First positive signs of anti-incumbency polls.
The President and his OMB nominee, Portman, today said they will reach out for bi-partisan work on the budget. Now, for a President who has never worked bi-partisan on anything, this was quite a statement. What prompted such a bold announcement? Anti-incumbent polls.
The GOP's pressure on the President to say or do something that will help them in November's election instead of hurt them is reaching a fever pitch due to the polls showing anti-Republican incumbent numbers. But ya' know, the President promised to cut the budget in half too. Did anyone believe then
that what he meant was, he will cut it in half after raising it to record levels, and it won't be until the budget year after he leaves office eight years later? 2009 is probably when we will see real bipartisan cooperation between the two parties and the White House because hopefully, both parties will have lost a lot of incumbent seats and learned that, while they don't mean what they say, the voters finally do!
Even if Republicans offered bipartisanship, what incentive is there for Democrats to engage in it? Voters must kick some serious incumbent butt out of office before either side is going to put their political turf wars aside and legislate for the people's, and our nation's, well being and future.
Comments
What's also laughable is the notion of a White House budget office. Perhaps they should rename it to the White House Bankruptcy Office.
After all, that seems to be their goal. Actually, they may have already achieved that goal. We just don't realize it yet.
Yes, we've heard this bi-partisan crap before.
That's total nonsense, since we all know
irresponsible, bought-and-paid-for incumbent politicians' would never give up their very most favorite distraction (partisan warfare).
It is hard to believe anything irresponsible incumbents say.
It's funny how incubments can vote themselves raises and perk$ in a heartbeat, vote for pork-barrel, graft, bribes, and corporate welfare for their big-money-donor puppeteers faster than you can say "pork-barrel".
But, the do-nothing government ignores our many pressing problems, decade after decade, as they continue to grow in number and severity.
Incumbents argue and talk a lot, get voters all whipped into a frenzym, but never do anything to solve any problems. If anything, incumbents create more problems, more corruption, more secrecy. Incumbents wont' do anything unless it produces some corporate welfare somewhere, self-gain, or makes their cu$hy, coveted seats more secure.
As Ron Brown said, we need term limits.
Politicians should be limited to two terms:
- - - - - - - - -
Posted by: d.a.n | April 19, 2006 10:32 AM
OMB - Office of mis-management and bankrupting! Has a ring of truth to it, don't you think, Daniel?
Posted by: David R. Remer | April 19, 2006 3:30 PM
Good One !
Ain't that the truth.
Have you ever looked at this list.
It's like a bad dream.
The phrase "bloated government" doesn't even accurately describe it.
Government keeps growing to nightmare proportions.
There are more jobs in government than all manufacturing in the U.S. ! The federal government has grown by 140,000 since 2001.
Ya know what else does that?
That is, grows, and grows, and consumes everything around, and then spreads to somewhere else, and starts all over? A virus.
The problem with a virus is that it isn't too bright. It risks its own existence by threatening the life of its host (that's us).
A vaccine is needed.
We could call it the VOID vaccine.
: )
Sadly, though, bought-and-paid-for incumbent politicians will be fine after voters have to suffer for the mismanagement and incompetence of incumbents, because the incumbents all got theirs and they all have golden parachutes (paid for by yours truly: us taxpayers).
Posted by: d.a.n | April 19, 2006 6:33 PM
That is one humongous list of government offices and agencies. But, with so many incompetents in the spotlight, it is logical they would use tax dollars to eternally create and hire new so called 'experts' to try to minimize their apparent incompetence.
If you were in a job you didn't know how to perform, wouldn't you hire some aids and agencies to try to educate you before you embarass yourself. And don't forget they have an unlimited budget - the taxpayers - to spend as much as necessary to hide their lack of knowledge.
What we really need is to elect some folks who are already knowledgeable about the kinds of problems they will face. But instead, we hire folks who are knowledgeable about only one area, how to get elected, which leaves them pretty maladapted to their office once they are elected.
Posted by: David R. Remer | April 19, 2006 10:07 PM
Yeah, it starts to feed on itself (like a feed-back loop). It grows and grows. How long before it collapses under its own worthless dead weight?
Why do voters tolerate this? Why do voters keep getting used and abused?
It is sad, since voters have one simple, common sense thing right there under their very nose that they should have been doing all along.
We need a simple Voter Education Campaign.
Below is a simple FOUR (4) STEP Voter Education Campaign . . .
It does not even require a lot of organization.
It does not even require a party.
It does not even require a lot of money.
It does not even require anything unpeaceful.
It does not even require protest marches.
It does not even require a lot of thought.
All it requires is that we vote out irresponsible incumbents, always.
Keep the good ones (if you can find any).
