Tag: Dave Camp (page 4)

"Balancing the budget" by killing the dollar bill and forcing Americans to carry little burlap bags full of dollar coins like it is the 12th century, not the 21st?  I know this is RightMichigan.com, not 30 Rockefeller Center, but... Seriously?

According to Roll Call, that's the proposal being floated by a "Republican" Congressman from Arizona by the name of Dave Schweikart.  (Because the last time Republicans followed the lead of an Arizonan it worked out so well.  (ZING!))

Schweikart (pictured at right swimming in cold, hard home-state-mined cash) claims that burning all the paper money and forcing Americans to use those gold colored copper one-dollar coins (you know, the ones you immediately hand back to the cashier or the bank teller asking for "real money" every time she tries to hand it to you?) will help balance the budget by saving less than $200 million a year.  Coins are more durable, the argument goes, so they'd last longer and cost less to reproduce.

Yeah they last longer.  Because they sit in the bottom of our sock drawers since you'd have to lug around eight pounds of metal to buy a freaking Big Mac!  The American people have had the option -paper or coin--for years.   We've chosen lighter pockets and fewer trips to the chiropractor.

Camp and Upton sit on the powerful Super Committee and have not yet provided any clear inclination that they back this expensive, onerous, poorly thought out  bit of cow-towing to Arizonan special interests (I'll get there, bear with me), but its just a sneakily stupid enough of an idea I figured it'd be worth raising the red flag.

Please read more below the fold.

There isn't a Republican congressman who occupied its space who was not made aware of it often by supporters or those who wanted to put it in their face as a means of showing disapproval.

The wall is now empty for the time being, yet the violation of principle must be acknowledged in a more permanent way.  As a means of keeping more permanently the record of the occupiers and their decision to saddle our future with more debt, I am making it into a post (this post) that will be searchable forevermore.  As I wrote:

"This wall  is not because we hate you guys, but because we respected and counted on you.  Conservatives expect bad legislation out of progressives and the Democrats.  Getting along just cannot cut it anymore. Shape up and "know your power."

"It's been an amazing conference," said Michigan Republican Party Chairman Bobby Schostak. "The enthusiasm from our grassroots and from our elected officials is outstanding, and our attendees experienced it first-hand."

"This conference will pay huge dividends for our state and our country," Schostak said. "We will work with our leaders and our grassroots to continue to reinvent Michigan."

This year's conference incorporated numerous events, including addresses and appearances by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Texas Governor Rick Perry, Congressmen Thad McCotter, and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.

Besides Snyder, Michigan's Republican leadership on the island included Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson, Attorney General Bill Schuette, House Speaker Jase Bolger, Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, and Congressmen Dave Camp, Candice Miller, Dan Benishek, Fred Upton, Tim Walberg, Bill Huizenga, and Justin Amash.

Many elected officials participated in panel discussions focused on making Michigan a job-growth engine.

"Republican activists had an outstanding conversation and we will continue the discussion throughout the upcoming year.  Our relentless positive action continues to drive success for all Michigan families."
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Republicans Fill Out Deficit Committee Roster

Their American Conservative Union (ACU) ratings are as follows.
Upton 73%
Camp 89%
Hensarling 99%

Upton is a well-known moderate with a long history of un-conservative votes.  He has voted more conservative since surviving a strong Tea Party challenge in 2010.  (His 2010 rating was 92%).  Camp is an establishment Republican.  Hensarling is a staunch conservative who previously headed the Republican Study Committee before being elected to house leadership.

On the senate side, the Republicans are
John Kyl 96%
Pat Toomey 97% (house)
Rob Portman 89% (house)

Some Republicans have consistently, even in the face of gains made by "tea party" conservatives in their party, shunned those gains, and pegged the new conservatism as "extreme."  Rather than embrace the ideas of responsibility and restraint with regard to government, they have instead attempted to scuttle reform efforts by those who were in fact elected under a conservative flag.  Such things as spending within means, and abiding by the constitution, to centrists, is tantamount to guaranteeing they would be unelected in following cycles.

So instead of promoting any message that is constitutionally legitimate, or perhaps even (dare we suggest) "righteous," it is far easier to put finger to the wind, and see where society would accept deviation from current conditions and then assume relatively safe positions.  Far easier to be "politically correct," slight those who share your party banner, and continue a path toward complete socialism for the sake of personal power.

And they call it "moderation," being reasonable, more "centrist."

And those who have no ability to stand up for anything they pretend to believe, proudly state that they are indeed milquetoast.

The groveling for permission from their federal masters continues as the Ways and Means chair says "pretty please" to one of Obama's cronies.  From THE HILL:

Reps. Dave Camp and Fred Upton endorsed Michigan's request Thursday in a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Michigan asked HHS last week to phase in new requirements that govern how insurers can spend their money.

"While approving Michigan's applcation will not solve the fundamental flaws in Democrats' health care law, on behalf of Michigan residents, we believe it is important to voice our strong support for steps that can limit the damage inflicted on consumers as a result of this misguided law," Camp and Upton wrote.

You DO REMEMBER, right?

You know, a couple days before you folded to a pair of Jacks, held by a guy with a blinky eye "tell", and an audience of investors who were counting on the congress to FINALLY HOLD THE LINE. Right?  A few days before the market hit the skids in the worst way in two years.

And then the guy holding the jacks?  He spent $240 Billion of his "winnings" in one day.

It was to NOT allow the debt ceiling to increase.

It is the most basic and simple fix for the problem known as Obama, that exists today.  It is a "defacto" balanced budget amendment, and a cure for inflationary spending that follows the president through to the end of his political career in 2012.

Why on earth would Republicans give an inch to this megalomaniac is beyond me.  And given the unlikely scenario of GDP growth in the next few years as a result of Obama policies, chasing the Debt higher is not something sane people would do, UNLESS they were trying to crash the economy.

In all this however the basic question must be asked, what is the purpose of debt?

Why does one borrow? Is it so that they can perpetually carry a liability that they do not plan on paying? Or is it a temporary measure, that merely carries through cycles that have expected ends.  All too easily the latter must be assumed to be the ideal answer. And now as our substance is already being eaten by interest and mismanagement of tax revenues, it is assumed by some that mismanaging even more has some logic to it.  No logical explanation can be made to support more debt going forward, ESPECIALLY now that is it clear the downgrade of credit decision has already been made.

".. But according to most experts, Standard & Poor's and/or Moody's will be lowering their rating regardless of the outcome, which means climbing interest rates and more difficulty securing loans -- not to mention a very volatile stock market."

There is the inability of our leadership to just say "forget about it" when their opponents suggest lifting caps, and spending more of our children's soon to be taxed heavily again inheritances.  There is a weakness when it comes to doing the right thing like throwing out a few babies with bathwater.  There is a real lack of courage coming from our Republicans IMO.

But I am not yet giving up.

Sure, I would like to see the cap held. No more! Stop! Cease!  But in the spirit of "compromise" the house gave a little. In fact, the bill sent through would have still allowed a minimum of $2.5 trillion increase in the debt, adding both principle and of course the expected financing measures.

And the senate said nah, not good enough.

So frankly, to heck with them. Its time that Michigan's congressional delegation simply takes a stand. One that is solidly for NO increase in the debt. None. Nada.