Congress's Love Affair with Oil and Gas Money...

In August of '08, Lindsay Rinack Mayer, the money-in-politics reporter for the Center for Responsive Politics, stated in an article, "During his first month in office, President George W. Bush appointed Vice President Dick Cheney to head a task force charged with developing the country's energy policy. The group, which conducted its meetings in secret, relied on the recommendations of Big Oil behemoths Exxon Mobil, Conoco, Shell Oil, BP America and Chevron. It would be the first of many moves to come during the Bush administration that would position oil and gas companies well ahead of other energy interests with billions of dollars in subsidies and tax cuts—payback for an industry with strong ties to the administration and plenty of money to contribute to congressional and presidential campaigns..." (a)  Evidently, the X-President, blatantly pandered to his buddies and he isn't alone.  Let's look at some facts about the 2010 election where the Republicans routed the House of Representatives.

The following chart reflects where the big oil and gas money went during the 2010 elections: (b)
  
Rnk   Organization                     Amount      Dems   Repubs   Lobby $'s

1	Koch Industries	$1,928,262	6%	94%	$  8,070,000
2	Exxon Mobil	$1,408,162	12%	86%	$12,450,000
3	Chief Oil & Gas	$1,192,361	0%	16%
4	Chevron Corp	$941,464	17%	82%	$12,890,000
5	Marathon Oil	$680,640	18%	80%
6	Valero Energy	$636,500	15%	83%
7	Occidental Petroleum	$577,100	21%	77%
8	Devon Energy	$508,000	6%	92%
9	Williams Companies	$491,685	27%	72%
10	Chesapeake Energy	$477,056	38%	60%
11	ConocoPhillips	$475,504	28%	68%
12	Independent Petroleum Assn of America	$459,500	10%	88%
13	Anadarko Petroleum	$456,460	11%	85%
14	American Gas Assn	$386,400	43%	55%
15	Pilot Corp	$345,867	3%	96%
16	Halliburton Co	$314,280	9%	89%
17	Society of Indep Gasoline Marketers	$281,500	60%	40%
18	Tesoro Petroleum	$277,883	38%	60%
19	Clean Energy Fuels Corp	$249,150	15%	6%
20	Bass Brothers Enterprises	$247,465	26%	74%

This chart only reflects regulated contributions.  Personal contributions were much, much more in many instances.  Except in the three notated above, lobby money is not shown and 'soft money' contributions can only be guess-timated because of its virtually unregulated status.  Nonetheless, it increases the campaign funds by millions of dollars.

In 1979, Congress passed an amendment to the stiff laws governing campaign contributions, a 'loophole', allowing "...political parties to spend as much as they want as long as the money goes to "party building activities," such as "get-out-the-vote" efforts and generic advertising, such as "issue" ads.  Essentially, soft money blew a hole through the reforms of the 1970s." (c) The Supreme Court further opened Pandora's Box in 2010 when they diluted the regulations even more in this area. (d)

Remember all those REALLY ugly ads we had to endure during the last Congressional elections?  The ones packed with half truths and vicious lies?  Soft-money paid for most of them.  They reeked a devastating blow to Democratic incumbents!  The Republicans, through deceit and fraudulent ads, took the House back after they had raped America for eight years during Bush's administration! Boy! We have short memories! 

But big money political backers and players depend on voter gullibility.  They reach out to our emotions and gamble the majority of those watching their orchestrated dog and pony shows won't dig for the truth...and they are usually correct.

Politics is an ugly game that the wealthy are honing down to a fine art form.  Their money flow depends on keeping elected officials in place who will continue funneling them the money they do not deserve.  We will remain puppets on their golden strings until we decide to cut our tethers, challenge their lies and break the cycle of taking from the poor and giving to the rich.  Our choice...But I am digressing.  Let's get back to the Oil and Gas industry.

We gave them $41 BILLION in subsidies last year! (j) In 2009, Exxon made $19 billion in profits yet received a $156 million tax refund from the United States! (k) ZOWIE!  My husband and I made a little over $32K and had to pay in excess of $700 in taxes.  This year, Exxon's net income increased 69% in the first quarter, 49% of that is pure profit! (i)

Nothing short of doubletalk and subterfuge could sell subsidizing these massive money giants!  Nonetheless, that is exactly what the Republicans are attempting when they ask lower and middle Americans to tighten our belts instead of canceling billions in subsidies and tax breaks to their wealthy benefactors.  Nothing is fair about this system.  Call your reps and tell them enough's enough!

President Obama has already sent a letter to the House saying just that.  Even so, nothing has been done.  I hate to keep beating the same drum...BUT, if we as citizens in this country don't take a stand and force Congress to listen to and enforce our collective opinions, the plight of middle and poor Americans will continue to decline. 

Get on the phone today!  Call your representatives in the House and Senate. Go to the following webb site for information about who they are if you do not know:  http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml  Tell them what you think about the issues strangling our society.  Then...follow up with letters, emails and faxes.  If we keep flooding their offices with our demands, they will have to listen or not be re-elected.

