E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS“House Republicans wary of the Obama administration's Aug. 2 deadline for raising the debt ceiling think they have support for their skepticism from a surprising source — former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan,” Roll Call writes. “Greenspan met with a small group of House Republican Policy Committee members Monday afternoon. Republican sources familiar with the meeting said their takeaway from Greenspan's presentation was that the administration has more wiggle room than it is letting on if a final deal on raising the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling is not reached by the proposed deadline.”
“A series of policy battles that have broken out among House Republicans poses a significant challenge to Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) effort to unify his troops on a bill raising the nation’s debt ceiling,” The Hill adds. “In recent weeks, intra-party skirmishes have emerged on a range of issues, including patent reform and a proposed tax holiday.”
“Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona was released from a Houston hospital yesterday, five months after being shot in the head during a political event,” AP reports.
“[C]ongressional leaders saw their wealth climb last year as the economy struggled to pull out of a recession while the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained more than 1,100 points,” The Hill writes. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s wealth grew 62% and John Boehner remained a multimillionaire.
“Senator John Kerry reported more holdings in media companies than any other member of Congress, including a $1.75 million stake in Comcast, which owns NBC, and a $600,000 stake in News Corp, which owns Fox News, according to an analysis released today,” the Boston Globe writes. “The holdings, which Kerry says belong to his wife, were listed on financial disclosure forms analyzed by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. In all, 59 federal lawmakers have media interests worth between $3.8 million and $7.7 million, with the average individual reporting holdings ranging from $65,000 to $131,000. The forms require lawmakers to list ranges rather than exact dollar amounts.”
The Boston Globe finds from Scott Brown’s financial disclosure that he made $700,000 for his autobiography.
Leave a Comment:
They don't want to raise the debt ceiling. Remember the #1 priority is for the country to FAIL.
“Senator John Kerry reported more holdings in media companies than any other member of Congress, including ..... a $600,000 stake in News Corp, which owns Fox News, according to an analysis released today,”
Too funny.
ROY WILSON-336103
so.........did he pick your pocket?
.
As I understand it, if there is no deal to raise the debt limit, then the government will have to live within their means, and spend no more than it takes in.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
That's it.
Stop the ever increasing debt. Reign in Obama's radical spending. Let the world know that the American people have found their voice and that voice is saying to Obama.....NO MORE.
What you guys are proposing is the United States breaks their promise. That the US tells the world that we are deadbeats and untrustable. Are you the type of people who can't be trusted to honor your obligations in your personal lives too? It is so unpatriotic to try to trash your country's reputation for a few political points found from a tiny portion of our citizens. Stop holding us hostage, stop playing chicken with our future, stop trying to destroy the country for personal gain. Stop it, Republicans.
Scott - These people are blinded by their hatred for Barack Obama to such a point that they are willing to destroy this country in order to achieve their goals. Unfortunately, if these people get their way, they and their champions in Congress, mostly Republicans will be blamed for it not the President. It's painfully obvious what's going on and the American people are starting to catch on. Denying services, and programs to Americans, stripping union/worker rights so companies and government can exact more concessions and less pay from workers, taking away women's reproductive freedoms not just with abortion but with access to birth control and health clinics, trying to privatize Social Security and Medicare so that Americans are a the mercy of private corporations and the charlatans that operate them and no longer get guranteed benefits from these programs, the stripping of government agencies and the protections they provide the citizenry such as the EPA and the FDA, I could go on but I think everyone gets my point. The Republicans are doing all this to benefit a very select few in our country.....the privileged. The rest of us will pay the price for this realignment of our country.
We are paying the price already. It's amazing that the country is in as good as shape as it is considering the Republican party has put all its efforts into tanking the country in a dirty little war to make the President look bad. The sad part of this is how the party has convinced their sheep to fight against their own interests - through ignorance, lies, and a lack of any moral integrity.
It is despicable.
This is really going to affect the seniors - no social security checks. A lot of Americans are on fixed income and really need their social security checks to survive.
