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Weasel Zippers is run by total homophobes who thinks Matthew Shepard was killed by his "gay lover". TPM and Thinkprogress are hardly objective viewpoints, but they don't traffic in total conspiracy theories.
US Federal Government Shutdown | Shutdown Shutdown, Debt Ceiling Raised
- Thread starter Jarmel
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Weasel Zippers is run by total homophobes who thinks Matthew Shepard was killed by his "gay lover". TPM and Thinkprogress are hardly objective viewpoints, but they don't traffic in total conspiracy theories.
Yeah I think once you pull the trigger you stop being "on my side" regardless actually.
WHAT!!
I could log into CNN (through my cable provider) and they have a feed. Not sure of any others.
So unrelated then?
Won't know til we know. They could have been driving towards the Capitol intentionally. It's at least more likely that it's unrelated than it would be if they were shooting from the balcony.
killer rin
Member
Wow, can't believe shots have rung out at the US Capital.
jamesinclair
Banned
Let them easy at privately run food stores.
RustyNails
Member
Camper.
The Technomancer
card-carrying scientician
So it was some lady who rammed a police car and all shots were fired by the cops? Got it
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-congress-you-have
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/03/congress-pay-shutdown_n_4038206.html
sure, petitions blah blah, but might as well Gaf.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/03/congress-pay-shutdown_n_4038206.html
sure, petitions blah blah, but might as well Gaf.
I don't understand the fixation on this. The majority of congress has a secondary source of income they can comfortably count on. It's not effective political leverage or an effective punishment. It's just a distraction from what these people should really be pissed about.
Zoramon089
Banned
Not to mention they legally can't change their own salaries even if they wanted to. At most they can donate them and you can't really enforce that...
Poltergust
Member
It's the principle of the matter that's important here. Congressmen are regular people like the rest of us and shouldn't be exempt from a problem they* created.
*Yes, I know that it was really only 30-40 House members that are behind this, but it is not right to discriminate among the members.
People are aware congress is compromised of a lot of millionaires, but I'd say its the principle that hundreds of thousands of people are understanding. There is no effective punishment for congress that any civilians can do, at all.
Suggest something else. I just hope it doesnt has anything to do with writing letters to people who don't value citizens's wants (Approval rating), at all, and have no reason to as their ears are being occupied by Lobbying/Campaign fundraisers(Special interests).
No harm in signing something, to spread awareness. And to lead to change.
Punchy4486
Banned
Just another way to express the public's extreme distaste, even if you're right that withholding their pay is essentially meaningless. It does prove a point, however.
Plus "they're broke too, they've got, like, two mortgages".
Rep. Rick Nolan (D-Minn.) introduced a bill Tuesday that would block members of Congress from being paid during a government shutdown.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/02/rick-nolan-congressional-pay_n_4029595.html
Neato, would be nice to see this happen for future bullshitty situations like this.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/02/rick-nolan-congressional-pay_n_4029595.html
Neato, would be nice to see this happen for future bullshitty situations like this.
I don't get this at all. How have the people who would currently be denied, and who had no role in causing the shutdown, not earned theirs as well?
God if only I could vote on this bill myself...
Suikoguy
I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
I still think requiring x number of hours in session during shutdown would be more effective.
With some sort of penalty for not showing up.
They have earned their pay, and shame on the republicans for refusing to allow the vote that would open the government and give them relief.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
So what I have come to understand is that House Republicans are floating legislation to piece-meal fund programs they favor and that will make them look good and voting it up. Couldn't senate democrats send it back to the house with language added in to do things republicans absolutely hate like expanding social welfare programs so that those same republicans then vote their own piece-meal funding bills down? That would be hilarious.
That would probably just look like the Democrats are willing to play the GOP's little game but on THEIR terms, thus simultaneously conceding that this is an appropriate way forward (piecemeal legislating) -- it is not, that is why they aren't even engaging them over it. It's the principal of the thing.
AbortedWalrusFetus
Member
True, but I think it would also reveal that the Republicans are doing it solely for the image rather than getting any portion of government running again. Plus it would be funny. Especially if they put in programs/language that many people consider essential but go completely counter to republican ideologies.
As it stands though I think most people can see through the Republicans little game in this case.
They could, yeah, and as funny as a spending bill that funded veteran's benefits programs while legalizing gay marriage and doubling taxes on gasoline would be, it's not the right strategy here. This is a "HOLD!"-type situation. The only winning move is not to play.
Armoured Priest
Member
i don't know. Maybe "OK, we'll defund ACA...i mean Obamacare, but in return we want funding for a single payer system."
They need to do some Pawn Stars negotiating.
"Delay individual mandate for a year"
"Nah, how about a public option instead?"
User 100115
Banned
It's a nice sentiment.
But at this point, any congressman/woman who is saying 'I am heroically sacrificing my income during the shutdown!' is just pissing me off. As if that puts them in the same position as the people that actually need that income to live, you know?
There's no way that would work - they'd never do it and I doubt the majority of the public would go along with it. Obama's re-election is very much about protecting his legislative accomplishments during his first-term, not expanding upon them. That is generally understood given that we have a GOP House. What isn't understood or accepted by most people is the notion that the GOP can just hijack the country's Government because they don't like a law that was passed in 2010 and declared constitutional.
ElectricBlue187
Member
I love the common idea that electoral results represent some kind of elaborate message being conveyed from the American people instead of what it actually is: ideological chaos and 50 million people voting for the most attractive guy.
Yeah, don't try to make it noble, you fucks. Its just the right thing to do, even if they are already millionaires. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...rs-will-refuse-their-pay-during-the-shutdown/
Has a huge list. Haven't read through it, there are quotes from representatives.
This is what pains me the most. People are missing that it was passed, and declared constitutional. Dare I even say a specific example of the will of citizens in the usa? They are trying to hijack that entire process.
NullPointer
Member
That's not an elaborate message.
If Obamacare was considered an existential threat to the country by most Americans, Obama would not have won re-election.
Bam Bam Baklava
Member
Obamacare played a major part in the election.
ElectricBlue187
Member
I don't think the majority of voters either know enough about Obamacare or care enough to make that distinction.
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