http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/congress/ en-us Mon, 6 Jul 2009 01:47:07 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2286227/posts If you haven't read Matt Taibbi's recent Rolling Stone piece on Goldman Sachs, make sure to get your hands on it ASAP. It's a must read on how Goldman Sachs and the U.S. government work hand in glove to produce giant investment bubbles... bubbles that allow Goldman to work over investors for hundreds of billions of dollars. We don't think you can lay all the blame for the housing bubble and the tech bubble at Goldman's feet... but we do find it suspicious that a ton of high level government posts are staffed by Goldman employees. It's close to a... Rolling Stones http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2286227/posts#comment Mon, 6 Jul 2009 01:47:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285745/posts House Democrats were surprised at the number of Republican votes they won on the razor close climate change vote, which allowed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to let a few more Democrats cast their own no votes. In what Democrats are readily admitting was their toughest vote since they took back power in 2007, the eight Republican votes proved critical to letting Pelosi hand out as many free passes as she could to members who thought that it would be too difficult to selling the bill in their districts.   The climate change bill passed 219-212, by just two votes... The Hill http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285745/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 03:34:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285691/posts Representative John A. Boehner came to Washington in 1991 as a rabble-rousing Republican willing to disrupt the House to score points against powerful Democrats. Now, as the House Republican leader in a town again dominated by Democrats, the Ohioan is back to his old tricks. Trying to build opposition to a climate change measure being considered as the Fourth of July recess loomed, Mr. Boehner commandeered the floor for an hour to mount an unofficial filibuster and ridicule the legislation. He has sanctioned efforts by rank-and-file Republicans to tie up the House with dozens of procedural votes. During the debate... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285691/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 00:47:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285359/posts Members of Congress said Thursday that details of their expense claims wouldn't be posted online before mid-November at the earliest -- two and a half months later than the deadline previously set for publishing them in an electronic format for the first time. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the House Chief Administrative Officer to put information about expenses claimed by members of the House on the Internet "at the earliest date," in an announcement reversing a longstanding policy of providing the information only in books totaling about 12,000 pages a year. The chief administrative officer, a congressional employee, set an... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285359/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 11:54:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285363/posts On Christmas Day, Sen. Arlen Specter flew to Europe and the Middle East for 11 days of meetings with government officials. The travel-disclosure form the Pennsylvania Democrat filed for the trip reported the seven-country tour with his wife, an aide and two military officials on a private military jet cost $571 a person, or a total of about $2,800. The real cost was far higher, in excess of $70,000, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. Mr. Specter's travel report is one of scores of examples of the gap between the expenditures congressional delegations are required to report and what... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285363/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 12:02:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285253/posts Here's a real dander-raiser on the eve of the 233rd anniversary of the Declaration of Independence: Few if any members of the U.S. House of Representatives that last week narrowly voted to pass the outrageous and deceitfully titled American Clean Energy and Security Act actually read the bill. That's the hardly surprising -- but still unacceptable -- conclusion of Jonathan Adler, a Case Western Reserve University legal scholar writing in National Review Online. The legislation, commonly called the "cap-and-trade" bill, would impose an onerous, if not socialist, regimen on just about every aspect of American life at a cost ridiculously... pittsburghlive.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285253/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 03:43:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285121/posts They didn’t expect this to happen. They, the wealthy inside the beltway liberals who were instigating one ethics charge after another against Governor Palin, were thinking that she would at least serve her first term as Governor. These endless ethics charges would not only cost Palin financially but would serve to bloody her up politically for her run for President in 2012. The ethics charges, while baseless were still costing the Palin family $500,000. More charges and more costs would definitely continue up thru 2010 and 2012. As a Governor, Sarah would be a sitting duck for the left to... