Congress Back in Session -- Hold on to your Wallets

This is not a good start to the year -- debt ceiling needs raised, no budget for FY12, and the estimated amount to deficit with bills passed in the House last year in ten months was $1T.  This is your Congress at work.  Yet they wonder why their ratings are so low.

Looks like big Government Republicans are still in charge in the House like they have been since the GOP originally took the House in 1994, lost it in 2006 and took it back in 2010.  I thought we sent our Representatives to DC to cut the budget not have business as usual and cave to the Democrats over and over again.

Now we learn the  budget from the House of $1T was passed on December 16th to keep the Government open.  You mean to tell me that they couldn't find more cuts.  Bet regular citizens could find a lot of cuts they missed but then they would have to tell their districts no and there was an election year coming up.  Must admit that I missed the passage of the $1T budget bill to keep government open as I was getting ready for Christmas and a trip to Denver and then Phoenix for the Insight Bowl after Christmas.  How convenient to pass all this while people are involved in various activities during the holidays.

Congress should not even be in session after October 1st when the new fiscal year (FY) starts because there should be a budget in place to begin the new fiscal year.  Years ago the new FY began on 1 July but then in the traditional wisdom of Congress, they decided they wouldn't need continuing resolutions if they moved it to 1 October.  Congress still cannot get a budget agreed to and more continuing resolutions are passed even though the date was moved back.  That is no way to do business but it is also wrong to do business as usual when there is such a huge deficit.

Believe we need new leadership in Congress starting with both parties in the Senate.  I am not even a little impressed with the Republican leadership in the Senate and less impressed with the Democrats.  Mitch McConnell from the Republicans and Harry Reid from the Democrats are two leaders who need to give up leadership as neither one has the capability of putting the American people first.  As a whole, Senate leadership is really bad.

In the House, Pelosi and her group have no intention of doing was is best for all Americans as they prefer class warfare.  On the Republican side we have been disappointed that the House under the leadership of Boehner cannot even get the leadership to work together.  It seems that Cantor and Boehner are not on the same side a lot of times and has led to some dysfunctional moments.

Would have loved to see Mike Pence as Speaker of the House but he is running for Governor of Indiana so this will be his last year in Congress.  The people of Indiana are going to be very fortunate to have Mike Pence as their next Governor.  I am hoping that after four years as Governor, he will be our nominee for President in 2016.  He was one of my early favorites this time, but he felt the calling of Indiana.  Please feel free to donate to his campaign for Governor at http://mikepence.com/ to help make sure he is Indiana's next Governor.  He is going to be sorely missed in the House.

Cong Steve King who like Mike Pence can say more in a minute than most can say if five minutes will be there to protect conservative values and try to get more Republicans in the House on the side of cutting the budget and especially regulations.

The amount of regulations that are being added almost daily is mind boggling -- Obama added $9.5B in new regulations just in the month of July 2011.  Through the end of March 2011, the Obama Administration added close to $40 billion in new costs for regulations and rules to the economy, more than twice the Bush rate.  Was disgusted with the rate of Bush regulations and rules but never gave a thought it would double with the next President.  Couldn't find a tally on the end of the year but will post when it is available.

That gets us to the Republican primary where we have three big Government types running against two small Government types.  Romney, Santorum, and Newt by their records are for big Government while Paul and Perry both from Texas are for small Government just disagreeing on how to get there.  The Republican Party looks poised to have our nominee be a big Government type so will regulations/rules continue to cost the taxpayer no matter who wins the Presidency?  Sure looks like it from where I sit.

We see more and more conservatives referring to Romney as Obama lite.  Based on his record as Governor of Massachusetts, we would have to agree with that, but Romney is not running on his record as Governor.  He wants you to only takes what he says today as the facts no matter he was Governor from 2002 to Jan 2007.  Even in 2007, was a member of the moderate Republican Mainstreet Partnership who opposed Sam Alito .  He now is in the hip pocket of Wall Street and K Street lobbyists and we are supposed to believe everything he says when he has flipped flopped on over 30 issues?  Give me a break!