Have a good day!  I'll continue my tirade tomorrow.  REMEMBER!  CONTACT THEM!

a:  http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/347/oil-politics.html
b:  http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib.php?cycle=2010&ind=E01
c:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/intro4.htm
d:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122805666
e:  http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_namesblog/2011/04/trying-to-crack-down-on-unions-well-some-unions-anyway.html
f:   http://blog.pfaw.org/content/ohio-governor-signs-union-busting-bill-the-fight-isnt-over
g:  http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/03/10/divisive-wisconsin-union-busting-bill-set-to-pass/
h:  http://www.fox41.com/story/14071132/right-to-work-passes-indiana-house-committee
i:   http://dailycaller.com/2011/04/28/exxon-posts-record-profits-in-midst-of-turmoil-over-gas-prices/
j:  http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/0309/Budget-hawks-Does-US-need-to-give-gas-and-oil-companies-41-billion-a-year
k:  http://sanders.senate.gov/graphics/exxon-sec.doc

Upcoming...Crooks, the Fed and Congressional Responsibility

Today has been a little trying.  My son-in-law was 2 1/2 hours into a fourteen hour trip when his 1990 something car broke down...again...in the middle of booney-land.  My daughter had to drop everything, get their pets watched over, rearrange commitments she had in the community and dash off to pick up her husband.  Tomorrow, she should be able to get him to his destination and then make the long trip back, by herself, on Friday.  (Luckily, a good friend offered to make the five plus hour trip and tow my children's tattered vehicle home for them.)

In order for me to make a point, you have had to suffer through this sad, but very common tale of life in non-wealthy American class.  My children, like so many families today, are barely making a living.  Affording a new car, boarding their pets or towing and repairing their old broken down wreck are out of the question.  They have a circle of friends who all help each other out because there is no money in anyone's coffer.  Point?  We cannot afford to continue programs benefiting the rich when we are scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Now to the nitty-gritty.  Over the past few blogs, I have attacked excesses in the Legislative Budget and petitioned everyone in the USA to start calling, writing, emailing and faxing these parasites demanding they make massive salary cuts, staff reductions and expenses across the board in their budget BEFORE they ever cut programs for the middle and poorer folks in this country.  But now, I want to dig deeper into earmarks, soft-earmarks, money and gifts received from lobbyists and other benefactors and times Congress ignores really BAAAAADDDDDD things.

Starting tomorrow, I'll explore why the criminals involved in the sub prime mortgage fiasco were never prosecuted, whom they are, who let them walk, and the billions they could have paid back to the American taxpayers.

The Federal Reserve will share the spotlight.  What is it?  Who runs it and owns it?   What is its relationship with our ever-growing divide between the rich and poor?  How is it intertwined with the budget and the economy?

Finally, the full extent of our financial nightmare, all its blame and who's responsibility it is to fix this mess is going to land smack-dab in the laps of the only people in this country who can make things right...our Congressional representatives.

See you tomorrow...Have a good sleep!     

   

Taking Responsibility...

Hopefully, everyone had a lovely weekend.  The weather has been a little stormy around these parts, but very conducive to reading.

Like most Americans, my expertise is not in political science, economics or world finance, nor have my inclinations ever steered me in those directions.  Making a living and dealing with the problems of raising a family in an ever more complicated world has taken priority.  I can only hypothesize from my personal research, but this scenario appears to hold true for most citizens in the USA.

The majority of the voting population has become laxed in their democratic responsibilities and allowed 'others' to choose who makes decisions for them in Washington.   Because of this laziness, Congress has developed a habit of pleasing the ones putting them in office and passing partisan legislation littered with foolish earmarks on their behalf.  We have allowed representatives to ignore our complaints and either lie or side step the truth when we demand explanations.  AND...These situations are OUR FAULT for not holding them responsible!

As a result, good old boy politics have gradually weakened the foundations of America.  Under the precept of 'the greater good', they have disregarded the welfare of the entire country in favor of their OWN priorities, made unprecedented intrusions into our personal lives, trespassed on our Constitutional rights, involved our nation in several politically motivated wars and brought us to the brink of bankruptcy.  The wealthy have gotten wealthier and the rest of us have gone the other direction. Yet we continue to huddle in our declining complacency. 

Now, the USA is suffering from extreme, financial, morbid obesity, but Congress refuses to breach party lines to effect positive changes.  Washington's bulimic cycle of minimal restraint, massive overindulgence and financial binging is perpetuating catastrophic problems across the board.  The nation's blood pressure is rising and we are hovering on the brink of a stroke.

It is time the citizens of this country band together.  With few exceptions, we have allowed Washington to do as they please for so many decades, breaking their cycle seems an undaunting task.  But it must be undertaken!  Elected officials are sucking the life blood out of America while we sit silently grumbling behind closed doors. WE MUST ACT NOW!

Don't wait till the elections!  Washington doesn't want to deal with us on an hour to hour basis.  Write letters, make calls, send emails and faxes.  If you have trouble expressing your feelings, find an article or someone else's words that you agree with, copy it and forward it with a note saying this is EXACTLY THE WAY I FEEL!  Tell your elected officials to start working together.  Demand answers. 