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285121/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 23:09:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2285036/posts Nobama is all over the news. There is no where to hide from his picture, his voice, his marxism. But who is speaking for us? Oh, sure, plenty of us here on FR, on BTR and on terrestrial talk radio. But of those running for office, who speaks for us? I can't say he speaks for you, but he definitely speaks for me, and to me. Lt. Col. Allen West is one of today’s most admired veterans, leaders and speakers. His speech is a direct reflection of his philosophy, leaving no one in question as to where he stands. Excerpts... Allen West Speaks http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/2285036/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 19:54:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284178/posts It has been confirmed across the board that 18-wheelers were seen going into Syria before the war, crossing the border soon after Iraqi intelligence replaced the border guards and cleared nearby areas for their passage. There are also eyewitness reports of the trucks going into Syria, and eyewitness reports of their burial in Lebanon. The trucks with the weapons were tracked to three locations in Syria and Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, currently controlled by the Syrians, Iranians, and Hezbollah. Sources I've spoken with that have seen satellite photos of the movements confirm that the WMD in Syria are at military bases,... FrontPageMagazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284178/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 16:10:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284591/posts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFxvy9XyUtg&feature=channel_page How an Economy Grows and Why It Doesn't (by Irwin Schiff) It explains how the economic works in comic and easy to understand form Show this to your Socialist friends and challenge their thinking http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284591/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 02:53:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284488/posts Well, that "feel good" moment the Dems hoped for, as well as a July 7th photo op, is down the drain. The Dem controlled Senate was smug in their delight of passing a formal apology for past US generations INRE slavery and Jim Crow segregation.... until it hit the House and a face off with House Black Caucus members, that is. The Senate found that out two weeks ago when it passed a resolution calling on the U.S. to apologize formally for more than three centuries of enslavement and segregation of African-Americans. Senators thought they'd done the right thing. The... Flopping Aces http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284488/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 23:50:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284453/posts WASHINGTON -- Spending by lawmakers on taxpayer-financed trips abroad has risen sharply in recent years, a Wall Street Journal analysis of travel records shows, involving everything from war-zone visits to trips to exotic spots such as the Galápagos Islands. The spending on overseas travel is up almost tenfold since 1995, and has nearly tripled since 2001, according to the Journal analysis of 60,000 travel records. Hundreds of lawmakers traveled overseas in 2008 at a cost of about $13 million. That's a 50% jump since Democrats took control of Congress two years ago. The cost of so-called congressional delegations, known among... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284453/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 22:36:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2284441/posts Liberals have noted with a fair degree of distress since January that the election results have yielded very few liberal policy implementations—the continuing wars abroad and on drugs, high defense spending, tax cuts, finance, environmental and national security stances, none of these are remotely liberal. Why not? An answer from the most excellent Mahablog is not an inability of the Executive to perform, but the inherent intended structure of Congress allowing a minority to obstruct. A better answer from the excellent O’Brien is not the current Republican ability to obstruct real progress, but that Congress itself is busted. For Californians... The Left Coaster http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2284441/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 22:14:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284312/posts Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it. You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan. In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan. For all practical purposes their plan works like this: When they retire, they continue... email http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284312/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 19:04:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283930/posts Last week, prior to voting for the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, House Republican Leader John Boehner spent the better part of an hour reading from the 1201-page bill and the associated 300-page addendum, which had been dumped on Congress' door at 3:09AM. He did so, he told The Hill, because he believed "people need to know what's in this pile of s-it." Congressman Boehner was correct. There may be no better description of what's in this phony legislation, designed to supposedly halt global warming. First, a couple quick facts: Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, it's... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283930/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 09:24:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2283845/posts Poll: Should Congress telecommute? A Daily Poll. A Daily Poll http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2283845/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 04:01:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283841/posts Conservatives who love their country, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and human liberty have had enough. Word came last night that a massive protest is planned in order to send Washington a message. On July 30, conservatives are 'going Galt,' named after Ayn Rand's famous character John Galt from her novel Atlas Shrugged, and thus refuse to show up for work. They plan to 'call in conservative.' From the Eastside TeaParty blog: "You knew this day was coming with a government ramming a socialist agenda down everyone’s throat.This may be