Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl
is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.
Albert Einstein
Tweet of the Day
According to IPI over 200 Chicago former public worker retirees pull six-figure annual pensions, in some cases exceeding their former ending salaries and/or including primarily union (not city) duties. UNCONSCIONABLE!— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
My Facebook news feed this morning includes a reference to Eric Trump saying that Trump and the GOP will gain politically over the shutdown. I swear that that boy must have fallen on his head as a baby.— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
This leftist political whore is on the record for voting against the funding of the troops and other federal employees. Personally attacking Trump doesn't excuse the Statist voting against her own constituency. "Tammy Duckworth"— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
The Vietnam War was a mistake initiated by Democratic Presidents. Most of us who are pro-liberty see conscription as a variation of slavery by government. I thought most leftists also opposed the draft. "Tammy Duckworth"— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
Partisan bullshit. A GOP-led Congress was the only one which has any, never mind 4, years of balanced budgets over decades. Unlike the 111th when the Dems had a super-majority and didn't prioritize dreamers when they had party. The House did vote funding.— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
Apparently the leftist political whore Duckworth must have suffered a brain trauma in Iraq. She voted against funding largely Dem federal employees. #CadetBoneSpurs— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
Well, Trump has a way to go before he's as evil as Lincoln, Wilson, FDR, or LBJ. And Obama leads the current era in utter incompetence and counterproductive economic policy. "They Were Bad"— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
First of all, this "fake new" bullshit refers to anything that doesn't stoke Trump's ego. Trump has made more unforced errors than any tennis player in history. And historically Presidents or any politicians at 40% approval are dead when it comes to reelection.— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
I don't see the logic that says budget reconciliation doesn't require a filibuster-proof 60% but a continuing resolution does. I think Trump has a point in going nuclear (Senate) over budget resolutions.— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
#IThinkIAmGoingTo go my own way.— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
This fairy tale, that the government should regulate political speech, is intrinsically corrupt, unnecessary and anti-constitutional. We just had an election where Clinton's campaign money couldn't buy her the White House. #CitizensUnited— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
A recent anti-McCain troll recently tweeted for McCain to resign because he wasn't available to vote on the shutdown. Why can't there be political accommodations for health, travel or similar contingencies?— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
Ha, ha, ha! Funniest thing I've ever read on Twitter over the past week. Not only do the Dems have no chance to regain the Senate, the GOP has a chance to regain its biggest majority in decades.— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
Moron! If you read Trump's tweets, you know Trump called for invoking the nuclear option just so they could do a REAL budget. They have been forced to do CR's PRECISELY because of the filibuster. You left-fascists are boneheads !— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
Generally I prefer filibuster protections precisely because of the insolvent programs Dem pass but are impossible to get rid of; the Dems have consistently abused the filibuster for partisans. Democrats should not use federal employees/contractors as pawns. "Nuclear Option"— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
The Democrats should negotiate an early vote on DACA for funding approval and call it a victory. It's unlikely at this point it would pass the House even if it passed the Senate, never mind a Trump veto, but using federal employees/contractors as political pawns is bad politics.— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
There is an unusual characteristic about libertarians; some of them will fight each other to the death than say, over the vacuous economic illiterate Bernie Sanders. Tom Woods rants against the few Republicans I admire, like Romney and Flake.— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
Now I categorically opposed Congress' extension of FISA. But the fact is both chambers voted in a bipartisan vote with lopsided majorities to renew. But Woods wants to criticize "creepy" Flake for his pro-liberty heretical vote for FISA.— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
Flake is libertarian-leaning (cf. Reason).