When you get a generic email or form letter, get on the phone, fire off more letters, faxes and emails!  Don't let these people off the hook or turn a deaf ear.  Let them know you will not stop until changes for the better are in place.  Most important to the whole process is getting all your friends and family to do the same thing.  EVERYONE must be relentless and in the battle for the long haul...

If we can force Congress to focus on the real issues facing this country...health, education, the wars, the plight of the poor and excesses in the system...huge strides will be made to balance the budget and get our bottom line healthy again. HOWEVER, if we allow them to distract us with emotionally charged social agendas, the real problems facing America will never find resolution.  Congress will continue business as usual and MAKE MATTERS WORSE.

Think about it.  We, the people, are the only ones that can force Washington to adhere to their oathes of office and the job they were elected to do...UPHOLD THE TENETS OF THE CONSTITUTION.  The alternative is unexceptable...

What if?

What if President George W. Bush met Thomas Jefferson.  Watch this!  It's quite comical!
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/11858755

Have a nice Easter Weekend!

Whether you celebrate this weekend in church or chasing the elusive Easter Bunny and locating his eggs!  Please...have a nice one!

A Positive Update!

I'll keep today's tiraid short. (Something unusual for me!) 

During a positive conversation with the Special Inspector General of TARP's office, I was relieved to hear they will be contacting Senator Cornyn on my behalf concerning the Fannie Mae issues we are having.  Christy Romero's office took a 'let me see if we can't get him on board attitude' when they learned Mr. Cornyn's assistant claimed the Senator had no control over Fannie Mae's procedures and referred us directly to the Secretary of Treasury or head of Fannie Mae if we wanted anything else done.

The Inspector General's office reiterated what I had read in their January 2011, report detailing serious problems with HAMP and referred us to the hearings currently taking place on Capitol Hill.  Because of their concerned attitude over our situation, my husband and I can see a small crack in the door that has been slammed in our face by Fannie Mae and our elected officials. 

Now it's a wait and see situation again.  BUT...we are happier than we have been in a long time about today's events.  'Thank You's go out to Ms. Romero and her staff! 

A Short Note about Easter:  My husband and I are preparing to decorate Easter eggs with our grandchildren.  It's an annual mess-fest when we pull out the hot glue gun, glitter, markers, pipe cleaners, stickers, sequins, yarn and anything else easily attached to an egg shell!  Over the years, we have seen some pretty amazing designs leaving our kitchen table...all beautiful, most defying explanation.  But it is tradition and important to our family.  We hope anyone reading this blog will have as much fun!

Greed Got Us Here and Is Still Flourishing...See for Yourself and Let's Fix It!

In comparison to the bulk of their constituents, Congressional salaries are huge.  Their office expenses include salaries for numerous staffs, not only in Washington but locally, furniture, postage, water, office supplies.  The list is endless. See the disbursements reported by the House of Representatives at http://disbursements.house.gov/.  It is mind boggling.  I looked up the young man who got assigned to help my husband and me with our Fannie Mae issue.  Apparently, he makes over $25K a year and is a part-time employees with the lowest salary! 

That aside, you really should look at some of the numbers and expenses in this publication.  All the details are there.  It's three volumes long!  Of course, the numbers not only reflect the Honorable Representatives and their expenses but every other minute detail of what our tax dollars are funding...AND...this report does not include the expenditures from the Senate. Can you imagine how much is there?! 

Did you know there are approximately "17 Senate committees, with 70 subcommittees, and 23 House committees, with 104 subcommittees." (b)  They all have budgets, expenses, salaries...the whole gambit.  Then there are technical departments, grounds keepers, cloakroom employees, police, security, secretaries, da-da, da-da, da-da, da-da.  Sadly, there is a lot of fluff and redundancy written into the Congressional budgets.

A March 2010, article in Politco reports:

Nearly 2,000 House of Representatives staffers pulled down six-figure salaries in 2009, including 43 staffers who earned the maximum $172,500 — or more than three times the median U.S household income. (a)

Our country needs to rein in spending...AGREED!  But the men and women who are up there playing with our lives are not cleaning up their own issues.  They have the media and the money to sell their ideas to an American public who usually stands back and trusts their judgment.  Where has it gotten us?

Medicare, Medicaid, Pell grants and more are being touted the root of this country's financial knots.  They have become the Republican's whipping boys and are in the budget crosshairs. This is WRONG!  Congress has basically turned a deaf ear to the fraud in Medicare and Medicaid while billions of dollars are funneled into the bulging pockets of insurance companies and the bureacracy, skyrocketting these programs costs. 

