You first.

Sorry. Perhaps we should have followed the example of Mark Foley and Dennis Hastert. We'll try and do better next time.

Republicans stalled until things were near the elections and dems stalled until after.

Am I doing aught else but condemning both sides?

For once, E.D.-

I'm agreeing with YOU.

Remember...both Rangel AND Waters have requested expeditious handling of the ethics charges against them.

And, if Democrats really, really hate the Bush tax cuts (as they insist they do)...why not have a simple up-or-down vote on them?

Maybe they've just been SAYING they hate the Bush tax cuts...

MB, I don't think there's too terribly much you and I would disagree on if we spoke more freuqently. That said, given the administration has expressed a desire to let the tax cuts expire only if the top 2% are affected, I think your observation about opposition to the matter being little other than lip service.

To be fair, E.D.-

When Democrats have opposed "the Bush tax cuts"...

They haven't, at least until recently, displayed your degree of specificity.

I have heard negative references to "the Bush tax cuts for the rich"...

But, there really doesn't seem to be any consensus agreement among Democrats as to exactly what "the rich" means...or who, exactly, "the rich" are.

So...we have Democratic members of the House sending letters to Speaker Pelosi, who responds by casting the deciding vote for adjournment.

And...adjournment means means we won't receive clarification anytime soon.

Party affiliation be damned. This country is in deep trouble and we need to address problems that, if left unattended, are going to result in disaster. What has this Congress just done? These gutless clowns left town. Too hot in the kitchen, don't you know.

For Republican legislators who constantly tell us that government is not the solution, it is the problem - WELL, you sure don't seem to be able to push yourself away from the government trough. For Democratic legislators who seem to think government can solve problems, may I point out you just voted to walk away from those problems.

This is simply insane. I can't vote for a Republican, they have no plan. I hesitate to vote for a Democrat, but I will and what I want in exchange is two things. First, I want publicly financed elections in place by the next election along with a dramatically curtailed campaign season. Secondly, I want Republicans - genuine Republicans - to take control of their party from the fruitcakes who are currently running it, and provide America with some serious balance.

Yeah, I know, you want some of that stuff I'm smoking.

The only way those hearings would have any impact on the mid-terms is to expose the hypocricy of the Democrats on ethics. Won't have any impact on Rangels' or Waters' re-elections. Remember, Jefferson got re-elected while under indictment-he had to resign once he was convicted. Ms. Pelosi didn't think it was 'fair' to ask him to resign before then.

Actually, it gives the bloggers and commentators more ammunition, so I think Obama should have pushed Madame Speaker to get it done. On the other hand, having won the presidency, his political instincts seem to be betraying him.

This was a good decision. Let all the tax cuts expire. If you really care about the deficit, that is the thing to do.

Republicans can't talk out of both sides of their mouth saying they care about the deficit and then want to raise it 700 billion dollars making the tax cuts permanent.

Exo, that really took me back... to the republican rubber stamp congress that Bush had.

MB: Toddlers fighting over a Wii-mote.

Cavalier: You and me both. Nothing's changed but the party emblem.

Eric, what about the explosion in the deficit the Dems just forced down our throats? If the Obamacare is anything like Medicare or Medicaid, it is going to cost a hell of a lot more than projections. I forget which, but one of them is costing us about 10 times more than it was predicted to cost. So lets see, 10 times 1 trillion dollars. Oh no, we just got a 9 trillion dollar deficit thanks to the Dems. And please don't go blaming the Reps for something else just to deflect the topic. Also please don't say we have to wait and find out. Historically speaking, the government ends up having to spend more to do things than they originally say they will. So it is basically a fact that the Obamacare will cost more than the estimates.

Further, how is it raising the deficits if you are just allowing people to keep more of their money. To me, letting people keep their money is a hell of a lot better stimulus than the bailouts we just had. In that case, we let the banks keep our money. To hell with the banks, I want my money.

If there is any answer to the economic problems we face, it is to cut taxes for all, and reset the government. The government has decided it needs to be involved in way more things than it was ever designed to be in control of. Get back to the basics. Our government looks like a Dr. Seuss house. Small on the foundation, and then expanding in all sorts of crazy directions the higher up you go. It is the ultimate ponzi scheme.

Rich S.: Republicans stalled until things were near the elections and dems stalled until after

Mixed Bag: And, if Democrats really, really hate the Bush tax cuts (as they insist they do)...why not have a simple up-or-down vote on them?

I guess the first post continues with the Lefts theme of "If we can't win elections with our successes, lets do so with lies".

The Bush tax cuts have been around for 10 years. Obama and Congress have been in power for 20 months. If the Democrats wanted to terminate the Bush tax cuts early, they had the right, and the votes, to do so in the last 20 months. They didn't. But they did manage to be critical of them, use them to blame others for their problems, blame those cuts for all the problems of the country.

Even now, the Democrats, who remain in power, could make the statement "The Bush tax cuts are evil, they destroyed the country, we will let them expire on January 1, 2011." But they don't. Why? Isn't letting those taxes expire the very essence of the Democrats argument for bigger government? Didn't VP Joe Biden say it was our patriotic duty to pay taxes?

