Republicans Starting To Outline Their Agenda.

[redivider]

1. Impact of regulation on job creation:

This topic area gets to the heart of Issa's agenda as chairman of the committee -- reducing big government control. Issa hopes to make the case that there hasn't been any growth in private-sector jobs because of the impact of government regulation. Politico reported Monday that Issa has reached out to more than 150 "trade associations, companies and think tanks" to ask for a list of regulations that harm job growth.
2. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Issa would like to revisit the financial meltdown and investigate the role that the government-sponsored mortgage entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may have played in the foreclosure crisis. Issa, as the ranking Republican on the Oversight Committee during the last Congress, was one of the members who led probes into preferential mortgages received by Fannie and Freddie employees.
3. The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission: The president created this bipartisan commission in 2009 to investigate the causes of the current financial crisis. But the commission broke down along partisan lines last year and failed to reach a consensus. Issa wants to find out why.
4. Corruption in Afghanistan: The congressman hopes to investigate corruption in Afghanistan and force officials to confront corruption-related issues. Issa plans to expand on the investigations led by Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass) in the previous Congress.
5. WikiLeaks: Issa wants to focus on ways in which the federal government can prevent the dissemination of sensitive information, with WikiLeaks -- the [COLOR=#366388 !important][COLOR=#366388 !important]whistleblower [COLOR=#366388 !important]site[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] founded by Julian Assange -- being the prime example. Issa said on "Fox News Sunday" this week that he wants a whistleblower bill passed to prevent somebody from "outing" what diplomats say in private "so diplomats can do their job with confidence and people can talk to our government with confidence."
6. Food and Drug Administration: Issa intends to put pressure on the FDA and question the effectiveness of recalls stemming from this "broken bureaucracy." The president is scheduled to sign a major food-safety bill today, which was passed by the last Congress following several major E. coli and salmonella outbreaks in the past few years.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20110104/ts_yblog_theticket/republican-outlines-government-oversight-targets-for-2011


he wants a bunch of private enterprises to make a list of regulations they think affect job growth. since you know, job growth is the only factor to consider when reviewing the effectiveness of regulation.

they want to investigate fanni mae and freddie mac, the two engines of financial markets that have helped make the american dream possible. he wants to leave receivers of multiple government bail outs like AIG, Goldman and others alone. it's not like they did anything wrong...

he wants to find out why the commission broke down: because republicans wanted to obstruct anything the commision recommended. that's why.

corruption in afganistan: this is easily solved. get out of afganistan. cut military spending and start shrinking the deficit. will repukes oblige?? i don't think so.

WikiLeaks: he wants to make sure that the shady, back-room culture politicians have created stays exactly that way. shady and back room. WOW.

he wants the FDA to stop making companies wasting money on these stupid recalls. they cost companies millions and there's the possibility that only 2 or 3 people died. that's an acceptable loss i guess, if business is doing fine...


it's nauseating....

 

[laughingduck]

Have you been drinking the Kool Aid long?

 

[hempshark]

Have you been drinking the Kool Aid long?

Hey, you leave Kool Aid out of this! Its refreshing and delicious and I will not sit here and have you slander that delightful beverage!

(But seriously, I have no idea what's going on)

 

[laughingduck]

The Republicans are fixin to screw the Democrats like they have been screwwed for 6 years, and i think its fuuuunnnnyyyy!

 

[UncleBuck]

he wants a bunch of private enterprises to make a list of regulations they think affect job growth. since you know, job growth is the only factor to consider when reviewing the effectiveness of regulation.

when i heard msnbc snidely deride this in their intro segments, i said the same thing...

but then i listened to the segment, and thought...might not be a bad idea, actually.

it is not like every suggestion they make will go through, or every suggestion will be harmful. i would like to actually see what they say, so we can figure out if they are just trying to be self serving with their suggestions, or if they are actually proposing common sense regulation reforms that might actually lead to more jobs.

also, i would listen to their suggestions for the sole reason of satisfying certain people on this board who complain of *burdensome* and *oppressive* regulations.

and hempshark, that was funny

 

[NoDrama]

he wants a bunch of private enterprises to make a list of regulations they think affect job growth. since you know, job growth is the only factor to consider when reviewing the effectiveness of regulation.