Sadly, today's woes are multifaceted, but Washington has to accept the blame.  Politicians have been getting wealthier for years by legislating favors for their Wall Street buds, oil moguls, pharmaceutical giants, banking thieves and insurance pals.  When Congress should have been safeguarding America, they were writing earmarks and pandering to the lobbyists and special interest groups.  While the Pentagon's budget has gone into outer space, elected officials have allowed the men and women in our military to remain in harms way so an unscrupulous few could continue to profit from the war machine.  Most devastating was the financial bailout our elected officials crafted during the Wall Street, banking, insurance and auto industry melt down a few years ago.  While the media painted horror stories of a bankrupt American and crumbling world, Washington bailed out their pals!  Even though the majority of financial experts in this country warned against postponing the inevitable results of the financial melt down and compounding the problems with a soaring deficit, Washington did it anyway.  Yeah!  They saved their pals' asses!  Not only that, they put money right back into the pockets of the criminals.  Today,they are richer than ever!

SO NOW, we are at the brink again...Congress is scrambling for answers.  Instead of going for the gutteral of the industries that got us to this point in history, the Republicans are opting to severely cut programs effecting the largest and lowest income groups in our society.  Why?  They know it is easier to go after the people who have no money or voice in Washington rather than ruffle their benefactor's feathers. Their big media friends are already mounting scare tactics and doomsday ads to distract the lamb heading to slaughter.  

I say make those entities responsible for our current financial horror pay back America.  Charge them a retroactive, windfall profits tax on their billions and billions of mostly untaxed dollars.  Also, don't let companies with obscene profits get away with $.00 taxes.  Force these crooks to make up the shortfall and fund the programs until America gets back on its feet!  Then have Congress pass some laws equitable to everyone in this country when it comes to paying their fair share in taxes.  It's only right...

HOWEVER...If the Washington lackeys still don't step up to the plate, the people of the United States should take these companies to court and sue them for damages...Let the Judicial Branch get involved for a while!  

a:  http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/35050.html
b:  http://www.thecapitol.net/FAQ/cong_leadership.html#HouseCommittees

Update on yesterday's post...

Let me preface this update with a point I would bet money on...My elected representatives have no idea I have contacted them with this or any problem.  They have created layers and layers of assistants to assure they DON'T have direct involvement with low-level contituents like my husband and me.

We received confirmation from both Representative Marchant's and Senator Cornyn's offices yesterday.  After waiting over a month for an answer to our inquiry about the formula issues in "Making Homes Affordable" program, who created the formula and how to breach it or get rid of it, I received an explanation of how the program works!  OMG!  Does no one listen!?

There is something called Adminstrative Discretion (b) when rules don't fit every situation.  I was looking for a little of that flexibility.  Although the President, Congress and the Office of Management and Budget set fiscal policy (a) for the Treasury Department, my representatives referred me to speak with someone there directly. Basicly, after waiting in excess of a month for an answer, nothing resulted and nothing is going to be done.  Paraphrasing Senator Cornyn's aide, "Congress has no control over an agency's rules..."   Strange statement. Maybe the GOP are so consumed by promoting social agendas, they have forgotten that part of their job...

Senator Cornyn and Representative Marchant chose to play the 'ain't my job' card.  HA! HA!  HA!  I'm still laughing.  What did I expect in a world where money talks and I have none...REACHING DEAF EARS.


a:  http://useconomy.about.com/od/governmentagencies/p/Treasury.htm
b:  http://wps.ablongman.com/long_edwards_ga_12/33/8517/2180480.cw/index.html

Senator Cornyn and Representative Marchant Leave Me on LOW PRIORITY...

Anyone who follows this blog knows my husband and I were denied the much publicized "Making Homes Affordable" reduction in interest rates because Fannie Mae magically created an additional $500+ dollars to add to our $2204 gross income.  "It's policy...," my mortgage company tells me.  SO...I contacted my elected representatives, all three of them:  Kenny Marchant, Kay Hutchison and John Cornyn.

Kenny's Washington office didn't have time to speak to me but a local staff person called me the following week to question our problem. Kay's office didn't bother responding.  After faxing his Washington office, John's local representive sent two very 'sincere' letters offering to help.  Any contact made since these initial responses have been initiated by one of my faxes or calls.

Just short of a month after beginning this process, I called both offices on April 6th.  Drew Clifton with Senator Cornyn's office, agreed to contact Fannie Mae that day for an update, but really needed a couple more weeks to resolve it...I never heard anything back.  After leaving a message for the 'out of the office' Todd Martin, Kenny's fellow, no one bothered contacting me either...DEAF EARS!

March 14th, I sent an email to Mr. Martin saying simply, "I have not heard from you."  The next day he responded via email, " I spoke with Fannie Mae yesterday regarding your case.  They informed me that they are currently drafting a response and it should be delivered by the end of the week.  I will be happy to forward it on to you when I receive it.  If there is anything else that I can do, please do not hesitate to ask."  These guys are always so cordial...

Today is the 19th.  Still no response.  Thinking to myself, "If one of their influential friends had contacted them about something VERY IMPORTANT to them, would their issue have gotten expedited?  Methinks so...

