Is There No Way? . . .

(from https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/11/13/andrew-johnson-undermined-congress-cabinet-david-priess-book-222413)
". . . declared leading radical senator Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania just months after (Andrew) Johnson’s (who assumed office after Lincoln's assassination) inauguration, “to arrest the insane course of the president in Washington?” . . . legislators urged the president to call Congress into a special session, or at least delay controversial moves until it was scheduled to convene in December. Johnson obstinately ignored them. . . This stubbornness and refusal to cooperate with even moderate Republicans escalated once Congress came back into session in December of 1865 . . . Johnson vetoed both a civil rights bill designed to fight back the dreaded black codes and another measure to expand the functions of the Freedmen’s Bureau. . . The legislative branch, as a consequence, did something that was then unprecedented in American history on a major piece of legislation: They overturned a presidential veto. Then they did it again. Ultimately, they turned back the president’s rejections of bills a stunning 15 times—a record to this day, even though Johnson served a shorter term than most presidents. . .The president also saw his judicial appointment powers curtailed. When a Supreme Court vacancy came up, Congress eliminated the seat rather than confirm Johnson’s nominee. As a hedge against a potential future Johnson appointment, they went ahead and legislated in advance that the next high court vacancy, too, would not require filling. . ."

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More Pot . . .

. . . calling the kettle 'names'. . .


(quote from Brett Kavanaugh during Senate judiciary hearing of September 27, 2018)
Kavanaugh called Democratic opposition to his nomination ". . . revenge on behalf of the Clintons . . . and millions of dollars in money from outside left-wing opposition groups . . . "


The strong objection to millions of dollars rings very hollow in light of the 'massive' amounts of legislation proposed by Republicans to rid government of corruption . . .

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Average . . .

 (from https://www.usnews.com/opinion/economic-intelligence/articles/2017-11-10/2017-gop-tax-reform-bill-ignores-lessons-of-ronald-reagans-1986-bill  By Claudine Schneider)
". . . This Isn't Reagan's Tax Reform . . . I know this firsthand because I voted to do just that when I was a member of the House of Representatives in 1986, the last time Congress passed major tax reform legislation. But my fellow Republicans don't seem to have learned the lessons of President Ronald Reagan's reform efforts. The 1986 reform rested on a bipartisan deal to lower tax rates in exchange for closing loopholes and exemptions. Revenue neutrality was at the core of the deal, and the reform was meant to be broadly distribution neutral as well, meaning that everyone would benefit, not just the richest. The main driver for our bill was clearly to increase the efficiency of our tax system – something no one can argue against – and not to score partisan points. . . In the 30 years since bipartisan tax reform last passed, the global economy has gone through dramatic changes. Technology and trade have made it easier to move goods, ideas and capital across the globe and to locate them wherever the tax laws are most lax or beneficial. Emerging economies have lifted millions of people out of poverty and reshaped the global political order. And policy decisions driven by an increasingly narrow set of powerful interests have driven economic inequality to dangerous heights leaving us with a world where only eight men own as much wealth as half of humanity, according to Oxfam. . . Indeed, adjusting our tax code to fit the times is necessary. But the bill introduced in the House of Representatives with President Donald Trump's support is not good for the average citizen or for our country. . ."

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Before . . .

. . . you panic. . .

. . . read . . .



(from http://www.nber.org/papers/w13229.pdf by Kristin F. Butcher, Department of Economics, Wellesley College & Anne Morrison Piehl, Department of Economics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey)
The perception that immigration adversely affects crime rates led to legislation in the 1990s that particularly increased punishment of criminal aliens. In fact, immigrants have much lower institutionalization (incarceration) rates than the native born - on the order of one-fifth the rate of natives. More recently arrived immigrants have the lowest relative incarceration rates, and this difference increased from 1980 to 2000. We examine whether the improvement in immigrants' relative incarceration rates over the last three decades is linked to increased deportation, immigrant self-selection, or deterrence. Our evidence suggests that deportation does not drive the results. Rather, the process of migration selects individuals who either have lower criminal propensities or are more responsive to deterrent effects than the average native. Immigrants who were already in the country reduced their relative institutionalization probability over the decades; and the newly arrived immigrants in the 1980s and 1990s seem to be particularly unlikely to be involved in criminal activity, consistent with increasingly positive selection along this dimension.

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Legislation . . .

. . . on masturbation . . .



(http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/texas-anti-masturbation-bill-fine-for-masturbating-illegal-jessica-farrar-house-bill-4260-man-s-a7669866.html)
". . . A bill that would see Texas men fined $100 for masturbating has taken a step closer to becoming law after it received its first reading in the state’s House of Representatives. . . Under section 173.010 of House Bill 4260, the Man’s Right to Know Act, Texas men would only be allowed to masturbate under supervision, inside approved health care and medical facilities. . . Any “unregulated masturbatory emissions outside of a woman’s vagina, or created outside of a health or medical facility, will be charged a $100 civil penalty for each emission, and will be considered an act against an unborn child, and failing to preserve the sanctity of life.” . . . (but) Ms Farrar is not being entirely serious. . . The Texas Democrat knows her bill has no hope of becoming law, and has introduced it to satirize how women have been affected by targeted healthcare legislation in her state, particularly relating to abortion. . ."

