Tenderfoot Slash

Here's a novel idea: Let's cap congress/senate salaries at 40K per year; limit their pension amounts and force them to find and pay for their own medical insurance coverage instead of sponging off the taxpayer.

Who'd run for office then? Only those truly motivated by the needs of their voting districts.

Pay Freeze

Typical:

> Who gets a paycheck in a shutdown? Congress

If there's going to be a government shutdown, the first pay freeze should occur in Congress. They don't deserve their exorbitant salaries in the first place, and it's their fault the shutdown is looming to boot. Why should they get paid?

GOP Tripe

Who on earth do they think they're fooling?

> GOP Budget Plan

I listened to MSNBC while Republicans rattled off their plan, irritated by their misguided implications that President Obama is at fault for our current financial woes. Where were these people when Bush was spending like a drunken sailor? Why didn't they publicly gripe when Wall Street fell in 2008, yet again with Bush at the helm?

The right-wing has no real concern for the common people. Don’t be fooled by their patronizing rhetoric. If they truly wanted to help the American people they’d make a sincere effort to take away tax cuts for the rich, just for starters. As history has shown, doing so swings the deficit the other way and creates jobs.

God forbid!

Playing Catch-Up

I've been so bad about posting blog entries in the last few months. Finishing an eight-part anthology kept me rather busy for quite awhile. However, I'm slowly but surely making my way back into the real world.

This morning I spent some time browsing the articles at Think Progress. A few of them caught my eye (articles are linked while my comments follow the links):

Rep. Trent Franks Warns 'I Don't Know That The Country Can Survive' If President Obama Is Reelected: Who is this numb-nut, and where was he when Bush was President?

Bar-Owning GOP Montana State Representative Says Stricter DUI Laws Are Destroying A Way of Life: Only a drunk would defend drunk driving. Trust me, I know. Alcoholism runs on both sides of my family, and my second husband was a souse. They defend drinking in any form, on any level. Drunk-driving is a deadly serious matter and not to be taken lightly. And no, I'm not a lush despite my bloodline.

In 2010, CEO Pay Went Up 27% While Worker Pay Went Up 2%: One of the things I'd like to see change in America – aside from bigotry, animal-cruelty and poverty – is the sense of self-entitlement certain people seem to have in their jobs and various walks of life. I worked for a corporation many years ago, and was disgusted daily by the behavior of CEO's and other executives. It wasn't just the ridiculous amount of money they received; it was the arrogance and implication of the "I'm better than you" mentality that offended me. Nothing seems to have changed in the present, but the system desperately needs an overhaul. Didn't we once fight a well-known war for independence to get way from narcissistic and imperial superiority?

Several GOP Senators Take Credit For Infrastructure Funding They Voted Against: Typical phooey from the GOP. They haven't accomplished much of anything since the overblown election last November, and now they want to hitch a ride whether they agreed with H.R.1 or not.

Indiana GOP Rep Says Women Will Pretend To Be Raped To Get Free Abortions: First of all, I don't know much about Indiana politics. However, I do have strong opinions about the abortion issue. Ultra-conservatives don't want abortion to be legal, and they'd love to see Roe v Wade reversed. The issue they often rally against – having the opinions of others rammed down their throats – is the same thing they are trying to do to anyone who doesn't see life from their angle. Anyone can believe what they want, but I'd rather not have conservative views or the right-wing perception of morality forced on me, either. If they decry the views of others being heaped upon them, why turn around and do the same? Contrary to popular belief, conservatives are not at the right-hand of God.

White House Blog: Health Reform One-Year Anniversary: I've always been a proponent of healthcare reform and was supremely happy when President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law last year. Having been through my fair share of medical issues, including problems with my insurance company and financial crisis despite the coverage, I fully support the law. I just wish public option had been part of the plan. I still believe members of Congress should relinquish their benefits while the rest of us struggle in the current economy or fall victim to the selective caginess of insurance companies. If Republicans are so intent on saving money over basic healthcare – which is a right, not a privilege – they should start in their own backyards.

Finally, I think President Obama is doing a wonderful job. The man has faced nothing but obstacles – foreign and domestic – since he stepped into the White House. He has dealt with the hurdles with great aplomb, decisive action and unruffled tenacity.

Irrelevant right-wing loudmouths – we all know who they are - need to take a powder and fade into the sunset.