the only way to wake our leaders up and... The Dallas Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283841/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 03:58:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283657/posts Dear (that's me), Thank you for contacting me regarding climate change policy. I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with me. Alaska is the focal point in the global warming debate. However, calling what is taking place a debate is a bit of a stretch because, all too often alarmists, such as Al Gore, declare the debate over without it ever having taken place. I do not challenge that climate change is occurring, but the central question awaiting an answer is to what extent man-made emissions are responsible for this change. Contrary to popular opinion, that question... Don Young, Congress http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283657/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 23:01:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2283291/posts Congressman John Conyers Jr has had a very rough week, his wife, a member of the Detroit City Council pleaded guilty Friday to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit bribery, not only did she have to resign her office but she faces up to five years in prison. She was also implicated in another potential bribery case involving a controversial deep injection waste well near Romulus. Here is the coincidence, in 2003 and 2004, before Monica Conyers was elected, John Conyers and his staff raised environmental concerns about the well project. Monica Conyers' former aide, Sam Riddle, told The... washingon times/the lid http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2283291/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 15:07:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283095/posts Inouye reported ownership of Central Pacific shares worth $350,000 to $700,000, some held by his wife, at the end of 2007 [5]. The shares represented at least two-thirds of Inouye's total reported assets. Inouye has requested a delay in filing his annual financial disclosure for 2008, which was due this spring, and he declined to provide the current value of his investment. Since the end of 2007, the bank's stock has lost 79 percent of its value. Central Pacific was founded in 1954 by a group of World War II veterans including Inouye who were emerging leaders in Hawaii's Japanese... Hawaii Free Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283095/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 09:07:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2283032/posts Today's daily poll question: Do you think Congress should be required to read and initial every page of legislation they sign? A Daily Poll. A Daily Poll http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2283032/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 04:26:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2282781/posts Who’s behind the Cap-and-Tax 8 Republicans? You won’t be surprised. Kevin Mooney at the Examiner reports: Rep. Kirk of Illinois, for instance, was among the top 20 recipients of PAC donations from environmental groups in the 2008 election cycle. He received $1,000 from the League of Conservation Voters (PAC), $4,000 from Ocean Champions (PAC) and $4,000 from Republicans for Environmental Protection (PAC). In this same cycle Republicans for Environmental Protection also donated $4,000 in PAC funds to Rep. Reichert. Michelle Malkin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2282781/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 21:37:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282749/posts The cap-and-trade bill passed the House of Representatives shrouded in a fog of willful ignorance and calculated irrationality. No one could be sure what he was voting for — not after the 1,200-page bill had a 300-page amendment added at 3:09 a.m. the day of its passage. The bill is so complex and jerry-built that even its supporters can’t know how, or if, it will work. And it’s metaphysically impossible for someone to know whether the motivating crisis, impending planetary doom, will ever materialize. Other than that, it’s a model exercise in thoughtful lawmaking. The formulation of the so-called Waxman-Markey... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282749/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:40:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282516/posts Monday, June 29, 2009 The Baucus Plan’s Penalties on Work   [James C. Capretta] Late last week, Sen. Max Baucus, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, tried to jump start the push for a sweeping health-care bill by letting it be known that he has made progress toward a “bipartisan” deal in his committee on a health-care plan. Of course, no one knows for sure what’s in the Baucus plan except for a handful of people. There have been two Congressional Budget Office (CBO) tables provided to the committee indicating how much alternative versions of plan would cost over the coming decade,... National Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282516/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:36:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282480/posts MAKE NO MISTAKE:"CAP-AND-TRADE" IS A TAXThe Hidden Costs: Obama's Energy Scheme Means Higher Prices, Fewer Jobs______________________________________________________________________   Obama: "[The bill is] paid for by the polluters who currently emit dangerous carbon emissions." (President Barack Obama, Remarks On Energy Legislation, The White House, 6/25/09) THE TRUTH: SO-CALLED "CAP-AND-TRADE" SCHEME A HARD-HITTING TAX ON ALL AMERICANS CBO Says National Energy Tax Will Hit Consumers, Not Corporate Profits. "Under a cap-and-trade program, firms would not ultimately bear most of the costs of the allowances but instead would pass them along to their customers in the form of higher prices. Such price increases would stem from the... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282480/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:45:28 GMT