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The Criminal Mindset Behind the Republican Threats to Shutdown Government
It would be safe to say that any foreign entity actively subverting the United States government would be considered an enemy of the state by most Americans, and if it was a domestic entity, labeling them as traitors, or domestic terrorists, would certainly be apropos. During the 2012 campaign, Republicans actively campaigned on an anti-government agenda, and despite voter rejection of domestic miscreant’s intent on eradicating government, Republicans are now pursuing various strategies to subvert the will of the people and eliminate the government’s ability to function. As usual, in lieu of a constitutional provision to bring functioning government to a premeditated and premature end, Republicans are resorting to their typical tactic to convince the American people the government must cease to operate by lying to achieve their goal.
Less than two months ago the American electorate sent a clear message to Republicans that their anti-government, John Birch agenda was unacceptable and it was a defining moment for this nation. After four years of obstruction, a first ever credit default, and perpetual attempts to sabotage the nation’s economy for the second time in 8 years, the people demanded government that worked for the entire population and preserved programs like Social Security and Medicare. What Americans are witnessing right now is the Republican’s 75 year campaign to destroy the New Deal, and since Republicans did not achieve victory at the ballot box, they will take down the government to achieve their goal.
The calls for a government shutdown and credit default by an increasing number of Republicans unless Social Security and Medicare are incrementally abolished is the latest ploy of John Birch ideologues disguised as fiscally conservative Republicans who cannot accept the results of the recent election. The proposition of closing the government is not exclusive to the extremist wing of the Republican Party as evidenced by mainstream conservatives such as Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) who penned an op/ed claiming “The biggest fiscal problem in Washington is spending and the national debt, and if we don’t reduce excessive spending on Medicare and Social Security - then, we will strangle economic growth, destroy jobs and reduce our standard of living. It may be necessary to shut down the government to secure the long-term fiscal well-being of our country.” The lack of veracity in Cornyn’s assertion typifies GOP rhetoric as well as their inability to accept they lost the election, but disregarding election results is gaining favor among Republicans desperate to impose their vision and end two very popular employee-funded programs.
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) shared Cornyn’s belief that elections to decide the direction the nation takes going forward is the purview of Republicans and not the voters. Graham said, ‘We’re going to have one hell of a contest about the direction and the vision of this country,” and one can rest assured it will be driven by the anti-government and anti-compromise John Birch faction in Republican ranks who would rather see government neutered than follow the voters’ wishes. In fact, Republican Senator Ted Cruz remarked that “I don’t think what Washington needs is more compromise, I think what Washington needs is more principle,” and besides being contrary to the will of the voters, it portends more gridlock and obstruction that has prevented a robust economic recovery. President Obama has offered to compromise with Republicans in a balanced approach to deficit reduction, but he stated categorically he “will not compromise” with Congress to lift the federal debt ceiling that led to a credit downgrade the last time lawmakers threatened inaction. Still, Republicans appear unwilling to compromise and ready to shut down the government over principle despite the damage to the economy and the people.
The concept of shutting down the government unless Republicans control the direction and vision of the nation is nothing less than criminal, and the reprobates threatening senior’s retirement and healthcare, Veteran’s benefits, and every function of the government is the GOP punishing voters for rejecting their John Birch ideology that no government and no compromise is the quickest way end the New Deal. Cornyn’s allegation that excessive spending by the Obama Administration destroys jobs and reduces the standard of living belies the fact that under President Obama spending is at its lowest level in 60 years, or that jobs are returning with no thanks to Republicans. The GOP has promoted the vile lie that Social Security is responsible for the national debt ad nauseum to eliminate the program, and only Americans with a chicken’s IQ still believe the GOP lie the government retirement program adds one penny to the national debt.
