...that if I were president of these here United States and; I knew for certain, or had been advised by those whose business it is to know such things for certain, that in 6 days the country was facing the probability of a financial and economic crisis; I knew that there was no plan on the horizon that had much of a chance of being passed by both Houses of Congress in time to keep that probable crisis from becoming a painful reality for the citizens of the country which I serve; I knew that there are 38 million people age 65 or over and another 13 million under 65 and disabled who depend on their Social Security checks every month. Many, if not most, who depend on those checks for their very survival, and that those checks might not be sent should that crisis occur; I knew that the country is struggling to pull out of the Great Recession, and there are already 15 to 20 million people out of work, and that another financial shock could throw us back into recession or even a depression which might cause another 15 to 20 million to be unemployed; I had been told by some with knowledge of the law and the Constitution, and even by a former president, that I had the authority to act unilaterally to keep that crisis from happening, even though it might mean problems in the courts further down the road.
It seems to me I would use that authority. It also seems to me that if I were going to use it I wouldn't dick around until the last minute of the last hour of the last day to assert that authority, and I would accept any repercussions that could result from using it as a price worth paying if it would keep that crisis from occurring.
It just seems to me.
"...Obama has all but ruled out invoking the 14th Amendment to raise the debt limit and prevent a government default.
"There is a provision in our Constitution that speaks to making sure that the United States meets its obligations, and there have been some suggestions that a president could use that language to basically ignore that debt-ceiling rule, which is a statutory rule," Obama said last week during a town hall meeting. "I have talked to my lawyers; they are not persuaded that that is a winning argument."
*Sigh*
I'll take the vacation slots...
I'm thinking 2012 requires a Brewster's Millions solution. We've got None of the Above as the viable option. Given that our president has the majority of voters on his side but somehow cannot use it makes me think do we really need a president? Let's turn the White House into the world's biggest time share. I got mid November claimed.
“Many of us think that the overregulation from E.P.A. is at the heart of our stalled economy.,”
Mike Simpson, Republican from Idaho.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/science/earth/28enviro.html?hp
Okaaaaaaaaay.
What rock did these crackpots crawl out from under? It must have been a real tight squeeze down there because they left their brains behind in that dank hole.
Another sign that the wingnuts are not only out of touch with most of America, but even their own Repubs who are ever so slightly less wingnutty.
John McCain calls them "bizarro" (where the HELL was this McCain in 2008?) and even a Rupert Murdoch mouthpiece as the Wall Street Journal are calling out the House teabaggers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/mccain-erupts-conservatives-are-lying-to-america/2011/03/03/gIQAUm2HdI_blog.html
Wow, talk about being on the extreme fringe.
Laurence O'Donnell made sense to me last night. On Aug 1, around midnight, they will pass a 1 sentence bill - probably by wide margins on both sides of the aisle, I might add. This is a faux diversion. A diversion away from jobs. It has eaten up 6 months. Can we all be fascinated by the almost here but not quite yet crash WHILE screaming "where are the efin' jobs"?
Well, history really does repeat itself because FDR backed off too early, became Hoover-like and prolonged the depression by a number of years.
Unless, I miss my guess, Obama is drawn to the drama of Armageddon...He wants to see what the hell will happen just like the rest of us.
Canada is looking better all the time.
..
..
And, they ain't got NO chinch bugs.
Granted, they have a big problem concerning "shrinkage". (Seinfeld)
Problem is, in '32 they had a choice between Hoover and FDR. In '12 we've got a choice between Hoover and a Wicky Wacky Woo Woo Wepublican. Pick your poison.
"Irony" doesn't begin to describe it. As Yogi Berra said, "Boy, that's 'deja vu' all over again."
Did I get the impression you want to help Loma in his duties?
My friend works at Harris County MHMR and they are laying off about 15-20%. City too. OTOH, the COH Water Dept is hiring, if anybody wants that job.
I just can't remember things sucking this bad EVER. Every where you turn there's dishonesty, crime, corruption, government dysfunction, and chinch bugs. F'ckin chinch bugs every damn place. Rich getting flithy rich. Filthy rich getting DISGUSTINGLY rich. DOJ sittin' around with their thumb up their ass. SEC sayin' HUH? And if that's not bad enough......Perry rising in the polls within 10 points of Romney......"Oh the humanity!!!!!"
