Congress Passes No Growth No Revenue Budget

 I was going to do this piece from scratch but since the internet did a lot of it for me I'll give you this now and post more a little later.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House is on track to approve a two-year bipartisan budget framework Thursday that will eliminate the threat of a government shutdown during that time and modestly reduce the deficit over the next decade.  The deal, crafted by House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Senate Budget Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., sets top-line federal spending figures and partially alleviates unpopular spending cuts known as the sequester.  The legislation is expected to pass with both GOP and Democratic support, although neither side is enthusiastic about the scope of the deal. "We fought it to a draw," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. She said the deal would allow Congress to move on and debate other issues beyond the fiscal disagreements that have defined the previous three years.
"Let's get to it. Let's get her off the table. Let's move on to addressing specific issues," she said.
House Republicans were lining up behind Ryan, despite ongoing opposition from outside conservative groups and GOP senators. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, denounced the efforts to derail the deal, accusing groups such as Heritage Action, FreedomWorks and the Club for Growth of "misleading their followers."  "Frankly, I just think that they've lost all credibility," Boehner told reporters.
His comments ratcheted up an ongoing rhetorical fight between the groups and congressional Republicans. FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe responded: "When it comes to 'credibility,' actions speak louder than words. And right now, it looks like the Speaker is leading the charge for spending increases and recruiting Democrat votes in the House to help get it done."   A vote on the package is expected next week in the Senate, but Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cautioned Thursday that Democrats will need at least five Republicans to support the package to ensure they can overcome a filibuster threat. So far, GOP senators who have publicly stated their position are opposed, including Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, and the top Republican on the Budget Committee, Jeff Sessions of Alabama.  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has not said how he intends to vote.

Today is Thursday December 12th.  I am gratified to see at least technically we actually have a budget.  But Randy Rhodes reminds us that it is a now growth no revenue budget.  No corporate tax loopholes are closed in this budget despite even Mitt Romney saying in the debates that he would be open to that if the President would agree to a corporate reduction rate to 20%.  The President did agree to a reduction to 25% so they would seem close.  Unfortunately the tea party has shown time and time again their knack of yanking the rug out from under someone when they try and made a deal with them.  Parehthetically, I have noted this on a personal basis.  We have other statistics for you.  Unlike that ill informed caller on Randy's show (assuming the guy was not an out and out tea party shill caller and a paid liar to begin with) this President has not passed "bill after bill in useless spending throwing money at problems".  This President hasn't been able to get squat done in three years.  And to correct the caller, this President has not been in office six years.  In fact- - it is not yet even five years.  This President has grown spending at a slower rate than any President since Eisenhower.  In fact the 2010 and 2013 budgets are down a percent and a half.  Also for the caller's education - - President Obama had little to do with either the ammount of the deficet of the 2009 budget.  By contrast Ronald Reagan raised the government spending on an anual level in his first term by over 8% and in his second term by over 5%.  This is what "Market Watch" in FORBES magazine states.  President W Bush raised the spending on an anualized basis in his first term by 7.3% in his first term and by 8.1% in his second.  One thing they did was increase the payroll deductions of Federal Employees to help play for increased defense spending.  They workers will never see that money again.

  It is said businesses used to make twelve percent in good times- - half of which would be for things such as investment and R & D.  Now they have cut the investment part to three even at a time when overall profits are way up for corporationsRush Limbaugh had a caller named Kevin on his show who stated that his business made $180,000 last year but that he was "so broke he wondered if he could stay in business in New York".   He claims the government took 48% of that income and left him with 80,000.  I hope his math isn't that bad all of the time.  He claims that he cant "afford to keep the employees he has but previously he had hoped to be able to hire more".  He knows, of course, that employee salaries are a deductable expense in any business.  He also knows that any room in his house or office or whatever- - the rent paid on that building is deductable.  He also knows that since he's not a Corporation, he pays no where near the 35% it's claimed corporations pay.  He's way, way below the high $400,000 tax rate.  I think before Kevin does anything else he needs to hire himself an accountant.  I'm still not sure what his business produces.  Kevin also stated that his medical insurance expences will go through the roof.  He's paying four thousand a year now- - and intends to pay nothing the following year except for the $95.00 penalty.  On my planet that means he's making a net savings of cash of $3,905 every year.  But as Kevin sees it- - President Obama will be responsible for his going broke- - IF in fact he actually does go broke.  Rush Limbaugh went on to state that "Washington DC is a useless city because it doesn't manufacture anything"?  Just what does Rush 'manufacture' except for lies, of course.  Rush then said "Washington takes in money that formerly belonged to someone else.  So he took it out of their pockets?"  Well, has Rush Limbaugh ever posessed money that at some point "belonged to someone else?"

There are of course seven cardinal sins or vices to go along with the seven virtues.  Four of these are the same as the classic ones.  The ones we share in common are Anger, Lust, Averice, and Sloth.  The three I dropped are Pride, Jealousy, and Gluttony, which is really another sin of the flesh.  Sins of the flesh come in many colors and are anything involving the comfort of the flesh.  This would include things like sex, over-eating, drugs, sex toys, frivelous things like expensive perfumes and bath salts, or visits to a masseur or hypochondria,  or thrill seekers just to give men equal time such as extreme sports where you are driven by near obsessive forces, or have to have the thrill of that monster car engine   Three are three vices that are on my list- that aren't one of the "deadly seven" - and I have had this list since April of 2010 and you see them there, too.  Squandering of resources I regard as a transgression against God and nature.  Another for me is Cowardess - - which exists in epidemic perportions these days among politicians.  The final one is Treachery and Betrayal- - - of which the Church didn't make that big a deal of, perhaps because they were guilty of it.

People on the orthodox right might say "The trouble with you is that you try and cherry pick Jesus' words and not accept ever last jot and tiddle."   So I would respond, "Isn't it better to accept SOME if not MOST of what the Master says, rather than NONE of it?"  Don't expect these people to say Yes to that.  But they just might respond "Are you saying we accept NONE of Jesus' teaching?"   So I would say "When did Jesus say that taxes on the rich or anybody- - should be slashed?  When did Jesus preach against gay marriage?  When did Jesus preach against abortion? When did Jesus say women (or Blacks) "lacked the mental capacity" to run a business? When did Jesus say it was a good idea for religions to get into commercial commerce?  When did Jesus command us to "honor the sabbath"?  Name one "government regulation for business" Jesus came out against.  When did Jesus ever pardon one guilty of homicide?  When did Jesus say "law suits are a nuisance and should be curtailed severely?"  When did Jesus ever encourage the idea of war against your own government?"  When did Jesus ever tell lies about leaders with whom he disagreed and then say "It's OK if it's for politics"?  When did Jesus preach against the existance of juvenile gangs?  When did Jesus advise you to turn in your best friend because he was an illegal alien?  When did Jesus EVER refuse "medical care?"  When did Jesus ever mandate that government employees begin each day with an official prayer? When did Jesus teach that corporations were people and had the right to free speech?  When did Jesus ever reccomend that businesses fire employees to increase their profit margins?  When did Jesus say that any religion that doesn't subscribe to the Niciene Creed is a cult?