Category: Congress sucks

Dave sends us a link to The Hill about more gun control measures being passed around in the Senate by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Mark Kirk (R-IL). The three claim that, in the rush to “do something” since the shootings in South Carolina last month, their idea fits the bill;

The bill would make it illegal to buy two or more guns if the buyer knows, or suspects, that it would be illegal for them to do so, as well as sell or transfer two or more guns if the seller knows, or has reason to be believe, that it would be illegal for the buyer to own a gun.

[…]

Kirk, at the time, pointed to an uptick in gun violence in Chicago, saying that “gun trafficking is allowing gangs and violence to flourish in Chicago.”

They sponsored a similar bill in 2013 that couldn’t break a filibuster in a Democrat-controlled Congress, it stands less chance in the current political climate. But, see, why not make it illegal to buy or sell one gun if you suspect the buyer can’t pass background checks? Why would it have to be about two guns? On top of that, how do they plan to enforce the law? Are they going to question every pair of fellows standing in a parking lot near a car with the trunk lid open?

More than likely, it would be enforced by federal agents trolling the internet to set up gun buyers and sellers in sting operations. But, the criminals could get away with it if they refuse to buy or sell more than one gun from their parking lot store front. I guess the big question is, since the three Senators are tying this to the Charleston murders, how would this new law have prevented that crime, or any crime for that matter? All it’s doing is creating another crime.

This is why we need to make Congress a part-time job. Cut their salaries and staffs appropriately and stop giving them time to sit around and think up useless legislation that will have absolutely no impact on anyone or anything. Rescinding the 17th Amendment probably wouldn’t hurt, either.

First let me say that I wouldn’t vote for Donald Trump on a bet. He has no idea how government works, much like our current President. He would be the most imperial president in history and Executive Orders would be flowing from the Oval Office by the truckloads. However, here we are, with him leading the field of GOP candidates. The reason, of course, is that he’s saying the things that Americans want to hear from a GOP candidate and he doesn’t apologize for his opinions.

The remainder of the current crop of candidates seem to be racing to the Left of the Democrat Party instead of having their own voice and representing the majority of Americans. They want to be populist, attract the Liberal Independents instead of returning to their conservative roots.

The Republicans left me after the 2004 elections, so I turned in my credentials and I’m now unaffiliated with any party. It looks like the national Republicans have joined the Democrat Party, though, forgetting that Americans vote for Republicans for their differences from the Democrats. Ronald Reagan was clearly different from Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush was obviously the political opposite of Al Gore.

Americans returned Republicans to control of the Senate to prevent the types of things that we’ve seen from the White House in the last few years, but Senate Republicans are as much a rubber stamp for the President as the Reid Senate. And the GOP presidential candidates are out-Clintoning Hillary.

If the GOP candidates are serious about winning the White House in 2016, they need to ignore the idiots at the New York Times and be themselves – represent the best things about America instead of playing to the dumbasses who elected Obama in the first place. they need to go over the heads of the media to the people like what won the election for Ronald Reagan.. They’re never going to get the media on their side, so they should stop trying – ask John McCain how that doesn’t work.

Be a clear choice, not a coin-flip choice.

Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi proved that she knows most what liberals think are important this year. Not the war against ISIS, not the impending bankruptcy of Puerto Rico, not the Russian annexation of the Ukraine, not the war in Afghanistan, not the “lone wolf” problem in this country. No, her concern is removing the Mississippi state flag from the Capital grounds, according to The Hill;

Pelosi’s resolution would have forced Mississippi’s state flag, which includes the Confederate flag, to be removed from the House side of the Capitol.

After Pelosi offered the resolution, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) immediately moved to refer the measure to the House Administration Committee for further review.

Because that’s what’s important these days – a state flag’s legacy. Maybe they should vote to remove Pelosi from Capital grounds.

Oh, by the way, that’s not all. Pelosi has also decided that the Senate needs to revisit the gun control issue because a felon who is also an illegal alien who has been deported 5 times stole the gun from the car of a Bureau of Land Management agent and murdered a woman in an illegal alien sanctuary city. Those of us who don’t steal the firearms of BLM agents, who aren’t illegal aliens and been deported five times, who aren’t felons, well, we need to go through more stringent background checks as a result – because apparently, we’re the reason that he was able to steal a gun so easily.

