Tag: Stupak (page 3)

I'm sorry to say that I saw this one coming miles away and months ago. I wrote exactly of this very thing earlier this year. I was tipped off to this video over at The Foundry by several emails today and sure enough, here is Stupak admitting that he will vote for nationalizing the healthcare system including taxpayer funded abortions:

If everything I want [is] in the final bill, I like everything in the bill except you have public funding for abortion, and we had a chance to run our amendment and we lost. OK, I voted my conscience, stayed true to my principles, stayed true to the beliefs of this district, could I vote for healthcare? Yes I still could. -Bart Stupak

• Voted NO on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Jan 2007)    
• Voted NO on allowing human embryonic stem cell research. (May 2005)    
• Voted YES on restricting interstate transport of minors to get abortions. (Apr 2005)    
• Voted YES on making it a crime to harm a fetus during another crime. (Feb 2004)    
• Voted YES on banning partial-birth abortion except to save mother's life. (Oct 2003)    
• Voted YES on forbidding human cloning for reproduction & medical research. (Feb 2003)    
• Voted YES on funding for health providers who don't provide abortion info. (Sep 2002)    
• Voted YES on banning Family Planning funding in US aid abroad. (May 2001)    
• Voted YES on federal crime to harm fetus while committing other crimes. (Apr 2001)    
• Voted YES on banning partial-birth abortions. (Apr 2000)    
• Voted YES on barring transporting minors to get an abortion. (Jun 1999)    
• Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record. (Dec 2003)    
• Rated 100% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-life stance. (Dec 2006)    
• Prohibit transporting minors across state lines for abortion. (Jan 2008)

Or this one... Michigan Democrats' concept of "solutions" is counterproductive these days, when it isn't outright dangerous

OK, so that first sentence might be a bit more universally embraced, by both Republicans and Democrats, but if the Dems' latest round of "answers" to Michigan's economic woes get around the state there isn't much doubt the second will be gaining a heck of a lot of traction, and soon.

From Michigan Democrats in Congress to their representatives in the state legislature and the Governor's mansion all the way down to local county government, there are ideas being floated today that might not just kill Michigan's economy, they might wind up killing some of us while they're at it.

You know things are getting dangerous when Macomb County Democrats' scheme to increase taxes on local moms and dads by $10 million a year is the least devastating thing on the board.  A $10 million tax hike to fill a $10 million budget deficit.  In spite of the fact that Macomb County currently has $30 million in its rainy-day fund!  (Hint: Its raining cats and freaking dogs outside, boys and girls.)  The Detroit News reports:

Dennis Cusik wanted an explanation of the county's retirement plan which has, until recently, allowed workers to retire at 50 years old with 20 years of experience.

"I'd just like to ask ... how can you justify giving retirement at 50 years old?" he said. "We're in dire straits here."

Good question.  They can't.  See, these sorts of things, these decisions, they have consequences.  The News reports that since 1980, when County government had five employees for every retiree, they now have 1.2 employees for each.

That leads to some awfully funny math.  And speaking of funny math, there's no place where numbers mean less these days, especially with dollar signs supposedly in front of them, than in the halls of the overwhelmingly Democratic controlled Congress.  

(Now THAT'S what I call a segue.)

Read on...

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.