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I really think that there is no "outrage" so there is no penalty for
NOT supporting <br>
the common good....only money when paid or withheld seems to be a
lever.<br>
Lily Tomlin said " no matter how cynical I get, I can't keep up"<br>
Maybe boycotts would work....<br>
<br>
Lenny Laks<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 11/23/2014 11:18 AM, Mark Safron
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:A45E4161-6F66-443C-8B0B-D040ECB02656@att.net"
type="cite">
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charset=ISO-8859-1">
<div style="margin: 0px; font-size: 30px; font-family: Georgia;"
class=""><b class="">WTF? WTF? </b><b class="">WTF? WTF? </b><b
class="">WTF? WTF? </b><b class="">WTF? WTF? </b><b class="">WTF?
WTF?</b></div>
<div style="margin: 0px; font-size: 30px; font-family: Georgia;"
class=""><b class="">NBC/WSJ Poll Reveals American's Priorities;
Guess How they Match With GOP Lawmakers' Priorities</b></div>
<blockquote type="cite" style="border-left-style: none; color:
inherit; padding: inherit; margin: inherit;" class="">
<div id="article" role="article" style="border-bottom-width:
0px;" class="">
<div class="page" style="font-family: Georgia, Palatino,
Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 15px;
line-height: 25px;">
<p class="">The new <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://newscms.nbcnews.com/sites/newscms/files/141581_november_nbc-wsj_filled-in.pdf"
style="font-weight: bold;" class="">NBC/WSJ poll</a> conducted
November 14-17 provides a post election snap shot of
American voter expectations, including their priorities
for actions Congress should take. Can you guess how they
match up with GOP Lawmaker's priorities? It's a real
shocker folks.</p>
<p class="">The People's agenda for Congress:</p>
<p class="">1. Access to lower cost student loans--80%
support.<br class="">
2. Increase spending on infrastructure--75%<br class="">
3. Raising the minimum wage--65%<br class="">
4. Emergency funding for fighting Ebola in Africa--60%<br
class="">
5. Addressing climate change/reducing carbon
emissions--59%<br class="">
6. Building Keystone Pipeline--54%</p>
<p class="">Agenda items registering below 50% support were:
lowering taxes by closing loopholes; approving U.S. troops
to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria; reducing Medicare and
Social Security benefits for wealthy retirees; new trade
agreements with Asian nations; lowering corporate tax
rates; cutting funding for ACA; path to citizenship; and
raising Social Security retirement age.</p>
<p class="">I thought it would be insightful to compare
America's priorities with those of our newly elected
Congress. According to <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2014/nov/10/mcconnell-and-boehners-goals-114th-congress/"
style="font-weight: bold;" class="">PolitiFact.com</a></p>
<blockquote class="">House Speaker John Boehner and
soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have
laid out some of their top legislative priorities. It’s a
range of issues -- everything from dismantling the
Affordable Care Act to passing international trade
agreements, and shutting down the possibility of another
government shutdown.</blockquote>
Here is PolitiFact's list in the order presented:
<p class="">1. Authorize Keystone Pipeline.<br class="">
2. Repeal ACA ("Obamacare")<br class="">
3. Pass the "Hire More Heroes" (veterans) Act.<br
class="">
4. Pass Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement with
Asia.<br class="">
5. Lower corporate taxes.<br class="">
6. Thwarting Obama on Immigration Executive Action.<br
class="">
7. Reign in the EPA and roll back environmental
regulations.</p>
<p class="">In a <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/john-boehner-and-mitch-mcconnell-now-we-can-get-congress-going-1415232759"
style="font-weight: bold;" class="">Wall Street Journal
op ed</a> published the day after the election, Boehner
and McConnell outline some of their legislative
priorities.</p>
<blockquote class="">Looking ahead to the next Congress, <strong
class=""><u class="">we will honor the voters’ trust</u></strong> by
focusing, first, on jobs and the economy. Among other
things, that means a renewed effort to debate and vote on
the many bills that passed the Republican-led House in
recent years with bipartisan support, but were never even
brought to a vote by the Democratic Senate majority.</blockquote>
(The bolding is mine).
<p class="">A distillation of the Boehner/McConnell
priorities in the order presented.</p>
<p class="">1. Repeal "Obamacare."<br class="">
2. Authorize the Keystone Pipeline.<br class="">
3. Pass the "Hire More Heroes" (veterans) Act.<br
class="">
4. Restore "traditional" definition of full time work
week to 40 hours (see item 1.)<br class="">
5. Protect and expand America's energy boom [thanks
Obama].<br class="">
6. Support charter schools with tax dollars.</p>
<p class="">Keeping in mind their promise "honor the voters'
trust" it is interesting to note that there is only one
item in common with the voters actual agenda for Congress,
which is #6 on the people's list and #2 on B & M's
list. Other than that, these Republican leaders address
none of the issues Americans have said are the most
important; nothing about student loans or the cost of
college; nothing about infrastructure, bridges and roads;
nothing about the minimum wage; after all their hysteria
before the election, nothing about money to fight the
Ebola outbreak; and instead of addressing climate change
and reducing carbon emissions they of course want to do
just the opposite.</p>
<p class="">How is that for honoring the voters' trust? It
is clear the GOP doesn't trust voters at all, because they
will do everything in their power to lower voter
enthusiasm and participation, and therefore have no
intention of honoring voters' trust by addressing the
issues that matter most. The GOP agenda is the Koch
Brothers' agenda. It is Sheldon Adelson's, the Walton's
and the oil companies' agenda.</p>
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