I had trouble getting through yesterday morning, but I finally did, later in the evening. I told my Senators (one Democrat and one Republican) and my Representative that, with my professional background of 30+ years in the field of aging, I know very well how important Social Security and Medicare are to the aged and disabled. I also said, "I urge you to protect Social Security and Medicare, and I want you to insist that businesses and the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. I vote in every election." You already may have emailed or written your Senators and Congressman. If so, you've done the right thing. Still, I'm asking you to do the right thing again; reach out, tell your members of Congress and tell your friends to stop the debt ceiling nonsense. Thanks.
People Support Balance
"Most Americans would like to see a mix of spending cuts and tax increases be part of a deal to raise the debt ceiling, a new poll finds, aligning the majority with President Barack Obama’s position. Of those surveyed for a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday, 56 percent said they want to see a mix of approaches used in an agreement to raise the debt ceiling. The poll was conducted overnight Monday, as Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) voiced their views on the impasse in negotiations in back-to-back televised primetime speeches." Make your voice heard.
Current Status: Nothing to Report
"High level discussions continue between Democrats and Republicans to make sure Congress raises the debt limit before the Treasury runs out of borrowing authority and has to slash public spending on a massive scale. But for the moment, we're in a period of repose. In public, few are willing to budge too far off their own party's plan to raise the debt limit. And members and aides are now believe that a viable solution won't emerge until one of the existing, partisan plans fails publicly." Make your voice heard.
Empty GOP Talking Points
"GOP leaders stuck to their talking points last night in responding to President Obama’s speech on the debt ceiling, accusing him of the 'largest spending binge in American history,' as Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said in remarks following the president’s." "But Boehner and Cantor, along with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) have all voted for some of the biggest contributors to the debt -- the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Bush tax cuts, and President Bush’s Medicare prescription drug plan -- which helped to double the debt over the past decade."
It's only "politics" -- as usual. Simply, the convenience of the moment to try to make or maintain points. Conservative politicians -- and too many conservative-leaning citizens -- have their minds made up with little continuing thought -- no ongoing reality checking. It doesn't matter if what's said is neither rational nor logical, as long as something is mouthed -- something to repeat to others. "Well, you know, blah, blah, blah." It's become completely mindless as the Conservatives have completely usurped the former Grand Old Party. Make your voice heard.
In the Name of State's Rights, Gut Social Programs
But it gets worse. "In an interview on MSNBC’s Hardball Monday evening, tenther Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) admitted that he is using the threat of a catastrophic default to extort the nation into rewriting the Constitution to force a permanent era of conservative governance." "If Lee’s proposed cuts were imposed across the federal budget, every single senior would lose one quarter of their Social Security and Medicare benefits, and that’s just the beginning. Because Lee wants to write these draconian cuts into the Constitution, We the People will lose our power to overrule these cuts by electing different leaders." Don't take it personally if you lose the benefits you've paid for and earned. Make your voice heard.
For Your Information
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