Crooks

Stirling Newberry at the Stakeholder:

[. . .]

Having given Bush the longest period of undivided government since Jimmy Carter, people expected results.

But results are exactly what this Congress has been in short supply of. For decades Republicans promised that if they got in charge, they could do more with less because of all of the Democratic "waste, fraud and abuse". Instead, under the undivided government of Bush, DeLay and Frist, budget deficits have ballooned, and billions have turned up missing or unaccounted for in Iraq. The Republican leadership promised a Congress that would be run like a business. However, it seems safe to say that if a business were run the way Congress is, it would be under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Republican Leadership learned a great deal from the dot com bubble, specifically how to keep ugly items off budget to make losses look less dire, and then masking the real size of the deficit by counting your Social Security money as if it were income taxes. Don't be fooled by "private accounts," what Bush, DeLay and Frist have really invested your money in is a dry hole in Iraq. What Bush did for Harken, he and the Republican leadership in Congress have done for America.

[. . .]

So let me ask a simple question, what has Congress done for you lately? They sent you a three hundred dollar check a few years ago, which turns out to have been borrowed, so even now you are paying it back.

[. . .]

The how is also important. It should be clear by now that the Republican way of doing something is hiring a bunch of their contributors to do it. "Pay to Play" is a good way to get bridges to nowhere, tunnels that leak and No Child Left with a Behind. It's also a good way to get a video poker vote counting system that can't be trusted.

[. . .]

Americans want to be sure that when America commits to a decision it is the right one, and that there hasn't been any cooking of the books or fixing the facts to get a rush to judgement.

The lesson is that if you elect a bunch of "yes men," don't be surprised when they can't say no to their cronies.

[. . .]

An excellent post. In effect, the Republican Party is an organized crime ring, nothing more and the press have been their enablers. It's time we showed them for what they really are. Great thanks to Jo Fish.