House Republicans Ignore Reality of Damage They Create

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Republicans will soon adopt an identical visage to that of John Boehner pictured above. Those who still insist on attaching provisions about the Affordable Health Care Act to reopen the government and stave off a crisis when the United States can no longer borrow money in two days will face the wrath of many Americans if the worst case scenario is realized. Any member of the House who displays the gross ignorance of believing that no lasting effects will occur if the deadline passes with no settlement have little understanding of the economics that will come into play.

Ham on Wry chooses to address this issue once again in order to send a wake up call to those citizens who still support the band of Republican conservatives whose stubborn adherence to this ridiculous ploy. Behind the scenes, Michael Needham, 31, who heads Heritage Action, a conservative group funded by the Koch brothers, has orchestrated this nonsense. For Republicans who refuse to join in lock step with Heritage's vision of future government, Needham raises the threat of using the vast sums available to Heritage and work against their re-election by supporting Tea Party candidates. He obviously doesn't subscribe to the power of a Supreme Court ruling or show concern for the harm his intransigence has already caused millions of Americans. Needham's smug words at a recent Christian Science Monitor breakfast reveals his lack of compassion. He told the attendees he is happy to sit in a situation that has shut down the NLRB and the EPA "until President Obama stops this unaffordable and unfair law." Needham displays a total disregard for citizens in both word and deed,

Citizens of this country must inform themselves by reading information from all sides and can find ample information available online and in libraries. All Americans bear the responsibility of making informed decisions about the government. The framers of the constitution could not have envisioned the havoc wreaked by allowing corporations to be considered citizens. No organization can realistically be defined as a citizen, but those with political motives now run the country, it seems. Voters don't elect them, but some members of Congress behave like their puppets.

Ham on Wry has included the following quote from the movie Network in previous posts, and it expresses this blogger's current frustration eloquently. "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more." Join me in bombarding Congress with demands to end this impasse and move forward.

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Boehner a Stumbling Block to Shutdown Resolution

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

 Ham on Wry found the perfect image of House Speaker John Boehner for this post, because it captures his true essence and reflects his attitude about ending the government shutdown. While he claims that he doesn't have the votes to end the shutdown, every TV network has released poll numbers that show just the opposite. Shakespeare's Macbeth said, in part, that life is "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." That, readers, sums Boehner's opinions perfectly.

In case any readers didn't know, members of the House can still collect their salaries during the shutdown under the 27th Amendment, as well as access their health club, all paid by taxpayers who suffer the consequences of their childish bickering and obdurate refusal to negotiate a reasonable end to the stalemate. Meanwhile, the public watches the countdown to yet another economic tsunami, if Republicans continue to hold government hostage until a delay of the Affordable Health Care Act is approved. This blogger holds all of these idiots accountable for their flagrant disregard for a law approved by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court. Their ridiculous posturing has far-reaching effects on innocent people who suffer because of the elected officials who are not doing their job effectively. A friend told of a couple scheduled to close on a new home last week, but the bank balked because the husband was a furloughed government employee, thus forcing them to live in a hotel. Ham on Wry decries their plight and knows several thousand other citizens have tales of woe as well.

Some moderate Republicans have expressed chagrin about the current state of affairs and urge their colleagues to stop the nonsense, all to no avail. Boehner has too much power when he can prevent a vote based on doubtful information and should call the vote. Only then will the truth emerge. He should do the country a favor and retire next year, because our nation has suffered mightily under his lack of courage and leadership. His failure to neogitate is costing citizens more than money. He has destroyed confidence in America's ability to govern worldwide.

Join Ham on Wry in calling for him to either step down and allow someone more capable to assume his post or not to seek another term. After all, he can always join the rank of former Congress member who now have jobs as lobbyists. On further reflection, he probably can't after he has sullied his reputation in behaving like a spoiled child. Maybe he can work as a Walmart greeter, but that would require learning how to smile.

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House of Reprentatives Spending Proposal Delays Health Care Funding: Shutdown Looms

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Ham on Wry's disgust regarding the heinous posturing evident in the House of Representatives with its latest maneuver to delay funding of the Affordable Health Care Act knows no bounds. The members' callous disregard of the far-reaching effects such action places on government agencies and recipients of their services spurs this blogger to once again call for their ouster during the next election. That means any representative who voted for this abomination. The House has played citizens like pieces on a chessboard, and it's time to show disgust for their political jockeying at the polls.

The 27th Amendment protects the pay of congressional members, but government agencies, military personnel, and the U.S. postal service employees won't receive paychecks, although members of the armed forces will receive I.O.U's. What a relief that is for those laying their lives on the line for a country where politicians still get paid for wreaking financial hardship on others. Fortunately, once the shutdown ends, history shows that unpaid government workers will eventually receive lost pay.

John Boehner/Getty

For those who live in Ohio, voting John Boehner out of office would provide one of the greatest services a citizen can make to America. He shows a total lack of leadership and sways in the wind with his support to whatever group screams the loudest. Ham on Wry also urges Virginia to rid the country of Eric Cantor, another representative who speaks out of both sides of his mouth and does little to move government in a positive direction.

The Senate has vowed to veto the spending bill passed by the House, so a government shutdown looks quite likely, unless the House passes the Senate version of the spending bill that will restore funding to healthcare. Boehner's infantile whining and sour countenance do little to allow much hope of averting at least a short government shutdown. This kind of nonsense would cause immediate dismissal in the private sector. Remember that in the next election, readers.