Here's something every voter should do:
STEP 1: FIND YOUR CONGRESS PERSONS:
Check your Senators' and Representative's voting records:
STEP 2: FIND YOUR CONGRESS PERSONS' PORK-BARREL, GRAFT, & CORPORATE WELFARE:
She is one of my Senators (who won't get my vote when the time comes).
Here's the pork-barrel she voted for:
____________________________
$107,433,000 for projects added in the state of Senate TTHUD Appropriations Subcommittee member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), and the districts of House TTHUD Appropriations Subcommittee member John Culberson (R-Texas), and House appropriators Henry Bonilla (R-Texas), John Carter (R-Texas), Kay Granger (R-Texas), and Chet Edwards (D-Texas), including: $1,000,000 for compressed natural gas buses; $1,000,000 for the University of Texas Flywheel Bus and Truck Program; $500,000 for the Midland County Board of Commissioners Connection; $250,000 for Odessa for the renovation of the Historical Globe Theater (this is really imoportant isn't it?; and $200,000 for Nacogdoches for renovations to the Fredonia Hotel and Convention Center (these are your tax dollars too).
STEP 3: FIND YOUR CONGRESS PERSONS' CORRUPTION:
______more__________________
KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, the first woman Texas has ever elected to the U.S. Senate, has gone from stardom to scandal in four months. Last week, she was indicted for misconduct in her former job as Texas state treasurer--an indictment she calls a "political witch hunt" by Democrats against a Republican. The issue is not whether her staffers performed political chores while she ran for the Senate; she admits they did; but whether the abuses were flagrant and whether she tried hard to hide them. She now faces the prospect of a trial during a bid for re-election next fall.
____________________________
In 1994 the Dallas Observer's Miriam Rozen gained access to grand jury documents in the case against Kay Bailey Hutchison. I can't find the article online, but I managed to find a contemporaneous Texas Monthly article that quotes largely from the piece. The testimony starts with employees, former coworkers and others noting her abusive behavior around the office. She literally threw a book at a subordinate and kept her office in a state of fear while she was Treasurer. These employees testify that when she [KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON] told them to start destroying documents that showed her using state-paid staff, offices and other taxpayer-funded resources for her own political activities, they made copies behind her back (OOOooops).
But, guess what? KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON got away with it unscathed.
____________________________
Here's what someone (justifiably) thought of Ted Stevens . . .
The man [Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)] is almost as shameless and narcissistic as shrubya [he means George Bush 43], plays politics every bit as dirty as DeLay and he's just as much of a bully as either of them. After insisting on his precious bridges to nowhere while areas of Louisiana and Mississippi suffer with Katrina-ravaged highways, he now has the audacity to attach a bill for drilling in the Arctic Refuge on to the must-pass defense spending bill.
____________________________
Do you like your federal tax dollars going for pork-barrel in Texas or Alaska? Actually, Texas is 45th (near the bottom).
Alaska and D.C. gets most of the pork-barrel.
Do a search (i.e. press Ctrl F) on Alaska's illustrious Senator: Ted Stevens.
He's is the king of pork-barrel (among ohter things):
____________________________
Even though Alaska led the nation with $489 per capita ($325 million), it was less than half of Alaska's 2005 per capita number of $985. The runners up in 2006 were Hawaii with $378 per capita ($482 million) and the District of Columbia with $182 per capita ($100 million). Alaska's drop can be attributed to Sen. Ted Stevens' (R-Alaska) descent from the throne as Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman.
____________________________
STEP 4: EDUCATE OTHERS and SHARE YOUR RESEARCH :
Believe me, politicians and their hacks are monitoring the blogs.
Help educate your fellow voters.
Education is the first step.
You can reach others too.
What ever you write and post all over the blogs will not go unnoticed.
Try to get your facts correct.
Always find a few sources.
And, if you want to do even more to help educate and organize voters to stop re-electing irresponsible and corrupt incumbents, then visit: voidnow.org . . . and give us your ideas for solutions.
Posted by: d.a.n | April 19, 2006 10:42 PM
There are a number of things happening currently to indicate that planning and action have been influenced by the VOID message.
I was horrified to read a news report concerning the benefit package enjoyed by the Senate during term (improves with duration of incumbency) and, the retirement benefits that follow. Shorter terms will bring about an awareness that these perks are in serious jeapordy for irresponsible poitical conduct.
Posted by: steve smith | April 21, 2006 7:17 AM
Bought-and-paid-for incumbent politician$ can vote them$elve$ rai$e$ and cu$hy perk$ and advantage$ in a heart-beat, but refuse to:
_______________
Here's a new web-site I ran across today: 86TheIncumbent.com
We've tried just about everything.
Perhaps the voters are ready to try the one common-sense, no-brainer, peaceful, safe, non-partisan, inexpensive, responsible thing there were supposed to be doing all along ?
Posted by: d.a.n | April 21, 2006 12:08 PM