California Girl
Rookie
- Oct 8, 2009
- 50,337
- 10,058
- 0
- Banned
- #21
So much noise from the peanut galleries. The House will change today, no amount of noise and shouts of hypocrisy will change that. There will be a bill introduced to repeal Obama Care. No amount of noise is going to stop it or get it to pass. It will not pass, the votes are not there. If by a miracle it did pass, Obama would veto it, there are not the votes to override.
The right complained about the "Demon Pass" while in minority, wanted rules change. The rules did not change, they won't now. Same might be said about the filibuster rule in the Senate, if it changes, it would only be 'one less weapon in the minority parties arsenal,' both parties know their time in that dreaded position will come again.
So hopefully these new folks will enjoy their day, get their pet projects proposed and out of the way and get to the real work.
I for one never expected that miraculously the deficit would be shrunk in the next few months. That Washington would suddenly be cleaned up and that the old boys would decide that the civic good should overcome partisanship and private enrichment on their parts.
I do expect the newly elected by an awakened electorate to be different. I for one will watch them and any of the others that might decide to join in for real change. They may not accomplish much, but am watching for consistency in what they do. The fact that the Republican leadership is having problems getting any of their new members on the Appropriations committee is giving me some hope.
Speaking of 'private enrichment', I found the following article really interesting. It's from November 2010.
Congressional Members' Personal Wealth Expands Despite Sour National Economy - OpenSecrets Blog | OpenSecrets
WASHINGTON Members of Congress are enjoying their own financial stimulus.
Despite a stubbornly sour national economy congressional members personal wealth collectively increased by more than 16 percent between 2008 and 2009, according to a new study by the Center for Responsive Politics of federal financial disclosures released earlier this year.
And while some members financial portfolios lost value, no need to bemoan most lawmakers financial lot: Nearly half of them -- 261 -- are millionaires, a slight increase from the previous year, the Centers study finds. That compares to about 1 percent of Americans who lay claim to the same lofty fiscal status.
And of these congressional millionaires, 55 have an average calculated wealth in 2009 of $10 million or more, with eight in the $100 million-plus range.
Few federal lawmakers must grapple with the financial ills -- unemployment, loss of housing, wiped out savings -- that have befallen millions of Americans, said Sheila Krumholz, the Center for Responsive Politics executive director. Congressional representatives on balance rank among the wealthiest of wealthy Americans and boast financial portfolios that are all but unattainable for most of their constituents.
In 2009, the median wealth of a U.S. House member stood at $765,010, up from $645,503 in 2008. The median wealth of a U.S. senator was nearly $2.38 million, up from $2.27 million in 2008.
For all members of Congress regardless of chamber, median wealth in 2009 reached $911,510, up from $785,515 in 2008. This spike in personal wealth represents a notable rebound from the period between 2007 and 2008, when overall congressional wealth slipped by more than 5 percent. Federal lawmakers personal wealth climaxed in 2007 -- the pinnacle of nearly a decades worth of steady asset value expansion.