DEAF EARS...DEAF EARS...DEAF EARS...DEAF EARS...DEAF EARS

My husband worries holding these people responsible for their lack of action, will make them even less likely to help and get me labeled a dissident.  My response to him...I am actively challenging an established doctrine, policy, or institution, the definition of a dissident...That's a right guaranteed to me in our Constitution!  If they want to use that as their excuse for not doing their job, go for it!  I think I'll call them again...

Congressional Perks We Need to Stop...

For a group of men and women who ask tremendous sacrifices from 80% of the population not living in their priviledged circumstances, Congressional members gladly dip into the tax-dollar coffer deeply and often.  Check out some of these facts taken from Title 2 of the United States Code (a):

1.  AFTER THEY LEAVE OFFICE, former Speakers of the House get the following paid for by the government:  a furnished office, an office expense account, free mail and printing priviledges, an adminstrative assistant and two secretaries and special entitlements for 5 years. (2 USC 31 - Sec. 31b-1, 2, 4, 5 & 7)

2.  Members of Congress receive a base salary of $174,000 (b), office expense accounts, personal expense accounts BUT if they have additional responsiblity as committee chairs, Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, etc., they have ADDITIONAL expense accounts associated with these appointments. (2 USC 32 - Sec. 32, 32a and 32b)

3.  Family members can be given a gift when a Congressional Representative dies:  "...death gratuity payment made out of the applicable accounts of the House of Representatives or the contingent fund of the Senate shall be held to have been a gift." (2 USC 38 - Sec. 38b)

4.  The Senate's Select Committee on Ethics received 84 alleged violations in 2010, none of which received letters of admonition or disciplinary sanction. (c)  (2 USC 31 - Sec. 31-2)  These are usually money related...I wonder how loudly those 84 are screaming about budget reductions! 

Some other tidbits before I go to bed:

1.  There is a budget of $2,907,000 to provide new members a temporary staff to set up their offices in Washington... (e)

2.  Did you know the house of representatives has TWO Cloakrooms, one for the majority leaders and one for the minority leaders?  They can't get along enough to check their coats?!  Anyway...The cloakroom personnel budget is $497,000 EACH!  I think I'll apply! (e)

3,  The House has a $30,089,000 for official representation and receptions.  Come on...It's party time!  If you guys want to get together, pay for it out of your pockets like the rest of us do.  There are people living with their children on the sides of roads, in tents and cars! (e)

4.  Look at this section of the Senate's budget, "Government contributions for health, retirement, Social[$276,703,000] $286,316,000, including employee tuition assistance benefit payments, 3,500,000, if authorized, and employee child care benefit payments,  $1,000,000, if authorized..." (e)  EVERY SENATOR IS A MILLIONAIRE.  THEY CAN"T AFFORD TO PAY TUITION AND CHILD CARE!?  AND WHY SHOULD WE HAVE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR HEALTH, RETIREMENT, SOCIAL SECURITY AND OTHER BENEFIT PAYMENTS?! 
5.  All through the budget these words appear, "...to remain available until expended..."  Some gain comfort with this phrase...once it's gone, it's gone type situation.  BUT...Everyone needs to look at the numbers preceding that statement.  They are mind boggling!

The whole point to my rantings over the Congressional budget is the obscene nature of it.  While our elected officials slice programs affording the poorest meer breadcrumbs, they have not looked to drasticly cutting the fat out of Washington.  There are so many ways for them to pull money from every direction, to cover just about anything they want to do for themselves, their staff, their families...Audacity it too light a term. 

I love this country and believe in the Constitution's power to work for everyone, but the lower 80 do not have the reins and the ones who do are cutting our ration of hay while they reap the crops we slave to produce...

a:  http://vlex.com/source/us-code-congress-1001/toc/03
b:  http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/congresspay.htm 
c:  http://ethics.senate.gov/downloads/pdffiles/2010_Annual_Report.pdf
d:  http://www.aoc.gov/cc/cobs/rhob.cfm
e:  http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/fy11/pdf/appendix/leg.pdf

Security, and other applicable employee benefits,

The Audacity of Congress...

Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said today, "Which future do you want your children to have? One, where the debt gets so large it crushes the economy and gives them a diminished future?" Ryan asked. "Or this budget ... that literally not only gets us on the way to balancing the budget but pays off our debt?"  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110415/ap_on_re_us/us_spending_showdown

Sounds sincere, huh?  BUT...If people like Mr. Ryan and the other 534 elected officials in the House and Senate REALLY want to show their sincerity for cutting back spending, then let them start in their own house!  With a yearly budget in the BILLIONS, members of Congress can and DO have a free reign for ANYTHING they desire...daycare centers, haircuts, office furnishings, cars, ungodly expense accounts from various locations, increased incomes depending on what committees or status they hold in the House or Senate...and the staff options...OMG!  They even get offices and furnishing provided with our taxpayer dollars when they leave the Congress!  Widows of millionaires getting payments!  This graft goes on and on and on...

Somewhere along the way, members of Congress have determined they DESERVE all these kudos to justify the job they are doing.  NOT SO...Everyone works hard to make a living!  After 33 years of gut-wrenching, body-destroying labor to the corporate giant, AT&T,  my husband ended up on disability payments of $2204 a month.

