Shutdown Averted; Budget Negotiators Reach Deal (Reid: 'Historic Level of Cuts')

[Hissyspit]

Source: Reuters

Shutdown averted; budget negotiators reach deal

Fight over federal funding for Planned Parenthood could be put aside for now

NBC News and news services
updated 1 minute ago

BREAKING NEWS
WASHINGTON — Perilously close to a midnight deadline, the White House and congressional leaders reached agreement late Friday to cut billions of dollars in spending to avoid the first government shutdown in 15 years.

"We have come to an agreement," GOP House Speaker John Boehner.

Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid also confirmed a deal.

"Tomorrow ... the entire federal government will be open for business," Obama said.

Boehner said the proposal calls for a five- to six-day stopgap government funding bill, which was to be voted on Friday night, with the final longer-term deal to be worked out and voted on next week.

It appeared that negotiators were prepared to put the fight over federal funding of Planned Parenthood aside for the moment.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42467884/ns/politics-capitol_hill

---

@samsteinhp

"i would not have made these cuts in better circumstance," obama says, before explaining he "protected the investments we need."

49 seconds ago via TweetDeck

@cnnbrk
CNN Breaking News

Deal cuts $78.5 billion from Obama's 2011 budget, Reid says #shutdown http://on.cnn.com/hnSUDe

2 minutes ago via web Favorite Retweet Reply

@chrislhayes

Wow. This is bizarro world. LET'S JUST KEEP CUTTING! LET'S CUT IT ALL! LET'S SEE WHAT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE THINKS ABOUT IT!

1 minute ago via web Favorite Retweet Reply

@ezraklein

Shorter Dems: these cuts we've been resisting 7 denouncing for months are historic 7 we're proud to be passing so many of them

1 minute ago via web Favorite Retweet Reply

@ezraklein:

Listening to this speech, you'd think Obama was the one arguing for larger cuts.

1 minute ago via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet Reply

[DJ13]

1. USABreakingNews

URGENT:: Senator Reid's Communications Director tweets: "We have an agreement. Details/statement coming soon."

http://twitter.com/USABreakingNews

[onehandle]

2. And we only gave them 78% of what they wanted.

Because that's what we do.

[high density]

3. Hopefully they slipped in some more tax cuts for the rich in there too NM

[sfwriter]

4. Actually, We started at $6b in the Senate and they at $31b...

Looks like it settled north of $36b, so we gave them 110%

That's REALLY good for Democrats today though.

[sfwriter]

5. Never mind...

"CNN Congressional Producer Deirdre Walsh reported that a senior GOP aide in the meeting called it the "largest real dollar spending cut in American history" and said the proposal would cut more than $500 billion from the federal budget over the next 10 years."

And the Dems say:

"A senior Democratic source told CNN the temporary spending bill would fund the government until Thursday and would include two billion in spending cuts."

So I have no clue.

[nyy1998]

10. The bill for thursday was to give them time to pass the bigger bill to fund till September

nt

[Doctor_J]

22. So the Dems can give MORE away in a couple weeks?

this gift keeps on giving.

[SusanaMontana41]

77. Exactly. Didn't think I could be more disgusted with Obama. He outdid himself. n/t

[russspeakeasy]

80. I don't think he out did himself. I thought it was about average.

Doors are open fellas, take whatever you want. If you find my
comfortable walking shoes let me know.

[Mumblefratz]

9. It really wasn't about the money per se ...

the *real* question is did the Democrats cave in on the riders.

Has anyone heard about that yet?

[Hissyspit]

12. Some, not others?

"Congressional sources told National Journal that the outline of the spending deal includes up to $39 billion in cuts from the 2010 budget, $514 billion for the defense budget covering the remainder of this fiscal year, a GOP agreement to abandon policy riders dealing with Planned Parenthood and the Environmental Protection Agency, and an agreement to pass legislation Friday night to keep the government running while the deal is written in bill form."

[Hissyspit]

26. @ezraklein: The resolution includes rider prohibiting dc from using own $ to help women access abort

@ezraklein: The resolution includes rider prohibiting dc from using own $ to help women access abortions. So pp escaped, but dc didn't.

[wordpix]

102. since DC is a ward of the fed gov, that makes (repuklican) "sense." No wonder they're "wards" in DC

for those who don't know, instead of calling them counties, parishes or districts, the various parts of DC are called "wards." ugh

[No Elephants]

58. A budget is not really about money? And, yes, Dems gave in on some riders as well.

Please see Reply 56, among others.

What got cut and by how much is not really the issue?

[dotymed]

24. Every freakin time.

This Wall Street government of ours wants regular Americans to experience (we've already put up with too much) more extreme "Austerity" measures, impose Christian Taliban rules and allow the wealthy to rape us even harder.
Realistically, we have to join the class war that they have been waging and winning against Americans.
Why in the hell, unless (and he is) Obama is a member of the plutocracy intent on destroying America, doesn't he scream from the roof tops and rally the people???

Nobody is ready to fight back?

[Grinchie]

36. We are fighting back, its just that we are invisible to them.

For those of us that have spent the last decade preparing for the inevitable collapse, we rarely show up on the radar of the PTB. The only people they see are the fearful, unprepared masses that are finally waking up to the fact that they have been raped repeatedly in the name of Capitalism and the Free Market.