Other pro-liberty conservatives (Rand Paul, Mike Lee, etc.) voted against the FISA extension. I'm not happy with Flake's vote, but it's possible he voted for some reforms in the renewed law and was more of a pragmatist on the issue.— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
I happen to agree more often than not with Woods and own copies of a couple of his books. But Flake is right on trade and immigration (both pro). he's been one of the few GOP politicians to take on Trump spot on. Woods needs to go after the REAL political whores, like Sanders.— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
Hillary Clinton still has a few leftover Monopoly get-out-of-jail cards she's hoarded since her childhood. #FakeJailFacts— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 21, 2018
Well, as an unlikely lifelong Vikings fan (I never stepped foot in MN until my 30's, long story), I have come to expect things like today's defensive collapse in Philadelphia. They started off dominant, with a impressive first drive and then after a turnover TD, never recovered.— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 22, 2018
I've got issues with Sen. Graham, who is a neo-con, but I agree with Graham that Xenophobe Presidential Adviser Stephen Miller should get his ass kicked out of the shutdown talks. I still remember first hearing him on a podcast and wondering just who is this obnoxious jackass?— Ronald Guillemette (@raguillem) January 22, 2018
The Progressive Religion
Remy Takes On Fake News
Facebook Corner
One of my favorite cousins, unfortunately a Trumpkin, re-posts a lot of Fox News posts which makes my Facebook feed. (I do not subscribe to Fox News anything, except for the Fox News Sunday podcast which sometimes includes my favorite columnist George Will. So in this case there was this predictable meme charging that it was outrageous about Congress getting paid, but working soldiers aren't. This isn't quite true; it would not exactly be a good recruiting talking point if the US government didn't pay its soldiers. But what a shutdown means is that payment may be deferred. That's not the same as the soldier finding his paycheck bounced, etc. This doesn't mean that someone living paycheck to paycheck won't be inconvenienced. But the government is not going to renege on its promise to pay him. So I'm going to republish my original comment and 2 follow-up comments. I would normally republish them, but basically they point out that deferred pay doesn't help pay bills coming due. But I have issues about tampering with the pay of judges or elected officials which I consider a corruption of our republican system. Imagine, for instance, if a Congressional leader decided to cut off your paycheck unless you voted or decided to rule the "right" way. Plus, it isn't fair to blame the House for the Senate's cloture rules or obstructionist tactics of the Senate Dems. Populism is something I distinctively abhor, and that is Trump's calling card.It is true that legislators will be paid, Many "essential" (including soldiers) federal workforce will work TEMPORARILY without pay.
What [troll] should know and is intentionally misleading you, is almost invariably all federal workers, including those furloughed during the hiatus, will get backpay. The ones who are truly screwed over (ahem) are the contractors, essentially laid off without pay.
[second comment]
I think I already addressed this issue. The soldiers and other "essential" federal workers WILL GET PAID, but it may be deferred until there is spending authorization. Congress invariably ensures "essential" personnel get paid--and also furloughed ("nonessential") federal employees also usually get backpay..
The last 2 shutdowns took 3 to 13 days. We'll see how this works. None of the political entities look good in this: the Dems or the GOP; the House, the Senate or Trump. Let's also put out there the military members get free or subsidized housing and meal allowances, so they are in a better position to handle this in the short run than the civilians living paycheck to paycheck.
As for the populist BS about Congressmen being paid, I read sometime back that the median federal legislator is a millionaire--and as I just got through saying, backpay is typical policy. The idea that a bunch of political whores could decide which Congressmen would be paid would be wildly corrupt, which populists are too stupid to understand. There's one person to blame here, and it's the guy who unilaterally ended the DACA program without ensuring a legislative solution was in place.
[third comment]
Yeah, my second paragraph explicitly references the lower paid DoD civilians living paycheck to paycheck, although I think active military and their families get "free" healthcare as well. I'm not familiar with how benefits are affected in the interim. It's also very expensive to do all this. (And I'm personally being affected by all this and I'm not happy about it at all.)
I'm not sure why budget reconciliation doesn't require a super-majority, but continuing resolutions do. I'm not adverse to the Senate "going nuclear" on this.
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of Glenn McCoy via Townhall |