Republicans are playing a dangerous game with the nation’s economy, and their threats to shut down the government if their assault on Social Security and Medicare are not implemented is reprehensible and villainous. It is also a death wish for the GOP that suffered a certifiable disaster in 1996 as the public sided overwhelmingly with President Clinton and rejected the GOP extremism of hostage taking and shutting down the government. Republicans have become a depraved group of ideologues who are hell-bent on imposing their extremist vision for America that voters just rejected, and threatening to shut down the government is a despicable act of desperation. One might think Republicans would reflect on the last time their “shutdown” tactic failed when they controlled both houses of Congress and realize that with a only a narrow majority in the House, they have little leverage to force the President’s hand, but they will perish standing on principle before they concede to the will of the people and the results of the last election.
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John
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 11:16 am
THE GOP obstructionist neo Confederate are enemies of the state. They are seditious.
MrsGunka
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 11:21 am
I am so sick of these career politicians who have sucked on the entitlement teet for their whole career! And it doesn’t stop when they leave. They have set up the best retirement plan in the world. Social Security and Medicare does not play a part. We the people will be nursing them into eternity. They have the option to raise their salaries when they want. Premium healthcare, we pay for. Transportation provided, all office expenses paid for. Work about a third of the year and they think they can take away everything we have worked for all our working lives? Term limits and end to their entitlements when they leave. Welcome to the real world you leaches!
8^/
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 11:27 am
keep it quiet, then BAM! hit them at once, great time to file TREASON charges, against those one’s? and during that time, NO pay/benifits, Lock down there bank accounts, here, and over seas, due to the treason charges/case, set the date for 2014, give them the same CRAP they are giving us! in other words lock them down $$$, from every angle posible, like they have done 47% of us! ide hate to see this happen, but you know what they say…. “whats good for the goose”
Tiffany Lathrop
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 11:39 am
The republican/tea party plan: reduce the economy to rubble; bankrupt the federal government, and then step into the resulting void, pick up the pieces, and then rebuild the country to their specifications, or to their God’s specifications. Shhhh, don’t tell anyone; it’s supposed to be a secret.
Sugapea
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 3:20 pm
Exactly! The Tea Party, totally created by the big money peeps like KOCH’s, to destroy our ‘Government For The People’ have filled the TeaParty with LIES against their very own best interests.
Look at this T-Party sign-holder:
*SPREAD THE POVERTY*…while they applaud with brainwashed enthusiasm!
lh6.ggpht.com/-kFRd_WlRDI...
azportsider
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 11:46 am
“…anti-government, John Birch agenda…”
Hit the nail on the head with this characterization. It isn’t well known, maybe, but the Koch brothers, who’re funding a lot of this agenda, were reared by a founding member of the John Birch Society. What was the fringiest of the fringe in the 60s has now become mainstream Rethuglican ‘thought.’
Sugapea
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 2:58 pm
And, If you look even further into the ‘KOCH FAMILY TREE’…they go back to Hitler’s Germany!
Darrell
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 11:46 am
If the Republican/Tea Party could they would sell American they is how much they do not like the people.
Singhx
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 3:00 pm
They would sell America to the best business plan with backers; one that turns the entire country into one gigantic Disneyland, plus, one never-ending mall…
Anybody who would not labor under one place or the other would be “voted” off the island, as in deported or diss-da’peered from the landscape.
8^/
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 3:16 pm
they just about have!
Sugapea
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 4:00 pm
Remember 8…There are many, many more of US than there are them!
And if we can wake-up the Tea Party/Republicans to realize they’re being controlled by these Koch-Types, then we can absolutely stop and change this destructive direction Big-Koch-Type Money is attempting to orchestrate for America!
Check this out…You will be amazed:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=U...
Thinking Person
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 4:41 pm
Frankly, we are not powerless. We can propose immediate measures to strip this group of subverting the Constitution. I recommend we do so.
Ron
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 6:47 pm
In 95/96 Congress shut down the government twice; you can read about it here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uni.... The result was the first balanced budget since the 1920′s. We have a similar situation today and, no it is not criminal, it is the balance of power and those of us that think that fiscal responsibility is NOT punishing austerity and are willing to delay gratification are in the minority but will be heard – that is if Congress can borrow a set ;-).