As soon as people realize that they too can provide for themselves, and shake off the yoke of consumerism, this cabal will be destroyed.

I was able to learn how to do it, so anyone can.

I have never felt more empowered or wealthy than ever before, and I am enjoying the debacle as the system collapses from afar. I have been warning friends and acquaintances for years, and have lost good friends over the predictions, but it is all coming to pass.

Frankly, the government shutdown was a ploy to frighten the masses, but would have never occurred, simply because it would demonstrate how little the Government does for us on a daily basis. I don't know about others, but shutting down the wars due to lack of money is a good thing as far as I'm concerned, and this was hinted at in 2004 as a means of getting us out of Iraq, but never followed through. The Democrats win, and continue the campaign without skipping a step....

When people come to the realization that a steady paycheck is not a good enough reason to sell their souls, that will be the day we see change. Until then, expect the feeble minded, shallow thinkers, and true believers to follow along with the charade until it plunges into the abyss, dragging them all with it.

[yngdip]

47. AMEN

I am trying to divest from our corrupt system too. I am tired of my tax dollars going towards wars. Since I earn pennies, the majority of what I give to the system is via sales tax. Consumption seems to be the magic button. The more we consume the more money the corporations can spend on politicians.

Breaking my personal habit of overconsumption is hard, but your comments are a nice reminder that it is worth it. I hope others join us in the fight.


Thanks for the post.

[Locrian]

72. care to enlighten us then?

For those of us that have spent the last decade preparing for the inevitable collapse, we rarely show up on the radar of the PTB. The only people they see are the fearful, unprepared masses that are finally waking up to the fact that they have been raped repeatedly in the name of Capitalism and the Free Market.

As soon as people realize that they too can provide for themselves, and shake off the yoke of consumerism, this cabal will be destroyed.

I was able to learn how to do it, so anyone can.

Not being snarky, truly curious. What did you do to get started? Learn how to do this?

[Grinchie]

96. I was a challenge I admit

First lesson was to live my life following all the advice and standard practices we all have come to take for granted, like steady employment, honest credit facilities, stable infrastructure, running water, etc., then see the rug pulled out from under me.

The rug pulling was done by Enron in the form of energy price manipulation, rolling blackouts, and the huge aftershaocks it created in the California economy. This event was assisted by a Government friendly to Enron.

This destabilization woke me up to the charade of our Economy, as our "Employment" is basically a make work system meant to keep people busy. People are unhappy in their work, but remain simply because of the paycheck. People think it's normal to pay several dozen bills a month, but I looked long and hard at were the money was going when it dried up. That's when I discovered that the little death of a thousand cuts from bills in the $20 - $50 dollar range were being spent on trivialities like Cable TV, instead of something with real value. I discovered that I had been saddle with a crushing mortgage that was no longer tenable, and nobody would talk to me about refinance.

I ended up by losing my home after exhausting every option that was available. We worked very hard, and it was a very stressful time, with a heavy helping of emotion and pain.

We decided to move on to a place where the land was cheap and plentiful, and followed through. WIth what little money I had remaining, I bought a nice tract of land for a very good price. I spent all the money I had and paid cash for it, and was left with just a few thousand bucks to my name.

Eventually, it was running out so we moved to the farm as an experiment, a kind of a frontier if you will. We lived off the grid, in a very cheap 800 sft tent. It had a kitchen, running water, electricy from a very cheap 400 watt inverter, and a bank of batteries that I would charge with an ATV than pumped out 10 amps at idle. The ATV was the stuff the Bankruptcy Trustee didn't want - He took my old real property instead.

This little experiment forced us to think about all the things that we take for granted in the modern world, such as Clean Water, Waste Disposal, Electricity, Shelter, Security, Refrigeration, and how to cope without it.

As we experienced the reality of what it takes to survive at a minimum, we found that we were healthier, happier, and more energetic than ever. WIth no TV, we took advantage of the local library and actually learned the best techniques to solve the issues of infrastructure I described previously. I was this discovery process that allowed us to meet other individuals who were also attempting to relearn the not so old methods of self sufficiency and the ability to live with very little and be very happy doing it. When you meet other like minded people, who are not in a rush to get back to Oprah or Dancing with the stars, you get meaningful conversations and idea exchanges that you just don't get most of the time.

After experiencing this primitive lifestyle for about two year, I learned what was real value vs Corporate dogma. For example, I used to depend on my weedeater to clear the land. It was a dirty, loud, and unhealthy job, but it was the only way to clear some rocky areas, was used for the first pass when opening up a new field. The results were good, but the reality is that fuel costs, and having a grassy area is not the way to go. It enabled new insects and weeds, and after a while, I abandoned the Weedeater BS and reverted to a Machete.

I invested in Chain Saw Mills, but found it to be extremely unhealthy work for very little return, again requiring fuel and maintenance which really adds up. I looked for alternatives and rediscovered Timber Framing, the Broad Axe, the Felling Axe, the Hatchet, the Tee Handled Auger, and a whole slew of other tools that were quite common until the 60's. When I started looking for these tools, I found that most of the time, you could not find them, as they were not manufactured anymore!