They need to start somewhere, but I agree that they could start somewhere else.

they want to investigate fanni mae and freddie mac, the two engines of financial markets that have helped make the american dream possible. he wants to leave receivers of multiple government bail outs like AIG, Goldman and others alone. it's not like they did anything wrong...

Fanni and Freddie are to blame also, but you are right, the Banksters need to take their medicine.

he wants to find out why the commission broke down: because republicans wanted to obstruct anything the commision recommended. that's why.

Partisan politics, what else do you expect?

corruption in afganistan: this is easily solved. get out of afganistan. cut military spending and start shrinking the deficit. will repukes oblige?? i don't think so.

I really agree with this, its high time we get the fuck out of there.

WikiLeaks: he wants to make sure that the shady, back-room culture politicians have created stays exactly that way. shady and back room. WOW.

wow indeed. The first amendment will soon be gone if this guy gets his way.

he wants the FDA to stop making companies wasting money on these stupid recalls. they cost companies millions and there's the possibility that only 2 or 3 people died. that's an acceptable loss i guess, if business is doing fine...

Its despicable that the companies themselves don't recall the products. Corruption everywhere.

it's nauseating....

Perhaps that Cucumber you got at the farmers market is full of cow shit and you have E Coli poisoning?

 

[UncleBuck]

Perhaps that Cucumber you got at the farmers market is full of cow shit and you have E Coli poisoning?

well, now that the food safety bill is law of the land, we will get to see if farmer's markets are a thing of the past, as many wingnuts around here predicted (not sure if you were one of them). i have a little land now, and do plan on moving some of my extra crops for a little scratch on the side.

oh wait, now i remember....you said that this bill was 'the first step in complete corporate takeover of the food supply'. now we get to see if you're right!

 

[bluewavexx]

Republicans are the Kool aid.

 

[redivider]

i should also mention that a non-scientific poll of the american population showed the majority of americans believe that the rich should be taxed more to help control the deficit, in direct condradiction to one of the biggest republican cornerstones of the last 30 years.

source: http://www.examiner.com/populist-in-national/poll-most-americans-say-tax-the-rich-to-balance-the-budget

 

[laughingduck]

Would the quickest way out of poverty be TO GET A JOB? That's just some hillbilly logic.

 

[UncleBuck]

Would the quickest way out of poverty be TO GET A JOB? That's just some hillbilly logic.

nothing against hillbillies here, but to use an age old stereotype of stupidity against them, that is 'hillbilly logic'.

federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.

40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year comes out to $14,500, pre taxes.

poverty threshold in the united states for a household of two is $14,570.

full time job, living in poverty.

that could be a single parent and their child. where do you think the child goes for 8+ hours a day (breaks and commute)? better account for someone to watch the child, and that costs money.

the child needs immunizations, and clothes, and food, and etcetera? that costs money.

how much is the cheapest place you can possibly rent, since buying is impossible at below poverty wages?

gotta keep the heat on, that costs money. gotta keep the lights on, that costs money.

i'm sure these altruistic, trickle-downing mega corporations like walmart will see to it by themselves, without any burdensome or oppressive regulations, that the people who are trying to get themselves out of poverty by getting a job will be able to keep the lights on, keep the heat on, rent a space, and take care of their child.

sorry to be harsh, i kinda took what you said and used it to make a point.

end point: even as a single person with no one to support but themselves, even with a full time job, can remain at only 133% of poverty, which is still poverty, basically. almost no chance at upward mobility, lucky to get a cost of living wage increase every year, especially if the company decides their wages are 'competitive'. stuck renting because they have no money to save or pay for a mortgage, pissing their wages away instead of gaining equity on them. such is the cycle of poverty. and i have no idea how we fix it.

