Posted on 10/05/2016 7:48:05 AM PDT by Kaslin
If one were to count how many times in the last 40 years Congress has passed -- on time -- all the appropriation bills necessary to keep the government running and avoid a government “shutdown,” you would need but one hand. Only four times in four decades (1976, 1988, 1994, and 1996) didCongress successfully manage to complete the task for which the Constitution grants it exclusive power – appropriating the monies needed to fund all federal agencies and programs.
This inability or unwillingness to do its job speaks volumes about the lack of leadership and resolve by what our Founders considered to be the most important of the three branches of the government created more than two and a quarter centuries ago.
A major factor in this congressional lethargy is the rise of special interests. Special interest groups have long wielded significant influence during the appropriations process; but their impact in this era of legislative somnambulism and massive federal spending – now at some $3.7 trillion -- has become particularly pronounced. Time and again, special interests have flexed their muscle to stall the appropriation process by turning small issues into major partisan battles.
Last week, for example, Congress passed yet another short-term spending bill so as to narrowly avoid a government “shutdown.” Yet even here, this so-called “last resort” was not certain to pass, due to bellyaching from the Michigan delegation that its local community of Flint was not getting the cut of federal tax dollars it felt it deserved, when compared to flood victims elsewhere in West Virginia, Louisiana, and Maryland. Last minute negotiations by congressional leaders, including the promise of additionalspending-to-come for Michigan, was needed to overcome the partisan wrangling over “Flint” and keep the government operating. This “crisis” followed earlier hissy fits over Zika funding and Planned Parenthood restrictions.
There was a time in which there were clear differences between the majority of Republicans and the vast majority of Democrats regarding federal spending levels and priorities. However, those differences have largely disappeared -- lost in the fog of fiscal indifference that now prevails in both Chambers of Congress. The fact that the Democrats are at least honest about their desire to keep open the spigot of federal spending at all costs, is of little solace when compared to the manner in which the GOP time and again caves in to Doomsday cries that failure to keep that faucet wide open will haunt them on election day.
The consequences of this fiscal irresponsibility by the Congress extend far beyond the appropriations process. The legislative graveyard at the end of every Congress increasingly is littered with legislative measures that should have been – but were not – acted on. This year was no different, except perhaps in the magnitude of Congress’ failure.
By failing to pass a measure to stop the Obama Administration from making good on its plan to cede control of the internet from the United States to an international nonprofit organization, the Republican-controlled Congress gave up, without so much as a whimper, global leadership over the most important communications network in modern times.
The Obama Administration’s unilateral (and now, irreversible) decision transfers control over the free internet to a private entity over which the United States has minimal, if any influence; leaving the door open to countries like Iran, Russia, China and Syria to exert “public policy” input on the manner by which the internet is managed.
While the Democrat Party lauds itself as the champion of “free speech,” nary one of its members called for a “sit in” to protest the Administration’s plan to potentially stifle the freedom heretofore fostered by America’s control of the internet. For its part, the GOP was largely silent in the face of Obama’s assault on a free internet; unlike its repeated and very vocal opposition to Obamacare.
There were a few courageous members of Congress who stood up and challenged the assault on a free internet orchestrated by Obama – led by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Unfortunately, Cruz and his stalwart band were drowned out in the end by fears that standing up for internet freedom might endanger the Flint spending deal and a billion dollars in taxpayer funding for the Zika scare. And, they simply did not have the votes to counter plaintive cries of “free us so we can go home to campaign” by so many of their feckless colleagues. Go home to campaign now they can, but not with heads held high.
“Sleepwalks” . . . they’re always too nice to a collaborating Congress.
Congress has become nothing but a lobbyist/donor playground.
If the sons of bitches could be appointed by lobbyists rather than running election campaigns they would do it.
Not sleepwalking.
Traitorcongress gave aid and comfort and the internet to the enemies of the United States of America.
So—Why do we need to keep the GOP in charge of Congress?
Congress is hopelessly corrupt.
BOTH parties.
The Voters(not congress) should impose Term Limits
This congress us as useless as tits on a bull
Congress = Waffle House
Yes, I know they are a bunch of libs but they didn't build great companies without some brains and a lot of lawyers. If this giveaway was dangerous to their health we would hear about it.
But we don't. It's so quiet you can hear ...
We did in Virgina 7 and I thought once we showed the rest of the country how it’s done a whole bunch of these weasels would be Cantorized.
Unfortunately Wisconsin 1 just missed their chance to get rid of the head weasel.
Just shaking my head. BOTH parties should have represented the sovereignty of this country and our interests.
I know. I’m expecting the unreasonable. :(
This is exactly why the Constitution must be adhered to in spirit as well as by the letter - there will always be corruption and bribes and blackmailed politicians.
We the People should DEMAND the Constitution and the rule of law be strickly followed. That is the starting point to solving many of our problems.
As far as corruption - unless and until this country makes God Almighty their Lord again through Jesus Christ, all three branches of the Federal government and the Courts will remain unscrupulous.
The strength of the Republic as founded is the checks and balances and the rule of law. Both essential and fundamental ideals of liberty are dead. I ultimately blame a populous that is not as bright as it was a hundred years ago. There is no push back to the tyranny and idiocy from all branches of government. Thus, nothing will change as the USA goes into its slow agonizing death spiral. I also pray America awakens.
“Traitorcongress gave aid and comfort and the internet to the enemies of the United States of America.”
BUMP!
CONgre$$, aka The Gang of 535, should be in federal prison.
“they simply did not have the votes to counter plaintive cries of “free us so we can go home to campaign”
cojones is the word that comes to mind.
That's because it isn't the apocalypse that some people want to believe.
All the US did was cede oversight of the organization that controls the root DNS servers.
What are the root DNS servers? They are effectively the global address book, mapping domain names to IP addresses.
You don't normally request information from the root DNS servers. You ask your local DNS server (normally operated by your ISP) for the IP address of freerepublic.com. If your local DNS server doesn't already know it, it asks the root DNS server, then sends it to you. Your local DNS server then keeps the address of freerepublic.com in its cache until it expires automatically.
So, let's pretend that ICANN is unduly influenced by someone in the future to remove "objectionable" websites from the root DNS server. All that means is that it is no longer in the global address list. The website doesn't disappear -- you just need to know is the IP address.
But, how do you know that IP address? The answer: use an alternate DNS server. If ICANN starts censoring the root DNS servers, you can expect alternate DNS services will pop up and provide the "missing" domain names, in addition to everything in the root DNS servers. It's very easy to modify your computer, phone, or home router to use the alternate DNS servers.
Who will operate these alternative DNS servers? There are two already in operation: Google DNS and OpenDNS. You can use them now, and their service is usually superior to the DNS servers operated by your ISP.
I've found that complaints of "my Internet isn't working" is usually caused by a slow DNS at your ISP. The classic symptom: you enter a new website address, and it says: "server not found". You wait a few seconds and try again, and it works. If you are seeing that on a regular basis, try changing your DNS server. Both Google DNS and OpenDNS provide tutorials to do so.
I'm not claiming ceding oversight of ICANN was a good idea. But, it isn't the crisis that many want you to believe. The Internet is far more resilient: it treats censorship as damage, and is easily circumvented.
If it doesn’t stuff their pockets with money they aren’t interested.
I think I had some DNS troubles on Monday.
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