The only place you'll find them is on eBay, and thats when it struck me... We have been asleep at the wheel, and little by little, the most important hand tools have been discontinued and are no longer available. As I researched the old catalogs, I was amazed at the number of hand tools we had at our disposal in the 1900's. They are all antiques now.

So, having learned this, I traveled to the east bay with a shopping list of tools and essentials to buy. What I found was that Grandpa and Grandma's kids were cleaning out the garages and selling these amazing assortments of tools for pennies per pound. I loaded up with every tool for woodworking I could find, and I found amazing items, covered with rust, improperly sharpened and abused, and generally forgotten.

What people don't realize is that these tools a not replaceable. They are made with metals that are no longer available, as the process used to make them no longer exists. I didn't know anything before I challenged myself to see if I could be as skilled as my great grandfather in making things for myself, and the learning process was really eye opening.

While I traveled from garage sale to garage sale seeking out hand tools, I kept an eye on the industrial campuses around the Port of Oakland and saw several hundred Prime Industrial complexes sitting idle and empty. Every other building that was occupied seemed to be involved with Cardboard recyclying. That was in 2006. These buildings are still empty, and one has to ask the question, "Who is carrying these empty buildings". There are taxes and maintenance regardless of occupancy.. Secondly, where did all the machinery go that was once housed in these companies that are now gone? THe answer is Mexico, China, and India, (Where they still make Tee Handled Augers by the way).

The main point that I learned is that working with your hands and getting dirty is not something to be ashamed of. For every hour of sweat there is 2 hours of desk work and research. Machine tools are great for productivity, but you can also destroy a piece of work with a power saw in an instant, where you have more time with a hand saw. When you make things by hand, you have a great sense of worth.

Another point is that the hand tools are easier to work with once you re-learn the proper use of the tool. Sometimes it takes a week to build the appropriate muscle and skill, but once that is done, it's hard to go back to a noisy circular saw burning it's way through the wood, when a properly sharpened and appropriate hand saw or boring tool.

The most surprising thing I learned is the importance of Sharpening. Our Corporate masters have determined that it is much easier to discard a dull saw than to sharpen it. I challenge anyone to try and find a means to sharpen the tools they sell there by hand. The coarse Oil Stones they sell are not appropriate. You will not find and assortment of Skip Stones, whetstones, Waterstones, and I bet you'l find one or two styles of files. Sure you can replace the blade easy enough..

I have tools that are older than 60 years and they are a dream to use, hold and edge, as well as are easy to sharpen when needed. They fit in your hands, are well balanced, have the appropriate mass, and are a joy to use, free of the need for electricity.

The tools are just one part of the puzzle. People just need to think about things a little more deeply. It's easy. Just start asking "What if".

What if the Water Company stopped delivering piped water?
What if the water in the pipes was declared undrinkable?
Without water, how would your neighborhood flush the toilets? How long until it is unbearable? What are the alternatives and backup plans? Buckets? Backyard cesspits?

I won't even mention food is the supplies were disrupted to a major city. I grow much of my own, but we still rely on the market for Milk, Cheese, Lettuce and other things that we like. I would have a major shift in diet if the food supplies are disturbed, but I have a backup plan when needed, and every day, more goes into the earth for future production.

What if the electricity goes out for a prolonged period?
How long would it take you to get home if there were a power failure at work and they send you home? Did you count on the 100,000 other people doing the same thing, navigating streets without traffic signals? (It's not pleasant - See Rolling Blackouts in California).
Do you have a backup plan?

Yes, these are difficult questions for many people, but it's necessary to become more self sufficient and prepared if ever the need arises.

I do not stockpile food, i don't hoard precious metals, and I don't think that this all needs to end in collapse. People are quite capable to providing for themselves, but it is going to take a major shift in thinking and education, and we are running out of time. It's time that people hold themselves accountable and do what it takes to be more resilient in the face of adversity. Of course, they make it seem that living simply is the same as living in adversity, but it's a lie. When you learn to live simply, you learn what is really valuable. and you take steps to preserve it.

It's funny but in my area, there are quite a few of us ex high tech people that have left the system and are doing basically the same thing. Some of them are extremely well educated, and they see the same issues as I do, and are taking steps to preserve what they have worked so hard for. They didn't lose it all before they saw the light like I did however, and some of them really do believe in conspiracy and Corporate monopoly. I was in high tech myself, but I find myself quite busy analyzing the situation day by day, and timing things properly.

Things take time. Plan for the time it takes to properly do a job. Plan for the time it take to learn a skill properly. Plan for the concrete to set. Plan for a Hurricane by sticking your head out of a car window travelling 60 MPH, and then apply that experience to all the items on your property and how they would react.

A lot of people need to make up and at least think about these issues on the slim chance that they will actually manifest.

It doesn't really matter to me anymore, because if the shit really hits the fan, like all my crops and land being contaminated with radioactive fallout, then it's all over. There is nothing to do except exist with the knowledge that we will be living with unseen radioactivity and the damage it does 24/7.

Hope this helps you out if you decide to undertake self sufficiency for yourself.

[wordpix]

103. +1 went back to the land in the 70's & 80's for the same reasons

but then gradually started working for a paycheck and now am hooked back into the big bad system.

