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Why Americans Hate Washington (Bunning exposes PAYGO hypocrisy)
Jewish World Review ^ | March 2, 2010 | Debra J. Saunders

Posted on 03/02/2010 5:55:07 AM PST by reaganaut1

In January, the Senate joined the House in passing "pay-as-you-go" rules to require Congress to pay for new discretionary spending. On Feb. 12, President Obama signed the bill. "Now Congress will have to pay for what it spends, just like everybody else," Obama crowed. Less than a month later, Obama and fellow Democrats are busily demonizing a lone senator for pushing Washington to spend responsibly. It seems this administration is all for fiscal restraint — as long as you don't mean it.

The story began last week when Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., blocked Senate passage of a bill to extend one month unemployment and COBRA health insurance benefits, and other spending, because it did not comply with PAYGO. As the Baseball Hall-of-Famer explained, "When 100 senators are for a bill, and we can't find $10 billion to pay for it, there's something the matter, seriously the matter, with this body." For that, he is Satan.

On Sunday, The New York Times ran a story about the Bunning brouhaha without mentioning why Bunning was blocking the bill. A CNN television crawl warned: "Thousands hurt by one senator." Veep Joe Biden lamented the prospect of a single senator filibustering a measure, and wished, as Politico reported, only that the senator would have to explain to the families of the Americans who could lose their benefits "how they're going to get by."

It's a heartbreaking scenario — but it can be avoided if Capitol Hill leaders either find the $10 billion in a government that spends $3.8 trillion annually or the 60 votes needed to bring the bill to the Senate floor.

(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; US: Kentucky
KEYWORDS: 111th; agenda; bhodeficit; bunning; congress; federalspending; paygo
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1 posted on 03/02/2010 5:55:08 AM PST by reaganaut1
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To: reaganaut1
On Sunday, The New York Times ran a story about the Bunning brouhaha without mentioning why Bunning was blocking the bill. A CNN television crawl warned: "Thousands hurt by one senator." Veep Joe Biden lamented the prospect of a single senator filibustering a measure, and wished, as Politico reported, only that the senator would have to explain to the families of the Americans who could lose their benefits "how they're going to get by."

Hyperventilation like that always reminds me of this movie...


2 posted on 03/02/2010 6:05:49 AM PST by Haiku Guy (If you have a right / To the service I provide / I must be your slave.)
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To: reaganaut1
Why Americans Hate Washington

and the US Media...

3 posted on 03/02/2010 6:09:38 AM PST by Need4Truth (We can't afford the empire or the entitlements.)
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To: reaganaut1

Take the $10 billion to extend unemployment benefits, yet again while people wait for their dream jobs from the $400 billion unspent borrowed money in the “Stimulus Bill”.


4 posted on 03/02/2010 6:11:33 AM PST by reaganator
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To: reaganaut1

Bunning is a hero.


5 posted on 03/02/2010 6:13:22 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (We're all heading toward red revolution - we just disagree on which type of Red we want.)
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To: reaganaut1

And by the way, why was a $15 Billion dollar “Jobs Bill” necessary when there is $400 billion unspent from the “Stimulus Bill”?


6 posted on 03/02/2010 6:14:09 AM PST by reaganator
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To: reaganaut1
"Right now, adding to the deficit in fact helps the economy, it doesn't hurt," Horney noted.

This needs to be debated, not accepted as fact. If our current economic recession is caused by excessive debt and we have indeed passed a point of peak credit, then this premise is false.

7 posted on 03/02/2010 6:16:52 AM PST by Need4Truth (We can't afford the empire or the entitlements.)
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To: Need4Truth

Absolutely false, money is borrowed out of the economy and used for political purposes.


8 posted on 03/02/2010 6:19:50 AM PST by reaganator
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To: reaganaut1

I still can’t figure out how a lone Senator can stop anything. If that’s true, then why in the heck are we having all of these ridiculous bills passed over objections of Republicans.

FOX was raking Bunning over the coals last night and I didn’t realize that he’s thought of as someone who has lost his marbles; wicked temper etc.


9 posted on 03/02/2010 6:24:29 AM PST by Thank You Rush
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To: reaganaut1

I support Bunning.
If you want to have Pay-Go,
You Pay as you Go.


10 posted on 03/02/2010 6:24:42 AM PST by Haiku Guy (If you have a right / To the service I provide / I must be your slave.)
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To: reaganaut1

Bunning is indeed a hero, but heroes only gain glory by facing overwhelming opposition and emerging victorious. (Heroes who lose are just noble losers, if they’re remembered at all.)

