Tag: Congress

Cutting Off Congress and Saving Our Country

 

Watching the floundering and fecklessness of our Congress, observing their throwing fiscal responsibility to the wind, and realizing that the most important agenda they have is to be re-elected, I wanted to help find a way to help transform Congress and its effects on this country. And I think I’ve found a way.

For months, I have been struggling with a decision. It’s about getting involved with an organization, and I am not a joiner. Nor do I like to make commitments that I might not be able to keep. I also want there to be a likelihood of the organization’s success.

Joe Selvaggi talks with Cato Institute’s Director of Tax Policies, Dr. Adam Michel, about the sources of the nation’s recent record levels of deficits and debt. Together, they seek to understand what would constitute a policy path toward fiscal sustainability that is also politically viable.

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Joe Selvaggi talks with CATO Institute budget expert Chris Edwards about the details of the newly passed Fiscal Responsibility Act, which avoids crossing the debt ceiling in exchange for slowing spending growth.

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Bumping Up Against the Debt Ceiling

 

The two bedrock structural principles of the Constitution are the separation of powers and a system of checks and balances. These are always in tension. The principle of separation of powers places with Congress the power to issue the public debt in the name of the United States: Article I, Section 8, cl. 1, states baldly: “The Congress shall have Power To . . . borrow Money on the credit of the United States.”

The power comes after the parallel grant to Congress to impose taxes. Together these two clauses are the main revenue drivers for the United States. Yet the current constitutional structure subjects any such debt issuance to a presidential veto that can be overridden only by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress. That number cannot be obtained at present, given the rough parity of power between the two parties.

The good side of this arrangement is that it divides power to avoid the risk of tyranny, as James Madison or Alexander Hamilton said in Federalist No. 51, by setting ambition against ambition. But there is also this downside: the constitutional structure creates what is commonly called a “bilateral monopoly,” where each side has a blocking power to any solution that purports to deviate from the status quo ante, which in this case is the unappetizing prospect of a US default on its debt obligations, fraught with uncertain consequences, if the two sides cannot agree on an acceptable compromise. The situation therefore resembles one which arises under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which creates just this structure in the context of collective bargaining negotiations between a monopolist union and a recalcitrant employer. Each side is subject to a statutory obligation to bargain in good faith with the other, even though neither side is required to make any specific substantive concession. Needless to say, the absence of any device—e.g., compulsory arbitration—to force a deal leads to breakdowns in negotiations that can, and often do, lead to lockouts or strikes.

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  During the Viking era,  oath-taking was regarded as an event of great significance. The Viking swearing of oaths was called Heitstrenging. It involved making solemn promises to perform future actions like getting married, taking revenge on an enemy, or attacking and plundering the country next door. Viking warriors sanctified these promises with prayers to the […]

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Join Jim and Greg as they credit Virginia Gov. Glen Youngkin for taking on a skeptical CNN town hall on education, especially his answers on excellence vs. equity and teaching all aspects of history without demonizing groups of people as oppressed or oppressors based on race or sex. They also take a deep dive into Thursday’s House hearing featuring Twitter Files reporters Matt Taibbi and Michael Schellenberger, focusing on the alarming revelations of government collusion with big tech to muffle speech they didn’t like. They also unload on the committee Democrats for their obvious lack of preparation,  absurd demands to know the reporters’ sources, and demonizing of reporters who are well known for leaning to the left. Finally, they react to allegations that serial liar New York Rep. George Santos was part of a credit card skimming scheme in Seattle.

Join Jim and Greg as they cheer 83 percent of Chicago voters for rejecting a second term for Mayor Lori Lightfoot following four years of skyrocketing murders and other violence. They also wade into the divide on the right over what level of aid the U.S. ought to be providing to Ukraine and what impact Fox News host Tucker Carlson is having on the debate due to his intense criticism of Ukraine and NATO. Finally, they discuss a bill making its way through the House of Representatives that would ban TikTok on all devices in the U.S. TikTok is Chinese spyware and having it on any device is a horrible idea. But should the government or individual citizens make that decision.