Our elected officials continue to legislate anything conducive to their job or give aid to their proponents while my children and grandchildren are impacted daily by years of accumulated CONGRESSIONAL GREED.

EVERYONE BUT THE RICH takes the brunt of deficit reductions and that has got to change... 

The current rhetoric coming out of Washington surrounding the Republican budget is just another underhanded attempt by the mega-rich elected officials to incite fear into the American public and play off our ignorance.  Slicing benefits to 80% of us who have little input into what Congress does without releasing the full text of their budget for public scrutiny is further proof of their shady dealings.

YOU HAVE NO CREDIBILIITY WITH US! 

Before we accept ANY CUTS from the pittance we receive in federal support, CONGRESS MUST:

A.  CLEAN HOUSE
B.  REMOVE CURRENT SPECIAL INTEREST SPENDING FROM THE BUDGET
C.  STOP EARMARKS AND SOFT EARMARKS...FOREVER!
D. CUT CONGRESSIONAL SALARIES, EXPENSE ACCOUNTS AND BENEFITS
E.  DO NOT GIVE ADDITIONAL CONGRESSIONAL PAY FOR INCREASED DUTIES
F.  DECREASE CONGRESSIONAL STAFF
G.  DETAIL AND PUBLISH THE AMOUNT OF CUTS
H.  PUBLISH THE FULL TEXT OF ANY BUDGET BEFORE IT IS APPROVED

"Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters." – Daniel Webster (1782-1852) (a)

"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government – lest it come to dominate our lives and interests." – Patrick Henry (a)

"When all government, in little as in great things, shall be drawn to Washington as the Center of all power, it will render powerless the checks provided of one government on another and will become as venal and oppressive as the government from which we separated." – Thomas Jefferson (a)

Our Forefathers confronted an unfair government who tried controlling their lives.

Can you hear the echoes and see the similarities to Washington today?  Think about it...

Housecleaning is in order, but will they meet the challenge?

a:  http://www.americanrevival.org/quotes/forefathers.htm

The Congressional Budget! OMG!

Researching something completely alien to the Congressional Budget, I ran across HR2918.ENR.  It was the Bill Text for the 111th Congress and broke down their budget.  It was a REALLY BIGGG EYEOPENER!  If you would like to see this go to http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/C?c111:./temp/~c111XGQnKV  I

It begins by saying:  "An Act Making appropriations for the Legislative Branch for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes."  I added up the budget amounts through the heading:  CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE - SALARIES AND EXPENSES.  Catch this!  The total budget through this heading for the Senate and House of Representatives was $4,242,567,000.00.   That is 'B' for Billion!  There were additional budget items, however, I wanted to stop at this point because it covered mostly salaries, expense accounts, etc.

One item that really set me off was a payment to the widow of Senator Edward Kennedy in the amount of $174,000!  Cough...Cough!  The audacity!   He was a great guy, BUT...he had tens of millions of dollars!  I owe under than $60,000 on my home, live on less than $28,000 a year and was DENIED a mortgage reduction because I make too much money!!!!  Maybe Mrs. Kennedy would donate part of her government gift and pay off my home...

Does any othe this get under anyone else's skin?  I'll be back later with more on this budget...Four Billion Plus Dollars...GAG!

Realities in America and the Budget...

Let's face it...America has some BIG financial issues.  The bulk of us, (and I say 'us' because I land in the lowest income percentile), have absolutely no clout with our elected representatives.  Eighty percent of all constituents are in that genre.  The remaining 20% of the individuals in this country, including everyone in Congress, are the elite with the resources to lobby the government, get elected,  pass legislation, earmark pet projects or slash budgets.  SO...Short of an armed revolt, what possible incentive would ultra-wealthy elected officials have to seriously listen to OUR input?  Look at these facts about our country:

