Electronic Writer

I just finished reading the LA Times Article, GOP hold reins in debate over tax cut extension.  The authors of the article wrote pretty strong opening statements about the situation:

A day after agreeing to work with President Obama to end a stalemate over expiring tax cuts, congressional Republicans flexed their newfound political muscle Wednesday, declaring that they would block consideration of any other legislation during the lame-duck session until a deal is reached on the tax cuts and temporary government funding.

You don’t have to dig too deeply to discover the hidden meaning.  It is pretty clear.  Republicans intend to block EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF LEGISLATION unless they get to extend tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans (that were irresponsible, to begin with–according to Ronald Reagan’s Budget Director).  Everyone agrees that middle and lower-class Americans need the tax breaks, but the fight is squarely over making the tax cuts from George Bush permanent.

Does this sound like extortion to you?

While I am certainly no legal expert, my first impression was that this sounded like a form of extortion.  But, being unsure of the exact definition and some of the nuances that make certain actions Extortion, so I did a little research.  According to the Wikipedia, the definition of Extortion is:

Extortion, outwresting, and/or exaction is a criminal offense which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person(s), entity, or institution, through coercion.

This seemed to be a pretty close match as a description of the behavior of these Senators, but after a bit more research, I stumbled upon the definition of Coercion, and thought it may be a better fit:

Coercion is the practice of forcing another party to behave in an involuntary manner (whether through action or inaction) by use of threats, intimidation  or some other form of pressure or force. Such actions are used as leverage, to force the victim to act in the desired way. Coercion may involve the actual infliction of physical pain/injury or psychological harm in order to enhance the credibility  of a threat. The threat of further harm may lead to the cooperation or obedience  of the person being coerced. Torture is one of the most extreme examples of coercion i.e. severe pain is inflicted until the victim provides the desired information.

This sounds much closer to the case–though, apparently, the Republicans have a code-word for this behavior on Capitol Hill.  I think they simply call it Power. Regardless of the name we use for this, obstructionist tactics (also see:  here, and here for more examples) for political gain are wrong.  This is not how the Democratic Process was intended to be used, and is a misappropriation of the government and their positions as legislators.

Perhaps Robert Gibbs summed it up the best:   “Nothing could be more completely out of whack with what is important to the American people and to getting our economy going again than to watch a debate about billionaire tax cuts while people lose their unemployment benefits.”

Dear Mitch McConnell,

You may think this is a game, and you may very well be proud of your actions, but as an American Citizen, I am not impressed. And, I am not alone . . . .

Your games of blocking the Government from accomplishing anything for no reason other than to assist you in your personal power-grab are very un-American. In this case, you are ruining one piece of legislation that has bi-partisan support and as an opportunist with your voracious appetite for power, you are willing to waste American tax dollars in the pursuit of your personal agenda.

Please leave the Food Safety Bill alone, and stop hurting America.

-E Writer

PS. I would not want to be written into the history books as an American legislator responsible for constipating the American Government, but your actions show that you are apparently happy with it.

September 25, 2007

This is a lovely little video showing Mitt Romney as the front-man for Wall Street. Listen to his rhetoric, but watch the images. It is all double-speak.

The President has launched a campaign to get all of the first-time voters from the last election to come back to the polls for the 2010 Congressional Election.  But, you can hear it for yourself . . . .

Nevada Senate candidate Sue Lowden (R) has made some absurd claims during her recent bid for Nevada Senate.  Her most famous is:

Let’s change the system and talk about what the possibilities are. I’m telling you that this works. You know, before we all started having health care, in the olden days, our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor. They would say I’ll paint your house,” she said. “[That’s] what people would do to get health care with their doctors. Doctors are very sympathetic people.   [Source: Talking Points Memo]

A surprise externality of this lovely talking point has been the meme that Susan Lowden is suggesting that we trade chickens for heath care services–you know, because Insurance Companies and Doctors are so generous with their services.  To help understand the gravity of Lowden’s concept, someone has created the Lowden Plan Chicken Counter–to help us get a general sense of how many chickens we would need for certain procedures.  Of course, if you can find a doctor who will accept chickens in exchange for medical procedures . . . we would love to know.  In the meantime . . . you should check it out.

The Lowden Plan Chicken Counter

Try it yourself:  LowdenPlan.com

There are lots of reasons to really feel the doom-and-gloom of the day: Republican obstructionism is at an all-time high, right-wing Tea-Baggers, ratings-chasing media organizations, and their governmental enablers are fomenting revolutions, we are still losing human lives in the Middle East, and right now, an oil rig is burning and sinking to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico–and, spilling 300,000 gallons a day of oil.

But, there is a bright spot in the news today. A 99-year old woman is able to read and write again using a smart, new piece of technology–an iPad!

Don’t you just love technology?

These are some superb opening remarks. Finally, someone not pulling any punches–and, someone with some experience who is not pulling any punches.

I hope the trial is fair and a representative case of the American legal system . . . and, that those responsible are brought to justice. As I have said before, the homeless people, those who have lost their jobs and/or businesses, those who have lost their retirements are not just numbers. They are suffering people . . . and, it was no accident.