Will someone explain where all these big Government Republicans came from or have they been masquerading as conservatives which seems the logical conclusion.  For every Allen West (R-FL) or James Lankford (R-OK) we have twice as many in the House who believe in earmarks and pork and want to bring home that bacon to their district.  It is time for voters to actually look at who they are electing and vow to stop returning someone to Congress who is a big spender and start electing more small Government types.  In the months ahead those small Government types running for the Congress will be spotlighted on here as people to support.  We will also be going after the big Government types from both parties.  This is not about the left or the right but about electing men and women to Congress who will do the right thing for the American people not line their own pockets.

Hold on to your wallets because Congress is back ready to spend/waste your tax dollars on not only necessary expenditures but a lot that are unnecessary in this election year as they believe more spending for their district is more votes for them.   Time to send the big spenders to the unemployment line.

Are Libya and the Budget Part of Obama's Re-election Strategy?

According to a working theory by Erik Erickson this morning at Red State that could be the Obama endgame which would make sense when nothing else does.

“The best playbook for his re-election is that of Bill Clinton. But Clinton had a government shutdown and Kosovo. In the absence of either, Barack Obama must manufacture them.”

If Obama thinks his war in Libya and a shutdown of Government is going to win him points with the voters then he is delusional. The shutdown of Government under Clinton wouldn't have worked for him either while hurting Republicans if we had the internet to find out the facts not what the media was feeding us for facts.  Adding to the spin of the media was Newt Gingrich's poor handling of the situation with his comments.  The action to shut down Goverment helped Clinton but in this instance the American people are not buying into the Democrat and media spin on the shutdown. 

Obama and the Democrats have made a mockery of the FY 11 budget process and the American people know it.  The White House is not negotiating so the Congress passes three-week continuing resolutions with billions cut each time.  That is no way to run the Government and it can be laid right at the doorstep of the Democrat Senators and President Obama -- they are fully responsible.  Forgot to mention the House in all of this mess when under Pelosi's rule, they 'deemed' a budget passed last fall instead of having an actual budget so the trifecta of Obama/Reid/Pelosi strikes again against the interests of the American people.

On the second front for reelection, Libya, Obama is considering coming back from Central America early but why bother as he already blew this whole exercise if it was to make him look Presidential. He looks like a wimp flying off to Brazil, Chili, and Central America for a spring break with his family.  No amount of spin is going to change a lot of our minds that he is using Air Force One jetting off to the south for a vacation without giving one thought to the high price of jet fuel that is costing the American taxpayers dearly. Giving a recorded message to the American people including members of Congress that he was sending our military into war instead of talking to Congressional leadership face to face is the act of a wimp and a coward. He never once bothered to seriously consult with any of the leadership of Congress before making the decision. He acted as a 3rd World Dictator using the military at will in what he thought would make him look Presidential. We give him a "F" for dithering during this whole conflict and then waiting for the UN to pass one of the dumbest resolutions EVER when sending military in a wartime situation:

Under the U.N. mandate authorizing the mission, international fighter pilots are not permitted to intervene in battles between Libya’s forces and the loosely organized rebels.

The above is the mission of the UN resolution in a nutshell but that is not what Obama is saying as he talks about regime change which is nowhere in the resolution according to the Washington Post:

The U.N. Security Council’s stated objective is “the immediate establishment of a cease-fire and a complete end to violence.” This is entirely incompatible with President Obama’s stated objective of getting Moammar Gaddafi “to step down from power and leave.” If the violence ends, Gaddafi will not leave. To the contrary, if military intervention succeeds in achieving the United Nations’ goal of forcing a cease-fire on the warring parties, it will lock in the status quo on the ground. Two weeks ago, this would have left the rebels with control over large swaths of the country. But today, Gaddafi has regained most of the ground he lost to the resistance. The air campaign stopped him from driving the rebels from their last urban strongholds. But now the opposition holds Benghazi as the capital of a liberated enclave, protected by Western air power — much as Iraqi Kurdistan was during the decade before the fall of Saddam Hussein.

