Tag: Miller

AYES: Benishek, Camp, Huizenga, Miller, Rogers, Upton, Walberg

We've seen the movie before.  Spoiler alert: in this sequel, Paul Ryan and John Boehner lie, and the Marxstream Media prints the lie.  Once again, the Michigan GOP delegation majority has voted with Gary Peters, which is their ongoing endorsement of Gary Peters for U.S. Senate.

I cannot do much in other congressional districts, however, I am aware of what I can effect in CD-1.

Congressman Dan Benishek, go f#@% yourself.  With a chainsaw.

Should it hang until the next election is over? Should we update with fresh scarlet letters from even more recent miserable failures of those who are hanging patiently for all this time? Should we offer a positive spin on their recent accomplishments and then sigh, noting how they really screwed up before, and then point again to the left?

While waiting for some discussion on this, it should be noted that our concern about the debt ceiling being increased has been vindicated.  We were right, and those guys on the left were not. The trillions they added to the burden our children must carry, cannot be voted away as easily as their tenure in congress.  Experience DOES account for something, but it is not an excuse for repeatedly ducking responsibility, and they are indeed responsible for that fact.

Good men who screw up need to admit and own up to it, and offer their mistakes as lessons.  Personally, I see genuine contrition as a character building exercise.

If you are from Michigan, have a desire to meet a lot of new people and serve your country, NOW is the time.  A few hard workers with soul are needed in the following districts ... uh  well ALL of the following districts except Congressional District #3 which is occupied by Justin Amash:

"The Budget Control Act trades $21 billion in cuts next year for a debt ceiling increase of $2.1 trillion. That's one penny in cuts for each dollar of new debt. The bill does not seriously address the drivers of the federal government's fiscal crisis. It does not improve entitlement programs.

"It does not include a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. I cannot in good conscience vote for so little reform when so much is at stake.

Again, the Michigan Republican delegation sans one, failed to perform its duty on the most important vote of their lifetimes.  They missed an opportunity to stand for a permanence of fiscal prudence.

MICHIGAN DELEGATION VOTE The complete list here

Democrats
Clarke, N; Conyers, N; Dingell, Y; Kildee, Y; Levin, Y; Peters, N.

Republicans
Amash, N; Benishek, Y; Camp, Y; Huizenga, Y; McCotter, Y; Miller, Y; Rogers, Y; Upton, Y; Walberg, Y.

As for those Democrats who voted no, they wanted even more from Boehner.  However, this president will take whatever rope he has been given and run with it.

NOT necessarily the Republican party mind you, but the finances of the GOP going into the 2012 election cycle.

Establishment Newt Gingrich, the man who sat on a couch next to the enemy of America and Michigan, (Nancy Pelosi)promoting green policies can go pack tuna with her for all I care.  His open congratulations tonight to Lisa Murkowskee (spelled wrong.. take a vote off please) tonight really drives home his allegiance to the status quo, and willingness to go along with whomever might be there to advance his political agenda.   She should have been excoriated for her refusal to accept the will of the Republicans, and particularly the conservative Republicans in the primary fight.  Any worthwhile committee assignments should have been withdrawn once she OPPOSED a Republican candidate.  

So much for even the pretense of fiscal sanity.  Yeah, we all chuckled when we heard President Obama speak Tuesday night about the need to cut the federal budget in order to dig into that trillion dollar deficit he just created, but it is still early enough in his term that I'm willing to take the man at his word.

He says he wants to cut the budget... well OK then.  Let's cut the budget.

Apparently the national TV audience were the only ones to catch that portion of his speech, though, because yesterday's action in the overwhelmingly Democratic Congress, only a few hours after the speech, seems to indicate it went right over the heads of folks like Mark Schauer and Gary Peters.

The Ivory Tower reports that the United States House of Representatives voted yesterday, largely along Party lines, to approve a massive NEW spending bill with a full 8% increase over last year's budget.

$410 BILLION total.  And the kicker?  

The bill ... provides sizable increases for a long list of health, education, transportation, housing and other domestic programs. In some cases, the boosts go to items that already got more money in the $787-billion economic-stimulus plan that became law last week.

Lawmakers did make one important nod toward austerity: They froze their salaries for 2010. Most members of Congress earn $174,000 a year; leaders get more. The freeze doesn't affect 2009 pay. Members got a $4,700 cost-of-living raise last month.

Emphasis mine.

Michigan's Congressional delegation voted overwhelmingly to support the massive new spending.  Again.  Every single Democrat, including those in swing districts like Schauer, Peters and Bart Stupak up in the relatively conservative 1st voted to ignore President Obama.  Frustratingly, so did Republicans Fred Upton and Candice Miller.

Not cool, guys.  Not cool at all.

Upton is considered a bit of a moderate and Miller is an uber-hawk for her District and funding that might head its way.  Hardly excuses, but maybe a bit of an explanation.

Props, though, to Congressmen Pete Hoekstra, Vern Ehlers, Dave Camp, Mike Rogers and Thad McCotter for standing up for a healthy dose of fiscal sanity.

Who'd have thought that two months in to Democratic President Obama's first term, only Michigan's five most conservative Republican Congressmen would be willing to listen to what the man has to say and to support him with their votes when he happens to make a lick of sense.

The rest of the delegation, Republicans AND Democrats, might be well served to tune in to Dave Ramsey after session today... never wise to spend money you don't have.  Especially when the check they're going to bounce has that many zeroes.