House Departs as Democrats’ Infrastructure & Reconciliation Negotiations Continue, Senate Returns to Consider Nominations

Like we used to say on the farm, "Time to take some of them old ones out to pasture". You no longer work fast and effectively.

I really wish the Dems would get together and get this infrastructure bill done! Both of them. I am so tired of both Manchin and Sinema they need to get with the party. Manchin is living in a dream world if he thinks Republicans will ever do the right thing. That’s just not in them not anymore, and who knows where Sinema’s at I don’t even think she knows. She shouldn’t be a Senator the job is obviously way over her head. A box of rocks or a bag of hair would be a better senator than her.

Off topic but I read this morning that a Republican group in dumb fuck county Florida has requested a Forensic Audit of the Florida presidential election results. This is after Trump took it by 300,000 plus votes, both the governor and lieutenant governor have both made numerous statements declaring the results accurate and valid. This is after additional voter regulations have been legislated as well, post election. When is this paranoid suspicious nonsense going to stop? It’s tearing the faith in our elections to shreds and is not resulting in anything that supports these conspiracies. Enough is enough with aiding and abetting Donald Trump’s insidious attack on our Democracy and feeding into this pandemic of paranoia!

I am very concerned with the IRS oversight of Bank Accounts with over $600 thats been tucked away inside the bill. Another step towards BIG BROTHER!

Negotiators the democrats are not.

Didn't they just get back from vacation? Just tell me how much time off do these people get per year and how much money do they make and what are exactly the requirements to run? It certainly isn't test scores based on the current load. They hold up their hand and swear to uphold and protect the Constitution so I would like a copy of the test that they are taking on the Constitution. I do not believe that many have ever read it. Remember the last President? He didn't like to read. Do you think that is a problem? I do.

I am so fed up with Washington I can’t stand it. I hope Democrats will stick with what they believe is right and not create more debt for our country. And Republicans should not be voting with the Democrats to help them create more debt to our country. And Democrats should be doing something with Joe Biden to get him to shut down our Southern borders. What is wrong with this president. He has never been to the border. Yet he criticizes the people that work there. Has no respect for what they are going through. I am extremely disappointed in the president and Congress, the Senate, and very upset over the house.

Ho hum

Still not happy with the reconciliation process being played out. We have such a slim majority and the package is still too low at $3 trillion dollars. We have neglected human capital for many years and the loss to the American people really shows. Inequality is at an all time high, homelessness is a huge problem, the gig economy is destroying the Middle Class, women aren't having children as the cost is too great to bear, childcare is horrendously expensive, maternal, family and sick leave is abysmal to non-existent. We have no concept that to invest in these things would improve our way of life, create workers for the future which would shore up the work force and our Social Security Trust fund which will be depleted by 2035 unless Congress acts. We are opposed to immigration, even though they would also help to shore up the trust as the money collected by them they will never see unless they become naturalized citizens. Our birth rate is down for the first time since the Great Depression so that says a lot as to how women and married couples are feeling about having children in the current country's condition. Then you have the ever mindful jimK who always paints the grim picture of climate change and how that is going to affect us. You think people are flocking to our borders now. Wait until the climate forces people out of their homes and environments with greater frequency because the conditions in their current places will become inhabitable. I don't get the stupidity of people when they look at investing in humans as socialism. I ran a business for many years and we paid for tuition for our employees and helped many to obtain their Master's Degrees. It helped with company loyalty and it also helped in the services we provided. It was an investment in our human capital. If we invest in community college as Biden is proposing it is a start on the way to finishing college and getting a better paying job. When people are paid more their tax base is higher and they put more into the trust for Social Security which helps us all. Paying for childcare gets women into the workforce. All of these things are investments in human capital. We could expand our economy if more women are in the workforce and they can be if their childcare is taken care of. If people have decent jobs our crime rate goes downward based on a happier and more content populace. Trump made all of those promises but delivered on none of them as he really was all about looking out for himself only and people like him. We have a once in a decades experience to be able to pass something truly big which would help Americans as a whole and definitely needs to be done for climate change. Six Trillion is a much better number and it is a real shame to have such morons in Synema and Manchin who are holding out on a package that would be truly transformative. We need to lift all boats rather than just the super yachts of the already haves.

