Here’s what Mick Mulvaney had to say about the laudable decision of Joe Wilson and others to sit with members of the opposite party during the State of the State:
“If you’re looking for empty symbolism, where one sits at the State of the Union (address) might be at the top of the list.”
Translation:
If you’re looking for obvious examples of giving the people of this country the finger, the refusal to do such a simple thing as sit without regard to party might be at the top of the list.
Of course it’s a small thing. Just like, say, taking down the Confederate Flag from the Statehouse grounds — which you will also hear state lawmakers dismissed because they have so many more important things to do and think about.
And of course, they DO have many more important (or at least, less embarrassing) things to deal with. The problem is that they’ll never make progress on the things that really matter when they have such a powerful mental block against doing something so small as taking the flag down. Or, in the case of Congress, ending the egregious practice of sitting by party during the presidential address.
Simple, yes. But there is no one thing lawmakers could do that would be as easy, but say so much, as taking this action.
I’ll get back to the flag, but about this seating arrangements thing: The problem is that these guys are to entirely stuck in the rut of this abominable practice of sitting by party that it doesn’t occur to them, ever, that it is an abomination. You and I may think they were elected to represent us and to serve the nation. But THEY obviously think that they are there to serve their respective parties. They say this in the most obvious of ways — by only sitting with members of their party, by only caring what their party wants them to do or say, by thinking party first, last and always. Serving the party is SO automatic with them, that it doesn’t even occur to them that it’s a problem. They are even offended by the suggestion that it might be. Which tells you an awful lot about these guys.
This is, as I say, an abomination, and inexcusable. And so easy to address.
Which brings me back to the flag. What do these two issues have in common? The fact that they would be so easy to accomplish. Yes, I know state lawmakers think it would be really hard. But all that is needed to accomplish it is the same, simple thing it would take to end the execrable practice of sitting by party in Congress (and not only on the night of the State of the Union, but every day): All that have to do is GROW UP, and gain a sense of perspective. And then it’s easy.
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Just by coincidence, something yesterday made me think about John Spratt, and everything he did for the 5th district.
Would Shaw AFB be open now if not or Spratt? The list is long the things he did for this district (I’ll wait for the evils of bringing home the bacon slam).
The voters here will regret being brainwashed by the Hannitys and Palins over the next few. years.
I have to say I never thought I’d say it, but Joe Wilson rocks for doing this! Way to go, Joe!
Here are some more simple, common sense, adult things to do:
1. Bring ALL the troops home from Iraq immediately.
2. Eliminate tax breaks for corporations who ship jobs abroad.
3. End ALL subsidies to oil companies.
4. Stop trying to balance the state’s budget until the recession is over.
5. Rework Healthcare to simply eliminate the age requirement for Medicare.
6. Prohibit large bonuses for any company executive working for a company bailed out by the Feds.
7. Eliminate minimum cab requirement for city of Columbia cab license.
8. Bring back trolleys and make them free. (If no one rides them then it’s just time to get rid of them).
9. Eliminate the hospitality tax.
10. Eliminate all RR crossings in the South Assembly/Rosewood area.
11. Provide federal funding to save the Spanish-American war era cruiser Olympia before it sinks.
12. Stop worrying about the financial health of social security. It’s solvent folks.
13. Ban 30 round ammunition clips for handguns.
YAAWWWWNNNN!!!!
Why don’t we just cancel the State of the Union address and have the text of it submitted by e-mail to everyone. It’d save on security, it’d save on the electric bill, etc.
I’m just hoping that somebody duct tapes Joe Wilson mouth so he won’t embarrass South Carolina again.
Bud, without getting into the relative merits of your priorities, you and others who might want to give them a pass on this by saying “There are more important things to do,” miss several important points:
1. This is easy. No matter what else they may accomplish or try to accomplish, this doesn’t take NEARLY as much effort.
2. In fact, they’re going to be sitting there anyway. They can either sit in a way that demonstrates that party is more important to them than their country, or they can do the obvious. Same amount of time and energy spent, either way.
3. One doesn’t have to endorse this sitting-together thing to be a good guy in my book. I can see how a reasonable person might brush it off. MY problem is that they seem actively hostile to the idea. They are so wedded to their mindless partisanship that they feel compelled to heap scorn on the mildest, most innocent and least intrusive gesture that would in any way seek to heal that breech. They don’t WANT the breach healed. They think it’s war, and they want no truck with the “enemy.”
Which, of course, is what is wrong with American politics.
By the way, I asked a little while ago about Jim Clyburn’s seating plans. As wedded as these GOP congressmen are to their partisanship (especially the newbies, who know nothing else and dare not dance with anyone but the one that brung them — and they think of the party as the one that brung them, not the voters), Jim Clyburn takes a back seat to no one in his love of party.
In fact, I would have said in the past that Clyburn and Wilson were the two MOST partisan members of our House delegation. Now, with this new Tea Party crowd in place, they may have to surrender that distinction.
