Rethuggery Week in the 109th (Weasel) Congress

[TayTay]

I'm so glad we had those fun Tour de France pics this weekend. I needed the fun diversion.

Fun's over starting tomorrow. The Rethugs are at it again. First of all, Sen. McConnell (R-KY) introduced a Cloture motion on Friday to shut off debate on the $442 billion dollar Defense Appropriations bill. Why do this? Usually Defense Appropriations bills get at least a week or two on the Senate floor in order for amendments to be filed and for the issues to be fully vetted.

Well, The Dems are threatening to call for independent investigations of the Abu Ghraib Scandal. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050721/pl_nm/arms_congress_dc_4 The Rethugs managed to block the release of further (and more intensely disgusting) pics that were supposed to be released on Friday under a FOIA request from the ACLU. The * Admin, at the last possible moment, pulled the pics back and sought to have them classified as National Security items and have it deemed against National Security to release them.

Also, there are various funding bills around that the Dems would like to submit to get better coverage for Veteran's benefits. And the * Admin is pissed that the BRAC commission might balk at the proposed cuts and defer closing some installations in New England. And the *ies want the debate on that huge bill to be shut down.

So, look for an unusual number of speeches on Monday afternoon expressing Dem outrage over this disgusting display of Rethug mischief. These bastards just have no morals at all. They know that Dems can't filibuster the Defense Bill because of the bad overtones of blocking defense funds. Sen. Reid has already said that he will call a meeting of the Dem. Sen. Caucus and advise AGAINST filibustering this measure. But Reid is pissed. This could get real interesting.

Also, The Rethugs submitted a cloture motion on a bill that hasn't even come up yet. (Because of the Defense Bill.) The other cloture vote will be on the Gun Bill that will seek to absolve gun dealers from all responsibility in gun deaths no matter how the sales were made. This is being absolutely rammed through the Senate. Again, Reid is outraged.

I dare say the Junior Senator from Massachusetts, all rested and fit from his fun trip this weekend will have a lot to say about these disgusting developments. So stay tuned and stay alert this week. This could turn out to be the single most awful week in the whole friggin bastard 109th Congress.

[TayTay]

1. The cloture votes are scheduled for Tuesday morning

This is an absolute outrage. It is rethuggery at it's absolute worst.

[Mass]

2. Add to that that the Republicans intend to bring to the floor

two totally essential (!!!) bills before the end of the week:

- gun liability for which a cloture motion has also been filed,

- estate tax.

We can now understand what the priorities are between supporting the troops and supporting the wealthy.

[TayTay]

3. Bastards. They want everything done before the big recess

and they figure that the Dems would rather recess for August than fight these things out.

I hope that Harry Reid has something in mind for that caucus tomorrow night. (And boy do I wish I could be a fly-on-the-wall for that one.)

---- Military Appropriations. (Block, block, block info from getting out at all costs.)

--- Gun Bill

--- Estate Tax. (Wonder if cloture will be filed on this tomorrow.)

What a bunch of friggin bastards.

Thanks Mass for the Estate Tax Bill info, btw.

[TayTay]

5. Article on Estate Tax plan in the Senate this week

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050724/ap_on_go_co/estate_tax

Senate to Vote on Repealing Estate Tax By MARY DALRYMPLE, AP Tax Writer
Sun Jul 24, 1:17 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans will push for a vote this week on permanently repealing the estate tax even though the GOP appears to lack enough support to get past Democrats' objections.

The tax has fallen as a result of gradually escalating exemptions and decreasing rates since President Bush's tax cut in 2001.

In 2010, the tax will disappear. But without action by Congress, it will return with a vengeance in 2011, when the top tax rate on estates reverts to 55 percent and the exemption shrinks to $675,000.

This year the top rate is 47 percent and the first $1.5 million left to heirs is not taxed at all.

[whometense]

6. For some reason,

this one bothers me the most of all the tax cuts. Go figure. Maybe it's because of the weaselly way they refer to it as the "Death Tax" when if we called it what it really is, the INHERITANCE tax for RICH BRATS, probably very few people other than rich brats would go along with it.

Plus, it boggles the mind that they are still trying to cut taxes at all. For rich people. God.

[TayTay]

7. It should. This is the type of thing we had a Revolution

to get away from back in the 1770's. The Brits had left over medieval laws that forbade the dissolution of an estate because of bills and laws that perpetuated the passing of estates to first-born children as a way of keeping power and money in one class.

We fought this war over 200 years ago and won. Now the Rethugs are determined to bring back a society where one side has permanent wealth and priviledge. Our forefathers and mothers would be ashamed.

[whometense]

8. Come to think of it,

didn't someone start calling it the "Paris Hilton Tax"? I like that frame.

You're right. I hadn't gone that far back in my thinking - I'm always reminded of the turn of the 20th century robber barons - the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts and their ilk. But either one works.

"Paris Hilton Tax" works for me.

[Island Blue]

4. God bless all of the Senate Democrats for standing in there

and fighting the good fight. Seriously. Even though I may not agree with every Senator on our side 100% of the time, you gotta give these guys credit for hanging in there (for the most part) and trying to pick their battles wisely. The Republican Party has dissolved into a cesspool of lies, greed and corruption. The party of "moral values" my ass!