Instead, the Democrats are now flinching. Even Obama says 83% of the Bush Tax Cuts should be extended. 47 Democrats in the House want to make ALL the tax cuts permanent. So, what's going on here? Are the Democrats now admitting that lower taxes are better for the economy?

But we won't get the answer from the Democrats because, well, they skipped town. They don't want to vote on the tax measure, they said they'll do it later, after the elections. Well, why? Don't the Democrats want to level with the American people? Don't they want to give individuals and businesses some certainty on what they'll be paying in taxes come 2011? Why are the Democrats avoiding telling Americans what their government expects from them? It's almost like, their scared. Now what would the Democrats be scared of? Maybe losing their jobs perhaps?

Looks like, once again, the Democrats have put politics in front of them doing their job.

Eric: This was a good decision. Let all the tax cuts expire. If you really care about the deficit, that is the thing to do.

But what if you also care about the economy?

It's hard to blame the Democrats and the Theocrats here. Who would not vote for an additional paid 7 week vacation? Staying requires making decisions and they have a lot of campaign donations to spend on themselves. Al'a Christine O'Donnell.

The problem with letting people who earn money keep it is that they still keep it no matter what. Yes, the top 2% pay 50%, and that sounds ridiculous until you look at the fact that the top 2% have 80% of the income. Truth is, if we went to a flat tax, or even a VAT, the rich would be paying a heck of a lot more taxes than they currently would be without the Bush Tax cuts.

I am not saying we should tax anybody more because they are successful. I am saying that if I make billions in capital gains I should not be paying % less of my income in taxes than a waitress eaking out $35k a year.

Yes, playing the stock market is risky, but so is repairing high tension power lines, so why make the guy hanging from a helicopter pay more than his fair share so Buffet can keep more of his money?

Bottom line is, we need to raise taxes AND cut spending in Defense and Social Welfare (SS Medicare Medicaid) because yelling that we spend too much on international aid when that entire budget line adds up to less than 1% of the budget is about the most cowardly line I have ever heard.

Up my taxes, cut spending by 30%, pay down the debt, and in the end I will be worth more because the USD is worth more. it is that simple. Neither party has the balls to do that, and frankly unless the tea party guys get elected in droves and refuse to vote for any new spending unless it eliminates the deficit, they they are worthless too.

Any Tea Party candidates out there with real plans to cut Defense spending? Or are they going after Obamacare and Foreign aid while keeping the real fiscal pigs in hiding.

So why is Pelosi so intent on avoiding a vote on extending the taxes for just the middle class? Is she going to let a HUGE tax increase on the middle class go through without even having a vote?

There are 39 more Democrats in the House than Republicans, so she should be able to do anything she wants. It's not like the Senate, where a filibuster is possible.

The Dems are in big trouble here. They have bashed the Bush tax breaks for some time. Pointing the finger at the Republicans as the ones that caused our deficit. Then the Dems begin to "jump the fence" in regards to their position. More and more Dems are for extending the tax breaks. Now they run away? They run away because they are "damned if they do, and damned if they don't". The Dems perceive the bigger "damned" to be if they "do".

News flash, America will not stand by in pain waiting for the Democrats to do the right thing. By not voting on extending the Bush tax breaks, they have encouraged even more to vote against them in November. I hope Nancy has a second job lined up because she won't be the Speaker of the House much longer.

Let's see Republicans stalled the vote on Tax Cut's?....Nope

Republicans stalled our 2011 budget (which starts day after tommorow?)...Nope

Dems have promised to pass DADT and Amnesty post loss...yep

I remember the president crowing all over about the word "bipartisan". Yet we just saw that 47 Democrat congressmmen were going to join those on the Republican side of the aisle to give the stamp of approval on extending the tax cuts and....boink....the plug gets pulled by the botoxed gypsy-queen of the House.

Wasn't that the 'bipartisanship' that this president and most of this country have been asking for ???

I guess the president only really wants a bipartisan effort if the result of that effort is his intended goal.

I did not know the Oval Office was located on a one-way street !

Them pushing to go on recess til after the election is just incriminating to me that what they want to do is something the voters won't like. They could use all of the positive reinforcement they can get on something they can say "hey look what I did last month" this November.

Really? Do you really think her constituents in San Francisco are going to elect her opponent?

Unlikely the San Francisco crowd will elect anyone else, but at least we won't have to see her with a gavel in her hand again - unless, of course, she switches professions and becomes a judge (God forbid).

sad but try :)

you mean the one attached to the Defense spending bill that also included allowing gays in the military and citizenship for young illegal aliens if they join the military..Yeah,you need some professional help

Why the heck would we wanna extend tax cuts for rich people when we KNOW it does NOT create jobs...

This wasn't about tax cuts for the rich. It was about tax cuts for the middle class! You need to read. If the Dems were smart and really wanted to extend the tax cuts like they say they do, they would have scheduled the vote and forced the Republicans to vote on extending the tax cuts for the middle class and not the weatlhy. This would have given the Republicans the choice of trying to kill the tax cuts for the middle class or passing it. It would have been a win for the Dems either way. Instead, Pelosi votes to adjurn the house and now no vote will take place. Why? Because after the election, the Dems will not vote to extend any of the cuts.

