You Never Give Me Your Money

2007-05-17 - 9:54 a.m.

Well, the dog that the downstairs neighbor has decided that the schoolchildren were just too exciting NOT to bark at.

So we're awake.

Learned about this, and now I'm more awake:

DEMOCRATS TO CHANGE 185 YEAR-OLD HOUSE RULE TO ALLOW TAX HIKES WITHOUT HAVING TO VOTE

May 16, 2007

In a stunning move, House Democrats today revealed they will attempt to rewrite House rules that have gone unchanged since 1822 in order to make it possible to increase taxes and government spending without having to vote and be held accountable. House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today vowed Republicans will use every available means to fight this unprecedented change.

“This is an astonishing attempt by the majority leadership to duck accountability for tax-and-spend policies the American people do not want,” Boehner said. “The majority leadership is gutting House rules that have been in place for 185 years so they can raise taxes and increase government spending without a vote. House Republicans will use every tool available to fight this abuse of power.”

Last November, House Democratic leaders promised the most open, ethical Congress in history:

“[W]e promised the American people that we would have the most honest and most open government and we will.” (Nancy Pelosi press stakeout, December 6, 2006)

“We intend to have a Rules Committee ... that gives opposition voices and alternative proposals the ability to be heard and considered on the floor of the House.” (Steny Hoyer in CongressDaily PM, December 5, 2006)

Republicans have already achieved significant legislative successes on the House floor with 11 consecutive “motion-to-recommit” victories that exposed flaws and substantively improved weaknesses in underlying Democrat bills. But rather than living by the same rules which have guided the House of Representatives for 185 years, Democrats are proposing to change the rules in order to game the system and raise taxes and increase spending without a House vote. What are House Democrats afraid of?

The article is here.

I read in the paper yesterday that the average tax refund is just under $2300. I guess the government wants that money back.

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Just by virtue of when we make our posts, I scooped Brin with the news about Jerry Falwell's death. Today, she scooped me about Paris Hilton's sentence being cut in half.

I guess SOMEBODY read the petition.

Speaking of Paris and jail, Mark Evanier weighs in with this idea.

Hmmm...

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Mark's blog also will send you to this article by Roger Ebert. Seems an actor whose movies Ebert has slammed recently sent Ebert some flowers and a hand-written get-well card.

You won't believe who it is.

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I was playing this game last night, and Brin commented on the pretty SFX. It's a fun little non-violent game. Check it out.

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Shower's free.

Be seeing you.

Smed - 2007-05-17 13:40:05 - http://smedindy.diaryland.com
As I said earlier somewhere else, that's pretty standard IF someone has good behavior. It's one free day for one day of good behavior. I know in Indiana if someone has a 12 month sentence, then it will be just 6 months if they can demonstrate good behavior.

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Smed - 2007-05-17 13:50:16 -
Oh, and without the political grandstanding of Boehner and alarmist, irrational hyperbole of Goldberg, here's the deal: "On Wednesday, Democrats suggested changing the House rules to limit the minority's right to offer motions to recommit bills back to committee -- violating a protection that has been in place since 1822." Of course, Goldberg refuses to believe that the GOP has done the same things to other arcane House rules. They vowed in 1994 to give the opposition plenty of voice in the Rules committee, but in 1995 went away from that pledge faster than you can say 'broken promise'.

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AquaDreamers - 2007-05-18 00:11:34 - http://AquaDreamers.diaryland.com
[Re: Ebert] Could have been worse: could have been Pauly Shore.

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