silly.  But rather, to do serious work.  If they are going to get silly, then let them set up Face Book accounts and toss spitballs at one another for free.  And we can decide whether we “like” to watch all that taking place or not.

Quite frankly, we should only pay these guys who actually want to do the work they were elected to do.  We did not elect them to send shirtless photos of themselves as apparently one GOP freshman Rep of New York  by the name of Chris Lee had to some woman, and when the whistle was blown, promptly resigned.  We did not elect them to discuss Asian carp as part of the need to reduce a trillion $$$ deficit package.  We did not elect them to go front and center protecting the well-connected special interests of Wall Street.  But, as Rep. Darrel Issa and others made plain, “the people” are actually not their concern.  Well then, “the people” who hold these dudes purse strings, shouldn’t even pay them a dime for no work.  So, we shut down Congress, remove some 535 members and their staff and send them home, they can set up Face Book accounts, we watch their infantile behavior over the next two years, and vote in the adults the next time.

Oh and for House Speaker John Boehner who wanted to rip the President who stepped in on the side of the state employees in Wisconsin as it pertains to the GOP governor and legislature wanting to balance the budget on their backs after passing tax cuts that satisfied the wealthy interests… As it pertained to holding adult conversations…  Rep. Boehner, this nation is watching children holding a literal circus in the halls of Congress.  You are in no position to tell the president much of anything.  You want an adult conversation, first start with the GOP under your so-called command.