Good afternoon, Daily Kos readers. This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, offer critiques and suggestions, or post manifestos.
This is an open source project, so feel free to add your own insights. Here's the news I found lurking around the Internets...
The best way to cover your tracks
Blackwater seems like it is in some kind of witness protection program. What is the defense contractor calling itself today? Who knows. If that is not bad enough, they seem to be in the middle creative government procurement contracts. Worst of all, they seem to have really irritated Clare McCaskill.
Army contractor's use of a cover name for Blackwater angers Sen. McCaskill
"The American people have a right to be outraged that we're playing this kind of game with contracting. It's wrong. It's flat wrong."
With those words, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) voiced her exasperation near the end of a three-hour Senate Armed Services Committee hearing about a contract to train Afghan National Army troops last year to use American weapons. One issue at the Feb. 24. hearing was that the $25 million contract, awarded in September 2008, was to a company called Paravant -- well known to those involved as a cover name for Blackwater (now Xe Services).
Another issue was that while the U.S. Army was paying for it, the contract was awarded to Paravant (Blackwater) by a Raytheon subsidiary called Raytheon Technical Services Co. RTSC holds a multibillion-dollar War Fighter Focus contract, primarily to train U.S. troops, but in this case the Army decided to use the company, through a separate task order under the War Fighter Focus contract, to hire Paravant.
(Bold is mine.)
The story goes on to say that Committee Chairman Carl Levin has contacted the Justice Department about Blackwater's use of a cover name on the contracts. Unfortunately, this point was not discussed at the hearing. The rest of this story is has some pretty damning stuff that makes one wonder why the government is still allowing Blackwater/Xe/Paravant anywhere close to a government operation.
A video of the full hearing is posted here.
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Debts and Deficits in Washington and Athens
Greece has managed to run up a huge budget deficit, jeopardizing its place in the European Union. The United States has managed to do much the same thing. The difference is that the United States Congress has no institution to force/persuade them to cut spending and raise taxes when necessary. Well, there is the electorate, but just try pushing for a tax increase. Any candidate proposing such a thing would be looking up in envy at the Green Party candidate's 0.4 percent of the vote.
First the modern Greek tragedy:
Financial reform key as Obama meets with Greek leader
Washington (CNN) -- Global financial reform is expected to top the agenda Tuesday as President Obama huddles with Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, whose country is at the center of Europe's debt crisis.
The White House meeting marks the conclusion of a four-country financial relief tour for the beleaguered Greek leader. Beginning Friday, he visited Germany, France and Luxembourg seeking support for his government's new austerity measures to counteract skyrocketing budget deficits.
Greece had one of the worst budget deficits in the developed world last year, at 12.7 percent of gross domestic product, more than three times higher than previously declared due to accounting irregularities -- or what some call outright fraud.
The Greek public debt is 113 percent of the entire economy. In other words, if Greece were to simply use every scrap of wealth available to repay its debt, the country would be stripped of wealth and still owe money.
Now a scolding from -- of all people -- Dana Milbank who warns that the Greek problems foreshadow what could happen in the United States in a decade.
From Greece, an economic cautionary tale for the U.S.
To pull Greece back from the edge, Papandreou has promised to cut the deficit to 3 percent of GDP by 2012. For the U.S. government to make an equivalent cut, it would have to shut down the Pentagon and a few other agencies: the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Health and Human Services, Energy, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, the Interior, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, the Treasury, and Veterans Affairs, plus the Environmental Protection Agency and NASA -- and even then we'd come up a few dollars short.
With such a catastrophe now visible on the horizon, what are U.S. leaders discussing this week? Well, they're talking about a Republican National Committee fundraising document that portrays President Obama as the Joker, and the resignation of Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) amid allegations that he sexually harassed a male staffer, and Liz Cheney's accusation that terrorist sympathizers have turned the Department of Justice into the Department of Jihad.
When it appeared recently that budget hawks had enough votes to pass an independent debt commission to propose a solution, several Republican co-sponsors of the bill in the Senate switched sides and voted it down. President Obama named his own debt commission but then named as a commissioner union official Andy Stern -- an automatic vote against serious cuts to entitlements.
I haven't studied Milbank's claim seriously, but I do agree that the necessary cuts are simply not possible. Even an economic recovery in the next few years will be insufficient to cut the deficit and thus halt a growing debt. The harsh reality is that we might all have to pay more in taxes or give up some of our beloved government programs. We also need to let the Bush tax cuts expire and allow the tax on the wealthiest people inch up. It's not like there is any shortage of millionaires.
Number of millionaires in America increased 16 percent in 2009
A new study released by the research and consulting firm Spectrem Group finds that the number of millionaires in the United States increased by double digits the last year. According to Spectrem Group’s data, "families with a net worth of at least $1 million, excluding primary residences, rose to 7.8 million in 2009," an increase of 16 percent:
You read that right. In the middle of a recession, the number of millionaires increased 16 percent.
But it's not all bad news. I promise. The Senate voted to let us know when we are all getting screwed.
Senate votes 100-0 to highlight spending
The Senate voted unanimously Tuesday to tell the public when it isn’t paying for new spending or tax cuts.
In a rare 100-0 roll call vote, the Senate adopted an amendment offered by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) that would create a running tally on the secretary of the Senate's website of any new mandatory spending that isn’t paid for through offsetting spending cuts or tax increases.
Under the pay-as-you-go, or pay-go, law passed last month with only Democratic votes, Congress is supposed to offset new spending or tax cuts so that it isn’t adding to the country's record $12.4 trillion debt.
The only problem: the word "mandatory." That covers things like Social Security, Medicare, and interest on the debt. Things like military spending, NASA, the Department of Education, and earmarks are all discretionary spending. So, errr, yeah.