Anyway, this is what Hope Derrick of Clyburn’s office is saying in response to such inquiries as mine:
“There has been a lot of interest in who Congressman Clyburn will be sitting with during tonight’s State of the Union address. As a member of the leadership, he is one of the few Members of Congress with an assigned seat. Despite the traditional seating by party, in his role as Assistant Democratic Leader, Congressman Clyburn will sit with Texas Congressman and Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling on the center aisle.”
In other words, he’s going to sit with a Republican. But he wants us to know that he’s not going out of his way to do it. Interesting backhanded way of going along with the gesture…
I wouldn’t be sad to hear that Clyburn was assigned to sit out in his government provided car in the parking lot.
But we all know that he thinks he deserves a seat right behind the messiah.
“Here are some more simple, common sense, adult things to do:
1. Bring ALL the troops home from Iraq immediately.”
Yeah, whatever.
“2. Eliminate tax breaks for corporations who ship jobs abroad.”
That’ll just give them an excuse to ship the entire corporation overseas.
“3. End ALL subsidies to oil companies.”
Why stop with oil? Why not all energy, agriculture, education, etc. industries?
“4. Stop trying to balance the state’s budget until the recession is over.”
Dumbest financial solution ever. Are we going to create jobs for people to run the printing presses at the Treasury 24/7/365? Does bud know anything about inflation and the devaluation of a dollar?
“5. Rework Healthcare to simply eliminate the age requirement for Medicare.”
Who’s going to pay for this?
“6. Prohibit large bonuses for any company executive working for a company bailed out by the Feds.”
Shouldn’t be a problem, because all big corporations will be moved overseas. See #2 above.
“7. Eliminate minimum cab requirement for city of Columbia cab license.”
What???
“8. Bring back trolleys and make them free. (If no one rides them then it’s just time to get rid of them).”
Why bring them back, they were empty when they shut them down last time.
“9. Eliminate the hospitality tax.”
And then shut down anything that used the revenue from the hospitality tax.
“10. Eliminate all RR crossings in the South Assembly/Rosewood area.”
I agree, I’ve got a shovel and a pickup, when do we start moving the tracks? I’m free this weekend. Why only the South Assembly/Roasewood area? Because that’s the only one that inconveniences bud?
“11. Provide federal funding to save the Spanish-American war era cruiser Olympia before it sinks.”
Right after we get the Hunley stabilized and spend millions to display it properly.
“12. Stop worrying about the financial health of social security. It’s solvent folks.”
Who’s worrying?
“13. Ban 30 round ammunition clips for handguns.”
Sure, just have owners replace them with a taller follower which will make them 29 round magazines and 100% legal. Is bud going to go door to door collecting all of the “illegal” magazines?
My response to Mr. Tucker:
1 and 2 I’ll skip.
3. Fine by me. No subsidies period.
4. Inflation and dollar devaluation are not the problem, UNEMPLOYMENT is. The balance budget hawks are living in fantasy land.
5. The taxpayers. Since you won’t need health insurance from a company that makes 30% profit your overall healthcare costs should decline by 30% to about where they are in Europe.
6. Flipant comment doesn’t warrant a response.
7. The city of Columbia has before it a proposal to require all cab companies to field at least 25 cabs. Bad idea.
8. Let’s give the trolleys one more shot.
9. Exactly.
10. I’ll bring a backhoe.
11. This is probably not going to score any points from my libertarian friends but it just seems such a shame to let the Olympia rust away. Plans call for closing the ship and possibly scrapping it. All for just $10 million in renovation costs.
12. Good.
13. No additional comment if you don’t get this simple proposal.
Maybe they could be seated by state. Just kidding.
It is just that easy to remove the Confederate flag from the Statehouse. The sad thing is how the silent, disapproving majority allows this to continue for the simple reason people fear making a fuss. That’s sad. I am one who is opposed to it’s placement on the grounds. I am another of the majority. Just do it. Now.
What a farcical spectacle the SOTU is. Everyone wearing their special ribbons, family of the dead girl from Arizona sitting with the First Lady.
Made for TV phoniness… blah.
FYI, Doug, I’m live-blogging it over on this other post, if you’d like to join me. If I’ve gotta watch, I might as well type…
Bring the Olympia TO Olympia! Make it the first research project of Innovista!
While you are at it, round off pi to 3.14.
@bud
Looks like Social Security isn’t in the great shape you think it is.
Social Security fund will be drained by 2037
AP
WASHINGTON – Social Security’s finances are getting worse as the economy struggles to recover and millions of baby boomers stand at the brink of retirement.
New congressional projections show Social Security running deficits every year until its trust funds are eventually drained in about 2037.
This year alone, Social Security is projected to collect $45 billion less in payroll taxes than it pays out in retirement, disability and survivor benefits, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. That figure swells to $130 billion when a new one-year cut in payroll taxes is included, though Congress has promised to repay any lost revenue from the tax cut.
Not sure what the 2% cut was all about in SS. Once the economy gets rolling SS fixes will be easy. Just raise the earnings limit to about $1million. The some minor adjustments in benefits like raising the retirement age a couple of years. We have 27 years to fix this. Not sure what all the fuss is about. Best damn government program ever!