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1. Intentional or Not, Pat Toomey Shows America the Democrats Care Nothing for Our National Security
2. Repeating Mistakes?
3. The Supercommittee of Super Insanity
4. Cornyn on Balanced Budget Amendment, Obama’s Failure to Lead, Fast and Furious
5. Ezra Klein: Never Mind Stopping Occupy Rapes, Violence and Fetid Squalor, The Important Benefit of Eviction Is Helping The Movement!
1. Intentional or Not, Pat Toomey Shows America the Democrats Care Nothing for Our National Security
It is one of the quintessential pillars of the Republican Party — no new taxes. George H. W. Bush got thrown out of office for violating that pledge. But Pat Toomey, Senator of Pennsylvania, is proposing new taxes. He’s proposing $300 billion in new taxes, largely through restructuring and simplifying the tax code. But they are new taxes.
So we have the GOP willing to surrender a key plank and the Democrats are unhappy. They want more. They want the GOP to go even higher. Toomey says no dice. I’m starting to think he’s outfoxed all of us by throwing down his first proposal and making it also his final proposal and in the process showing us two things.
First, he is showing us just how irresponsible the House Republicans are. Toomey drew a firm line in the sand and the House GOP seems willing to up the ante. It’s no wonder John Boehner, our Republican Speaker, has presided over the largest spending binge we’ve ever seen from Congress. House Republicans are not only willing to raise taxes, potentially more than Toomey, but are daring to call it a tax cut.
Pat Toomey is also showing the country something else — something more important. The Democrats seem to genuinely not care one whit about American national security and now the American public can see this.
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2. Repeating Mistakes?
Sometimes it seems like Congress didn’t learn anything from the housing crisis at all. Early Tuesday morning, leaders in the House and Senate unveiled an appropriations bill, called a “minibus,” to fund several government agencies for the fiscal year 2012. Tucked inside the 401-page bill was language to increase the limits for which the Federal Housing Administration can insure mortgage loans up to $729,750, effectively allowing the agency to back McMansions with taxpayer dollars. Adding further insult to hard-working taxpayers an independent audit revealed, just hours later, that there is a “close to 50%” chance the agency would run out of money and need a taxpayer bailout.
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3. The Supercommittee of Super Insanity
As the tumultuous year of 2011 winds down, Congress will be facing a number of crucial budget deadlines. Aside for the supercommittee deadline to find $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction (over ten years), they must contend with the December 31 expiration of three provisions of the 2010 tax extenders deal; payroll tax cuts, unemployment benefits, and ethanol subsidies. Now the Washington Post is reporting that the supercomittee might attempt to extend unemployment benefits and payroll tax cuts as part of the final deal. The rubber is meeting the road, and conservatives need to mobilize rapidly.
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4. Cornyn on Balanced Budget Amendment, Obama’s Failure to Lead, Fast and Furious
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) had tough words for President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder following a speech today at The Heritage Foundation. He criticized Obama for a failure to lead and voiced concern about Holder’s handling of the Operation Fast and Furious scandal.
“Unfortunately, the president is already campaigning, trying to channel Harry Truman, railing against a ‘do-nothing Congress’ when he’s apparently given up on governing,” Cornyn said in response to a question about the budget debate in Washington. “He’s not really contributing to the solution.”
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5. Ezra Klein: Never Mind Stopping Occupy Rapes, Violence and Fetid Squalor, The Important Benefit of Eviction Is Helping The Movement!
The ever absurd Ezra Klein of The Washington Post is at it again, refusing to remain silent and just be thought a fool rather than speak, or write, and have it confirmed. This turn on the idiot merry-go-round is his little defense of Occupy Wall Street and his breathless desire that the eviction save them. Not the women assaulted at the protests nor the people harmed by other actions of the protesters, mind you. No, no – it’s The Movement ™ that he glorifies and about which he’s concerned.
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