While reading the column by Michael Barone this morning in the Washington Examiner was struck with the huge difference in candidate Obama and President Obama. We have seen candidates change their spots after being elected but this time Obama throws candidate Obama under the bus:

"It is always preferable to have the informed consent of Congress prior to any military action," candidate Obama said in December 2007

Why does the mainstream media continue to cover for Obama most of them not even mentioning what Candidate Obama said? Talk about dereliction of duty -- members of the media come straight to mind right after Obama.

The damning contradictions of Obama's attack on Libya

By: Michael Barone 03/22/11 8:05 PM
Senior Political Analyst http://twitter.com/MichaelBarone

President Obama has sent U.S. military forces into Libya.-Pablo Martinez Monsivais/APLet's imagine that all goes well in Libya. The rebels, protected by airstrikes, recapture lost territory and sweep into Tripoli. Moammar Gadhafi and his sons one way or the other disappear.
Leaders propose a democratic and secular constitution that voters overwhelmingly approve. The first act of the duly elected government is to issue a proclamation of thanks and friendship to the United States, Britain, France and others who prevented Gadhafi's mass slaughter.

Well, we can all dream, can't we?

But in the cold light of day none of these happy eventualities seems very likely. As one who hopes for success in this enterprise, I am dismayed by the contradictions in the course we are following.

Some three weeks ago President Obama said Gadhafi "must go." But the U.N. Security Council resolution under which we are acting stops well short of this goal.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen confirmed that Gadhafi may remain in power indefinitely. National Security Council staffer Ben Rhodes said, "It's not about regime change."

If not, then the purported purpose of the operation, to "protect civilians," could be of unlimited duration. Libya might well be divided between a Gadhafi regime in the west around Tripoli and a rebel regime in the east around Benghazi.

Maintaining the existence of the latter will likely require military force. Obama has conceded that the United States is currently in command of operations, but says that command will be handed off to others in "days, not weeks."

But news reports make it clear that the overwhelming majority of military forces in action are American. Putting a British or French officer in command will not change that. And putting U.S. forces under foreign command might weaken support for the enterprise here at home.

(snip)

The result in Libya is a policy whose means seem unlikely to produce the desired ends.

In the process, this Democratic president has jettisoned some of the basic tenets of his party's foreign policy.

"It is always preferable to have the informed consent of Congress prior to any military action," candidate Obama said in December 2007. But Congress was not informed or, it seems, consulted in any serious way about this decision to take military action in Libya.

Instead members of Congress, like the general public, heard the president make the announcement in Rio de Janeiro. That's quite a contrast with George W. Bush, who sought and obtained congressional approval of military action in Afghanistan in September 2001 and Iraq in October 2002.

Since then many Democrats have denounced Bush's "rush to war" in Iraq. But military action there began a full five months after Congress approved. Obama didn't wait five days after the Security Council resolution.

Excerpt: Read more at the Washington Examiner

The mainstream media has remained pretty quiet about the fact that Obama took this action to launch a war in Libya while on vacation. They would have crucified Pres Bush on several fronts if he took the same action as Obama when he (Bush) launched the attack on Iraq, e.g. not consulting Congress, going on vacation to a foreign country, launching a war from Brazil via a recorded message that members of Congress heard right along with the rest of us for starters. That doesn't even include how the Democrats in Congress would have acted if Bush had followed the same path. Talk about a double standard. Some Democrats and media still talk about how Bush rushed to war in Iraq after six months of meetings in Congress, a Congressional resolution authorizing the action, along with the United Nations resolution. Five days after the UN resolution Obama launches the attack on Libya without consulting Congress from a foreign country. Where is the outcry?

For ten years the United States was involved in the no-fly zone in Iraq before we attacked. We believe that's what we are looking at in Libya for a no-fly zone if not longer if things don't change drastically. Obama can dream all he wants about how this will help him with his reelection, but in the end we are in the skies of Libya without an end game and with no vested interest in Libya. Obama waited too long to call for a no-fly zone and gave Gadhafi a chance to regain some of his strength.  To put it in simple terms -- Obama failed on Libya.

Now we are stuck patrolling the skies of a no fly zone thanks to this inept President who looks to be putting his reelection ahead of the good of the Country. Kind of reminds you of LBJ until he finally realized he couldn't get reelected due to his escalation and micromanaging the war in Vietnam. Will history repeat itself with Obama deciding not to run? We doubt it as he is more of a narcissist then LBJ which is saying something.