 

[NLXSK1]

they want to investigate fanni mae and freddie mac, the two engines of financial markets that have helped make the american dream possible. he wants to leave receivers of multiple government bail outs like AIG, Goldman and others alone. it's not like they did anything wrong...

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were the driving factors for no-documentation loans. The government directed these companies to lower their standards and make loans affordable for lower income people and the lowering of those standards helped create the bubble in the housing market.

I find it appaling that 3 years into the real estate crisis, no representatives of either of these companies have been up in front of congress or investigated in any way in spite of the fact that we are pouring hundreds of billions of taxpayer money into bailing out these corporations.

I find it coincidental that these companies were some of the highest donators to Barak Obama's campaign and Barney Frank has gotten quite a bit of campaign cash from them too.

They were not even included in the financial reform bill... Funny how such a fundamental portion and problem of the real estate crash seemed to be completely missed in all of this huh?

 

[laughingduck]

When i was in poverty i took as many jobs that i could juggle for as long as i could juggle them. There is not a right yet that says you should not work overtime. The problem with folks is they get this "i am entitled" mentality" and it keeps them from doing what they need to, to get out of the ditch. My oldest son took a job at McDonalds, and is ashamed of it. Then i told him the shit that i did to make a living when i was his age, and the the work that i did when we were a young family. I don't think it sunk in, but i tried. The point is i do very well today, and i think it is because i never turned an oppertunity down to make money. Furthermore tomarrow if i had to sweep the streets by hand to keep my kids fed i would do it.

 

[redivider]

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were the driving factors for no-documentation loans. The government directed these companies to lower their standards and make loans affordable for lower income people and the lowering of those standards helped create the bubble in the housing market.

I find it appaling that 3 years into the real estate crisis, no representatives of either of these companies have been up in front of congress or investigated in any way in spite of the fact that we are pouring hundreds of billions of taxpayer money into bailing out these corporations.

I find it coincidental that these companies were some of the highest donators to Barak Obama's campaign and Barney Frank has gotten quite a bit of campaign cash from them too.

They were not even included in the financial reform bill... Funny how such a fundamental portion and problem of the real estate crash seemed to be completely missed in all of this huh?

no they didn't. that was a loophole exploited by financial services companies in the name of their bottom lines.

free market advocates like greenspan pushed for lax-regulation in the financial services industry.

his reasoning was that companies wouldn't be so greedy and shady to do a lot of the stuff they did, because they wouldn't risk loosing so much money.

reality showed us they didn't care about the risk because no matter how much money they lost they were too big to fail anyways.

fannie and freedie served their purpose perfectly well for the better part of the last century with no problem. when the BANKS started to pull off crazy shit everything went haywire.

but of course, the all-holy private sector cannot do wrong now can it..... somehow the blame has to go to the government, always, regardless of the facts...

 

[NoDrama]

well, now that the food safety bill is law of the land, we will get to see if farmer's markets are a thing of the past, as many wingnuts around here predicted (not sure if you were one of them). i have a little land now, and do plan on moving some of my extra crops for a little scratch on the side.

oh wait, now i remember....you said that this bill was 'the first step in complete corporate takeover of the food supply'. now we get to see if you're right!

And you can be the first person to cry about it when i am proven right. Of course don't expect it to happen overnight. Its just the first step.

 

[NoDrama]

i should also mention that a non-scientific poll of the american population showed the majority of americans believe that the rich should be taxed more to help control the deficit, in direct condradiction to one of the biggest republican cornerstones of the last 30 years.

source: http://www.examiner.com/populist-in-national/poll-most-americans-say-tax-the-rich-to-balance-the-budget

Gee that poll isn't biased or anything. I could have come up with a much much better poll in 10 minutes.

 

[redivider]

Gee that poll isn't biased or anything. I could have come up with a much much better poll in 10 minutes.