Hoping to get out again soon but am now in a city. I miss the birds and open space.

[SusanaMontana41]

78. People can provide for themselves? In this economy? HOW?

We have taken food out of the mouths of women and children. Some victory.

[Grinchie]

97. They have taken our choices away for many years.

All you have to do is watch the "Future of Food" or "Food Inc." and see that the policies of the US Government promote a shift toward the industrialization of food to the point where we no longer have the varieties of food plants that people can grow themselves.

Furthermore, when the jobs go away to far off lands, we lose our ability to produce for ourselves, and we now see that America has been on a Credit Card binge since the 70's, and the Chickens are coming home to roost, and they are very hungry.

It's true, if you are totally dependant on a paycheck to live, there is very little you can do other than to try and save as much as you can, and focus on what is important, like food and shelter. When the Government can get away with claims of low inflation, with the sole intent to delay Cost Of Living Allowances (COLA) for the Eldery, while food skyrockets, yet nobody seems to be able to convince the Government of the truth, then something is terribly wrong with this country. Dare I say Fascism? I'm seeing a great deal of My Way or the Highway from this government, and the people are grumbling pretty loudly, yet the government keeps pushing.

Personally, I do not think it is going to end well for them. They have killed the Goose that has laid the Golden Egg, and are carving it up for the Oligarchs. Once the people realize that they do have the power to say "NO", and they exercise that right by bankrupting the system through non participation, only then will the Oligarchs take notice. We have to let them know that the free ride is over, and the peasant need to make the environment very unpleasant through passive resistance, refusal to work without at least a living wage and coverage for work related injury. We have to demand that this Ponzi scheme called the Housing Bubble is allowed to collapse on it's own and get these millions of properties that are being supported by TARP into circulation, instead of rotting in the elements. We have to teach our kids that War is not the answer, and refuse to fund War or participate in it.

If they want to pretend they are operating in our best interests, yet at the same time promote policies that reduce the food supply to the nation, they will fail. People have to eat, there is no question or alternative, and when that need is denied, people are designed to get desperate due to basic survival mechanisms.

I have taken steps to extract myself from this system that forces us into jobs we don't like, soley to provide a living wage. I have found that I can produce goods that are useful to me than the antiquated make work jobs that are available, which are boring, waste my precious time, and do nothing for society. We have factories full of Robots that can produce nearly everything we need, 24/7, but we still cling to this thing called employment. Productivity they yell, yet somehow prices always increase while the number of jobs decrease. Something is terribly wrong.

When you work for yourself, you find that you work very hard, but you love the job.

America is bankrupt and it's all smoke and mirrors at this point.

[wordpix]

104. I recall when I got my first indoor job after 15 yrs. of working outdoors on farms

I really felt closed in and uncomfortable. I hated it.

[No Elephants]

56. More than 78%

"Not all policy "riders" were struck. One provision in the final deal would ban the use of federal or local government funds to pay for abortions in the District of Columbia. A program dear to Boehner that lets District of Columbia students use federally funded vouchers to attend private schools also survived.

Republicans had also included language to deny federal funding to implement the year-old health care law. The deal only requires such a proposal to be voted on by the Senate where it is certain to fall short of the required 60 votes."




I'm not banking on the Senate for anything.

[ooglymoogly]

85. O gave them 110% of what they originally demanded without a whimper

when they saw what a pushover he was they began moving the goal post. 0 and the dems finally "capitulated" at giving them 130% of what they asked for. This happened because 0 wanted these cuts; because his benefactors wanted these cuts. And this is just a beginning. Think cat food commission.

[RedCloud]

6. It's short term so Boner can do it again and again

[mvd]

16. How long does this fund for?

I heard through September?

[quakerboy]

7. They win we lose?

Oh. right. It was they win, we lose with every option on the table.

Handy that.

Man, if this was a football game it would be time to quit the league, cause every reff hates us, most fans aren't even watching, and the other team is playing with carefully placed snipers instead of quarterbacks.

[inwiththenew]

8. I can't wait to see how badly we got screwed

Hopefully not too bad.

[onehandle]

11. The President said it's the biggest cuts in history.

I predict a run on cat food by little old ladies losing their benefits.

[RantinRavin]

15. Hell cat food is more expensive

than person food.

[No Elephants]

60. Elderly and disabled women and men whose only income is OASDI probably can't afford even cat food.

And Obama cut fuel subsidies for the poor in his own budget. So, it's a toss up whether they'll die from cold or hunger. May depend on whether they live in Minnesota or Maine vs. Texas or Florida.

[totodeinhere]

13. Another cave in by Obama and company. n/t

[cstanleytech]

28. My advice is consider the long term

objective as in the short term while it sucks it gives the dems and obama room to gain a foothold in retaking more seats and the presidency in 2012 at which point he will have a nearly 4 year grace period in which to hopefully address things like GE not paying taxes.

[totodeinhere]

31. Why didn't he do that when the Dems controlled Congress during the first

two years of his term?

