Be Careful What You Wish For
by Ronald A. Rowe December 15th, 2009 | Congress, General PoliticsHarry Reid is the senior Senator from Nevada and the Majority Leader in the U.S. Senate. He first was elected to the Senate in 1986 after four years in the House of Representatives. According to the biography on his official website, Reid has been in politics since the tender young age of 28, when he first joined the Nevada State Assembly waaaaaay back in 1968.
All that time, he presumably enjoyed his rise in stature from rookie State Assemblyman to powerful Senate Majority leader. Now, I wonder if he wishes he could go back to the anonymity of
From Bad to Worse
by Ronald A. Rowe November 25th, 2009 | Congress, General Politics, Political Opinions
The US House of Representatives passed a flawed, unnecessary, unaffordable Health Care Bill a little while back. Now the Senate has found a way to take a bad thing and make it worse by stripping out the House amendment that eliminated federally-funded abortions from the plan.
Now, I know that abortion is a very sensitive issue, and even though I feel strongly about the issue, I’m not making a case for or against it here. Try, for a moment, to distance your personal feelings about abortion itself and consider simply the inclusion of federally-funded abortions in the hanging-by-a-thread healthcare
Now, I know that abortion is a very sensitive issue, and even though I feel strongly about the issue, I’m not making a case for or against it here. Try, for a moment, to distance your personal feelings about abortion itself and consider simply the inclusion of federally-funded abortions in the hanging-by-a-thread healthcare
Universal Health Care
by Ronald A. Rowe November 11th, 2009 | Congress, General Politics, Political Opinions
This weekend, the House of Representatives passed the much debated Health Care Bill. This historic and monumental legislation passed by a razor thin 220-215 vote. The passage of this bill brought to mind several points that I'd like to bring out here.
There are 257 Democrats in the House, meaning this bill passed without even the full support of the President's own party. In fact, a last minute Republican amendment is the only reason that several Blue Dog Democrats were able to tolerate the bill, meaning that the Conservatives accidentally made the passage of this bill possible. On
There are 257 Democrats in the House, meaning this bill passed without even the full support of the President's own party. In fact, a last minute Republican amendment is the only reason that several Blue Dog Democrats were able to tolerate the bill, meaning that the Conservatives accidentally made the passage of this bill possible. On
Congressional Ethics
by Ronald A. Rowe November 4th, 2009 | Congress, General Politics
Ironic as it may seem, the U.S. House of Representatives actually maintains an Ethics Committee. The stated purpose of this committee is to have the Representatives police themselves to prevent or punish any unseemly behavior on the part of any members of Congress. In practice, the committee mostly has served as a vehicle for members of the majority party to antagonize troublesome members of the minority party.
You don’t hear much about the Ethics Committee because their work is shrouded in super-secrecy. They don’t do press conferences. There is no message board listing their ongoing investigations.
You don’t hear much about the Ethics Committee because their work is shrouded in super-secrecy. They don’t do press conferences. There is no message board listing their ongoing investigations.
The Party of No
by Ronald A. Rowe October 28th, 2009 | General Politics
The Republican party is losing ground in the arena of public perception. According to some polls, the GOPs approval rating is now at an all time low. The question that we have to ask is, what have the Republicans done to merit such low marks?
Nothing.
The Republican party is a minority in both houses of Congress. They have almost no say in crafting legislation. All Republicans recently were locked out of the House Oversight Committee. Literally. The Chairman of the committee, a Democrat, had the locks changed so that the Republicans couldn't even enter the
Nothing.
The Republican party is a minority in both houses of Congress. They have almost no say in crafting legislation. All Republicans recently were locked out of the House Oversight Committee. Literally. The Chairman of the committee, a Democrat, had the locks changed so that the Republicans couldn't even enter the