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Game Changing . . .

(from http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/editorial/bs-ed-senate-gop-20141014-story.html, What A GOP Senate Would Mean)
“. . . That said, it would be a mistake to assume that a Republican-held Senate would not be able to assert its will on public policy in a meaningful way. It might not be able to pass game-changing legislation high on the GOP wish list — a complete dismantling of the Affordable Care Act, for instance — but it might be able to nibble at the edges or put vulnerable Democrats on the spot. In the case of Obamacare, the targets are clear — go after the tax on medical devices, the employer mandate or other unpopular elements in the program. The strategy would be to weaken Obamacare, put it deeply in the red or make it so dysfunctional that eventually a repeal would seem like an act of euthanasia. . .”


This is what our ‘lawmakers’ do - destroy what the OTHER SIDE has done instead of helping their constituents. Wouldn’t it make more sense to ‘fix’ the unpopular elements in the program
to make that program work better to provide affordable healthcare to the population?

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Trivia. . .

. . . about Frederick, Maryland

(from The Baltimore Sun, February 07, 2010|By Frederick N. Rasmussen | fred.rasmussen@baltsun.com)

There was one battle the late Sen. Charles McC. Mathias Jr. couldn't win during his 26 years in the House and Senate - where he had championed such historic causes as civil rights legislation, women's rights and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay while defying the Republican Party with his opposition to the Vietnam War - and that was concluding the Civil War for his hometown of Frederick.

For all of his political power and acumen, Mathias was unable to persuade Congress to pay back the original $200,000 ransom that the city of Frederick had paid in 1864 to Confederate Gen. Jubal Early to stop his troops from torching the town.

Brewer's Alley Restaurant & Brewery (Songwriters Showcase-Upstairs) takes place every Monday night (except during December) in this very room, which was formerly the office of the mayor of the town of Frederick.
 

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Is it me. . .

. . . or did EVERYBODY think that since insider trading is ILLEGAL, that members of Congress were NOT supposed to participate and should be, been and always be under particular scrutiny to guard against such a thing happening?????

VOTE THEM ALL OUT!!!!    WHO NEEDS THEM?????!!!!!

I CERTAINLY DON'T!!!!!

(from http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/30/10273245-ban-on-congressional-insider-trading-clears-key-senate-hurdle)

A ban on insider trading by members of Congress cleared a key procedural hurdle Monday in the Senate, moving toward final passage and a House vote on similar legislation later next month. A bipartisan group of senators voted 93 to 2 in favor of ending debate on the STOCK Act, a piece of legislation meant to prohibit members of Congress, their families and staff from using any information gleaned while working on the Hill to execute stock transactions. The legislation 60 votes to attain "cloture," or limit debate and move toward final passage. The bill will be debated and amendments will be attached over the next week. It's unclear when the final vote will occur.

The House version will expand certain restrictions on insider trading to White House staff and is also expected to create clear restrictions on members of Congress making land deals using insider information. The House is looking to move on that legislation within a month. "Leader Cantor plans to move an expanded version of the STOCK Act through the House in February to make it clear that those in Congress are subject to the same laws as everyone else," Laena Fallon, a spokeswoman for Cantor's office told NBC. Fervor over insider trading on Capitol Hill reached a peak last fall following the airing of a "60 Minutes" segment questioning whether lawmakers including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) made investments based on their knowledge of legislative activity to which they would be privy.

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You Go Bernie. . .

BUZZFLASH AT TRUTHOUT NEWS ALERT

The following is a June 15th news release from the office of Senator Bernie Sanders:

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) today introduced legislation to make federal commodity regulators halt excessive oil speculation that has driven up gasoline prices.

A provision in last year's Wall Street reform law required federal regulators to clamp down on speculators, but the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has refused to do so. Partly as a result of the failure to enforce the law, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline today is $3.69 a gallon, although supplies are greater and demand lower than two years ago when prices averaged about $2.44 a gallon.

"We have a responsibility to do everything we can to lower gas prices so that they reflect the fundamentals of supply and demand and bring needed relief to the American people," Sanders said.

When speculators push up oil prices "guess who suffers, it's the rest of us," said Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), an original cosponsor of the bill who joined Sanders at a Capitol press conference. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), another cosponsor, called gas prices "absolutely crushing" for American families and the economy. Other cosponsors include Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.)."
-------------------------------------------
We must be relentless in our pursuit of the FACTS before jumping to unfounded conclusions (or rushing to subscribe to a convenient political position)! I've been reading about this situation for a LONG time time and I'm THRILLED that a legislator is doing something about it!





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