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The 109th Congress


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Today is the last day of the 109th congress. They've been doing their 3-day work-week thing for two years, and the GOP has had pretty much absolute control of all legislative agenda in both houses of Congress, and the White House. Well, what did they do? What is the 109th Congress' legacy?

 

You could go to the Library of Congress website and dig around for yourself, but Wiki has a nice list, and also lists all the members (109th Congress).

 

You'll find all the legislation that passed, including:

  • crucial emergency feeding tube legislation (passed 3-0 in the senate...yes, 97 members weren't able to get back for this national crisis)
  • the alaskan bridge to nowhere
  • the border fence that's too short (and won't really be funded anyway :wallbash: )
  • limits on your legal recourse to sue large corporations in class action suits
  • gave massive subsidies to oil corporations
  • pork, pork, pork
  • the Presidential $1 coin act
  • bent over for the credit industry by preventing natural disaster victims from filing for bankruptcy and made it harder for people to file for creditor relief
  • endorsed torture
  • suspended habeus corpus
  • limited online gambling
  • further criminalized copying of DVDs, and called for DVD "sanitizing" technology to remove offensive material

Pretty amazing what can get "accomplished" in two years when you put your mind to it for three days a week.

 

What they failed to do, however, was approve of 9 of 11 appropriations bills, which they've decided to punt into the new Congress.

Instead of approving the remaining appropriations bills, which represent more than $400 billion in spending on almost every domestic program, Congress today will pass a continuing resolution funding operations at current levels through Feb. 15. The two bills already approved by both houses and signed by President Bush are for the military and homeland security.

 

Republicans admit they were disheartened by losing the Senate and House in November's elections, and just haven't been able to compromise on differing versions of the bills passed this year by the GOP-controlled House and Senate.

 

"I think it's shameful,'' said Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., a 12-year member of the House Appropriations Committee.

(emphasis added)

 

I think there's quite a lot more to be ashamed of than just blowing off the budget, Mr. Kingston.

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You'll find all the legislation that passed, including:

[*]the Presidential $1 coin act

860529[/snapback]

I don't care what anyone says, this is going to kick ass.

 

In other news, can we change Congress to a 1 day work week? Forever?

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I don't care what anyone says, this is going to kick ass.

 

In other news, can we change Congress to a 1 day work week?  Forever?

860540[/snapback]

 

I am actually toying with a new constitutional amendment.

It works like this - Congress must work 365 days a year and the President is only allowed to work one day a year when he must veto everything.

 

I must have woken up libertarian this morning or something.

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Today is the last day of the 109th congress.  They've been doing their 3-day work-week thing for two years, and the GOP has had pretty much absolute control of all legislative agenda in both houses of Congress, and the White House.  Well, what did they do? What is the 109th Congress' legacy?

 

You could go to the Library of Congress website and dig around for yourself, but Wiki has a nice list, and also lists all the members (109th Congress).

 

You'll find all the legislation that passed, including:


  •  
  • crucial emergency feeding tube legislation (passed 3-0 in the senate...yes, 97 members weren't able to get back for this national crisis)
     
  • the alaskan bridge to nowhere
     
  • the border fence that's too short (and won't really be funded anyway  :wallbash: )
     
  • limits on your legal recourse to sue large corporations in class action suits
     
  • gave massive subsidies to oil corporations
     
  • pork, pork, pork
     
  • the Presidential $1 coin act
     
  • bent over for the credit industry by preventing natural disaster victims from filing for bankruptcy and made it harder for people to file for creditor relief
     
  • endorsed torture
     
  • suspended habeus corpus
     
  • limited online gambling
     
  • further criminalized copying of DVDs, and called for DVD "sanitizing" technology to remove offensive material
     

Pretty amazing what can get "accomplished" in two years when you put your mind to it for three days a week.

 

What they failed to do, however, was approve of 9 of 11 appropriations bills, which they've decided to punt into the new Congress. 

I think there's quite a lot more to be ashamed of than just blowing off the budget, Mr. Kingston.

860529[/snapback]

 

You do realize, of course, that in two years the litany of accomplishments of the 110th Congress will be nearly as ludicrous, don't you?

 

The central problem isn't Republican vs. Democrat here. The central problem is that virtually none of these !@#$s can distinguish between their pandering for votes and their actual responsibilities to the Constitution and country.

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I am actually toying with a new constitutional amendment.

It works like this - Congress must work 365 days a year and the President is only allowed to work one day a year when he must veto everything.

 

I must have woken up libertarian this morning or something.

860549[/snapback]

 

I dream of a president that'll have the guts to stand up to Congress and say "I'm vetoing this budget you passed until you cut it by 20%." One of the few things I actually credit Clinton with is shutting down the government rather than accept an unreasonable budget from Congress.

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You do realize, of course, that in two years the litany of accomplishments of the 110th Congress will be nearly as ludicrous, don't you?

860551[/snapback]

 

They are working on passing a $2 vice presidential coin? :wallbash:

 

Congress and politics in general is one giant cluster!@#$.

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They are working on passing a $2 vice presidential coin?  :wallbash:

 

Congress and politics in general is one giant cluster!@#$.

860565[/snapback]

Hell, who wouldn't want to be the first in the neighborhood to hold a shiny Quayle, Mondale, or Agnew.

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Hell, who wouldn't want to be the first in the neighborhood to hold a shiny Quayle, Mondale, or Agnew.

860567[/snapback]

 

I'm holding out for an Aaron Burr...or a George Clinton, so long as he brings the funk.

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quote -- [*]the Presidential $1 coin act -- unquote

 

I don't care what anyone says, this is going to kick ass.

860540[/snapback]

 

And actually, the more I saw of it, the more it makes sense in the long term. They intend this to replace the dollar bill.

 

Coinage is MUCH longer-lasting than paper money. No more paying people good money to first print the money, then a short time later, shovel rumpled, soiled, torn $1 bills into a big furnace and then pay people good money to stripsearch the shovelers on their way out and then have to pay.... I've actually got a quarter from 1950!

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And actually, the more I saw of it, the more it makes sense in the long term. They intend this to replace the dollar bill.

 

Coinage is MUCH longer-lasting than paper money. No more paying people good money to first print the money, then a short time later, shovel rumpled, soiled, torn $1 bills into a big furnace and then pay people good money to stripsearch the shovelers on their way out and then have to pay.... I've actually got a quarter from 1950!

860791[/snapback]

 

I wonder if Crayonz has any perspective on what the $1 coins will mean for the Canadian ballet.

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I am actually toying with a new constitutional amendment.

It works like this - Congress must work 365 days a year and the President is only allowed to work one day a year when he must veto everything.

 

I must have woken up libertarian this morning or something.

860549[/snapback]

 

Same here...

 

God, for the life of me... I can't figure out why Silver would want Congress to work only one day? :doh::doh:

 

I know they "do nothing"... Makes good jokes and all...

 

The idea is not to continue the "free pass"... But, actually to get them to do THEIR JOB!

 

Call me funny... But, getting somebody to do their job by giving them more days off is assinine...

 

I suppose he supports "ghostpayrolling" too... :nana::nana:

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And actually, the more I saw of it, the more it makes sense in the long term. They intend this to replace the dollar bill.

 

Coinage is MUCH longer-lasting than paper money. No more paying people good money to first print the money, then a short time later, shovel rumpled, soiled, torn $1 bills into a big furnace and then pay people good money to stripsearch the shovelers on their way out and then have to pay.... I've actually got a quarter from 1950!

860791[/snapback]

 

 

:nana::nana::doh:

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