@Leslie wrote: "The fact the rules allow Congressional members to have 2nd jobs proves Congress is a part-time job, and when on recess they very well may be working on their “other” job." @Leslie: 1. You are correct, the Senate and the House were initially envisioned as part-time jobs. 2. Being political jobs, time to politic is necessary. 3. Again, I still maintain that the floor is not the place for the true work. 4. Again, I still maintain that sitting in an office in Washington DC may not be conducive to thinking and planning. 5. It should go without saying that some representatives are stupid, some are lazy, and some are just. willing rubber stamps. A Venn Diagram of these sets might prove interesting. I do not see the point of going over this again and again. It is extremely unlikely that any bill will make it to the floor of either house which fundamentally changes things will pass. I don’t know about you, but I think I can see which congresspersons are hard workers. It would be more productive to criticize individual congresspersons. That Causes continues to enflame this issue without advocating a course of action is pointless. It would be better to straightforwardly advocate specific issues rather than making it seem that Congresspersons are all lazy. Howevrr, I do wonder why Sinema is teaching. It might be more roductive to periodically investigate all office holders for inapropriate finances.

Leslie G: Thanks. I like John Boehner’s oft repeated comment regarding Ted Cruz: “F@&¢k Ted Cruz”. I cannot wait for enough for Texans to agree and vote him out to the ‘cornfield’ of oblivion with all the rest of the comic book arch-villains. Thanks for pinning down the stats regarding one of this clown’s continuing self-serving attacks on democracy. ARRRGGGGHHH.

The Republican Faction’s Senate still is slow walking Biden’s appointment’s confirmations. From keeping him from being able to use most if the transition period to form his administration, blocking even debate on his legislation packages, and contesting all of his nominations - the Republican Faction is living up to their leaked privately stated goal of gumming up the works and creating chaos for anything that their political enemy and the electorate needs or wants to do. … … … They have been boasting about screwing over their political enemy by withholding their vote and filibustering any vote to raise the debt ceiling - despite the enormous harm that will come to our economy if our country defaults on paying back the current debt which the Republican Party created and implicitly guaranteed repayment of. Our country has the capacity to service this debt but this arcane ‘debt ceiling’ law will prevent them from doing so. No other peer nation has the requirement to authorize their debt ceiling in order to service the debt which they have created. This is an old law from before getting into World War 1 as a political statement to justify our participation (back in the days when entering a war required that Congress find ways to pay for it by assessing taxes and fees instead of just piling it into the National Debt as Republicans gleefully did to support Bush’s extended wars in Afghanistan and Iraq). The debt ceiling has been raised in a universally non-partisan manner because not doing so will hurt our country’s credit rating and raise interests rates, crash the markets, raise the prices paid for literally everything for everyone and lead to a prolonged deep recession. Further, it will undercut the value of the dollar, it’s use as the world’s de facto currency and the diplomatic pressure possible with economic sanctions. There was an estimated long term economic cost of $15 Trillion from defaulting on repayment of our debt for the first time in our country’s history. … … … I understand that the Republicans have long been at war with their political enemy the Democrats and with that mindset, they are willing to do anything to win at the polls by besmirching the Democrats because it is easier to destroy your enemy instead of competitively beating them with actual legislation that resolves issues of import. It is no wonder that our country has fallen behind peer countries in most metrics that measure the productivity, health and security of their populace and the effectiveness of their governance. It is no wonder that the people of our country feel that Congress is gridlocked and unable to react, proactively anticipate needs, or effectively legislate. That has become the task of the Republican Faction since winning a ‘war’ removes the ethical and moral constraints which would normally be expected and required for interpersonal interactions of any sort. … … … The Senate Republican Faction is taking their despicable war like tactics to extremely new lows by threatening to destroy the economic solvency of our country, an economic nuclear bomb because they can stop a democratic majority vote by using another arcane rule- the filibuster. This should get ALL OF THE DEMS to vote to eliminate the filibuster to pass this legislation and open the door to doing this again to pass HR.1 and the Lewis voting rights legislation. McConnell did this to appoint and confirm a record number of Federal judges and at least two of his three Supreme Court confirmations - a very partisan process for very consequential lifetime appointments because he argued that it was necessary to do, despite complaints by the Democrats. Now if we can take a political two-by-four to get the attention of that ManSinema concocted donkey - we might be able to prevent the Republican Faction’s scorched earth policy and start to actually get something done for the benefit of our country.

