Go Away And Die Quietly

We've got a Meet The Politician twofer today.

First up, Rep. Rob Woodall (R - I've Got Mine).

Rep Rob was holding a townhall in his home district and defending his vote on the Paul Ryan "Let's Eliminate Medicare" Budget.  At least one resident disagreed with Rep Rob's policy stance.

A Woodall constituent raised a practical obstacle to obtaining coverage in the private market within the confines of an employer-based health insurance system: What happens when you retire?
 "The private corporation that I retired from does not give medical benefits to retirees," the woman told the congressman in video captured a local Patch reporter in Dacula, Ga.

"Hear yourself, ma'am. Hear yourself," Woodall told the woman. "You want the government to take care of you, because your employer decided not to take care of you. My question is, 'When do I decide I'm going to take care of me?'"

Second up we have everyone's favorite #2 man, Rep. Eric Cantor (R - storms, plagues and pestilence).  Eric's caring soul is more than willing to come up with money to help the survivors in Joplin, MO, just so long as we make cuts elsewhere to pay for it.  Maybe the residents of Joplin can voluntarily give up their medicare to get some food and water.

“if there is support for a supplemental , it would be accompanied by support for having pay-fors to that supplemental.”

Despite both men being uncaring pricks out to protect the good fortune of rich white men that pay their salaries donate to their campaigns, it is almost refreshing to see such honesty.

Vote To End Medicare

235 Republicans just voted to end Medicare.

The vote was to approve the budget plan put forward by Rep. Paul Ryan (R - Silver Spoons). As part of that budget Medicare would cease to exist (pdf) in the future for anyone currently under the age of 55.  When people currently under the age of 55 retire in the future Medicare would not be available.  Instead they will be given coupon to spend on private health insurance.

I've shopped around for insurance.  Some of the best rates I can find is in excess of $400 per month.  I'm in my 30s (at least for a few more months), I don't smoke, am healthy, and have no preexisting conditions.  I don't remember the exact numbers but the elderly, by the very virtue of being old and nearer the end of like, need far more health care and use the majority of the health care services in this country.  They aren't going to find insurance for $400 a month.  Hell, 10 years from now someone like me won't be able to find insurance at that rate.  Assuming a 8% increase in insurance rates per year the same policy will be more than double.

What's more, Rep. Ryan's budget not only eliminates Medicare but the government savings are turned around and used to pay for tax cuts for the rich and for corporations.  Despite all the protestations to the contrary, despite what all the talking heads on the teevee are saying, the Ryan Plan has absolutely nothing to do with deficit reduction - something that is inappropriately fetishized to begin with.  No.  No, the Ryan Plan is about taking from the poor, the middle class, and even the upper middle class and giving to the people that were born on 3rd base.

Rep. Peter Shimkus

Meet Rep. Peter Shimkus (R - A River In Africa)



I'm about 95% sure I've had this up before but I wanted to bring it forward into the new "Meet The Politician" series. This one hits close to home as it is a Illinois representative. I think Shimkus just absolved humanity of all problems as his god will solve everything.

Polly Wants a Cracker. Maybe I Should Get Off Her First

Meet Rep. Chris Smith (R - Rapists)

A little while back I asked if the G.O.P. could get any crazier.  They've answered my question with a resounding, "YES! Yes, we can!"

With this legislation, which was introduced last week by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Republicans propose that the rape exemption be limited to "forcible rape." This would rule out federal assistance for abortions in many rape cases, including instances of statutory rape, many of which are non-forcible. For example: If a 13-year-old girl is impregnated by a 24-year-old adult, she would no longer qualify to have Medicaid pay for an abortion.

173 other assholes congressman have signed on as cosponsors.

Happy Hump Day.

Via Balloon Juice. 

Dude, Where's My Health Care?

