What? You Mean You Think Congress Should Actually WORK?

July 8th, 2011

Epic legislative failure in graph form (via):

Not Enough Paper Hats

May 5th, 2011

As the Great Recession deepened last year, many conservative Republicans tried to have it both ways.

On the one hand, they attempted to smear President Obama's fiscal proposals as "job-killing." They played childish games and argued that his administration was "bad" for employment. They also sought to portray the collapse of new job creation as something that had only become a crisis a day or so after the inauguration of the new Democratic administration. 

That's IT!?!

Jan 5th, 2011

We've been hearing about it, arguing about it, waiting for it and grappling with it for months. The "it" I refer to is the promise by Republicans that the 112th Congress would make their first order of business a bill to repeal "Obamacare."  Here it is in full. Hold onto your hats...

From Politics USA:
"A BILL

To repeal the job-killing health care law and health carerelated (sic)
provisions in the Health Care and Education
Reconciliation Act of 2010.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act’’.

SEC. 2. REPEAL OF THE JOB-KILLING HEALTH CARE LAWAND HEALTH CARE-RELATED PROVISIONS IN
THE HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION RECONCILIATION ACT OF 2010.

(a) JOB-KILLING HEALTH CARE LAW.—Effective as of the enactment of Public Law 111–148, such Act is re7
pealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such Act are restored or revived as if such Act had not been enacted.

(b) HEALTH CARE-RELATED PROVISIONS IN THE HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION RECONCILIATION ACT OF 2010.—Effective as of the enactment of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–152), title I and subtitle B of title II of such Act are repealed, and the provisions of law amended or repealed by such title or subtitle, respectively, are restored or revived as if such title and subtitle had not been enacted."

My questions for the 112th Congressional Republican leadership are as follows:

That's it? That's all you could come up with? Are you insane? Or are you just that lazy? It doesn't even look like it was written by adults. It looks like the kind work a stoned high school student would turn in after he had waited to start until the night before it was due. You had roughly 9 months to draft this and you released 2 paragraphs with typos? Did you guys put in the phrase "JOB-KILLING" four times in a sad attempt to increase word count?

Grade = F

Lazy Unemployed Vs Productive Rich? Part 2

Dec 10th, 2010
 
by F. Grey Parker

In response to yesterday's column, I received a number of comments accusing me of advocating socialism. This leads me to question whether or not the responders actually read the piece. 


I borrow no more from the mortuary dust of that philosophy than I do from the slaughterhouse that still we pretend to be an alternative.
 
The American Right continues to blame President Obama's "socialistic" policies for the lack of domestic jobs and then simultaneously brands the unemployed as "lazy." 

They can't have it both ways.

 

There are currently an average of 6 applicants for every available opening in the current job market.

Lazy Unemployed Vs Productive Rich?

Dec 8th, 2010

by F. Grey Parker 
UPDATE: You can find the follow up HERE.

There have been many foolish comments made to me about the ongoing economic crisis, particularly with regard to the unemployed and the investor class. I have read hyperbole of a sort that is plainly hard to stomach. But this one earns the prize:

"Taking money from person A so person B can stay home and watch Oprah is as dumb and evil as paying farmers not to grow. Get the government and Federal Reserve's fingers out of the economy and there will no longer be recessions."

This Randian devotion to mid-20th century concepts of the "free market" is no less naive than a first year college student pontificating about the glories of pure socialism. It is gamesmanship of a sort we should expect in children but ought refuse to tolerate in adults.