[cstanleytech]

34. My guess? Because if he had

then he risked being merely a one term president like carter followed by the republicans regaining the whitehouse and potentially keeping it for 8 - 12 years,. after all its happened before it could have happened again.
Besides this also has exposed the fractures within the tea party members and the average republican in office which could come in handy in taking away their ability to set the tone for the republicans

[alp227]

39. i agree, and also i guess it was fear of retaliation

the tea party began hollering and hooting a few months after obama took office, and began threatening the re-election bids of many democrats (some even violently, e.g. sarah palin's crosshairs map that included pointing at the district of the shooting survivor Gabrielle Giffords).

[cstanleytech]

89. Exactly and by being

moderate in his decisions for the most part he has been able to largely take the wind out of their sails and its caused their shrill childish cries to fracture their party (Republican) with infighting over things like what direction to head in where as if he had pushed a more liberal agenda like most of us here would have liked (including myself) he would have been a lightening rod they could have used to gain even more seats than they did.
As it is with the upcoming election and because of the census he is going to have a rough road to being elected because so many states that he won lost electoral votes and the heavy republican leaning states gained more electoral votes so he (Obama) doesnt need his own party to fracture with its own infighting because if it does he will most likely lose to whoever the republican run, plain and simple.

[atreides1]

70. But

Didn't he say he'd rather be a one term president who did a good job, then a two term president who did a mediocre job?

[cstanleytech]

82. For the most part he has

done so and sure he has not been a perfect president but then no president ever has been perfect.

[SharksBreath]

46. Keep wishing.

[No Elephants]

57. LOL

[atreides1]

69. And while this gives them room

The poor, homeless, disabled, maybe even some of the elderly will suffer!!!

What if he doesn't fullfill your hope, then what?

[cstanleytech]

84. We must remain united regardless

in seeing he gets another term because we have limited options with our current setup in electing a president so we have to hope he will do the right thing in his 2nd term if we need to give him a chance in regards to things like gitmo and also programs for the poor and elderly and the disabled (such as my mother who I am struggling taking care of btw).
If instead we bicker among ourselves and fail to stand united behind Obama then the republicans will surely regain the whitehouse and that imo would truly be disastrous for our nation.

[russspeakeasy]

81. Please let me know where you purchase your rose colored glasses.

[Grinchie]

37. Not really, he's been very prolific in giving stuff away so far.

Now move along, nothing to see here, and please donate to the reelection campaign -- or else!

[cstanleytech]

99. Why, how odd................

do you have link to the memo you read where that all his decisions are final, set in stone and cannot be changed because I apparently missed it :(

[andym]

14. Cutting this much could not be good news

Remember when people were complaining that Obama's budget was damaging to the poor (e.g., the heating oil problem)

For example, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/13/obama-budget-proposal-cut_n_822689.html

Well, the amount of cuts that will be included are going to do a LOT more damage than the budget that many were complaining about. That's because significantly more money will be cut, and that money has to come from somewhere. The military is not likely to be included, because the GOP would never agree. That leaves social programs, government services, research, and regulatory compliance.

[and-justice-for-all]

17. and so the war machine will continue to roll on....

with NO cuts to where they should be made. More unwilling and unneeded sacrifices of the people for the sake of US global imperialism.

[Fearless]

18. Thanks Mr. President. We'll remember this next November after your billion dollar campaign.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Doctor_J]

20. He needs a billion dollars for next year, and knows that seniors, poor people, and young people

(you know, the ones who elected him in 2008) can't come up with that much. so he's thrown us under the bus to try to get the Chamber of Commerce into his camp. What a surprise he's in for.

[alp227]

41. politics is the lesser of two evils. in 2012 the bigger evil will be a Religious Right Republican

who will no doubt bring back Don't Ask Don't Tell and defend Don't Ask Don't Tell and Prop 8 if those laws are still in judicial dispute. I'd prefer a corporatist Democrat over an anti-abortion, anti-gay, fundamentalist Christian like Romney or Huckabee, thank you very much. It's easy to complain right now, but in October 2012 when the GOP smears go into high gear you'll rethink...

[No Elephants]

61. "politics is the lesser of two evils." Only if you accept that impotent framing.

[Grinchie]

38. Cash for Clunkers II?

I'm sure that would grab a few voters.

[russspeakeasy]

83. Cash for shacks might work too.

[Jumping John]

21. I was impressed when Obama patted himself on the back for signing the tax cuts. And Reid praised the

President of the Chamber of Commerce.

Traitors both.

[Doctor_J]

25. Did you ever think you'd see a Dem president celebrating consigning more poor & elderly to death?

simply breathtaking

[nashville_brook]

27. word.

[Grinchie]

98. Who says he's a DEM President? More like DLC President

So I'm not surprised.

[Zorra]

23. If Dems had passed a budget for FY 2011, this would not have happened.

Why didn't they pass a budget?

Why did they wait until republicans took over the House?

[Jumping John]

30. They didn't pass one so they could play out this act as if it is the best they could do. They are

making those self serving speeches on the floor of the house like they have done a great deal. Acting like they are all (Rs and Ds) one great all mighty loving family. All an act to stab the entire nation in the back

[plumbob]

48. With fewer than 60 Dems in the Senate, the Pubs could filibuster

anything they liked. And did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filibuster_in_the_United_States_Senate

The 111th Congress again broke the record for the number of filibusters in a session, passing one-hundred cloture votes in the first eleven months.<29> In March 2010, freshman senator Al Franken attacked the majority of the filibusters—some on matters which later passed with little controversy—as a "perversion of the filibuster".<30>

[No Elephants]

62. Unless Dems honestly put up ther best fight and lost, that excuse is a joke.

Besides, Dems had the chance to change the filibuster rule at the start of this session by a simple majority vote and did not.