Today at Noon Order will be Restored in the House of Representatives

January 5th at noon est the new House will be sworn in and the election of the Speaker of the House will take place.  Nancy Pelosi will be history as Speaker and if Heath Schuler (D-NC) has his way, she will be history as Minority Leader.  The first session of the Congress is now getting ready to take a quorum by state before swearing in the members of the House.

We have seen some pundits criticize the new leadership for the House Rules because it gives some power back to the Minority.  They are doing the right thing and returning to the Rules that should be in place instead of the Rules Pelosi and her progressives put in place to strip the minority party of their rights and voices for the most part.  That was no way to run Government and disenfranchised millions of us with a Republican Congressman.  To us, it shows leadership on the part of Republicans to ensure that everyone is heard and not silenced.  Retribution is not the name of the game and never should be.  Every American has a right to have their voices heard through their Representative and NOTHING rammed through the House like was done with Pelosi and the Progressives to get the Obama agenda passed.   Many times the bills were written and passed out of Committee without Republican participation.  That has to stop.

The Constitution of the United States  will be read to the Members of the 112th Congress.  The link will take you to the translation of the original Constitution with links to Amendments that affect that particular item.  Article I, Sections 1-10 deal specifically with the powers of the House and Senate.  Time the Congress pays attention to what our founding fathers wrote in the Constitution and the amendments that have been passed since the first Constitution was ratified.  The powers of the Congress are enumerated very well in this document with only Sections 2, 3, 4, and 9 affected by amendments:

AMENDMENT XIV (Census following the Civil War)

Passed by Congress June 13, 1866. Ratified July 9, 1868.
Note: Article I, section 2, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of the 14th amendment.

AMENDMENT XVI (Direct Election of Senators and how vacancies are filled)
Passed by Congress May 13, 1912. Ratified April 8, 1913.
Note: Article I, section 3, of the Constitution was modified by the 17th amendment.

AMENDMENT XX  (Date for Congress Convening)
Passed by Congress March 2, 1932. Ratified January 23, 1933.
Note: Article I, section 4, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of this amendment. In addition, a portion of the 12th amendment was superseded by section 3.

AMENDMENT XVI (Levied Taxes)

Passed by Congress July 2, 1909. Ratified February 3, 1913.
Note: Article I, section 9, of the Constitution was modified by amendment 16.

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

When you stop to think about the few changes that have been made to the Constitution concerning the Congress, you realize vision the founders of this Country had when they wrote the Constitution. This is a document that has stood for over 200 years and it is as germane today as it was on September 17th, 1787, when the Constitution was signed.

The founders were smart enough to know that certain items left out of the main document had to be dealt with and those became the first 10 amendments to the Constitution known as The Bill or Rights:

On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States therefore proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution that met arguments most frequently advanced against it. The first two proposed amendments, which concerned the number of constituents for each Representative and the compensation of Congressmen, were not ratified. Articles 3 to 12, however, ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures, constitute the first ten amendments of the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights.

After over 200 years, these first ten Amendments stand as strong today as they did when the states ratified them. Only 17 amendments have been added to the Constitution since these first ten and two of those dealt with banning of liquor and its repeal.

Bill of Rights:

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Today we begin a new era for the Congress as the members take their oath.  We believe that this House will have the transparency that the Democrats promised and didn't deliver. 

As required by Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution, Members of Congress shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support the Constitution. Representatives, delegates, and the resident commissioner all take the oath of office on the first day of the new Congress, immediately after the House has elected its Speaker. The Speaker of the House administers the oath of office as follows:

"I, (name of Member), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

Representatives elected in special elections during the course of a Congress generally take the oath of office on the floor of the House Chamber when the Clerk of the House has received a formal notice of the new Member's election or appointment from State government authorities. On rare occasions, because of illness or other circumstances, a Member-elect has been authorized to take the oath of office at a place other than the House. In those circumstances, the Clerk of the House sees to the proper administration of the oath.

God Bless America and be with the men and women of the House and Senate as they take their oaths today.