Devildawg15's blog: "Vacation Time In DC"

Currently, the United States Navy has five destroyers off the coast of Syria, each with more than four dozen cruise missiles,provided they received a full load-out, waiting on orders to fire. The British were sending ships and aircraft, but Parliament demanded a vote on the attack and voted against it. Germany doesn’t want to do anything in the form of an attack. The French are all for attacking, yet I haven’t noticed any of their assets moving into the area. The assets I do see entering the arena are ships of the Russian Navy, including the guided missile cruiser Moskva.

How did we get here? Well, two years ago, an uprising developed against the Syrian regime of Bashir Al-Assad. The regime struck back, killing those involved. New protestors arose and were quickly dealt with. Here in the United States, the President sat and watched. Evidently, he’s really good at sitting and watching. We were busy leading from behind in Libya, sending weapons into the civil war there. About the time that Moammar Ghaddafi was killed by his fellow Libyans, the conflict in Syria had devolved into a civil war between four factions. In August, 2012, the President is talking (something else he’s really good at) about Syria and says his “red line” in the conflict would be if they started moving chemical weapons around or using them. He was saying that if either of those events occurred, he would have to step in to stop them.

Last June, the French let it be known that the Syrians had used chemical weapons on their own people. Our President, having been reminded of his “red line” speech, launched an investigation into who if anyone was responsible. It’s amazing how, once this administration launches an investigation, how quickly it goes absolutely nowhere! So, two months later (a couple of weeks ago), there is another chemical weapons attack, this time on video. Again, the President is reminded of what he said. Again, he wants to make sure who was responsible. The French have said it was Assad. The Arab League says it was Assad. So, using the sit and wait protocol he likes best, he waits for the UN.

So, here we are. The UN has been to Syria to test for chemical weapons and we are waiting for the results. The President has attempted to build a coalition and no one wants to play, except the French giving us moral support. Congress wants to be informed and possibly vote on any action. Our Secretary of State, today, spoke to the American people, saying that information was irrefutable that it was the Assad regime. This information supposedly comes from the intelligence community and the Arab League. Now, let me remind you that this is the same intelligence community that the administration has spent many years humiliating for their “weapons of mass destruction” gaffe prior to our going into Iraq and the same intelligence community that seems more intent ,on spying on American citizens at home rather than on terrorists abroad. As for the Arab League, they are heavily involved with our President’s buddies, the Muslim Brotherhood. You’ll forgive me if I don’t necessarily believe them. Al Qaeda does have chemical weapons and a presence in Syria. The Muslim Brotherhood was, until recently, in control of Egypt. Does Egypt have chemical weapons? If they do, are they all accounted for? It is obvious that the Brotherhood has no qualms about killing hundreds of people. Then, it could have been the Assad regime. The fact is, do we know the truth?

Basically, we are in this position with ships preparing to launch missile, that ultimately won’t do anything to stop hostilities, because of the ego of one person. The President was ignored several times by Bashir Al-Assad. Assad has ignored him for the last two years and the his feelings are hurt. The President has said that the attack would decisive, but limited. This means he will launch multi-million dollar missiles to targets of little consequence, with absolutely no goal of regime change. If we do launch missiles, maybe we can call it “Operation O’s Nose Out Of Joint”.

Today is the 27th of December and just four days remain until the fiscal cliff, or would taxmageddon be a better term. The House of Representatives is out of session, although on 48 hour notice to return. The Senate is back on Capital Hill, although they haven’t done a thing for the last four years, as evidenced by the fact that they have failed to pass a budget in that period of time. That’s a violation of law, but they seem to believe that laws are for everyone else, but not them! But, fear not, as Barack Obama has come riding Air Force One in to save the day. Is he really?

Obama has no intention of any type of compromise. A true compromise would entail drastic spending cuts. His proposals contain none. His political philosophy is to spend as much as possible. If there is a problem, throw money at it and it will go away. It’s the viewpoint of the liberals from at least the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt, which ironically is the time the United States started running deficits in the billions of dollars. Obama is salivating over the 1st of January, because, from that day on, he gets the tax dollars of hard-working Americans to spend as he sees fit. His agenda is much more important than the health of the country. It’s in his best interests to allow the nation, and the economy, to go over the cliff.

