Be INFORMED

Friday, November 04, 2011

A Jobs Bill From The House Of Representatives?

   The things that these frauds will do to kiss up to their “ Christian “ base and to avoid working on a jobs bill that makes any sense. I include the Democrats in the House also, since this bill was passed by a vote of 396 to 9 on Wednesday, November 3.

Kaili Joy Gray spells this bullshit bill out for you.

Vote affirming 'In God We Trust' motto is a jobs plan. Sort of.

No, this is not a story from The Onion. It is an actual bill, introduced by an actual member of the House, actually debated by other members of the House—for 35 minutes—and actually passed by a vote of 396 to 9 yesterday.

Thanks to the hardworking members of the House, "In God We Trust" is our official national motto. Still.

Of course, “In God We Trust” already is the national motto, guaranteed by an act of Congress in 1956.

And “In God We Trust” had already been reaffirmed once before as the national motto, by another act of Congress in 2002.

No matter, because the country obviously needed a third act of Congress to make it really, really, really clear that this is our motto. And it allowed members of Congress to pontificate on some of the deeper philosophical issues that face every American:

“Is God God? Or is man God? In God do we trust, or in man do we trust?” said Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.). He was laying out the deeper meaning behind this debate — saying it was a chance for the House to reassert that it believes there is divine goodness and order in the universe.

If there isn’t, Franks said, “we should just let anarchy prevail because, after all, we are just worm food. So indeed we have the time to reaffirm that God is God and in God do we trust.”

But spending time on this critical issue isn't just about God God. Or man God. Or completely redundant, symbolic, meaningless gestures intended to give members of Congress something—anything—to do other than focus on jobs. No, this reaffirmation of the reaffirmation of the national motto has real-life, very practical applications. After all, when the Republicans took control of the House, they promised to strictly adhere to the Cantor Rule:

“Each day, we will hold ourselves accountable by asking the following questions: Are our efforts addressing job creation and the economy; are they cutting spending; and are they shrinking the size of the federal government while protecting and expanding individual liberty?” Cantor said at the beginning of this term. “If not, why are we doing it?”

Cantor's office did not explain how the "In God We Trust" re-reaffirmation addresses job creation and the economy, but the bill's sponsor, Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) did:

Forbes, the bill’s sponsor, said it would inspire Americans in tough economic times. “Our citizens need that kind of hope,” he said, “and that kind of inspiration.”

So the next time you're applying for a job, or calculating whether you can afford rent and electricity, or hoping your health insurer will cover that new medication you need (if you're lucky enough to be insured), just think of God—that's God God, not man God—and trust in Him, and enjoy that hope and inspiration you now have to get you through the tough times, courtesy of the House of Representatives.

Originally posted to Kaili Joy Gray on Thu Nov 03, 2011
Also republished by Daily Kos.

Thursday, November 03, 2011

Only In America

Only in the United States......



The Greek Equivalent: American Homeowners

      Time for another trip to the other side of the ocean for an unbiased view of the goings-on in the United States, this time concerning our still continuing housing crisis.

Homeowners: America’s Greeks

By Moritz Koch

Translated By Sandra Alexander

26 October 2011

Edited by Mark DeLucas

Germany - Süddeutsche Zeitung - Original Article (German)

Large parts of the country are “underwater”: Many Americans cannot pay their mortgages, must give up their houses — and are berated by conservatives because of it. But Obama can’t permit himself to be intimidated. The homeowners need a debt cut; otherwise, the economy will stall.

It was a pivotal point in the genesis of the rightist tea party movement. In February 2009 TV moderator Rick Santelli got excited on the trading floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. “Do we really want to subsidize the losers’ mortgages?” he asked angrily. Santelli’s tirade became a YouTube hit. He spoke the mind of many conservatives who perceived Obama’s tentative plans to shore up the real estate market as a socialist plot against the American way of life.

Santelli’s words echo even today. The intimidated government still doesn’t find the courage to address the real estate crisis decisively. Obama did announce reforms on Monday [Oct. 24], but they, too, fall short. The country needs a rescue cruiser to maneuver through the sea of debt. It is only getting a rubber dinghy.

Large parts of the U.S. are “underwater.” That means that a house is worth less than the loan with which it is encumbered. One-fourth of all U.S. homeowners are overextended in this manner; in the one-time boom states of Florida, Arizona and Nevada, it is 50 percent or more. Many give up and stop making installment payments. The banks order eviction, housing prices fall further, and even more Americans are pushed underwater.

It is a vicious cycle, and the entire economy is suffering because of it. The burden of debt is slowing the consumption of the middle class, on which the U.S. economy depends. The real estate mess is America’s most important impediment to growth.

The answer of the government is: HARP — that is, the Home Affordable Refinance Program. The initiative should give homeowners the possibility of exchanging their old mortgage for a new one with lower interest — and even if the house is underwater. However, HARP is a failure. The government’s goal was to help 4 million to 5 million debtors. Yet, not even 1 million Americans used the program, and the real estate market is still aground. Now Obama promises to relax the criteria for participation in HARP. In the process a radical approach would be necessary: a debt cut to accommodate the price decline of real estate. Because the homeowners are America’s Greeks.

The fear that an abatement for the middle class would trigger a new wave of bank failures is exaggerated. The government real estate financiers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guarantee more than half of all U.S. mortgages. They would have to pick up the failures. That would burden the federal budget, but not at the same level, because the government already has to take responsibility for the losses of both institutes by evictions, which are being delayed by policies up to now.

Politically, a debt cut would be easy to force through. Obama could direct Fannie and Freddie to do it without a giving Congress a say. The impulse for growth would be enormous: Due to lower monthly installments, millions of families would have more money available for consumption. At the same time, they would become more mobile because they could sell their homes without a loss and accept jobs in other cities or states.

Yes, critics such as Santelli would bluster with rage. However, it is only shocking that the government is letting itself be intimidated by the blusterers on the far right. Three years after the bank bailout it is time for the country to help the citizens. America must contain the flood of debt that is drowning growth.

CLICK HERE FOR ORIGINAL VERSION

  

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Herman Cain: The 'voice of the people' greater than voices of women he sexually harassed

Wed Nov 02, 2011 by Kaili Joy Gray

 

When you think of important movements that changed America, obviously you think of women's suffrage, voting rights ... and Herman Cain's journey to the White House, right?

“There are factions that are trying to destroy me personally, as well as this campaign," Cain said. "But there is a force greater – there is a force at work here that is much greater than those that would try to destroy me and destroy this campaign and this journey to the White House. And that voice is called the voice of the people. That’s why we’re doing as well as we are in this campaign thus far."

Ah yes. How does that standard protest chant go? The people, united, will never be ... allowed to breach their confidentiality agreements about being paid off to keep their mouths shut about Herman Cain sexually harassing multiple former employees?

Well, something like that.

Inspiring, but not that inspiring:

He added: "Y’all were supposed to applaud.”

Might want to think twice about adding that to the stump speech, Herman.

Originally posted to Kaili Joy Gray on Wed Nov 02, 2011 at 09:33 AM PDT.
Also republished by Daily Kos.