1.  Only 13% of Adults in this country "can perform complex and challenging literacy activities" (i)  Maybe this fact explains the next eight...
2.  80% of the people control only 7% of the wealth. (a)
3.  1% of our population (the ultra wealthy) control $16 trillion (c) and have a lot of discretionary spending.  They ARE the GDP!  While the bulk of us can only afford to buy essentials, their unincumbered spending habits show positive results for the whole country! 
4.  "The top 10% have 80% to 90% of stocks, bonds, trust funds, and business equity, and over 75% of non-home real estate.  Since financial wealth is what counts as far as the control of income-producing assets, we can say that just 10% of the people own the United States of America." (a)
4.  There are 261 millionaires in Congress, 55 of those have a net worth in excess of $10 million.  The 435 Representatives have a median wealth of $765,010 while the 100 Sentators average a whopping $2.38 million! (e)
6.  91.9% of American's receive NO inheritance.  The Estate Tax "...brings in about $245 million a year to local governments and about $60 million a year to the the state" in critical revenue (h).  BUT...18 ultra wealthy families "have helped finance outside groups that have spent millions on fear-mongering ad campaigns intended to sway public opinion against the estate tax." (b)  Thanks to their friends in the Halls of Congress, it's working!  Wouldn't it be nice to get our minimum taxable income raised from $5.00 to $100,000?  Anyone listening?
7.  There were over 900 Faith-Based Earmarks in excess of $318 million from 1989 till 2007 in the budget. (f)  More than half of them were granted in 2004 during the Bush administration.  I don't want my tax dollars spent this way!  Now, again, Republicans are pushing multiple legislations involving social and religious issues.  One of them, abortion, nearly shut down the government last week and the lunatics are still refusing to sign the compromise!  Maybe that is the reason SOCIAL ISSUES SHOULD NOT BE LEGISLATED!
8.  Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, "...blamed the Bush administration for leaving a trail of unpaid bills that created the current fiscal mess." (d) Yet, in one of their many ploys to get back into the White House, Republicans' are still laying our current crisis directly on President Obama.  Instead of focusing on the real problems facing this country and its budget, it is politics as usual.
9.  The U.S. debt limit is $14.3 Trillion! (g) OMG! The treasury must borrow money every month to pay our obligations.  If we cannot significantly slice our budget, that limit will be reached in the next few months.  Look at it this way...Your bills total $3000 per month.  You only bring home $2500.  Your credit cards are maxed out.  You have no savings and no one will loan you money.  Can we say bankruptcy?

While the bulk of the 80 percentile are content to have enough money to pay bills, buy food and still have something left for entertainment, most wealthy people only want to get richer.  Getting into politics is very lucrative.  That's OK.  Go out and get elected!  It's a rich man's game and some people have more talent in this area than others.  Who cares!  BUT...we expect adherence to the Constitution, legislation beneficial to everyone and a job well done!  The point is, most of our elected officials are not producing!

They live in a world unencumbered by normal limitations.  Nothing is beyond their reach.  They either purchase what they want, pass legislation making it possible for them to get it, sweet talk a comittee into suggesting an agency fund it or have a lobbyist provide it as a gift.  Nothing seems to satiate their hunger for more.  I really believe the whole concept is like a huge game to them.  Like all athletes they want to win.  For some, cheating, telling lies and unethical behavior become second nature.  Whatever fuels the Washington scene, it needs to be refocused!

Personal agendas should be secondary to fixing our country's problems.  Without bi-partisan cooperation, our educational system will continue to decline, welfare will gobble up the budget, Medicare will never be fixed, unemployment will continue to grow, millions will not have good healthcare and Social Security will go broke.  Quit trying to pad your pockets, help out your friends, manipulate social agendas and backstab your opponents.  Forget party rhetoric and get the job done!  Our patience is long past thin...   


a:  http://sociology.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html
b:  http://www.faireconomy.org/files/pdf/millions_billions.pdf
c:  http://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2007/01/08/plutonomics/
d:  http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/taxes/in-a-3-8-trillion-budget-pork-is-hardly-the-biggest%20problem/19341731/
e:  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20023147-503544.html
f:  http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/13/business/13lobby.htmlg. 
g:http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/01/29/senate_increases_federal_borrowing_limit/
h: http://www.plunderbund.com/2011/04/12/is-the-estate-tax-repeal-dead/
i:  http://nces.ed.gov/naal/kf_demographics.asp#1

Quick Fix...

It was a last minute squeaker!  Thank you President Obama, Senator Harry Reid and Representative John Boehner!  Rumors are the unconstitutional policy riders won't make it through.  I'm holding my breath.  When fanatics are involved, our Constitution is still at risk of getting raped.

I guess it's wait and see what gets cut.  I'm hearing Medicare and Medicaid may get big hits.  I will agree, the corruption needs to be sliced out of these systems but defunded?  Not good.  God!  I can look out my front door and see what's wrong with the latter!  BUT...Look to insurance companies and medical providers if you want to fix Medicare!

We all know, huge reductions need to be made in our budget.  Let's be reasonable.  Cut the pork first, Congressional budgets next, then slice away in order of misery produced.  NOTE:  Our representatives need to live in the real world and not have the audacity to go for our jugulars before their own...

Deaf Ears Still Reign in Washington!

Deaf ears still reign in Washington!  Even though America is screaming for resolution, only hours remain before our government shuts down.  For what!?

MONTHS AGO, the Republicans demanded the Democrats cut an additional 30 Billion Dollars from our federal budget in order for them to not block its passage?  Guess what?  After the cuts were made, the Republican's reneged.  LIARS!  Like a dishonest business, they took that money and demanded more for their product (our Budget)!

And the Grand Old Party harps on MORALS?  Where are theirs?  As soon as they got what they wanted, the GOP began leaching unconstitutional policy riders concerning abortion and other social issues to the deficit reduction bill.  It is virtually impossible for it to pass under these circumstances.

The Republican Party and its influx of Tea Party radicals are going to bring America to its knees with their self-righteousness and insane comittment to HR-1! Call your representative now and protest.  Tell them to 'NOT SHUT OUR COUNTRY DOWN!'

REMEMBER...The United States is the epitomy of diversity. For that reason, elected officials CANNOT legislate moral issues without trampling the rights of millions.