The Senate is planning to do the same thing as the past two years, sit on their… political agenda; doing absolutely NOTHING unless it goes along in lockstep with their progressive belief. For the last two years,over thirty bills passed by the House of Representatives have sat on Harry Reid’s desk gathering dust, not seeing the light of day. Evidently, they subscribe to Dire Straits song, “Money For Nothing”, as they collect OUR pay and do nothing! Harry Reid then has the nerve to complain that the GOP won’t negotiate. Check your desk Harry. Several of those bills on your desk would go far toward the betterment of the economy and the nation. Personally, I’m tired of hearing your whining about negotiations.

The House of Representatives and the Speaker, John Boehner, are free from blame in this whole repugnant affair. The idea of delaying every difficult problem until a better time, or someone else’s watch, has caused great problems for a while. It has caused this great country to go from a AAA rating to a AA rating with an unfavorable outlook from several credit rating companies. While the House is the ONLY legislative branch doing anything, they are not the glowing example of conservative thought I would like, although they do have a few brief moments. Giving in to Obama’s talking points and starting negotiations by allowing tax increases was never one of them!

So, here we are; our nation is being wheeled into the hospital on a gurney, only to find out that all the doctors are arguing about whether or not to bring food into the auditorium as they settle down to watch a movie, perhaps “Thelma and Louise”. The House will give tax increases. but want some cuts, which historically never come. The Senate wants only tax increases, but don’t touch entitlements. Then, there’s Obama, who thinks he’s owed something for being him!

Truth is there’s no time to cobble an agreement together. Everytime a last-minute agreement has been passed, it’s been a bad plan for the country. Until those in Washington realize the problem America has isn’t a revenue problem, but a spending problem, all we’ll get are more bad plans. With a bit over four days remaining in which to act, I’ve come to think that no plan is better than a bad plan. Let’s go for the ride.

Hopefully, the first order of business in the House of Representatives on 3 January, 2013 will be a call to vote by secret ballot for the Speaker position, resulting in someone with a spine of steel and conviction of principles to replace John Boehner. When the debt ceiling issue comes up in January or February, the call for no increase without deep, meaningful spending cuts is loud and strong. By that time, the government will have spent all revenues garnered by the Obama Tax Increases of 2013. We need to cut actual spending, not reduce the baseline increases. Anyway, it’s going to be an interesting next few weeks.

Well, it's the end of the year and thoughts turn to the holidays. People everywhere look forward to time from work with friends and family. They have worked hard all year long and, now, it is time for the holidays.

Even in Washington, the holidays are in the forefront of interests. I don't begrudge anyone a vacation, but Congress has "worked" about 153 days this year and it's not like they have accomplished anything. The House HAS past about 25 bills, but they never see the light of day in the Senate. The Senate has gone way over 900 days without a budget, with no apparent interest in one for the next year either.

Of course, the President has said there is legislation that needs to be past before they leave for the holidays, which is good. Therein lies the rub. Since President Obama's vacation plans got delayed, the First Lady and their girls have decided that they are too important to stay in DC to wait for The People's work to be completed. They and their massive entourage are taking an Air Force flight cross-country to Hawaii, so they can start their holiday vacation, a planned 17 days, on time and at government (our) expense. This expense is an estimated $100,000 for the early flight alone, an expense which could have been foregone if Michelle didn't have delusions of grandour. But, no, we can't delay Michelle's fun!

Evidently, her spending spree among the rich and famous in Spain wasn't bad enough. She listed her daughter as senior staff so We the People picked up her expenses. Next came the trip to Martha's Vineyard. She had to take a separate plane from Waashington about four hours earlier than her husband (four hours! Has she NO patience?). After hobnobbing in the Vineyard they flew (again separate planes back to DC.

The arrogance of these people, the President and his wife, is so massive as to dredge up Marie Antoinette's "let them eat cake) image. To believe she deserves her own plane, flight crew and fuel allowances is just ludicrous.

How many of us are spending less on Christmas (yes, I said it!) this year or traveling closer to home to save money? How many of us are cutting corners to make ends meet? How many of us have had to budget so close as to have no room for anything else?

In an atmoshere such as I've described, I am hard-pressed to imagine how a Senate that doesn't believe in a budget, can just spend. I cannot fathom how a President who has spent the last three years campaigning for four more years in his job does what ever he can to avoid doing anything that would actually create jobs in the private sector. I don't understand how we think they represent We the People. I refuse to approve of us footing the bill for the arrogance of the First Lady!