Above are hot air balloons. The work rhymes with baphoons.
I admonish the honorable war hero Senator John McCain for manipulating the facts in the debt on the Senate floor with Senator Durbin. The 'idea' that the spending after January 20, 2009 was not to be "BIOB." Then whom exactly would Senator McCain blame it on? He, too, has become a follower and no longer a leader.
The very party that claims to love the USA Constitution also has no respect for the nation's reputation.
The GOP just loves making national issues seem like 'kitchen table' topics. Cul-de-sacs, Pulling the Plug on Grandma, whatever propaganda Mudoch can muster, etc.; are as disgusting as the lies they tell. Rep. Joe What's His Name simply needs to stop when he can't even honor his own children.
The GOP has gotten caught in its own trap, being replaced in primaries by the very people that believed topics of national concern were for simple minded people to solve. Then faced with a real problem other than war, they can’t come to grips with it.
I don't want to hear Speaker Boner and his Tea Baggers complain about only having a short time to grapple with this. If they recall, January 2009 was a busy time for the Democratic majority as they were attempting to 'save the country' from Bush Fiscal Calamity. So, the Debt Ceiling wasn't really of importance in any way then. AND. If the nation's health care system was addressed under "Hillary Care" the Democrats would not have needed to address that national emergency either.
The House under the leadership of Minority Leader Pelosi passed an immense amount of legislation. They were busy, very busy. They were trying to save a nation from decades of Republican neglect of the Middle Class and the Poor.
Three months ago, Secreatary Geithner told the nation and its Congress the Debt Ceiling would be ‘called in’ on August 2nd. The ONLY solution at that point was to pass a bill that raised the Debt Ceiling of the USA while instilling measures to initiate review of the debt. One of those measures would be to post the National Debt in relation to the monies being spent up to it at its new level. Another measure would be to require every bill passed in the House and Senate carry a “Cost to Debt Ceiling” amount, including, the actual cost over Budget of even passing the bill.
THEN, the Majority Republican House should have began to ask for the Simpson-Bowles Commission to be referred to the IRS for an outline of implementation to eliminate all tax cuts and begin the new tax structure. Then once the outline was in place and an implementation schedule was to begin, pass a bill to do so and then return it to the Senate for the President’s signature.
With that concluded, the next step would be to ask the Department of Defense to submit a report as to what the 22nd Century military was going to look like with a shrinking threat of nuclear weapons, al Qaeda defeated and terrorist networks dismantled. Then ask the DOD to prepare a plan to implement a long term strategy to achieve that goal and the cost it would take to achieve it by 2100.
With the DOD in place ask the State Department to chime in on how to best seek international cooperation to achieve it and a budget to match that achievement.
Then and only then look to the entitlements of the USA to seek a cost estimate to 2100 providing Public Comment to that discussion and ask the nation to problem solve for the country with implementation beginning within the next two years of Debt Ceiling increase. All the time, the public would be able to assess the spending of the government in relation to the new Debt Ceiling.
There needs to be a bill passed into law that requires at least one public place (I would think it would be the USA Treasury Website) where a link large enough to easily discern could be placed on the Front Page (as well as a physical location in DC with handicap access) so anyone with internet access could view the daily use of the Debt Ceiling Increase and how those monies are being spent. Secretary Geithner could possibly do this under his own authority if he wants to enlist the citizens of the country to participate in knowing about their treasury and its overall debt.
Knowlege is power, Timothy. How are citizens to be informed about an intelligent choice in elections if they are under-educated and easily exploited by a hostile media empire. When that happens it is only we to blame.
There is a clock on the side of a building that tracks the nation’s debt. There needs to be a public place where people can view the use of the monies of the Debt Ceiling, both physical and online, at work along side measures proposed to reduce the nation’s debt and who exactly it will impact.
There is nothing difficult about this. Simple. Just put people to work that can actually be helpful to the American people rather than ideological. There are all kinds of 'panels' in advisement to the FDA, why isn't there at least ONE panel to mediate for the electorate?