We’ll need a lot more like Bunning before this ship even starts to turn around. The good Senator merely took on some “minor” spending and he’s being pilloried for it. Imagine what will happen when some hardy soul (yeah, right) takes on the Scylla and Charybdis of Social Security and Medicare!


11 posted on 03/02/2010 6:30:42 AM PST by DNME (HEY CHINA, HOW MUCH FOR HAWAII?)
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To: reaganaut1
" A CNN television crawl warned: "Thousands hurt by one senator."

What about the millions hurt by ever more ambitious borrowing from China? With tens of thousands of dollars in debt being strapped to each of our children's backs, Isn't it time for us to ask why

Democrats Don't Care About Kids!?

12 posted on 03/02/2010 6:32:13 AM PST by cookcounty (Let us not speak of the honor of men. Rather, let us bind them with the Constitution. --Jefferson)
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To: Thank You Rush
I still can’t figure out how a lone Senator can stop anything.

He can't - he can just delay it. They were trying to rush the bill through on a voice vote, without it having to go through the regular committee process, which is much slower. To do that (basically voiding the rules of Senate order), you have to have unanimous consent. Bunning is making it go through the regular process.

I don't know if doing so makes it that it must abide by pay-go.

13 posted on 03/02/2010 6:34:29 AM PST by green iguana
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To: reaganator
"And by the way, why was a $15 Billion dollar “Jobs Bill” necessary when there is $400 billion unspent from the “Stimulus Bill”?

Why isn't there a reporter in Washington with enough intelligence to ask that question? I used to think the average IQ of the Press Corps was about 95, but I find myself having to revise downward. Steeply downward.

14 posted on 03/02/2010 6:38:42 AM PST by cookcounty (Let us not speak of the honor of men. Rather, let us bind them with the Constitution. --Jefferson)
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To: reaganaut1

I almost get the sense that the Dems deliberately baited Bunning into doing this so that they could then turn around and push their “simple majority vote” mantra on Obamacare reconciliation.


15 posted on 03/02/2010 7:06:44 AM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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To: reaganator

Exactly what I thought... use that unspent stimulus money.


16 posted on 03/02/2010 7:13:53 AM PST by GraceCoolidge
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To: Haiku Guy
-"I support Bunning. If you want to have Pay-Go,You Pay as you Go."

When are the Republicans going to start calling a 'spade' a 'spade'???

When are the Republicans going to start labeling the RATs and ZERO's agenda as a.....

"RADICAL, EXTREME AGENDA"

When - O - When????

17 posted on 03/02/2010 7:16:25 AM PST by LibFreeUSA (Show me what Obama brought that was new and there you will find things only blind and destructive.)
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To: reaganaut1
Fox news was just broadcasting the exchange between Bunning and Reid...Reid wasn't coming across very well and Bunning came across as standing up for America.
18 posted on 03/02/2010 7:36:51 AM PST by highlander_UW (Obama has lost or not saved over 4 million jobs!)
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To: reaganaut1

At least this article obliquely notes that Bunning can only block this because Reid refuses to file cloture.

The Day Bunning announced his block, Reid could have filed cloture on the bill. Two days later, they could have voted, and 60 senators would most certainly have voted to consider the bill — all the democrats, and probably a dozen republicans.

Two days later, they would have passed the bill, which would have been today if I am getting the timeline right, or maybe yesterday.

The reason people aren’t getting their benefits is because Reid WANTED to be able to blame republicans for bad news. Reid is entirely responsible for this mess, because he could have passed the year-long appropriation months ago if he wasn’t so busy forcing health care votes.

Reid is a failure, and the press is covering up Reid’s incompetence so they can attack Bunning.

Of course, they could simpy take the 10 billion from the pot of gold (stimulus money) that is sitting around doing nothing. But the Democrats need that to buy votes this summer.


19 posted on 03/02/2010 8:56:27 AM PST by CharlesWayneCT
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To: Need4Truth
The current crisis is not caused by excessive debt, we are not past any mythical point of peak credit, but the premise is still false. The economy is already growing again and we don't need additional fiscal stimulus. It is already time to begin rebalancing the budget. Deficit spending by automatic reductions in tax receipts and increases in transfers did their job. As usual, the Fed also did its job. Also as usual, the congress voted unnecessary addition payola that came too late and still hasn't been spent and is not needed, and destroyed incentives in the process by the specific bleeding heart targeting chosen. And as usual, the congress is clueless and brain dead about the entire subject.

And the screeching doom monger populists in the press, by parties, is not much better.

20 posted on 03/02/2010 11:33:21 AM PST by JasonC
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