The 110th congress has yet to convene but Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi has already lowered the hammer, given the opposition their walking papers, and outlined the plan to pound through the Democrats '100 Hour' agenda.
Speaker Pelosi said House Republicans will "be given only one chance to amend or debate a plan to curb oil and gas subsidies and other Democratic priorities." Legislation "cutting subsidies to oil and gas producers is one of Democrats' top six priorities for their first 100 hours in power. Pelosi said Thursday that the oil and gas legislation along with bills cutting student loan interest rates and requiring the government to negotiate prescription drug prices for Medicare would not go through the normal legislative process."
And for those of you who might find outrage in Speaker Pelosi's decision to forego 'normal legislative process' I can only say that Republicans set the precedent for creative use of majority power to castrate the minority opposition. So if you don't like it, too damn bad. Now is not the time to roll over to the deposed dictators and share warm fuzzies.
Now is the time to kick ass and curtail, as quickly as possible, the unfathomable damage done by years of GOP rule.
And to hold true to her promise of an ethical government, the fine Speaker is spearheading (along with Republican John 'Day-Late-Dollar-Short' Boehner) an effort to appoint a bipartisan task force to examine the creation of an independent enforcement panel. The task force would wholly decide the make-up of such a panel, so the details are yet to be determined. But one thing that is for sure is that the panel would operate as "a permanent outside enforcement entity" with no congressional oversight. So no more Republicans 'investigating' Republican malfeasance or Democrats investigating other Democrats.
And then there's the intelligence budget...
"In 2004, the [9/11] commission urged Congress either to create a House-Senate intelligence panel or grant the House and Senate intelligence committees the power not only to oversee the nation's intelligence agencies but also to fund them and shape intelligence policy."
So, true to her word, Speaker Pelosi called "for creation of a congressional panel that would oversee the administration's intelligence budget." Pelosi "said the proposed intelligence oversight panel would be made up of lawmakers from the Appropriations Committee and the Select Committee on Intelligence, and would work within the Appropriations Committee."
And, of course Speaker Pelosi continues to push forth on all fronts of the Democrats' 'First 100 Hours'.
Those six:
- Ethics and lobbying overhaul
- Implementing the 9/11 Commission recommendations
- Raising the federal minimum wage
- Cutting interest rates on student loans
- Making health care more affordable
- Cutting subsidies to the oil industry.
Truly, the 'First Hundred Hours', if executed properly, could prove to be more productive and beneficial to the American people than the work of the last three 'do-nothing' congresses combined.
Drain that swamp, Nancy. And by the way... Where have you been all my life?
Rock!!!