Republicans Push Their Morality to the Brink...

It's after midnight, early Friday morning.  After forcing myself to pick up CNN's latest feedback, I am sadly heading to bed.  The Republican tricksters and aficionados of deception and half truths are still attempting to cover their moralistic bombardment of our Constitution under the ruse of cutbacks in the budget.  The results can only be disastrous!

Who brought us to this point?  It was Baby Bush and the Republican controlled houses of Congress.  They dumped their myriad of nightmares onto President Obama's shoulders and are attempting to turn the spotlight away from this fact through subterfuge and moral shaming.  They've done it before!  So the phrase 'Moralistic Republicans' is a great example of an oxymoron!

Prior to President Obama, Bill Clinton was our last Democratic President.  During his time in office, this country was able to flourish.  Positive strides were being made toward the future.  The Republicans couldn't fault his results so they went after him personally.  In an unprecedented assault, they carried out a remorseless character assassination on a sitting President and his private life.  Sadly, America allowed them to get away with it and the Bush nightmare began...

Well guys, they are up to their old dirty tricks...reaching their goals no matter who suffers.  Will we never learn?

LET'S IMPEACH THEM!

Why have a Constitution in the United States of America when the religious fanatics hold THEIR TENETS above all others!?  They have muscled their way into the halls of Congress, their scissors snipping away at this sacred document.  Déjà vu!  McCarthyism...Prohibition.  Our history is riddled with do-gooders trying to force feed their agendas on every American. 

Guarantees for unalienable freedoms, endlessly debated by our Forefathers and finally penned into the foundations of this sovereign state, have been defended by the blood of our countrymen for over 200 years.  Diverse as we are, our ability to put personal feelings aside for the good of this great nation has made us unique!  NOW!  AGAIN!  Some groups think it is just fine to interject their morals on everyone!?

Every Congressman signs an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States.  The proof of their fanaticism is the fact these misfits are getting ready to shut down our government in lieu of their personal religious beliefs and they do not care...

As a citizen, I invoke my right to hold them responsible for ignoring that promise!  IMPEACH THEM and put someone in office who reveres the guarantees we have been afforded...

Fannie Mae Exec's Make Big Bucks ON MY BACK!

Good morning everyone!  Just got off the phone with Congressman Marchant's and Senator Cornyn's offices.  It's been two weeks since anyone contacted my husband and I concerning our mortgage debacle.  Although the timing factor involved in our Fannie Mae issue has always been a pressing point in our interaction with our 'elected' reps' representatives, (we doubt the honorable gentlemen have ever been made privy to our problems), neither Senator Cornyn's or Kenny Marchant's guys seem the least bit concerned at the turtle pace things are progressing. 

In our conversation this morning, Mr. Clifton, Senator Cornyn's go-between, said he was going to give it 30 days!  Asking him to follow up  was like issuing him a mandate to have a root canal.  Although he finally did agree to call them today, he said their response may not be for a couple of weeks!  I felt like a starving peasant, on my knees, in front of a glutonous monarch, begging for a pittance of bread!  Somethings not right about this whole process!

I am beginning to see a lot of the 'wax build up' blocking our representatives' hearing is the layers of multiple assistants.  OMG!  How many deaf ears do I have to penetrate!

But I'm rambling...AGAIN.  Sorry...

A friend, knowing our plight, called yesterday and referred me to a news piece she had read about the outrageous compensation Fannie and Freddie executives are getting.  Sure enough, I check it out and immediately became very, VERY, VVEERRYY ANGRY!

Over 150 BILLION of our tax dollars, (which we all know is as worthless as yesterday's garbage), was used to bail out the big F's when the government took over their operations back in 2008.  To add injury to insult, their top six executives made in excess of $34 MILLION in 2009 and 2010 and they did NOT meet their performance targets! (c)  If they had, the top execs would have gotten more!  This information and the following excerpt was taken from an article by Ben Rooney, April 1st, 2011. (a)  

"He (Steve Linick) also said the agency lacks "key controls" needed to monitor the ongoing compensation decisions under the companies' current approved packages."     Mr. Linick,  the inspector general for the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), was testifying at a Congressional hearing about these abuses when he made this comment. 

WELLLLLLLL...This picture is nauseating at the least.  A bunch of elected officials with deaf ears approved a bail out with OUR TAX DOLLARS of two privately traded companies responsible for raping the American financial system, have little control over their astronomical compensations, allow them to set regulations that denied my husband and I a measley reduction in our interest rate (not a bail out!), THEN let them take all the time in the world to respond to our life altering dilemma.

"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere."  Thomas Jefferson, letter to Abigail Adams, February 22, 1787 (b) ...Where's my gun...!?

a:  http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Fannie-Freddie-blasted-for-cnnm-929354837.html?x=0 
b: http://www.marksquotes.com/Founding-Fathers/Jefferson/index8.htm 
c: http://www.fhfaoig.gov/webfiles/98/Press%20Release,%20Excecutive%20Compensation%20(March%2031,%202011).pdf