Porkulus protest

Fellow Samsphere blogger, Kansas Meadowlark, has a great photo essay of today's 'porkulus protest' in Overland Park, KS.

I think my favorite sign from the event was the one which said:

"We pay our Reps to read bills before voting."

House passes stimulus bill without GOP support

The U.S. House of Representatives just passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill conference report, H.R.1, with a vote of 246 to 183.

Seven Democrats joined all the Republicans in voting no. One Democrat voted present. One Democrat and two Republicans did not cast a vote.

The Senate is expected to vote later today.

I expect that Rep. Marcy Kaptur will again support the bill, as she did originally, and because no Republicans voted in favor, I'm certain that Rep. Bob Latta voted no.

'Inexcusable and irresponsible'

That's how President Barack Obama describes the 'delay' that is otherwise known as the deliberative process in Congress.

From The Wall Street Journal:

President Barack Obama decried as "inexcusable and irresponsible" the delay of his economic recovery legislation in Congress after a new data revealed that an estimated 3.6 million Americans have lost their jobs since the recession began. His remarks were some of his most direct and pointed in support of the stimulus package, which the Senate could vote on as soon as Friday afternoon. Obama acknowledged the current bill "is not perfect, but a bill is absolutely necessary."

Want to know what's "inexcusable and irresponsible"? Expecting to submit a pork-laden, cater-to-special-interest, non-stimulus, increase-the-debt piece of legislation and then have it voted on prior to the American public learning what's in it.

That's the sole reason for the intense pressure - because the more people learn about what, exactly, this bill will do, the more they disapprove of it. As I wrote this morning:

Americans are banging up on the so-called stimulus package (aka: porkulus). Rasmussen reports in their latest poll that support for the bill continues to fall with only 37% now in favor. Of course, President Obama is trying to scare us into believing that without the bill, we're doomed, so it needs to be passed right away. However, many people are beginning to think that the rush is just so we don't find out what's really in the bill - like insurance exemptions for companies that make boats bigger than 65 feet in length.

As we are all quickly seeing, this bill has more to do with catering to special interests than it does 'creating jobs,' especially because the same people saying we need it also say that government doesn't create jobs.

Or, as Columnist Charles Krauthammer wrote in "Crises, Catastrophe: Are these words of hope?":

"So much for the president who in his inaugural address two weeks earlier declared 'we have chosen hope over fear.' Until, that is, you need fear to pass a bill."

I don't want to work...

The song "Bang on the Drum," by Todd Rundgren, keeps going through my head as I look at the blue sky and bright sun.

I don't want to work
I want to bang on the drum all day

And it's Friday, too, which makes the feeling even worse...

But, alas, the cold weather means work is actually a viable alternative to banging on a drum all day. So...

Here's a round-up of some interesting stories:

Cassy Fiano has a great post about transparency - or lack thereof - in the Obama administration. She's added a video of Press Secretary Robert Gibbs dismissing a question on access to records and then asking the reporter if he had a 'more pertinent' question. Reporter Jake Trapper then bangs Gibbs upside the head by declaring his quest for transparency 'fairly pertinent.'

Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow is banging on the Fairness Doctrine, by calling it 'accountability' and a 'set of standards.' Of course, she fails to mention her clear conflict of interest during the linked interview. You see, her husband, Tom Anthans, is the former executive vice president of Air America's syndication division and previously ran Democracy Radio, another liberal talk radio upstart, which folded in 2005. In the spring of last year, Athans announced his new venture, Talk USA Radio, though I could find nothing on the Internet about its status today.

No wonder she wants to push for 'balance' ....

Americans are banging up on the so-called stimulus package (aka: porkulus). Rasmussen reports in their latest poll that support for the bill continues to fall with only 37% now in favor. Of course, President Obama is trying to scare us into believing that without the bill, we're doomed, so it needs to be passed right away. However, many people are beginning to think that the rush is just so we don't find out what's really in the bill - like insurance exemptions for companies that make boats bigger than 65 feet in length.