Comments on: Days Like This

By: disgusted

disgusted — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:47:04 +0000

What the Founding Fathers didn’t see was the importance of being re-elected verses the CHARACTER to follow thru when others are against you.

By: mui

mui — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:24:22 +0000

Message from AFL-CIO Working Families Network:
Join the National Call-In Day to Stop Medicare Privatization
Tell your member of Congress to support legislation to stop overpayments to private insurance companies.
Call the Capitol switchboard today. Just ask to be connected with your representative’s office. (Don’t know your representative? Find yours here.)
1-800-828-0498

By: dan_ps

dan_ps — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:10:09 +0000

We need to have some principled conservatives join in to make this work too.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:00:04 +0000

The Founders worried about (a) allocating too much power to the federal government — away from the people and the states, and (b) concentrating too much of the power allocated to the federal government in the executive.

The Founders’ idea was of a federal government with just sufficient power relative to the states and just sufficien power to fend off forein adversaries.

Since 1865, amendments to the constitution and supreme court decisions have allocated increased power to the federal government.

Almost all of the increased allocation has gone to the executive branch.

In the Founder’s scheme, the primary check upon the executive branch lay in the House of Representatives, the legislaative body supposedly most responsive to the people (because of the every-2-year rule as to House member elections).

The power allocated to the House intended to serve as a check on the executive branch lay chiefly in 3 areas: 1) the power to raise (or not raise) taxes, 2) the spending power, and 3) the power to impeach.

Fast forward to today: What’s broken is the House. It has the power to check George Bush and the popular mandate to do so (November 2006 elections). The House, however, is not today appropriately responsive to the people.

Reason in my opinion: House members have figured out that to get the money needed to crush opponents, they must largely disregard the will of the people. The proof here lies in the House re-election rates (greater than those of the Soviet Politburo) and the polls (two-thirds or more want out of Iraq, yet the House leaders dither).

The Founder’s scheme isn’t working.

But Cindy Sheehan gives me hope.

By: Rick DeVille

Rick DeVille — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:51:56 +0000

Millineryman @ 81

Good morning folks. I was just on my porch, savoring the beautiful day with some coffee and the aroma of petunias, when this squirrel come running up on my porch and attacks an escarole plant.

He jumped up into the middle of it and just started shredding it with his his paws. He evidently thought there was something buried underneath. The last I saw he was running away with a large leaf in his mouth.

Give chase, man!

By: Rick DeVille

Rick DeVille — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:51:11 +0000

Days like this. In which we are governed by those who either cannot fathom the possibility that what they do is wrong, or else know damn well it is but do it anyway because they can (and do) get away with it. Rule founded on a basis of impunity rather than morality. And we have let them. Litbrit’s (previous post) point about the depth of Maryam’s anger hits home; the presence of our anger is not enough. It does not rise even to the level where it matches the wrong. It’s not strong enough. We have not yet allowed ourselves the burden of the anger we need to feel to get the word out, the media listening, our representatives really paying attention and not lip service. Getting the job done.

We don’t have a house divided. We don’t even have a house. We have a ruin. We have what will eventually become nothing more than a cellar hole in the deep forest of our own neglect. And the eyesight of the population has not yet cleared enough to recognize the need to tear down the rot and rebuild on what is still a pretty decent foundation. Without the anger there’s only helplessness. and we can’t afford that. Ever.

Sorry, I’m in a mood and a half this morning.

By: dude

dude — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:40:53 +0000

Witt enjoys a good reputation within the construction community since leaving his post at FEMA. He went on to head an organization that spent years trying to consolidate the major building code organizations in this country and bring some uniformity in the building codes nationwide. As it happens, this month, the culmination of that effort was celebrated and all 50 states plus DC (some 21,000 jurisdictions) now use the same buildng code. Construction has a long history of breeding corruption and laundering money, so I cannot speak for what NBC may have uncovered. I would be surprised, however, if Witt’s behavior is anything like that of Brownie or Todd Whitman.

By: Waccamaw

Waccamaw — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:33:58 +0000

O/t and a heads up warning to any interested in Katrina-related news:

Apparently NBC has been preparing a multi-month investigative hit-piece on James Lee Witt (former FEMA head) claiming he has overcharged for services as a private contractor in the Gulf coast area.

I have no knowledge wrt any of his business practices but it certainly does make one question why they should have chosen Witt to spotlight vs. all the other SOBs who are making their fortunes on the backs of “there but for the grace of God” ordinary people.

Wish I had thought to make a note of the people making the charges; any bets on which political party to which they might belong?

If anyone in the Gulf area sees further MSM coverage on the subject, perhaps they can shed more light on this question.

[no linky - heard on scarbreath this morning]

By: Loo Hoo.

Loo Hoo. — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:33:33 +0000

What channel is this on?

By: Fern

Fern — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:32:33 +0000

He showed. Heh.