Speaker Boehner has had the privilege, which he screwed up both times, of swearing in the members of the House of Representatives. In that oath, they swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies and then engage in a ceremonial reading of the Constitution which they have screwed up both times. What I'm missing is how a party that crows so much about patriotism and country can then turn around and do everything they can to undermine the Constitution and the government that is the instrument of upholding and enforcing it?
The 14th Amendment primarily is the guarantee of due process to all citizens and has language that may confer the same guarantees on all persons under the jurisdiction of the United States or the various states. But, Section 4 is even more clear --
Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
The first sentence says it all. The United States pays its bills, and does nothing to call that public debt into question; rather, it does everything to pay the debt as it is accrued and comes due. So the news that Boehner and the Boys(and Girls) of the Republican Party are planning on a new way to pay the debt using some sort of magic bill doesn't strike me so much as absurd, stupid or asinine -- although it's all three and any other negative adjective you'd like -- but is in fact a violation of the Amendment.
By voting for it, I believe they have engaged in a conspiracy to undermine the United States government and violate the Constitution. The fact that so many of the Republicans in the House voted for this abomination should scare anyone with a bit of sense. If you begin to stake out the debate by establishing the pattern of taking your marbles and going home, it gets to be difficult for the other side to take you seriously. And, if you response to a systemic problem is to dance around like capering apes, well, it gets even more difficult to stand to be around you. Frankly, neither Boehner nor McConnell have shown any tendency to keep their words, promises or principles. They don't want to lose their jobs -- which is interesting, since I would think that passing out campaign money and other bribes...err, gratuities...no, bribes in the name of whomever is paying them would be right in their G-spot. Together, they could be the Dancing Queens of the K-Street Crowd.
Ok, the bill violates the Constitution It also has no chance of passing the Senate, and if it somehow passed the Senate, it would be vetoed by the President. It's pure stubborn ignorance and obliviousness. The President is hampered here by the fact that he's a constitutional law professor and has read the document a few times. The President can recommend policy and the President gets to enforce the law, but the tax code and taxes begins in the House. The Debt Limit isn't like the filibuster where you can imagine a bill or a nomination so mindbogglingly awful to demand a response like it. It's a done deal, and all the spending cuts in the world -- most ill-advised, of course, can't fix that. We spent the money...now it's debt and "shall not be questioned."
A great deal of the discussion of this ploy, as with so many of the things coming from this version of the House, is easily summed up with the question "What the HELL are these fools thinking?" What they're thinking is that the last debt ceiling thing worked out so well for them, that they should just go for round 2 only with a bill that is unpassable and unconstitutional because, well, Michelle Bachman brought a Minnesota Hotpot and Mitch McConnell is sending over a couple of cases of the best Kentucky White Lightning.
Of course, what makes this particularly funny is that China is not even close to being our largest debt holder. If you do as they suggest, paying China first and then do the rest of it however they get around it it, the Republicans are screwing with the American people in order to benefit Asian-Commie-Atheists. I'm as fond of Asian-Chinese Commie Atheists as anybody, but this is probably not the way to show it.
The Republican strategy in this case actually will have the impact of hurting the economy and American business. If the bill were to become law -- which it won't -- the current accounts would be the thing that doesn't get paid. Defense Contractors are like everybody else -- they bill monthly and get paid eventually. So, Boeing, NGC, Lockheed and all the rest might have to lay off everybody.The ripple effect will be profound...More to come.
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