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| US House defies Obama, passes spending-cut bill |
| 2011-02-20 |
[Arab News] The US House of Representatives on Saturday approved legislation to cut federal spending deeply through September, a plan that is sure to be stopped by President Barack B.O.Obama and his fellow Democrats in the Senate. The Republican-backed bill is a challenge to Obama to show he is serious about closing record budget deficits and sets up the possibility of government shut downs if a compromise is not worked out by March 4, when current funding expires. On a largely partisan vote of 235-189, House Republicans won passage of the bill to cut current spending by about 14 percent, or more than $61.5 billion from current levels, marking a victory for Tea Party conservatives who were elected in November. House Speaker John It is not pronounced 'Boner!'Boehner ... the occasionally weepy leader of House Republicans... said the legislation was part of Republican efforts "to liberate our economy from the shackles of out-of-control spending." Obama has outlined his own plan for less severe spending cuts in 2012, and has warned that tightening the belt too much too soon could harm the slow economic recovery. Attention now shifts to the Senate, which will write its own version of a government funding bill for this fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. The House spending cuts reflect Republican opposition to federal regulation, which they say hampers business growth, and distaste for taxpayer dollars being used for programs ranging from job training and food aid for the poor to NASA space exploration. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 It requires positive action for the Feds to spend money. The executive branch can't spend money the legislators haven't appropriated. So by all means Barack, shut down the federal government and its spending torrent. It's like money in the bank to taxpayers. |
| Posted by: Pearl Gleaper1127 2011-02-20 18:36 |
| #4 Obama's far left agenda has been derailed by the 2010 elections. Unfortunately, the Pubs will have trouble moving their agenda. But as you say T.W. much can be done at the State level and in the courts. As individuals, we can all participate in the process and keep pressure on our representatives. Another bunch of them will be up for re-election in 2012. It is interesting to compare our "quiet" revolution with what is going on in the Mideast. Our founding fathers had a genius about them when they built into our Constitution the means for ongoing revolution. I don't think the "hope and change" going on is what Obama meant in 2008. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2011-02-20 17:39 |
| #3 At this point I would just bypass O. That's not possible, Dale. A lot of things can be done at the state level, including the 26 states suing in federal court, claiming that Obamacare is unconstitutional... and Alaska at least refusing to enforce it. But at the federal level the president is the chief executive officer, the one responsible for running things. There is no one else -- that's how the system was designed. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2011-02-20 16:03 |
| #2 At this point I would just bypass O. In my opinion he has become irrelevant. Pass the legislation and proceed just like they are doing with health care. They don't abide the constitution give them a dose of their own medicine. The constitution is a living document so it can be updated as they say. I am not serious but regressive liberals do change the rules to suit themselves. |
| Posted by: Dale 2011-02-20 15:36 |
| #1 The Republicans need to keep presenting and voting on legislation in the House even though it will not make it past the Senate or Obama's veto pen. At least it will put the ball in the Democrat's court so that many (maybe enough) voters will be aware of who is really preventing the economy and Washington from getting fixed. Of course there are those who just want things to continue as is and who want to continue getting their chunk of the boodle. They don't seem to understand that the boodle is rapidly evaporating and that soon there won't be any boodle. Voters who are self-employed or in the private sector, many of whom are not getting any benefits are being asked to pay taxes for generous benefits for public union members via their taxes. At the State level, the protesters who protest Walker's attempts at reform and balancing the budget look stupid, silly, hateful, greedy, and unbending. Obama dollars won't buy anything if they are not worth anything. I don't think this is lost on voters who are crying for reform. All this is ammunition for 2012. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2011-02-20 12:11 |