Honestly, one has to wonder when the money from Washington is going to run out. Since 2008, we
have seen bill after bill pass through the halls of Congress, most of them spending money we simply do not have. I am not talking about the normal spending bills they deal with every year, but rather the multi-billion dollar packages that are laden with pork barrel spending and have accomplished very little to bolster our economy. The latest in the string of money bills is being called a state aid bill and is being touted by the Democrats as vital to saving the jobs of 160,000 teachers, plus the jobs of other public workers. This will happen by helping make up the budget shortfalls in hard-hit states. This comes just as most of the nation’s schoolchildren are about to head back to the books. This legislation was not expected to advance during this legislative session, but the Senate inexplicably passed it last week. With that done, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called the members of her legislative body back from recess to consider the measure. I can not help but wonder at the timing.
Anyone who is inclined to watch, view, and participate in the political process knows full well how important the mid-term elections are going to be. The results from the first Tuesday in November could very well sway the balance of power in Congress and help us put a halt to some of the more radical policies President Obama seems intent on implementing. If this state aid bill passes, as it is likely to do, it is sure to be used as a bone on the campaign trail. It will give the Democrats one more thing to point at and say “look at what we have done for the country”. It’s obvious the Republicans do not have enough votes to stop this, unless a lot of Democrats come to their senses and say enough is enough. Since that will probably not happen, we are about to see another $26 billion aid package on the books, this time to one of the biggest supporters of the Democrat’s agenda, the teacher’s union.
As with some of the other packages, the Democrats are saying this spending will be offset by cuts in other areas and by their favorite thing to do, which would be raising taxes. The tax increase would be on some multinational companies that are based in the United States. That’s no surprise to anyone. Would you care to venture a guess as to where the spending cuts will be aimed at? That’s where the surprise comes in, as they are targeted at food stamp benefits, which have been helping some of the hardest hit American citizens who are still struggling to feed their families. Try as I might, I can’t seem to wrap my head around that. If they are intent on helping Americans, why make it more difficult for families who are depending on these benefits to make sure their children do not go hungry?
If you have been living and breathing in America for the past few years, you know how hard it has been on the average American citizen. Things have been very tough for most of us, but we still keep plugging along, working and hoping for better days to come. We have seen our federal government spend more and more of our money, bailing out corporation after corporation, with little to no real and positive results for us. We have seen how some states have been struggling to make ends meet and how the special interest groups, ie. the teacher’s union, has fought bitterly to prevent cuts in their salaries and benefits. Can anyone say New Jersey and Governor Chris Christie? All he has asked them to do is make a few concessions and endure a freeze on their salaries, but they have refused. I might add, these are concessions that most Americans have already been making, but the teachers seem to believe they are above making these concessions.
Does the spending not have to stop at some point? Where do we draw the line and say the money is not there? It would appear the Democrats are not at that point yet and may not get there any time soon. It also appears that some Republicans in Congress may be despairing of slowing down the spending freight train. The latest I have heard from the Mary Fallin campaign has her staying in Oklahoma to campaign for Governor. Her reasoning is that her time would be better spent in the state, instead of going back to Washington to fight what is surely going to be a losing battle. I tend to agree, as we have all seen how determined Nancy Pelosi is to push this kind of spending forward. She doesn’t intend to take no for an answer. It remains to be seen if this spending bone will be tasty to the Democrats or prove to be too hard for voters to swallow on November 2.
It says something about the out of control spending when suddenly a $26 billion bill doesn’t seem like such a high amount.
Just when you thought that Democrats might be a little gun shy heading into the elections they pull one last spending bill out of their back pockets that just happens to throw a bone to their union buddies. This is nothing more than a political ploy designed to gain votes before the election, but one has to wonder if this will work considering how upset Americans already are at the spending that has taken place.
Calling the Congress back into session to simply do this? That made it all the more newsworthy. They might as well have put a neon sign on it.
That, and the unions got another bailout. Of course, the states will be even more screwed when this money runs out, but then again, they can always print more money…right?
Thanks for the comment, Matt. What makes it even more interesting is how several Republicans actually said they had no intentions of returning to Washington to vote on the legislation. Their reasoning was that they had no chance to stop it’s passage and they would rather be in their districts. Mary Fallin, who is running for Governor in Oklahoma said the same thing, but changed her mind when they added a border security bill to the agenda. It’s very telling to me that they saw so little hope in stopping the Pelosi/Reid machine.
Excellent post Larry. You know what this comes down to, taxation without representation. My tax dollars are being poured into states and unions where I have no representation.
The truth is they are so out of touch with the American people; they believe this is going to help their cause. I believe it is going to backfire. The reason I say this is because our gang is bigger than their gang right now. There are more people that are non-union than union and the opinion of unions are beginning to slide fast. People I talk to are sick to their stomach about this. They know we don’t have the money. I heard a few people say that the Dems are so drunk with power that they’re completely out of control. I say welcome to the conversation!
Very true, John. The unions are getting exactly what they want, at our expense. Hopefully, this will blow up in their faces on November 2. Thanks for the comment.
When the bankers tell the Dems to stop spending or when our bond rating is downgraded.