Meet Rep. Andy Harris (R - Feeling Entitled)

Freshman congressman Harris campaigned against the health care reform law passed last year.  He stated that, "the answer to the ever-rising cost of insurance is not the expansion of government-run or government-mandated insurance but, instead, common-sense market based solutions that ensure decisions are made by patients and their doctors."  Harris won the election last year by a solid 13%.

Upon showing up to House Freshman Orientation he demanded to know why he would be given health insurance immediately upon taking the oath of office.  He wanted to know "what he would do without 28 days of health care."

Good question, Andy?  Over 46 million of your fellow citizens wonder the same thing.   Health care reform will add coverage for 30+ million people.  And it saves money.

I was born one mornin' when the sun didn't shine

Meet Senator Mike Lee (R - Company Store).

FSM, is there no limit to the idiocy of today's GOP? The newest Senator from Utah believes that child labor laws are unconstitutional!

Lee's "argument", as best I can tell, is that because manufacturing takes place in a single city and the workers live in that city that it does not constitute interstate commerce.

Are there really any truly local companies any more? Until a few years ago one may have argued that the company I work for, with a customer base, entirely in Chicago and the northern suburbs was a local company. That argument would be quickly dismissed though. The product we sell is purchased almost exclusively from out of state and out of country production facilities. We also employ people that live in Indiana. A few years ago when we were purchased by a Wisconsin company with customers in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota we became an undisputed multistate company.

What about one of the icons of Made In America, Harley Davidson. Well, first of all, they are headquartered in Wisconsin but they have production facilities in several other states. Plus, some, albeit a small portion, of their parts are foreign made.

Let's look at an icon of local business, the corner bar.  The owner, patrons, and employees are likely all to live locally.  Where does their booze come from though?  Jack? Tennessee. Makers? Kentucky. Budweiser? Many states.


I defy anyone to find a truly local business any more?  Our country, our world, is completely interrelated anymore.  Commerce flows across local, state, country borders.  Clearly, based on the Commerce Clause, the congress has the right to regulate it and clearly that means they can regulate child labor.

And does anyone really want to return to the days of children dying in a fire because they were locked in a factory or are working in coal mines because their little bodies fit?

Via Balloon Juice via raw story.

Rep Steve King

Meet Rep. Steve King (R-White Landed Gentry).

Last Thursday, on day 2 of the 112th Congress, most of The Constitution was read on the floor of the Congress.  The parts left out (3/5ths compromise, Prohibition, indirect election of Senators, presidential succession, and few others) have been removed or modified via Constitutional Amendments.  Persumedly, that means they read aloud the 14th Amedment, Constitution's definition of citizenship.

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

The same week Rep. King introduced legislation that would violate the "born in the USA" provision.  The law is patently and unabiguously unconstitutional.  King knows it.

King said that ending birthright citizenship through statute makes sense because it’s easier to do.

 This proposal by King and supported by other Goppers and Teahadists is fear mongering, naked bigotry, and a power grab (immigrants, i.e. Mexicans, primarily vote Democratic).  It is ugly and vile. Unfortunately, this is exactly what should be expected from today's Republican Party.  They are the party of fear, ignorance, bigotry, and smear.

Update: Gov't Default

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner sent this letter to the Senate outlining the consequences of a government default.

• The Treasury would be forced to default on legal obligations of the United States, causing catastrophic damage to the economy, potentially much more harmful than the effects of the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009. 
• A default would impose a substantial tax on all Americans.  Because Treasuries represent the benchmark borrowing rate for all other sectors, default would raise all borrowing costs.  Interest rates for state and local government, corporate and consumer borrowing, including home mortgage interest, would all rise sharply.  Equity prices and home values would decline, reducing retirement savings and hurting the economic security of all Americans, leading to reductions in spending and investment, which would cause job losses and business failures on a significant scale. 
• Default would have prolonged and far-reaching negative consequences on the safe-haven status of Treasuries and the dollar’s dominant role in the international financial system, causing further increases in interest rates and reducing the willingness of investors here and around the world to invest in the United States.
• Payments on a broad range of benefits and other U.S. obligations would be discontinued, limited, or adversely affected, including:
• U.S. military salaries and retirement benefits;
• Social Security and Medicare benefits;
• veterans’ benefits;
• federal civil service salaries and retirement benefits;
• individual and corporate tax refunds;
• unemployment benefits to states;
• defense vendor payments;
• interest and principal payments on Treasury bonds and other securities;
• student loan payments;
• Medicaid payments to states; and 
• payments necessary to keep government facilities open.