Bravo, Bicycler! Bravo! 😊❤️😊❤️

In response @Leslie's senators and second jobs comment* We likely agree that Senator Sinema's political objectives are horrendous. It is unlikely that she properly represents the best interests of the majority of the people of her state. Further, Senator Sinema is likely determined to keep drug prices high to please her big donors. My guess, based on her behavior, is that she is contemptuous of America’s form of government. We can and should question the integrity of our Senators. However, as a matter of principle, she is free to disagree with the majority of her constituents, her party, and the president. Consequently, she is free to NOT work on legislation she is opposed to, and she is free NOT to even compromise on her position. Ultimately the voters should decide assuming democracy in Arizona is not destroyed by the time her term ends by those adhering to The Big Lie about the 2020 Election in her state. As you mention, she is getting flack for her politics at her second job. That she tried to lock herself in the toilet like a frightened coward or a terrified teenager. (She should have paid for her own security.) She probably should have expected and she should continue to expect push back in every way shape and form. She's lucky she still is still allowed to teach. Some universities would have shut her down. That still might happen. Further, if the demonstrations intensify she may be unable to fulfill the conditions of Senate Ethics Rules. See below. However, it is likely that her teaching job itself is on the up and up. Checkout the rules on "Senators and Second Jobs." “Do the Senate Rules allow me to have a second job in addition to my Senate job? "It depends. While no Senate Rule imposes a blanket prohibition on holding outside positions or earning outside income, the rules do restrict the type of position you can hold and amount of income you can earn.” Teaching is an acceptable form of employment: Teaching Members, officers, and employees paid at or above $132,552 (CY 2021) must receive prior written approval from the Committee before accepting compensation for teaching. See Senate Rule 37.5(b). Committee approval is required for each class taught, regardless of whether the Member, officer, or employee received approval for a similar course in a previous semester or year. One of the reasons Committee approval for teaching positions is required is to ensure that teaching does not become a way to circumvent the honoraria ban. To receive approval from the Committee, the Member, officer, or employee must generally affirm in writing that the teaching meets the following criteria: The teaching is part of a regular course of instruction, involving services on an ongoing basis, and not individual appearances. Responsibilities include class preparation, lecture presentations, and student evaluation. The compensation is reasonable and derived from the institution’s general funds, not supported by earmarked grants, appropriations, or contributions by other entities. Students receive credit for the course. No Senate resources or time will be used in connection with the teaching. *See @Leslie's comment https://www.causes.com/comments/1500820 based on https://www.businessinsider.com/constituents-confront-senator-kyrsten-sinema-in-arizona-state-university-bathroom-2021-10 And https://www.thedailybeast.com/senator-kyrsten-sinema-locks-herself-in-arizona-state-university-bathroom-to-avoid-young-immigrant-activists

It is beyond _outrageous_ what a Real POS Obstructionist like Ted Cruz can do on behalf of Russia, no less! Why has the Senate allowed itself to create rules such as the one availed of by Cruz as Leslie described? @Leslie wrote: "Ted Cruz is delaying 59 State Department Ambassador nominations because of the Russian gas pipeline most likely to appease his oil & gas campaign contributors. Instead of allowing confirmation by unanimous consent he is requiring each nominee to go through hours of Senate floor time to derail the domestic spending agenda forcing it to compete for time.” https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/02/us/politics/senate-confirmation-cruz-nominations.html

SICK AND TIRED!!!

Senators....Get all GOP Senators..VOTE. NO ..ON BOTH...BILLS.....MANCHIN..AND..Sinema will cave..👍

FAKE

OMG, Leslie G., thanks so much helping this dumb old Texan realize how good ole 'Cancun' cruz has been mucking around with those State Department Ambassador nominations. Unfortunately as jimK was mentioning, it would be nice to get this ass out, but that will have to wait till '24. But also as jimK stated about Boehner's comments regarding cruz, I can state that here directly to him from my very own Causes account. Thanks you two, and ....................................... FUCK ted cruz!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Burrkitty. You seemed to have nailed it. Your chilling assessment of Arkansas seems validated based on the state's ranking and its legacy of racism. #49 Health Care #41 Education #41 Economy #43 Infrastructure #22 Opportunity #14 Fiscal Stability #48 Crime & Corrections #30 Natural Environment "Arkansas Rankings and Facts" US News https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/arkansas Many articles on the history of racism in Arkansas can be found online along with some tepid efforts to deal with it. E. g. "Arkansas, home to supremacist groups, weighs hate crimes law" https://apnews.com/article/cec9849da0fc43898d753714023857a0 "The Republican gambit to appeal to racists" June 2, 20219:40 am https://arktimes.com/arkansas-blog/2021/06/02/the-republican-gambit-to-appeal-to-racists The Arkansas Times even keeps a Racism Archive. (Holy Smokes! ) https://arktimes.com/tag/racism It is especially appalling when you take into account the major businesses that call Arkansas home beginning with Walmart and Tyson Foods. "The 100 Largest Companies In Arkansas For 2021" https://www.zippia.com/advice/largest-companies-in-arkansas/