In other words, Curious, volunteers who are children of illegals brought to this country by their parents and gays have no right to want to serve in the military because..... why? Since very few people volunteer to serve, it seems WE should be grateful to those who do. What harm does it cause to provide those children a path to citizenship? This is the only country they know.

Jody, what does having people from Mexico in the military have to do with the defense budget? Obama promised no more politics as usual and specifically mentioned rider bills like this.

Tom, Bush came into office right when NAFTA & China free trade was kicking in. You can't blame that on him. Even with that and the 9/11 attacks though, there were way more jobs then than there are now. The "bill for small business" was just the title. There were amendments to the bill that killed it and Republicans didn't make those amendments. Try thinking a little less partisanly. We're talking about lawyers & politicians here. They're not exactly the type to blindly defend no matter which side they're on.

They work for us. Forunately for us, performance reviews & firings are next month.

Stop drinking the party coolaid...both parties are far more concerned with votes than they are with the country. The problem is too many people have fallen for the party-line (of both parties)...when people start thinking for themselves and not just repeating party slogans, then we may get some real change.

All that partisan behavior does is reward bad behavior. (i.e.; party first, everything else last)

You are in outer space. Obama's health care law takes $500,000,000.00 out of Medicare. That was a Democrat deal.

S Corps are the real job creators ... PERIOD. $200,000.00 is NOT rich by any stretch of the imagination. Especially when your income is on paper and not in the bank. Obviously, you've never owned any kind of business.

Pelosi was the one who said ... Pass the law, we'll find out what's in it afterwards!!!!

Someone has made a fool out of you....

I never been in a buisiness that cheats on taxes...... you are correct.... Have an actual "small" buisiness not 500 employees that claim it is a small buisiness and then cheats on there taxes..hell repubs just voted NO on keeping jobs from going over seas. Lets see how fast we can destroy america should be the repub pledge and they have done a great job of @!$%#ing up the country

LOL,R.you know REALITY starts with an R

The are multiple definitions for the term "small business."

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&defl=en&q=define:Small+business&sa=X&ei=v42jTMTfMIPGlQeX6YWaBA&ved=0CBkQkAE

On the Libertarian website, one of thier leaders were afraid that Tea Partiers would be fooled by the Republicans. Anyway the Tea Partiers have the level of a 7th grader on the Constition and are the perfect target of Rich Coporations who manipulate their anger/rage.

Unfortunately, no.

On top of that you will be receiving no medicare after the repubs have there way looks like you better go back to work and workout alot to stay healthy or die

actually,trouser,the Obamites are the ones cutting a HALF BILLION dollars from Medicare so they can give it to Medicaid welfare recipients,you know,rank and file Democratic voters on welfare

Why didn't repubs do anything about it? Oh yeah is there great idea of not getting people to pay for their own insurance

doing away witht the public option and under fund HC it so it fails.... just like no child left behind left it under funded so property taxes soar like they have in texas..... and the middle class pays for the tax cut to the rich and I guess we will pay for the wars and send our kids so the rich kids don't have to go to war. Then the rich will lose money cause nobody can afford your goods anymore. great plan repubs

Pat, Pelosi is no fool it wasn't going to pass, so many of what we call blue dog democrats (republicans caucusing with democrats) were going to vote to extend the tax cuts to everyone because it is a popular mantra among the masses. How many times do we tell our children not to go along with the crowd but as adults we do the exact opposite? Personally i say let the tax cuts expire for everyone let's go back to the tax rates that created a budget surplus.

We are great at presenting arguments for our side but leaving out the truth of the argument on the otherside so let's just ignore those pesky facts

Let's ignore the fact that tax cuts doesn't create jobs (if they did then we'd have record job creation right now) Where are the jobs with the tax cuts in place we have lost more jobs than just about any other time in history.

Let's ignore the fact that tax cuts in themselves does not increase the deficit but neither do spur and increase in government revenue.

Lets ignore the fact that less spending means we have to cut something like infastructure which actually needs more spending just let another bridge collaspe killing hundreds of our neighbors before we realize that.

Let's ignore the FACT that CBO says Obamacare will cut the deficit by $132 billion over 10yrs

We can ignore that spending cuts must affect social programs which most people are more than willing to allow those cuts unless it affects them personally. Greedy lil bast@^%$

Let's ignore the fact that Obamacare will raise taxes to create that deficit reduction.

The CBO found the Senate Democrats' version of health care reform would reduce the deficit by $132 billion over 10 years. The deficit is expected to go down because tax increases and cost savings in the bill are expected to exceed the cost of the new programs and tax credits.

Let's ignore the fact that Obamacare is not Government run Healthcare it would have been had the public Option was left in.

For every solution there is a reprecussion politics is finding acceptable reprecussions who can I cut off without hurting myself. It has always been the poor and destitute that have no voice. The ones who can't afford internet access to even post on sites like this, nor do they need it cause they have no computers. We dont feel it necessary to fund libraries anymore cause everyone should have computers at home in this day and age.

And yet you still plan to vote for them in November. Unbelievable.