Have you seen the Health Care Bills coming out of the Senate and House over the past few days? The proposed bill from the House is 1,990 pages long and the Senate bill isn't much better at around 1,700 pages. To put this into perspective...the Bible contains approximately 1,200 pages. So, Congress has more to say about our health care than Jesus had to say about, well, everything.
Social Security - Not So Secure
Social Security was sold to Americans in 1935 under FDR's "New Deal." It was sold as a social insurance program and Congress believed that the American people needed it for the well being of their own futures. They believed in the program so much, that they left themselves out of it. That's right, Congress didn't have to pay the "contributions" (also referred to as taxes) and they didn't reap the benefits. Instead they saved and took care of their retirement themselves. They didn't want the government taking their money and investing it on their behalf. See, politicians are smarter than we think. But that all changed in 1983, nearly 50 years after the program began; members of congress, the president, and the vice president all had to pay taxes like the rest of us now.
Gay Rights
Last night at an annual dinner for the Human Rights Campaign, which is a gay civil rights group, Obama promised to repeal the military policy, don't ask, don't tell. The crowd stood and gave him a standing ovation, but many wanted (and still want) to know when. The President has been getting a lot of criticism from groups like these about the lack of attention he is showing towards gay rights. Cleve Jones, a gay rights activist, said, "He repeated his promises that he's made to us before, but he did not indicate when he would accomplish these goals and we've been waiting a while now."
Promoting Failure
I was talking with a friend the other day and she was contemplating quitting her job so that she would be eligible for food stamps. She and her husband are raising three children and she is going to school desperately trying to get into a nursing program. She was told that they make approximately $50 too much to receive any type of aid. I am not saying that I would agree if she decided to quit and I understand that there has to be a limit to how much a family can make, but it seems to me like our government promotes failure. If she chose not to work even though she was perfectly capable of doing so, the government would help her. I just don't follow the reasoning.
Gun Control
Along with health care, there is debate in Washington about the banning of guns in the U.S. This has been a heated topic for many years and rightfully so. Crimes and deaths in this country continue to increase with each passing year. Many want to blame such an increase on the accessibility of guns while many others argue that, "guns don't kill people, people kill people." Either side can justifiably be argued.
Cowards in Congress
As of now I have not written about the much talked about health care reform. That has been intentional for one main reason: I want people to learn and understand more about politics than just the issues currently at hand. But, today I learned that two crucial parts of the bill were voted on and I realized that we are stuck with cowards in congress.
Immigration - Crime
If you read my last post, you know that I am both ready to deport illegal immigrants yet also ready to welcome legal immigrants. I want those that want to be in this country to have the opportunity to do so. I just think they should do so through the proper channels. There is so much talk these days about "illegal immigrants," that we have completely accepted the term. No one even seems to notice the word "illegal."
Immigration - Jobs
Yes, it is true that if we trace back our family roots, we were all once immigrants. We've seen the shows and heard the stories of our ancestors coming over by boat and seeing the Statue of Liberty and feeling free for the first time. We come from all over the world, believe in different religions, and celebrate different cultures. For centuries, millions have made their way to the New World to make new lives. We truly are a melting pot. For a brief moment it sounds wonderful. What an honor to live in a society where we get to experience so many differences. We can visit Little Italy or China Town without needing a passport.
A Cabinet of Tax Evaders
I almost felt sorry for President Obama in his first weeks and months in office. He couldn't pick a cabinet member who didn't have unpaid taxes to save his life. Below is a short list of those with troubles:
- Tom Daschle - Head of Health & Human Service Department
- Timothy Geithner - Treasury Secretary
- Charlie Rangel - Chairman of Ways & Means Committee
- Ron Kirk - White House Chief Trade Representative
- Nancy Killefer - Chief White House Performance Officer
Taxes
Payroll tax, gasoline tax, property tax, school tax, wheel tax, capital gains tax, income tax, excise tax, sales tax, estate tax, gift tax, generation skipping tax, state unemployment tax, worker compensation tax, cigarette tax, Medicare tax, building permit tax, luxury tax, road usage tax, toll road tax, marriage license, dog license, and fishing licence taxes just to name a few. The average American works until June just to pay his/her taxes for the year. Seriously, enough already!
Downsizing Congress
The House of Representatives is currently comprised of 435 members. Much like the Electoral College, these members are a direct representation of the states population. The state of California has the most representatives with 53 while smaller populated states like Vermont have only one. The Senate is two members per state for a total of 100 senators. The annual salary for each of these 535 members of Congress is $174,000 with the exception of the Speaker of the House and the Majority and Minority leaders which receive a slightly higher salary.
Pay Raises for Congress
I am an employee of the state of Tennessee and for the last two years (and most likely the next two years) I have not gotten a pay raise, not even a cost of living increase. Tennessee like many other states is in a budget crisis. The federal government is also in a budget crisis, operating in a deficit of well over a $7 trillion. Yet, members of Congress receive a cost of living increase each year automatically and have since 1989.
Term Limits for Congress
Currently, the only term limits within the Federal government rest with the President. Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate has term limits. A term in the House is two years and in the Senate is six, but at the end of a term congressmen and congresswomen can be re-elected and re-elected indefinitely.
Higher Standards for Congress
When I was a senior in high school, our class of approximately 250 students voted for more or less twenty "superlatives." There was a male and female nominated in a variety of categories such as: best all around, most likely to succeed, best personality, most talented, etc. A classmate was nominated and elected by the students for most school spirit. But, the principal of our school wouldn't allow him the victory because he had changed a grade on a school computer when he was a sophomore.
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