Tuesday, October 1, 2013

If Congress Actually Did The Job Of The People...

It would have to listen to them:
Having done the deed, Democrats now expect Republicans to salute smartly, accept “the law of the land” and suggest minor improvements that Democrats will, in their wisdom, decide whether or not to adopt.

In other words, they recommend the acquiescence of surrender.

If this were a consistent principle rather than opportunistic advice, Democrats would have been content to leave “don’t ask, don’t tell” in place and never would have agitated to repeal the Bush tax cuts, out of deference to duly constituted policy and law.

Nearly four years after ObamaCare passed, the coalition against it has expanded, not shrunk. The unions are now excoriating the law in terms that once would have been reserved for Republican floor speeches. In his filibuster, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz repeatedly quoted a letter from Teamsters leader Jim Hoffa attacking ObamaCare as a clear and present threat to the middle class. When House Republicans voted to delay the individual mandate a few weeks ago, 35 Democrats joined them; Joe Manchin, the Democratic senator from West Virginia, announced his support for a delay just last week.

Pew Research has found disapproval of the health-care law at an all-time high in its polling. CNN’s latest survey has disapproval at 57 percent and approval at 38. Health care, a core Democratic strength for decades, is becoming a liability. A New York Times poll found that more people disapprove of President Barack Obama on health care than approve by a 54-to-40 margin. Trust for Republicans and Democrats on health care is about even, according to the Pew poll.

Failing listening to the people, both congress and the president should lose their pay during shutdowns and be forced to use ObamaCare exclusively, for the rest of their lives and the lives of their families, at least those who voted for it. Further they should lose their pay everytime a budget is not passed, and every time the budget is overrun and out of the debt ceiling. As Glenn Reynolds frequently says, maybe it's time for pitchforks and torches, tar and feathers. (Our chickens would donate a few feathers to such a good cause).

8 comments:

Martin said...

The ACA passed the House, Senate, and was signed by the President. It also passed a test by the Supreme Court.

That's the way our government works.

If Republicans don't like the ACA, then they need to get the House and Senate to pass a repeal.

If they get a repeal by holding the government hostage, then this completely subverts the entire process described by the Constitution.

Interesting behavior, to say the least.

Stan said...

Yeah,
That's what happens when there's not enough opposing political power to balance the runaway party.

Now that the chickens are home and roosting, even the politicians and unions don't want any part of the ACA. All the cronies got waivers. When Democrat pols, unions, and cronies stand in line to get ACA for their own families, the world will end.

Martin said...

Perhaps you're right. Perhaps not.

Regardless, the current strategy is not the way to do it. The current strategy is anti-Constitutionalist. Bills become law by passing both houses, and laws are repealed by passing both houses.

They are not repealed by holding a gun to the government's head and demanding repeal, and if that becomes the way to do it, then you can kiss the Constitution goodbye.

Stan said...

Hmm. That's the way ACA was passed. You must vote now and read it later, no time, no time, think of the human cost of delay just to read it, etc. etc. And the party machine (if you don't vote for this, you'll never get a single bill released out of comittee)

It's because the parties are coalitions formed for power that the two party system is necessary.

I personally think that there should be an exact 50/50 balance required of both houses, so that each party must convince the other party, not force them. Even that probably wouldn't work due to things like stealth members such as the RINOs who are fake Republicans.

And nothing works anyway when the president makes up his own laws and refuses to enforce laws that exist, like Obama has done. Nothing like that in such arrogant form since the National Socialists in Germany.

Stan said...

Also, the Republicans should force the issue of overspending by the Administration, and force a clamp on it. The Dems are convinced that they can spend whatever they want the first 6 months of every year, and then have their annual bailout, over and over and over. Somehow Daddy always pays their credit card so they can spend even more. Daddy is a sucker and a fool.

Stan said...

I keep posting comments before I'm through talking about it.

Obama is the one acting illegally. He has issued waivers to cronies to avoid the law; he has delayed the implementation of parts of the law, which is outside the specific demand of the law. He has done this prejudicially, and the shutdown is because he won't delay another part of the law - legally - by signing the bill to do so into law.

So he has chosen to be a scofflaw and an impediment to fair law, all at the same time.

Steven Satak said...

Stan, how is it that Obama can get away with doing these things if they are illegal? Is it there is simply no one person who can bring him up sharp? Or do people really want 'something for nothing' so badly, they'll let him do anything he wants?

Stan said...

The president can be impeached by the Senate for "high crimes and misdemeanors", but if the Senate is complicit, and it is, then nothing will be done.

The "Department of Justice" is under the president, of course, and is as completely corrupt as the IRS, NSA, EPA, DHHS, BAF, etc. So there is no recourse (save Jefferson's: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.").

The open borders are encouraged under the corruption of the Left, because the new "undocumented immigrants" will be Democrats and are now being "legalized" by allowing them to get drivers licenses, and refusing to allow voting systems to check for residency. They will also provide cheap labor for corporations, who will hire only part time labor, with no benefits, in the future.

The Nuevo Estados Unidos will be an all new culture, that of the Left at the top, and third world Left at the bottom, with no middle (the middle will be sucked dry via inflation which the Left denies exists).

Obama and cronies have three years to cement this into place. They are being helped by major corporations who are simultaneously laying people off and demanding open immigration.

The intertwined cooperation of the socialist government and big business is called fascism.

The Republicans are split into Hegelian compromisers who cannot/will not even delay the inevitable, and the constitutionalists, who have no power or leadership worth mentioning. So the end will be with a whimper or a bang, but not with reasoned return to constitutional law, which is effectively dead in the US Supreme Court.

Not a pretty picture, yet there seems no way around it at the moment, with the players in charge.