I guess Chief Justice John Roberts has encouraged the liberals to reach for all of their precious little liberal stars.

It’s not surprising really that this Graham fellow, a veteran and presidential candidate, would sneak around behind us a stick it in us. This is what he said to the Atlantic Council yesterday, according to Military.com;

“The retired Tricare community is going to have to increase over time the amount they pay to make it sustainable,” he said. “About 5 percent of the money to pay Tricare bills comes from the patient population. In the private sector, it’s about 20 [percent]. So over time, we’re going to have to ask Tricare retirees to contribute more to make Tricare more sustainable.”

The cost of the military’s health care system almost tripled to $52 billion in 2012 from $19 billion in 2001. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates in 2009 famously warned Congress that “health care is eating the department alive.”

My only question to Senator Graham is; where the f*** were you when the Pentagon raided our $770 million Tricare surplus in 2013 with the full approval of the Congress? Yes, we overpaid for our healthcare and instead of investing it in future healthcare costs, Congress let the Defense Department spend it on whatever they wanted (read that – flag officer comforts).

So, Miss Graham, GFY.

The Washington Times reports that Colorado Congressman Jared Polis took time out of his busy day to call Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton “Tehran Tom” for the letter that he authored along with 46 other Senators to explain to the mullahs of Iran the legislative process in regards to their deal with john Kerry

“Tehran Tom asks Iranian Revolutionary Guards for help in battle against US diplomats,” Mr. Polisadded, receiving 53 retweets.

The letter warned Tehran that any nuclear deal needs congressional approval in order to last beyond President Obama’s time in office. Vice President Joe Biden strongly denounced the missive as offensive and “beneath the dignity of an institution I revere.”

Mr. Cotton responded by saying Mr. Biden “has been wrong about nearly every foreign policy and national security decision in the last 40 years,” the Examiner reported.

I remembered Mr Polis’ name from somewhere and I remembered he was endorsed for Congress by phony Marine captain Rick Strandlof, so that made me less angry at him, since Polis, who has never served this country in uniform, can’t tell the difference between a phony gay Marine Captain with a reattached digit from a real veteran, like Tom Cotton, you know a real jump-qualified, Ranger-qualified infantry officer.

I’m not particularly fond of what those 47 Senators did, but I don’t remember the Democrat Congressmen being critical of Nancy Pelosi and of John Kerry when each went to Syria in spite of the Bush Administration’s warnings against it. And that one kind of blew up in our face, didn’t it? I don’t remember anyone complaining about the three Democrat congressmen who stood on the roof of Saddam Hussein’s palace and declared Hussein to be more trustworthy than the President.

Sorry, I was just expecting a little intellectual honesty and consistency from Congress and that probably won’t happen. On either side.

Last week, while praising the Commission for wanting to revamp the entire military compensation program, California Democrat Jackie Speier urged her colleagues to “man up” and make the tough choices needed to punish members of the military for their service, according to Military.com;

While the hearing touched on many of the proposed reforms, including retirement, much of the discussion focused on health care. Speier, in particular, sought to downplay the financial impact of the health care proposals to working-age retirees.

Under the panel’s recommendations, retirees younger than age 65 would initially pay 5 percent of the cost of a private plan, but the figure would increase 1 percent a year until reaching 20 percent of the premium — or until they’re eligible to switch into Medicare and Tricare for Life.

“It’s costing about, let’s just say round numbers, $500 a year,” Speier said. “A 1-percent increase is $5. I mean, I think we have to pitch this for what it is: You’re going to have better health care, you’re going to have a bigger network, and it’s going to cost you one Starbucks Latte a year. Are you in?”

I, for one, would like to see Speier “man up” and start slashing spending in Congress. The week before she was shot in the head, Gabby Giffords recommended that Congress take a 10% cut in the operating costs for their staffs and offices. Has that moved anywhere? We’re supposed to want gun control because that’s what she says now, but what about her efforts to control government spending. Couldn’t she be the poster child for that, too?

Congressmen and Senators generally get 6-figure pensions when they get voted out of office. Yet here’s Speier worried about puny 5-figure pensions to folks who actually do the work that most of them wouldn’t.

Set the example, there, Congress – man up, FFS.