Why don't the politicians take a cut in their salary?
Obama is like a spoiled brat with a credit card. I think the Republican are being responsible by not allowing him to waste more money. If we default on our debt it wont be because of republicans it will be because of the irresponsible Democrats. Enough is Enough!! The Democrats have run this country into the ground with their housing bubble and blaming Bush for there mistakes. Its got to stop or we will be a third world country. Unfortunately the first step is for alot of the crazies on here to see the truth and at least try to inspire the Democrat party to restructure and be something positive instead of the party of hate and of NO. At least when the Republicans say NO to Obamas Policies they want whats good for the american people and not just selfish political motives like Obama.
Cutting the representatives salary would be a good place to start. And John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi from what I read in the article should be the first place we should start cutting.
Yeah, things like cutting education, and planned parenthood, and clean water and food through the EPA, social security for retirement, health care and women's rights. Those things are not what's good for the American people. And cutting them is not selfish. Yeah, right...
Obama has added 4 trillion dollars to our debt in less than 3 years and you are blameing the republicans,and you need to stop useing fear mongering,no senior cit. are going to lose thier social sec, cks.thier not going to lose thier medicare,I think the democraps have nothing to run on so all they can do is try to scare old people,you should be ashamed,my parents draw social security and they know that it is you far left nut jobs ,9% unemployment belongs to your party we were all promised a lot less in 2008 by your no experienced boy who hangs with american haters,you know Ayres,Right the rascist rev. and no I dont want my tax dollars paying doctors to butcher babies if thier to lazy to use protection then dont do the deed,now if its rape or the mothers life is in danger then it should be up to the family, but late term ab. has no excuse its just plain murder and only god will judge you in the end.We need to mput people back to work,drilling for our own oil is just one thing we can do wright now ,hellobama would rather pay brazil to drill then buy the oil from them.these are just a few things that we can do,what you think people that are out of work can afford an electric car.that is just plum stupidity,do you idiots know that obama has added 73% more (GAS) burning lemos and 1800 more washington jobs at taxpayers expense,this man is going down as one of the worst presidents in history.I hope you all got your hope and change,now hes putting the blame on atm machines as to why we dont have jobs.out of his own lips.
If you want to know how this country will look with another four years of Obama, look to California. Enough said.
What do you say to senior citizens who won't get their Social Security checks or our service members who won't get their paycheck come Aug. 2nd if the debt ceiling isn't raised...."Too bad for you?" I think you're not facing reality if you think that there won't be dire consequences to all of us for not raising the debt ceiling. You really shouldn't let you ideology get in the way of what's best for the American people. We're looking at soaring interest rates virtually overnight, soaring prices for everything, a stock market crash that will bring what's left of our economy crashing to the ground and with it massive worker layoffs. You think 9.1% unemployment is bad just wait til it's 25%. Those of you here espousing not raising the debt ceiling are woefully ignorant and need to get yourselves educated to the facts.
Nobody is "espousing" not raising the debt ceiling. What they are saying is that a raise in the debt ceiling must be accompanied by a corresponding cut in deficit spending.
What would I say to all those poor seniors?? Thank Obama for the mess were in. He drove us to the brink of catastrophe. He is the bozo in our White House who blew all our money and still enjoys his exotic vacations. Look at the evidence.
I can't figure out what people think would happen if the United States doesn't raise the debt ceiling? Failure to do so would crush the United States and make us a third world country.
Job1 - Have you been to California lately?
California..The land of taxes. 10% sales tax, old age tax, mental health tax. Ridiculous.
Thetotas and Edward, have either of YOU been to California lately? Why all of the negatives on California?
if they don't stop spending none of this will matter.
dresflet - What don't you get about the immediate and devastating consequences of not raising the debt ceiling? Surely if the Congress doesn't come to an agreement on deficit spending and the debt by Aug 2nd it won't be as devastating as the failure of Congress to raise the debt ceiling. The two should not be inextricably entwined. The problem really is that the Republican insistence on continual tax cuts has put the government in a postion where it can't provide the services the American people expect. It's not a spending problem so much as it is a problem of too many tax cuts, tax loopholes, tax credits, tax giveaways, etc....
laurie- what don't you get about if they dont stop spending there won't be any services for anyone. we do not have a revenue problem we have a spending problem.