Shiva (Moderator)
Jan. 8th, 2013 at 6:54 pm
Those shutdowns did not have the effect on the worlds banking as it would today. Even Moon walk Gingrich after bragging about how the shutdowns worked has recently said it wouldnt be a good idea today
Virginia Nancarvis
Jan. 12th, 2013 at 1:04 am
**And there is this:
A major problem with the economy at the time was the issue of the massive deficit and the problem of government spending. In order to address these issues, in August 1993,(with a Democratic majority Congress) Clinton signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 which passed Congress **without a single Republican vote. It raised taxes on the wealthiest 1.2% of taxpayers, while cutting taxes on 15 million low-income families and making tax cuts available to 90% of small businesses.[40] Additionally, it mandated that the budget be balanced over a number of years and the deficit be reduced.[41] This was to be achieved through the implementation of spending restraints.
After Republicans won control of Congress in 1994, Clinton vehemently fought their proposed tax cuts, believing that they favored the wealthy and would weaken economic growth. In August 1997, however, Clinton and Congressional Republicans were finally able to reach a compromise on a bill that reduced capital gain and estate taxes and gave taxpayers a credit of $500 per child and tax credits for college tuition and expenses. The bill also called for a new individual retirement account (IRA) called the Roth IRA.
Clinton also battled Congress nearly every session on the federal budget, in an attempt to secure spending on education, government entitlements, the environment, and AmeriCorps–the national service program that was passed by the Democratic Congress in the early days of the Clinton administration. The two sides, however, could not find a compromise and the budget battle came to a stalemate in 1995 over proposed cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, education, and the environment. After Clinton vetoed numerous Republican spending bills, Republicans in Congress twice refused to pass temporary spending authorizations, forcing the federal government to partially shut down because agencies had no budget on which to operate.[70]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre...
Brad Marston
Jan. 9th, 2013 at 12:28 am
As a Republican I agree it would be a horrible idea to even threaten to much less actually shut down the government.
The House should pass a budget, say the last Ryan budget plan, pass a Continuing Resolution to fund it and then vote to raise the debt ceiling through the end of the current fiscal year.
No shut down or threat thereof. And as President Obama has said he would not negotiate this it gives the Republicans the chance to give him what he wants on that score.
They have no need to negotiate with him either.
Pinkmondy54
Jan. 9th, 2013 at 3:01 pm
These obstructionists have relished in implementing investigation after investigation of President Obama and those in his cabinet,so, why don’t we get creative and bring charges against, investigations or do whatever we can to stop those who would actually injure our government, economy, it’s people, etc.?
I, myself, am unaware of any legal tools we might be able to use but imagine there are those who are clever enough & who may just be able to pull something out of their bag of tricks. The American people need something to combat these so-called “servants of the public” who take up space in Congress and who care nothing about the masses and only for themselves. We need to nip them in the bud before they unleash havoc on us. We know it’s coming & who’s going to do it and now we just need to STOP IT!
Eddie Powell
Jan. 10th, 2013 at 12:15 am
The very ones that got us in this debt mess want to turn around and close the door on its repair. It is very sad commentary for those that spent the life out of our nation to have any say in saving it. From the beginning of SS to Civil Rights to Obamacare these creatures have been in front on tearing down anything that is any good for the whole of our once great nation. They raise their off spring to follow in their footstep on our tax dollars and stand like they done it on their hard work only. It is disgusting to listen to their nonsense anymore….
John Steinsvold
Jan. 10th, 2013 at 1:24 am
An Alternative to Capitalism (since we cannot legislate morality)
Several decades ago, Margaret Thatcher claimed: “There is no alternative”. She was referring to capitalism. Today, this negative attitude still persists.
I would like to offer an alternative to capitalism for the American people to consider. Please click on the following link. It will take you to an essay titled: “Home of the Brave?” which was published by the Athenaeum Library of Philosophy:
evans-experientialism.fre...
John Steinsvold
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”~ Albert Einstein