Join Jim and Greg as they welcome a well known woman of the left advising Democrats to take a serious approach to the House investigation of Hunter Biden and the Biden family. They also have a lot of fun with former White House Counsel Greg Craig’s suggestion that the Democrats have an open primary for vice president. It’s obviously a sign of low enthusiasm for Kamala Harris but it’s also a political free-for-all that would be very entertaining – although they know it will never happen. Finally, they roll their eyes as the late night water carriers for leftist talking points take shots at the Department of Energy over the recent COVID lab leak conclusion.

Join Jim and Greg as they welcome the news that a far left House Democrat is leaving in June to take a job in the private sector, leaving Dems with one less vote for five months. They also react to Vladimir Putin announcing that Russia is suspending participation in the most recent START agreement that Biden though was such a grand achievement in 2021. They also wonder what the U.S. is really ready to do if China gets more aggressive in aiding the Russian war effort. Finally, they roll their eyes as Don Lemon is allowed to return to CNN but will be required to undergo “formal training” after his comments about women being past their prime last week. In addition, they take a deeper look into the venomous, sometimes racist comments unleashed against Haley because she happens to be on the political right.

Join Jim and Greg as they welcome a shred of hope that Chicago voters might elect a new mayor who seems much more serious about crime – but they are not holding their breath. They also break down some of the biggest moments from President Biden’s State of the Union on Tuesday – from bipartisan cowardice on entitlements, to Biden’s delusions on energy, and more. Finally, they break down Biden’s stunningly brief and vague comments on China and his bizarre, angry challenge to name one world leader who would want to trade places with Xi Xinping. Short answer? A lot of them.

Should We Be Providing ‘Charity’ to Ukraine?

 

In a recent speech, Rand Paul gave a powerful presentation regarding the millions of dollars we are giving to Ukraine. He likened our situation to a conundrum that Davy Crockett faced when he served in Congress. (Most of us perceive Crockett as an iconic symbol of the West, but he also served in Congress from 1827 to 1835.) And Paul told a story that speaks to our continual donation of funds and military equipment to Ukraine and how it extends a long, expensive, and debilitating process of trying to be generous to other countries under the guise of national security.

Although Crockett’s original speech was not transcribed, his ideas were captured in an 1867 article written by Edward Ellis and published in Harper’s Magazine, called, “Not yours to Give.” And the conclusions that Crockett reached challenged Congress’ intention to donate charity to the widow of a distinguished naval officer. He took his position from an encounter with a citizen who called him out for a similar funding decision that Crockett made in another devastating occurrence. Crockett was credited with the following description of the situation:

Several years ago, I was one evening standing on the steps of the Capitol with some other members of Congress when our attention was attracted by a great light over in Georgetown. It was evidently a large fire. We jumped into a hack and drove over as fast we could. In spite of all that could be done, many houses were burned and many families made houseless, and besides, some of them had lost all but the clothes they had on. The weather was very cold, and when I saw so many women and children suffering, I felt that something ought to be done for them. The next morning a bill was introduced appropriating $20,000 for their relief. We put aside all other business and rushed it through as soon as it could be done.

Join Jim and Greg as they serve up two good martinis and a very bad one. First, they cheer House Republicans for making good on their promise to pass legislation repealing funding for 87,000 new IRS agents and building a campaign issue against every Democrat who voted against it – which was all of them. They also shudder at the Biden administration’s attempts to demonize gas stoves as increasing the odds of developing asthma and other ailments, but they are glad to see the intense pushback that appears to have forced the government to back down. Jim also notes an annoying and tedious tactic employed by Democrats on issues like this. Finally, they not only wonder about the health of our aviation sector after today’s major computer problem triggered a ground stop across the nation, but are increasingly sure Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg is simply not up to the job.