We get the government we deserve. Keeping inventing excuses instead of demanding answers and accountability and we deserve very llttle indeed.

[plumbob]

79. I never said they tried to change the rule. I noted the record number of

filibusters, which is accurate.

We haven't had a President worth shit since LBJ. Do you or anyone else really suspect that the Congress was REALLY so neat and sweet that they were lining up to pass the 1964 Voting Rights Act, the Civil Rights Act, Medicare, Head Start, and all the other Great Society programs? Nope. It's because of the Johnson treatment; where he took politician's arms off and only promised to return them after he got what he wanted.

If not for the fucking military convincing him that they knew more about war than he did, that horrible mistake of Vietnam could never have occurred. Without that, Johnson goes down in history as one of the greatest Presidents. Paper shufflers for the wealthy since then. I'm personally ready for the Jeffersonian solution to our governmental problem.

http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/lbjforkids/usgov.shtm#g

Landmark Laws of the Lyndon B. Johnson Administration

With these acts President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Congress wrote a record of hope and opportunity for America:

-----1963-----
College Facilities
Clean Air
Vocational Education

Indian Vocational Training
Manpower Training


-----1964-----
Inter-American Development Bank
Kennedy Cultural Center
Tax Reduction
Presidential Transition
Federal Airport Aid
Farm Program
Chamizal Convention
Pesticide Controls
International Development Association
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Campobello International Park
Urban Mass Transit
Water Resources Research
Federal Highway
Civil Service Pay Raise




War on Poverty
Criminal Justice
Truth-in-Securities
Medicine Bow National Forest
Ozark Scenic Riverway
Administrative Conference
Fort Bowie Historic Site
Food StampHousing Act
Interest Equalization
Wilderness Areas
Nurse Training
Revenues for Recreation
Fire Island National Seashore
Library Services
Federal Employee Health Benefits


-----1965-----
Medicare
Aid to Education
Higher Education
Four Year Farm Program
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Housing Act
Social Security Increase
Voting Rights
Fair Immigration Law
Older Americans
Heart, Cancer, Stroke Program
Law Enforcement Assistance
National Crime Commission
Drug Controls
Mental Health Facilities
Health Professions
Medical Libraries
Vocational Rehabilitation
Anti-Poverty Program
Arts and Humanities Foundation
Aid to Appalachia
Highway BeautyClean Air
Water Pollution Control



High Speed Transit
Manpower Training
Presidential Disability
Child Health
Regional Development
Aid to Small Businesses
Weather-Predicting Services
Military Pay Increase
GI Life Insurance
Community Health Services
Water Resources Council
Water Desalting
Assateague National Seashore
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area
Juvenile Delinquency Control
Arms Control
Strengthening U.N. Charter
International Coffee Agreement
Retirement for Public Servants


-----1966-----
Food for India
Child Nutrition
Department of Transportation
Truth in Packaging
Model Cities
Rent Supplements
Teachers Corps
Asian Development Bank
Clean Rivers
Food for Freedom
Child Safety
Narcotics Rehabilitation
Traffic Safety
Highway Safety
Mine Safety
International Education
Bail Reform
Tire Safety
New GI Bill
Minimum Wage Increase
Urban Mass Transit




Civil Procedure Reform
Federal Highway Aid
Military Medicare
Public Health Reorganization
Cape Lookout Seashore
Water Research
Guadalupe National Park
Revolutionary War Bicentennial
Fish-Wildlife Preservation
Water for Peace
Anti-Inflation Program
Scientific Knowledge Exchange
Cultural Materials Exchange
Foreign Investors Tax
Parcel Post Reform
Civil Service Pay Raise
Stockpile Sales
Participation Certificates
Protection for Savings
Flexible Interest Rates
Freedom of Information


-----1967-----
Education Professions
Education Act
Air Pollution Control
Partnership for Health
Social Security Increases
Age Discrimination
Wholesome Meat
Flammable Fabrics
Urban Research
Public Broadcasting
Outer Space Treaty
Modern D.C. Government
Vietnam Veterans Benefits
Federal Judicial Center
Civilian-Postal Workers Pay




Deaf-Blind Center
College Work Study
Summer Youth Programs
Food Stamps
Rail Strike Settlement
Selective Service
Urban Fellowships
Consular Treaty
Safety At Sea Treaty
Narcotics Treaty
Anti-Racketeering
Product Safety Commission
Small Business Aid
Inter-American Bank


-----1968-----
Fair Housing
Indian Bill of Rights
Safe Streets
Wholesome Poultry
Food for Peace
Commodity Exchange Rules
U.S. Grain Standards
School Breakfasts
Bank Protection
Defense Production
Corporate Takeovers
Export Program
Gold Cover Removal
Truth-in-Lending
Aircraft Noise Abatement
Auto Insurance Study
New Narcotics Bureau
Gas Pipeline Safety
Fire Safety
Sea Grant Colleges
D.C. School Board
Tax Surcharge
Better Housing
International Monetary Reform
International Grains Treaty
Oil Revenues for Recreation
Virgin Islands Elections
San Rafael Wilderness