Meanwhile, Shadow President John McCain is defending a contract with only a single bidder that would fork over $35 billion to Boeing for some Air Force tankers. To be fair, the Air Force needs to replace tankers that have been around since Eisenhower was president. The consolation is that McCain promises to monitor the process very closely.
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Ralph Reed for Congress?
So who would be the best person to send to Congress to help fix the financial boondoggle that the country is facing? Ralph Reed of course.
Ralph Reed plots his comeback
Ralph Reed, once left for dead politically, is trying to stage a comeback.
Reed, the 49-year-old former executive director of the Christian coalition, saw his meteoric rise take an even harder fall in 2006 after the extent of his ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff were revealed. He saw sizable, early leads in the polls disintegrate in his bid for Georgia lieutenant governor, and he wound up losing in the GOP primary.
But in a changed environment, the first one favoring Republicans since 2006, Reed is plotting a bid for Congress. The Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody reports Reed will declare his candidacy tomorrow morning for retiring Georgia Congressman John Linder's seat. (Linder announced his retirement on Feb. 27. The seventh congressional district is a solidly Republican one. McCain won it with 60% of the vote; Bush did so with 70%.)
If you thought I was going to mention some brilliant financial mind, you must have some serious delusions about how Congressional elections work.
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Health care tidbits
Are you looking for new reasons to dislike Blanche Lincoln, Bart Stupak, and Costa Rica? We have you covered in this health care trifecta.
Moderate Dem says opposes fast-track health bill
WASHINGTON -- A moderate Democrat insisted Tuesday she remained opposed to pushing a health care bill through the Senate with a simple majority vote, despite saying she wanted to see what was in the legislation.
Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., who is facing a more liberal Democratic primary challenger as well as GOP opposition, said those comments didn't represent a change of heart on her stance against the controversial majority-vote procedure known as "reconciliation."
(Editor's note: Reconciliation is not "controversial." It has been an option in the budget process since the 1974 Budget Act.)
Stupak says abortion fight can be resolved
TAWAS CITY, Mich. - Prospects are good for resolving a dispute over abortion that has led some House Democrats to threaten to withhold support of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, a key Michigan Democrat said Monday.
Rep. Bart Stupak said he expects to resume talks with House leaders this week in a quest for wording that would impose no new limits on abortion rights but also would not allow use of federal money for the procedure.
That would indicate that Stupak is on a quest to get wording to set a policy that is already in effect under the Hyde Amendment. Incidentally, the current rule for Medicaid do have exceptions for rape, incest and life endangerment.
Finally, this is probably the best reason to pass health care reform:
Limbaugh vows to flee the country if health care passes
He has threatened to move to Costa Rica. Maybe he should do a bit more research before he spouts off:
Public Health Care - Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS)
Costa Rica’s public health insurance system, commonly known as the Caja, is available country-wide to all citizens and legal residents. There are ten major public hospitals – four in San Jose, including the Children’s Hospital – affiliated with the Caja. For non-emergencies and everyday medical care, small clinics, known as EBAIS (pronounced ay-vy-ice), are located in almost every community.
The cost to affiliate with CCSS is approximately 10 to 11.5% of your income; alternatively, residents may become members via ARCR, which provides a streamlined and simple joining process.
#fail
Incidentally, there are laws and treaties concerning dumping toxic waste in other countries. Just sayin'.
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Waxman-Markey
I'll admit to being a bit ignorant about the specifics and unintended consequences of the Waxman-Markey bill that narrowly passed the House last year. Maybe someone here can illuminate me as to whether or not it was a good idea. I use the word "was" with all due premeditation.
From Mother Jones...
Was Waxman-Markey A Waste of Energy?
In early March, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) dropped some surprising news: The effort to tackle global warming via a cap-and-trade scheme is officially "dead." Graham, John Kerry (D-Mass.), and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) will soon release details of an alternative plan for a bill to curb carbon emissions, which is expected to cobble together policy proposals from various lawmakers in the hopes of picking up a filibuster-proof 60 supporters. So, where does that leave the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade legislation that squeaked through the House last summer by a single vote after months of convoluted dealmaking? No one really knows—and some House Democrats are none too happy about the Senate's change of direction.
One of the problems with democracy -- and one I would not give up for anything by the way -- is that it is nearly impossible to set meaningful holistic policies. We are finding the same problem with health care. Some legislators, who may or may not really represent the interest and will of their constituents are so caught up in party politics that the will of the party often trumps the will of the people. The other problem is that many members angle for regional interests at the expense of the good of the country. It's a bad system, but better than any other system that anyone has dreamed up (with the possible exception of a parliamentary system).
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Wage Cut
The Most Important News of the Day™ was actually from yesterday, but with the speed at which Congress moves, this could be the day's news anytime between now and Christmas.
From The Hill, which you should read if you care about what Congress is doing.
Dem lawmaker pushes for Congress's first pay cut since Depression
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.) is raising the bar on freezing lawmaker salaries this week as she continues her push to garner support for her bill that would cut congressional pay by $8,700 next year on top of denying members their automatic cost-of-living increase.
With Congress’s approval ratings spiraling downward, criticism of government bailouts running rampant and unemployment hovering at 10 percent, a cost-of-living pay increase for lawmakers has become largely unpopular, with many members proposing to follow what they did this year and freeze their own pay again in 2011.
It's populist. It would remind our lawmakers what American families are going through. But it would save $4.7 million, which is mostly symbolic, considering the debt stands at $12.4 trillion. Rep. Kirkpatrick does have 22 co-sponsors so far. The bill is now in the House Committee on House Administration and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Unfortunately, Rep. Kirkpatrick is not on either of those committees.
Normally, the call to action goes here. Anyone want to call a member of Congress and suggest they cut their own pay? Anyone?