I think it would be. There might not be a problem when the economy is good and we're at full employment, but when we hit a stretch like we're in now it would be bad news. When gov't revenues go waaaaaaay down it would require either a tax increase (which we know ain't never gonna happen) or massive spending cuts. Look at all the problems a lot of the states are having now and all the layoffs and cutbacks they're having to do to balance their budgets. Multiply that by 50.
You know, we may have to start referring to Obama as the 21st century Hoover. He's certainly starting to really suck like "Hoover."
Wiki-crap:
"President Herbert Hoover's popularity was falling as voters felt he was worsening the depression through his policies, or deal with prohibition. Franklin D. Roosevelt criticized Hoover's excessive spending, his protectionist policies, even stating that Hoover was "leading the country down the path of socialism"[1] Roosevelt won by a landslide, and this "critical election" marked the collapse of the Fourth Party System or Progressive Era. The voters soon were realigned into the Fifth Party System, dominated by Roosevelt's New Deal Coalition.
This was the first election in the United States since 1876 in which the Democratic candidate won a majority of the popular vote."
Oh, the irony.
Kind of a vuja de instead of a deja vu - we are apparently acting like we've never seen this before.
Super poopie.
Jump in anytime.
Can I come too? PLEEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZE??????
He almost looks human. Now, if he could BEHAVE human.
If I may ask, seriously, would it be a really bad thing if we had a "balanced budget amendment"?
Sounds like a plan to me. When you hear reports of Boehner NOT crying, then you've got news. He has been looking a little less orange lately. All this negotiating must be cutting into his time at the tanning salon.
I agree. Let's bring loma along to kick Cantor's ass in the cloak room while we do.
Market is dropping. Unidentified sources are reporting that someone saw boehner cyring in his office. Nobody likes him OR his plan.
I like it. But any of those three would require some serious stones. Haven't seen much evidence of that. If we could just get the Big O and Reid to step aside for a couple of days I have a hunch me and you could straighten all this shit out. Pronto.
You gotta see this, posted at FDL:
The 14th Ammendment is not an option but an OBLIGATION. The U.S. Constitution, which Obama has sworn to uphold, requires him to pay the government’s bills. In doing so, he has at least the following three options:
* He can ignore the debt ceiling and keep on selling bonds to pay the governments bills.
* He can repudiate the $1.6T of national debt owed to the Federal Reserve, knocking $1.6T off the national debt, and then sell more bonds. (The Ron Paul / Dean Baker plan.)
* He can mint some trillion-dollar platinum coins, deposit them into the Treasury account at the Fed, and keep on paying the government’s bills from that account, thus by-passing the need for bond sales. (The beowulf/letsgetitdone plan.)
I like #3. It shows "thinking outside the box."
Are you "deleting" everybody else's posts???????
Ya' know, you have a reputation for doing that.
I just watched the Bill Maher interview on O'Donnell. Worth a moment of your time. He hits the nail on the head without being too snarky.
Obama IS an idiot is he does not invoke the 14th. If he doesn't, I guess I'll be voting for Romney-Perry. What difference will it make. At least it will put Perry where he can do no more damage to Texas.
Clyburn is calling for Obama to take the 14th too. The WH press secretary says “it’s not an option.” Idiot.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/60038.html
For you, anything.
I hear Bill Maher really gave it to Obama on "Last Word". I didn't see that. Ed Shultz has been pretty critical lately too.
"As plain as the behind on Kim Kardashian." Request permission to borrow that for future use. With the appropriate royalties of course.
P.S. We ain't got no money but we just passed a $42 BILLION foreign aid package?????? WTF??????
"It seems to me", also too, that the solution to the immediate crisis is as plain as the behind on Kim Kardashian. "Just DO It". Tell our legislaturds to go ahead, take yor summer vacation, you ain't doin' shit anyway but bein' assholes. If you don't like it, sue me.
If he did that, I might vote for him again. MIGHT. He thought he could tie this debt ceiling issue to his "Big Deal" and, Mr. President, THAT AIN't happenin'. Move on. But if I was you, I'd try to get what I can in the next 10-12 months, albeit that is probably nuthin' from this congress. You're moving back to Illinois in January '13.
Note to DNC: If you can't act like a political party, just give it up. Worthless, you gtuys are absollutely worthless.
I've often been on the wrong side of an argument before, but that didn't make my position wrong. It just meant I was unable to educate those who were judging. Sometimes you just have to do the right thing and consequences be damned.