San Gabriel Wilderness
Fair Federal Juries
Candidate Protection
Juvenile Delinquency Prevention
Guaranteed Student Loans
D.C. Visitors Center
FHA-VA Interest Rate Program
Health Manpower
Eisenhower College
Gun Controls
Aid-to-Handicapped Children
Redwoods Park
Flaming Gorge Recreation Area
Biscayne ParkHeart, Cancer, and Stroke Programs
Hazardous Radiation Protection
Colorado River Reclamation
Scenic RiversScenic Trails
National Water Commission
Federal Magistrates
Vocational Education
Veterans Pension Increases
North Cascades Park
International Coffee Agreement
Intergovernmental Manpower
Dangerous Drugs Control
Military Justice Code


NOW if we don't have to let Koch brothers fuck our wives in our own beds, we're lucky.

There will be no change in the way things are, because the actors are all bought and paid. They're not even very good actors. I said that there would be a last second "miracle" to avert a shutdown with plenty of "statemanship" fairy dust to sprinkle around for both "nominal" sides.

Luckily, I'll very likely be dead before they take 100% of absolutely everything, based on actuarial rates. My only regret is having brought children into this mess.

[wordpix]

105. if Dems had stood up against tax cuts for the rich in 2010, this would never have happened, either

pisses me off, and we got more repukes in the House for this BS to continue

[Crunchy Frog]

29. So they pretty much got everything they wanted

and "caved" or compromised on a largely symbolic issue that they didn't really care much about anyway. And our side pretty much surrendered because only controlling the presidency and the Senate is not sufficient to exercize real power.

I'm not sure that I see the point in even bothering to vote in the next election.

[totodeinhere]

32. No you should still vote. I am as pissed as you are but some of this mess we are in

was caused by the fact that not enough Dems voted in 2010 and that got us the GOP controlled House.

[alp227]

33. people need to start hitting alert, it reflects poorly on us to say "boycott 2012"

It's far far more unjustifiable to allow a Republican victory in 2012 and even 8 more years of frustration. And I can't wait for a real budget this time. Seriously.

[Crunchy Frog]

94. Where did I say "boycott 2012"?

I was expressing my own personal feelings of discouragement. As far as I know, that's still permitted on this board.

And if you want to alert on me, then just do it.

Does it not surprise you, even a little bit, that the Republicans can exert more power just controlling the House than the Dems could when they controlled the House, the Senate, and the Presidency? Do you not find that even a little bit discouraging, or is it just what you expect?

[Iliyah]

35. Tea Brats in house

are threatening to vote no on it anyway. They are pissed, the libs are pissed, and some are quite pleased. At least at this point in time the 800,000 plus troops and other government employees and businesses are quite pleased.

Now if it does pass, I guess many Americans will be hurt by the cuts (I really don't know the cuts yet) including the tea brats that votes, y'know them folks too. As usual they vote against their own interest.

I hear that all riders are off the table and can be voted on indivually, which means dead on arrival.

For me, I'm relieved. I don't want a shut down. I don't want the cuts neither nor the riders. Do I feel the dems compromised too much, yes, but in the long run, hopefully we can vote the tea brats out and maybe get more progressives in, hopefully the economy will be stronger, and raise the taxes on the rich and gawd damn it have the corporations pay their portion of taxes too.

[primavera]

42. Hope springs eternal, I see

That certainly has become the mantra of the Democratic Party: play ball and hope like hell everything works out someday. We've been saying that since the Raygun administration and now, 30 years later, the country has slid so far to the right that even Raygun is starting to look like a socialist saint in comparison to the rabid, barking mad, foaming at the mouth bunch we've got now. Yet we still keep hoping that if we just play nice and try to be reasonable, it will somehow all miraculously get better... someday. And, if it doesn't, well, there was really nothing we could do about it anyway, was there?

[sandyd921]

90. Not so sure the people have slid right.

I'd say its the ruling power structure that has moved to the ultra far right. Aside from a few tea baggers most people want health care, for their kids to be able to go to college and succeed, to have the means to be able to retire at 65, etc., etc. The problem is that those who rule (the plutocrats) have decided that the wishes of the wealthy elite are all that counts.

[primavera]

93. Either way it sucks

Either the people have slid right or the people, which includes us, have allowed a tiny minority to seize control of our country and restore feudalism in it. Take your pick, but either way, not enough has been done to prevent it and the last 30 years ought to be ample evidence of how catastrophically ineffective our patient, reasonable, wait-and-see, play-by-the-rules, try-to-please-everybody approach to politics has been.

[Grinchie]

40. They are one in the same, and I'm sure you see the resemblance.

There is no common sense in politics these days, because it is all ad libbed by very poor actors.

When a real statesmen shows up, I'll vote for him. Until then, spare me with the ridiculous idea that just because they have a D behind their names that they represent humane ideals of the democratic party.

