Good evening, Daily Kos readers. This is your evening open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, offer critiques and suggestions, or post manifestos.
This is an open source project, so feel free to add your own insights.
I am still taking roll call for district number and committee assignments.
Here's the news I found lurking around the Internets..
David phoned in his vacation thoughts on procedure. Some beach bum he makes.
That's why I think that despite the fact that none of the more exotic options were eventually utilized -- beyond the use of "ping-ponging" the Senate bill and using reconciliation for the tweaks, that is -- their proposal and discussion were nonetheless necessary and vital to the process. Maybe that's just the process blogger's slant on it, but I think arming the Democratic netroots activist base with the procedural understanding they needed to be able to carry the argument forward into the offline world, and offer their support to allies in Congress, helped immensely.
The Senate Finance committee was too busy to move into the 21st century until now. Might have made navigation last September a little easier. Oh, well. On to the next BFD!
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Speaking of exotic options and progressive activism, Happy Birthday Mr. Chancellor!
The idea was first put forward, at Bismarck's behest, in 1881 by Germany's Emperor, William the First, in a ground-breaking letter to the German Parliament. William wrote: ". . .those who are disabled from work by age and invalidity have a well-grounded claim to care from the state."
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Coupled with the workers' compensation program established in 1884 and the "sickness" insurance enacted the year before, this gave the Germans a comprehensive system of income security based on social insurance principles.
When established in 1889, the initial retirement age was set to 70. Allied post-war reconstruction help enabled the system to continue. Ironic.
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Never thought I would read this, even on April Fools' day.
"The mistake you made was you were disrespectful for him -- to him, when you called him 'Sen. Smalley,'" said O'Reilly, "and you gave him a reason to blow you off."
O'Reily took Franken seriously back in 2003.
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Labor War in the Mojave is No April Fool's Joke. A friend form high school also has a birthday today.
The lockout is two months old. As The Nation article was being written the company retracted some demands that would not have stood the scrunchy of the national Labor Relations Board. We are still waiting a U. S. Supreme Court decision on New Process Steel v. NLRB (08-1457). Recess appointments were necessary.
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And because financial collapse is never a joke, read Meteor Blade's front page story about Rep. Kaptur D-OH call for more white collar criminal investigators.
So far, in this crisis, in which far more billions were lost and more taxpayer money expended rescuing the system, only one guy has gone to prison, Bernie Madoff. And he's a special case. A few others have gotten stern looks or a ruler across the knuckles.
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A surge in co-sponsors would no doubt get the bill a higher profile and give it a chance to get a floor vote. With only 26 co-sponsors signed on so far, plenty of Congresspeople would benefit from a little phone nudge to their offices.
You may not have like her vote with the former state trooper from Michigan, but the rest of her positions rate her a lousy 13% from the American Conservative Union. Toledo has a former Badger and Wolverine in their corner.