Shutdown - 4

And the government shutdown continues its toll. Basic things with little expense associated with them are now eliminated for the time being. How silly.  Imagine this:

“If this Congress truly wishes to recognize the sacrifice and bravery of our World War II veterans and all who've come after, it will end this shutdown and re-open our government now.” – Joint statement by Bob Dole and John Dingall

National Institutes of Health is shut down as well. Small children with incurable medical conditions await their experimental drug trials to see if their lives can be saved. But wait! First we have to wait for demagogues in a small faction of the Republican party to learn how to get along with people they don’t agree with. Perhaps they would like to personally convey their message to the parents of those children?

How about the veterans at the VA medical centers around the county? Are they getting the medical attention they deserve? Indeed, the medical care they have earned?

What about the education programs that are on hold – after school tutoring, Head Start programs, meals for the poor, security programs for the schools, classroom supplies and teaching aids, and so very much more?

FDA – Food and Drug Administration – who will inspect the food products before they are approved for market? Or will these food stuffs go to waste and spoil?  And drugs, too?

The housing market is a mess because greedy people took from the top what they thought was theirs to take. No regulation kept the debacle from happening. Mortgage oversights went missing. Still are. Housing inspections and public safety went missing. Still are. Rents are soaring as people are dislodged from their homes. Their credit ratings are wrecked and they cannot buy another home even though their balance sheets are now healthy and debts are well below normal requirements. Income people. It is income that determines whether a family can pay a mortgage or rent.

Housing markets are upside down. Mortgages, too. And savings, financial institutions, you name it is upside down. And where is Congress in this mess? Where are their programs and policies? They have left that entirely up to the Obama Administration and then planted their bodies firmly in the way of implementing the programs efficiently and effectively.

As Nancy Pelosi has stated,

“This was a do-nothing congress. And now it’s gone to something worse. It’s a make-matters-worse congress.”

On the nightly news we hear the reports that conservatives are willing to compromise, but only if the other side gives up a bill that has been passed and is in implementation stages. Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. Passed by congress. Process fully implemented to enact the law. Lots of debilitating compromises made to get it passed. Still the losers want to kill the program.

Now they want to throw away the full faith and credit of the American Federal Government and deny a debt ceiling increase until the problems are brought under control.

Make no mistake. The President of the United States does not spend tax dollars. He doesn't make up the budget. He recommends one. And Congress either accepts or rejects that recommendation. Generally they change the hell out of it and approve their own budget. And those dollars belong to Congress.

The US Constitution gives the House of Representatives the control of the nations purse. Only they can approve budgets and spend money, or authorize appropriations.

So who really is the spendthrift in the Tea Party allegations?  Why it is the House of Representatives. Basic Civics 101, high school edition.

Where were the conservatives and the tea partiers when these lessons were taught in school. Were they paying attention or were they greedily laying plans for plundering the nation for their own rewards?

A good question to ask. Will we ever get an honest answer?

October 11, 2013