Soon, we will see (C) in addition to (D), (R), and (I)

[knixphan]

55. Zactly.

Plus, primaries matter.

[No Elephants]

63. And why do you suppose Dems did not turn out in droves in 2010?

[totodeinhere]

65. Laziness and stupidity mostly. n/t

[No Elephants]

74. We disagree there.

:hi:

[totodeinhere]

86. You are right. I said that out of anger and frustration at what is happening to this country.

But I should blame Democratic voters.

[totodeinhere]

91. Sorry I meant "should not" blame Democratic voters. n/t

[No Elephants]

64. Not voting is the wrong answer. Write in someone, if you must, but

don't disenfranchise your own self or silence your own voice.

[primavera]

95. Agreed

But it's a balancing act. History doesn't record that a centrist Dem who sold out his/her constituents won re-election simply because it beat the alternative of the guy in jackboots; it simply records that s/he won and any actions s/he subsequently took thus bear the seal of legitimacy of "democratic" approval and voter mandate. There has to be a point at which voters, when asked to choose between unacceptable candidates, can say: "No. Enough is enough. Neither of these candidates is acceptable."

[mike_c]

43. America is not broke....

We just admitted that we all work for the rich, who now get to decide who lives and who dies, who eats and who starves, who has health and who stays sick.

This is disgusting.

[primavera]

44. +1 n/t

[kestrel91316]

45. Fuck "tax cuts". Fuck "social services cuts". Bring the goddamned troops

home from ALL our "wars" and beat some swords into plowshares.

RIGHT. FUCKING. NOW.

[plumbob]

49. I've been saying that since day one of each of these conflicts.

Still am.

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[SidDithers]

52. ...

Sid

[TomCADem]

51. Woot! Planned Parenthood, EPA and Health Care Reform Protected! Congratulations Dems!

Nice work in holding out, and demonstrating that Democrats were the ones who are fiscally responsible. Not Republicans.

[No Elephants]

75. LOL!

[Name removed]

88. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[AKDavy]

53. Neoliberal Disaster Capitalism

Cut taxes for the rich
Deregulate
Privatize
Cut social services

Best wishes fellow peasants.

[TomCADem]

54. 'Historic' deal to avoid government shutdown

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON – Perilously close to a government shutdown, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders reached a historic agreement late Friday night to cut about $38 billion in spending and avert the first federal closure in 15 years.

Obama hailed the deal as "the biggest annual spending cut in history." House Speaker John Boehner said that over the next decade it would cut government spending by $500 billion — and won an ovation from his rank and file, tea party adherents among them.

* * *

On side issues — "riders," the negotiators called them — the Democrats and the White House rebuffed numerous Republican attempts to curtail the reach of the Environmental Protection Agency.

They also sidetracked their demand to deny federal funds to Planned Parenthood. Under the accord, the issue will come to a vote in the Senate under terms guaranteed to end in its defeat.


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_spending_showdown;_ylt=AvyXHtidN_xbK80q1eJ5P0ZH2ocA;_ylu=X3oDMTM4am52ZzRlBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNDA5L3VzX3NwZW5kaW5nX3Nob3dkb3duBGNjb2RlA21wX2VjXzhfMTAEY3BvcwMxBHBvcwMxBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcmllcwRzbGsDaGlzdG9yaWNkZWFs

---

Congratulations to President Obama and the Democrats in Congress to protecting the EPA and Planned Parenthood. The 2011 budget fight is going to be tougher with Republicans looking to shutdown the federal government just to satisfy their base.

[Cass]

59. The devil will be in the details. I will wait to see what is included in the $78.5 billion in cuts.

The article said the deal won an "ovation" from congressional Teabaggers which raises a red flag for me.

Good on them for scrapping the PP and EPA riders but agreeing to the DC rider hacks me off, I still don't understand how they can dictate to DC how they use their own funds.

[FBaggins]

66. Congress controls DC.

They dictate almost everything in the "federal city".

Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution includes:

"To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District..."

[Cass]

71. I didn't know this - thanks! nt

[Doctor_J]

73. Here's a clue - it won't be the pentagon

so what does that leave?

[Thor_MN]

67. Look for the Rethugs to be blaiming the left for all the negative impacts in 3,2,1...

The election rhetoric on the right will be to say that all the woes of the economy rest at Obama's feet. Nevermind the trillions of dollars that W squandered, Obama brought us to historic debt!!!

[No Elephants]

68. A weepy plastics salesman outnegotiated a lawyer by THAT much? KABUKI, just like the tax "compro-

mise. Worse, if you think about it.

[wordpix]

106. +1 --and cigarette-addicted weepy salesman, at that, who's looked drunk on stage a time or two

[SusanaMontana41]

76. "Negotiators"? You mean capitulators. n/t

[Name removed]

87. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Liberalynn]

92. So is Ryans plan for privatizing Medicare part of this or is that seperate?

[cstanleytech]

101. Last I read the dems were pretty much

telling Ryan to shove that idea where the sun doesnt shine and hopefully they will keep on doing that until there is workable national healthcare for everyone and no I dont mean the current republican version of a national healthcare plan which is designed soley so that those of us who arent rich are supposed to just "Die Faster".

[sethgrogen]

100. Hillary?? Any chance??