June 16th: Republicans and a dozen Democratic defectors in the Senate dealt a defeat to President Barack Obama Wednesday, just days after he pressed Congress to renew pieces of last year’s economic stimulus bill.
A catchall measure combining jobless aid for the long-term unemployed, aid to cash-strapped state governments and the renewal of dozens of popular tax breaks for businesses and individuals failed to muster even a majority in a test vote.
The vote reflected rising voter anger over deficits and the nation’s $13 trillion debt. And it’s by no means certain the measure can be revived to win moderate Democrats back and garner the handful of GOP votes needed to eventually pass it. "They’ve laid the straw that broke the camel’s back as far as I’m concerned," said Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who provided a critical vote to advance an earlier version of the measure in March. "We’re talking $50 billion in new taxes, $80 billion in new borrowing. ..
100 bn for Iraq and 100 bn for Afghanistan, 800+ bn for DOD, about 1 bn for Israel (all yearly), but unemployed Americans cost too much, so they are cut loose.
http://www.pnj.com/...
http://wrmea.org/...
Anyone care? Anyone? Or is it all about iPads, what Glenn Beck said, what Limbaugh said, and what BP is up to? Abandon your fellow citizens, abandon yourself.