The Repubs raised the ceiling 10 times during Bushes 8 yrs but now its a problem? Wake up people!!!!!!! The repubs want to destroy this country and everything it stands for so they can hand it over to the corporations that pay them. This is just disgusting!
laurie- i do agree though that they need to close loopholes and such. when i pay more in taxes than GE, that is a problem.
What is there not to understand...if you have no income or revenue, you cannot pay your bills. Sure cut spending in areas of waste and fraud, but we must pay our bills. These are two seperate issues. We're going through the same thing again...where the 2011 budget was held hostage. There need to be less game playing on both sides and get down to some serious negotiations. I must say though... while watching the House this week, the rhetoric from the Republican side has calmed down some, they are beginning to try to reason and convince other than demand an insist. They must be getting blasted by the real conservative republicans and their senior constituents.
No, it is not separate issues, it is all one big issue. Cut the spending, then cut it some more.
But it is like my accountant said to me, "You can't borrow your way out of debt."
Despite what people may want to believe, you cannot run a government the same way you run a household or a business. Two different animals.
especilly when you have a president that does nothing but add to the goverments cost,he just cant stop,he must think he is back in his crack smokeing days and just cant say no.
This will not cure the country's problem. Hostage taking never has. Someone may pay the ransom, the hostages might get killed. There is always a repercussion for this type of action. You know if by chance you do get Obama out the problem will be the same and even larger. If the Repugs care to kill SS and medicare, I want my money back. The hell with the entitlement speech, there are those who say they want the country back. I want my money back!
Bull - If the government is up to its eyeballs in debt how do you propose they (the government) pay SSI and Medicare benefits. I've seen where the Republicans want to try and make Medicare more manageable but I have not seen where they want to kill it as you state so eloquently.
O.K you democrats put pressure on your representatives to seriously cut spending and we conservatives and republicans will put pressure on our representatives to raise taxes.......deal?
Republicans run up the Debt the biggest since Ronald Regan with his 189% increase, Blame the Democrats, take out their plan on the Middle Class, Elderly, Poor, Children, Women and Disabled, then Cry about the Debt is just too high. Talk about "The Emperor Has No Clothes"
Our Country has a history of refusing to let Hostage Takers Have their way, in other words we don't Bargin with Hostage Takers, and shouldn't now. Yes, the economy will fall, but this time we have "Warning" to get our house in order so the Republicans can't steel our Retirement and Savings.
Let the Chip fall where they may
The Chamber of Commerce will love this, all those Millions thrown into the Republican Coffers and they still couldn't get their every wish! The Newbees Republicans Bent On making Ordinary Americans Suffer, even though they ran to get that Government Check they Hate So Much to ensure that their Families had Paychecks they could depend on, came in to throw those "We the People" who pay their checks under the Bus.
Talk about Biting the hand that feed you!
Social engineering is why we are in this mess, why can't you people see that. It was a great idea that every American should have a nice home that wanted one the only bad part is that dream may have cost us our future.
Hey, I am all for a fresh new 100 dollar bills. They just look so nice and crisp. It doesn't matter if my dollar is worth a lot less, and about to take a bigger hit. Nothing beats money invented out of fresh air. (Not that I'll be getting any of it, but hey, it's still money for free.) I say let's keep on printing as much as we can. And when we have way more than what we need, I'll say let's print some more. We are the USA, and it is our right to flood the world with our dollars. And if they don't like it, we'll bomb them a few centuries back. It is a good thing that the Chinese will ALWAYS depend on us for their growth, and be forced to buy our debt...forever. Anyone with me? ;)