Join Jim and Greg as they are not only glad there is a Speaker of the House but that the deal got done because Rep. Chip Roy and others demanded a more conservative rules package – that hopefully can pass. They also enjoy watching Mayors Lori Lightfoot of Chicago and Eric Adams of New York City feuding with fellow Democrat Gov. Jared Polis over Polis sending migrants to their cities. And they do a double take at the news President Biden plans to run for re-election as a moderate.

Join Jim and Greg as they start the day with some encouraging news about Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin and his recovery from cardiac arrest. Then they welcome the news that lockstep liberal Democrat Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan will not run for re-election in 2024 and discuss what that open race might look like. They also discuss Day 3 of the stalemate over who will be the next Speaker of the House and point out that some opponents of Kevin McCarthy have principled reasons for withholding support while others just seem to enjoy the political theater. Finally, they sigh as incoming California Rep. Robert Garcia plans to be sworn in on a copy of the first-ever issue of the Superman comic book.

Happy New Year!  Jim and Greg start the new year by closing out the awards season for last year. Today, they give our their prestigious choices for Person of the Year, with Jim focusing on the midterm elections and Greg thinking about a moment that took almost 50 years to come. Then they reveal their selections for Turncoat of the Year, as Jim zeroes in on presidential politics and Greg goes with people in government doing the exact opposite of their job description.  Finally, they offer up predictions for 2023. One of them is optimistic and one of them most certainly is not.

Thanks for listening! Our usual 3 Martini Lunch format returns on Tuesday.

Join Jim and Greg as they serve up three crazy martinis today! First, they dig into the curious case of the GOP congressman-elect who calls himself George Santos, after the New York Times discovered that multiple parts of his personal story appear to be fabricated. And all Santos can offer in reply is the pathetic claim that it’s all a political attack. They also shudder as the Taliban bans women from attending university in Afghanistan and all the U.S. can say in response is that this might damage the Taliban’s standing in the international community.  Finally, they react to Stanford University’s “Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative,” which wants to end our use of words like American, ladies, guys, and many more words and phrases constantly used without any ill intent.

Join Jim and Greg as they welcome news that Democrats in Florida admit being “fatalistic” in knowing Republicans are very likely to win statewide races. They also unload on the Biden administration over it’s plan to “forgive” $10,000 in student loans and pass the bill over to people who never took out the loans or responsibly paid their bills. Finally, they discuss Rep. Jerry Nadler’s surprisingly easy win in a member vs. member New York House primary and Rep. Carolyn Maloney blaming her loss – at least in part – on misogyny and a sexist system.

Jim and Greg continue their week of special podcasts by focusing on the critical 2022 midterm elections.  They start by looking at the most competitive U.S. Senate races and come to different conclusions about which party is likely to be in control of the Senate next year. They also look at the race for the House, which is likely to swing back to GOP control, but is it a lock and how big of a GOP majority is reasonable to expect?  Finally, they examine the highest profile governor races, which may produce presidential contenders before too long.

Join Jim and Greg as they serve up three good martinis! First, they welcome reports of the Senate Armed Services Committee demanding the Pentagon stop wasting taxpayer dollars searching the Armed Forces for domestic extremists, who seem to be quite rare. They also react to Brett Kavanaugh’s leftist neighbors getting fed up with the vulgar pro-abortion demonstrators who are still infesting the neighborhood. And they’re glad to see Bill de Blasio dropping out of the race for Congress and starting to realize just how much New Yorkers loathed his performance as mayor.

 

Join Jim and Greg as they cheer the Supreme Court decision declaring that bureaucratic agencies like the EPA don’t have the power to make sweeping policy changes – that power belongs to Congress alone. They also slam President Biden and other Democrats for pushing limited suspension of the filibuster to pass legislation to codify Roe v. Wade and pass the left’s attempt to federalize elections. And they have some fun with Vice President Kamala Harris insisting Biden will run again in 2024 with her as his running mate and then later saying he intends to run