Rep Mulvaney, have you read this yet?  Are you still unsure what would happen?

Rep Mick Mulvaney

Meet Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-Ignorant Slut).

Mick has said he intends to vote against raising the debt ceiling.  This would effectively mean that the Treasury would be unable to borrow more money.  A Fox Business host asked Mulvaney what the consequences of not raising the debt ceiling would be.  Mulvaney replied:

Well, I don’t know.

 That is some damn fine financial planning for you!

Please, Mick, allow me to assist you with your research. You know, just in case you want to make an informed decision once in your life.  In short, it'd fuck us!.  Not to mention the rest of the world.

The budgetary consequences of this conservative pledge would be catastrophic and far-reaching, forcing the immediate cessation of more than 40 percent of all federal government activities (excluding only interest payments on the national debt), including Social Security, military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, homeland security, Medicare, and unemployment insurance. This would not only threaten the safety and economic security of all Americans, but also have dire impacts for the economy and job growth.

In short, the economic consequences of such a large and precipitous drop in spending would be crushing, and almost certainly result in a severe drop in economic growth and employment at a time when we can least afford it.

Moreover, such a move could lead to a panic in the international financial markets. Following the 2008 financial crisis, we have seen debt crises hit Ireland, Greece, and Italy, with fears that this could spread further and cause a global economic downturn. The financial markets are on edge today, with U.S. Treasury bonds being the safe haven for most investment capital. Refusing to raise the debt ceiling would recklessly disrupt the sale and purchase of new Treasury bonds, and could potentially cause a run on outstanding Treasurys as well, as investors sought other investments. This could have catastrophic consequences for our economy as well as the economic stability of the rest of the world.

But, hey, don't take my word and that of a progressive think tank.  Let's ask former St. Ronny adviser Bruce Bartlett.  What say you, Bruce?

"It is the most monumental insanity."

Really?  Are you sure?  Tell me more.

But if the debt ceiling is not raised, the only cash it would have to pay those bills would come from the tax revenues that come in on a day-to-day basis -- from the payroll tax or from income tax withholding. But that would not be enough to pay the bills that are due that day, so somebody at the Treasury is going to have to decide -- as individuals do when their pay doesn't cover their credit cards and other debts -- who gets paid this month and who doesn't. And, of course, there is a problem with this, because not everybody can be put be off. By law, Social Security benefits have to go out on the first of the month. But the Treasury literally would not have the cash in its account to cover those benefits, or to pay interest on the debt -- at which point you have a default.
. . .
Do we really want to introduce an element of doubt into the financial markets, that a security that is primarily bought because there is assumed to be risk zero risk of default is no longer safe? There is no other security on earth that has that reputation, not even German government bonds. The U.S. Treasury is the gold standard and we have benefited enormously from this fact. Every time there is some disruption in the world financial markets, people flee to quality by buying Treasuries. As a result, we have benefited by not having to pay for the consequences of our own profligacy. Foreign central banks hold trillions of dollars of Treasuries as the backing for their own securities. The minute we introduce an element of doubt into their own minds about whether these debts will be paid, suddenly other alternative investments may start to look better to them, and we will lose market share, which will greatly increase the costs of borrowing over the long term. It's the most monumental insanity that I can even imagine.

Say, Mick, isn't there an Appalachian Trail you need to go hike?
via Balloon Juice