FYI, the examiner is biased, they dindn't carry out the poll, they reported on the result.

here's the question:

Regarding the "tax the rich" answer, here is the question posed: "What would you do first to balance the budget?"

The answers to choose from are as follows: (1) "Increase taxes on the wealthy;" (2) "Cut defense spending;" (3) "Cut Medicare;" (4) "Cut Social Security"

that's right out of right-leaning american thinker.

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/01/do_americans_really_want_to_ta.html

that question is not biased at all. it gives a question and 4 valid answers.

i wouldn't even mention it if the question was phrased: What would you do first to balance the budget? 1) Increase the record-low taxes on the wealthy, 2) cut defense spending, 3) cut medicare 4) cut social security.

that's a biased question which would get biased result. the question in the poll is perfectly neutral and provides a clear picture.

i also stated it's a non-scientific poll, even though i truly believe these results reflect what the majority of americans think. b/c the majority of americans are NOT rich.

 

[NoDrama]

his reasoning was that companies wouldn't be so greedy and shady to do a lot of the stuff they did, because they wouldn't risk loosing so much money.

reality showed us they didn't care about the risk because no matter how much money they lost they were too big to fail anyways.

fannie and freedie served their purpose perfectly well for the better part of the last century with no problem. when the BANKS started to pull off crazy shit everything went haywire.

but of course, the all-holy private sector cannot do wrong now can it..... somehow the blame has to go to the government, always, regardless of the facts...

Fannie and Freddie are Government Sponsored Entities that took any loan they could get their hands on, whether or not it was a good or bad one didn't matter because the debt would all be divided up into tranches, securitized and guaranteed to get a AAA rating from The rating services and then easily sold to the Public Suckers who figured they could make money holding this toxic crap.

The only reason the TBTF Banks have their heads above water is due to the Suspension of GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) In other words, because Government said it was ok, the banks can value their assets at whatever they want, not the true market value they would receive if they were to try and sell the assets. For this reason now some Banks are bulldozing the properties so they won't have to pay so much property tax, but are still allowed to list that asset at the same value it had in 2007. Million Dollar McMansions that might be able to be sold for $350K, but get to go on the banks balance sheet at $1 million. Homes that don't even physically exist, on the balance sheet at full value. This gives the indication that the TBTF banks are wholly solvent when that couldn't be further from the truth.

 

[NLXSK1]

no they didn't. that was a loophole exploited by financial services companies in the name of their bottom lines.

free market advocates like greenspan pushed for lax-regulation in the financial services industry.

his reasoning was that companies wouldn't be so greedy and shady to do a lot of the stuff they did, because they wouldn't risk loosing so much money.

reality showed us they didn't care about the risk because no matter how much money they lost they were too big to fail anyways.

fannie and freedie served their purpose perfectly well for the better part of the last century with no problem. when the BANKS started to pull off crazy shit everything went haywire.

but of course, the all-holy private sector cannot do wrong now can it..... somehow the blame has to go to the government, always, regardless of the facts...

Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae are companies that are essentially run by the government. John McCain and others tried to reign them in by reforming them under government law but it was blocked by barney frank and others who received millions of dollars in campaign donations.

Congress hasnt even had any hearings on Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae... If these players were so evil, why has no government investigation or oversite being demanded?

It stinks of politics....

 

[medicineman]

When i was in poverty i took as many jobs that i could juggle for as long as i could juggle them. There is not a right yet that says you should not work overtime. The problem with folks is they get this "i am entitled" mentality" and it keeps them from doing what they need to, to get out of the ditch. My oldest son took a job at McDonalds, and is ashamed of it. Then i told him the shit that i did to make a living when i was his age, and the the work that i did when we were a young family. I don't think it sunk in, but i tried. The point is i do very well today, and i think it is because i never turned an oppertunity down to make money. Furthermore tomarrow if i had to sweep the streets by hand to keep my kids fed i would do it.

So, I do have a chance to meet you, when you are sweeping my street. Do a good job son, there may be a little something extra in it for ya.