11. 23 dem senators up for election v 10 republicans. Uh oh . . .
Should I mention redistricting? Uh oh . . . On Dec 31, 11:34 am, JSM <[email protected]> wrote: > Top Ten Reasons America Won't Miss the 111th > Congress<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103697:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...> > The 111th Congress is officially over, and according to > Gallup<http://www.gallup.com/poll/145238/Congress-Job-Approval-Rating-Worst-...>, > it’s also officially the worst Congress in the history of polling. Yet > despite its 13% approval rating there are those who are hailing the 111th > Congress for its myriad legislative "accomplishments." Not surprisingly, > many of those touting those "accomplishments” are the very members of > Congress who voted for the legislation in the first place. Starting at the > top with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), you find a woman who is not at all > ashamed of the legislation she has passed, despite the disastrous poll > numbers. Pelosi > says<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103698:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>she > is "very, very proud of the work that was accomplished by this > Congress." > > The American people, though, think differently, and they have already issued > their verdict on the 111th Congress by way of an earthshaking election in > November. If you take a look at some of Congress' big-ticket > "accomplishments," you might understand where they're coming from. Here's a > look at 10 major pieces of legislation coming out of Congress the last two > years and why Americans might not be so pleased: > > 1. *Obamacare*: Billed as the panacea for America’s health care woes, The > Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as “Obamacare,” is > a 2,700-page behemoth that “portends a massive transfer of power, dollars > and decision making to the federal government,” says Heritage’s Nina > > Owcharenko<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103699:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>. > Heritage also > finds<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103700:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>that > under the law, workers and families will face increased costs, seniors > will lose access to care, and American taxpayers will take the hit for a > trillion dollars in new federal spending. (3/2010) > 2. *The Failed Stimulus* (a.k.a., the American Recovery and Reinvestment > Act): President Obama > promised<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103701:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>that > his stimulus would save or create 3.5 million jobs by the end of 2010. > The result? America saw a bunch of orange and green “ARRA” signs sprout up > like dandelions all over America, touting the slogan “Putting America to > Work,” but here we are in December 2010 with a 9.8 percent unemployment > rate, a national debt of $2.9 trillion, and 7.3 million jobs > shy<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103702:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>of > President Obama’s promise. Some stimulus! (2/2009) > 3. *The 9,000-Earmark Omnibus Bill*: Never mind the $1.4 trillion budget > > deficit<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103703:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>facing > America in 2009. Congress went ahead and passed an omnibus spending > bill containing 9,287 pork project earmarks costing $13 > billion<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103703:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>. > Included in the earmarks were a $200,000 tattoo removal program in Mission > Hills, Calif., and more than a million dollars to combat Mormon Crickets in > Utah. (3/2009) > 4. *Mountains of Debt*: You can't pin it on one piece of legislation > alone, but the 111th Congress has piled heaps upon heaps of new > debt<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103704:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>-- > a massive $3.22 trillion. That comes out to $10,429.64 > for every man, woman and > child<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103705:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>counted > in the 2010 census. That's more debt racked-up than in the first 100 > Congresses combined, according to > CNSNews.com.<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103705:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>The > total national debt as of the 111th Congress' last day? $13.859 > trillion. > 5. *The Government Union Bailout*: As if one massive bailout weren’t > enough, President Obama and the 111th Congress delivered another $26.1 > billion bailout in the summer of > 2010<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103706:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>. > The beneficiaries? Government unions and big-spending states that wouldn’t > know a balanced budget if it smacked them in the face. The bill was > supposed > to “save” jobs, but the reality is that most jobs were never in > jeopardy<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103707:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>. > (8/2010) > 6. *Wall Street Reform? Think Again*: While President Obama touted the > Dodd-Frank bill of 2010 as a reform of Wall Street and America’s financial > rules, the resulting law is a boon for lawyers and lobbyists, thanks to its > creation of 243 new formal rule-makings by 11 different federal agencies. > What’s more, the bill “does nothing to stop future government > bailouts,”<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103708:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>makes > a TARP-like > bailout system > permanent<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103709:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>, > and does nothing to reform two of the biggest > culprits<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103710:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>behind > the financial crisis: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. (7/2010) > 7. *The "Neighborhood Destabilization Act"*: Speaker Pelosi would refer > to it as the “Helping Families Save Their Homes Act,” but in reality the > law > does the opposite by "putting millions of homeowners or potential buyers > at greater risk of an unstable credit and housing market and creating high > interest rates in the > future<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103711:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>." > And if you're a responsible homeowner, you lose big > time<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103711:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...> > . > 8. *Cash for Clunkers*: Stuck with an old car or truck? Under this plan, > the U.S. government would have paid you $3,500 to $4,500 to trade it in for > a new, more fuel efficient vehicle. Though the program boosted sales for > the > two months it was in place, a study showed the clunker program was a > > clinker<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103712:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>. > It didn’t bring new buyers into the market; it merely accelerated > purchases. > The cost to the taxpayers? $3 > billion.<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103713:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>(According > to an Edmunds > analysis<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103714:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>, > it came to $24,000 per car.) (6/2009) > 9. *New START*: President Obama sold this nuclear arms treaty between the > United States and Russia as an effort to reduce nuclear weapons. > Conservatives, > though, criticized > it<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103715:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>for > being “useless in limiting proliferation, detrimental to missile > defense, and counter to the purpose of defense treaties — defending and > protecting America from her enemies.” (12/2010) > 10. *Cap-and-Trade:* The Waxman-Markey climate bill that passed the House > was intended to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions with the goal of curbing > global warming. Were it enacted (which it wasn't), the plan would > have increased > gas prices by > 58%<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103716:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>, > and average household electric rates would increase by 90% by > 2035<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103716:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>. > (Passed House in 6/2009; stalled in Senate) > > Americans should expect better results from the 112th Congress, that is, if > the newly-elected representatives heed their electoral mandate: less > spending, lower taxes and limited government. But Americans should also be > aware that even if Congress stays in line, President Obama can still pursue > a big government agenda with more regulations from unelected bureaucrats. As > the president > said<http://links.heritage.org/ct/5103717:7719655897:m:1:147140772:DA12F61...>when > the Democrats lost the House and failed to enact cap-and-trade, "I'm > going to be looking for other means to address this problem." America, look > out. > -- > When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying > the cross. > > Sinclair Lewis -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