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Marco Rubio Spouts Nonsense about Health Care

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If Marco Rubio represents the best hope for the Republican Party, we have real problems in America.  With a population of approximately 315 million people, we must have other Republicans who would better represent the voters who don't fall on the extremities of a bell curve.  He offered the following statement Thursday on a conservative radio program:  "I'll vote to shut down the government unless Obamacare is completely de-funded."  Now that is a wonderfully enlightened point of view from an elected official.  Essentially, he reminds me of a pouting child whose only answer to any suggestion posed is, "NO!"  Take a close look at the picture above and tell me if he doesn't resemble a two-year-old in tantrum mode.

We have reached a point of absurdity in our political process, and I have grown weary of the ridiculous grandstanding and pandering to wealthy interests who provide funds through organizations that mask their real purpose, which is to manipulate the uninformed.  Americans can't afford to sit back and let someone else do the work of keeping politicians on track.  The only legal means citizens have to fire a member of Congress occurs at the voting booth.

Rubio claims he's worried that the Affordable Care Act, which many Republicans denigrate by referring to it derisively as Obamacare, will adversely affect the economy.  He should worry, instead, about the effects of not insuring all citizens.  Uninsured people are subject to greater health care risks starting at birth and continuing through their entire lifespan.  Let's get real about this.  We spend more money on prescription drugs than any other developed country, yet our life expectancy sits at 16 out of the 17 developed nations studied.  Our cost of health care is the most expensive in the world, but the results of spending such astronomical amounts fail to meet expectations.

Rubio and his ilk should pay more attention to the welfare of this country's citizens instead of focusing on the economy.  If our citizens are paid living wages, have access to effective educational processes and adequate health care, our economy will boom.  Our history reflects a robust entrepreneurial spirit and a can-do attitude. It is not the government's job to handle all of the factors that contribute to a sound economy. 

This blogger is fed up with whining politicians, which brings to mind Rubio's colleague in the House of Representative, John Boehner.  When I see Speaker Boehner flanked by his fellow Republican representatives, they remind me of a gang of thugs ready to create mayhem.  An old adage springs to mind when considering the state of affairs in Congress--"Put up or shut up!

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Sequestration Looms While Congress Whines

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Navy Secretary Ray Maybus/Politico.com

Once again, Congress has brought the nation to the brink of disaster as sequestration draws near.  This blogger echoes the words of Navy Secretary Ray Maybus, who said, in part, "Everybody knows sequestration is just a bad idea and the notion of somehow playing around the edges to make a bad idea a little bit better is not a solution. The solution is to fix this thing and the president has presented a balance, a strategic and comprehensive approach,” when he appeared on Starting Point Tuesday morning.  Perhaps every concerned citizen should call their senators and representatives with the chant, "Fix this thing, now!"

While the effects of inaction remain unclear, government agencies are already taking action in planning for the worst.   Airports have warned that TSA security checks will involve more time and longer lines and some flights will be cancelled, the Department of Defense predicts the nation will face greater security vulnerabilities, and expected budget cuts prompted the Department of Immigration to release some illegal immigrants today.

In his typical hardline approach, John Boehner refuses to accept responsibility for the coming debacle and admonished senators to "get of their ass" and pass a sequester replacement bill.  He is nothing if not an eloquent speaker.  Here's a newsflash, Mr. Boehner.  Everyone need to do something, including you, and I don't mean pouting, scowling and posturing in front of cameras.  Perhaps if you spent more time working and less time on the golf course or on the beach--wherever you maintain your ever-present tan--our country might not have reached the brink of financial disaster once again.

In case members of Congress haven't noticed, the vast majority of Americans are disgusted with the lack of action on a serious problem.  Everyone in Congress deserves a comeuppance, and I have the perfect solution.  Alter their pay to an hourly wage paid at the current minimum of $7.25, because they aren't producing measurable results.  Americans get more service from workers at McDonald's and Target than they do from elected politician. 

I leave you with the following message to our lawmakers.  Listen more, talk less, and work together.  Oh, and read All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.  It will remind you about working well together, respecting others and their opinions, and sharing.  No recess until you finish the assignment!

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Congress Has Misplaced Priorites

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Ham on Wry has lost all hope of Congress accomplishing anything worthwhile during its next session, given the continued posturing and Republican stonewalling of President Obama on almost every front.  It seems a majority of congressional members are serving a master not named in the United States Constitution: financial supporters, both individual and well-shrouded groups, that contribute to campaigns.  The Preamble to the United States Constitution contains a clause stating that one of the reasons for establishing the constitution is to " Promote the general welfare."  This blogger can't speak for other citizens, but I don't feel promoting the general welfare has a high priority in the 113th Congress, especially in the House of Representatives.

Readers will recognize the photo above taken from a previous post as John Boehner, Speaker of the House.  Although he claims to understand what it's like being poor, I believe any comprehension he might have had once is long forgotten.  He claims that people make minimum wage because they bring few, if any, skills to the workplace and will have little chance of developing them in minimum wage jobs.   He, therefore, objects to President Obama's proposal to raise the minimum wage to $9/hour, explaining, “When you raise the price of employment, guess what happens? You get less it.  At a time when the American people are still asking the question ‘Where are the jobs?’, why would we want to make it harder for small employers to hire people?”  Notice his enlightened view of the president's attempt to pay workers a living wage.

Mr. Boehner, and many of his colleagues who have served multiple terms in office, have profited mightily from their time in office.  He is a millionaire many times over with no worries about how to feed his children and keep a roof over his family's head.  Companies like Walmart, Target, McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, and Starbucks are doing quite well, thank you, and can afford to pay their workers a higher wage, but they fear how it would impact earnings.  I suggest that Mr. Boehner, and any other member of Congress who resists raising the minimum wage, live for a month on minimum wage and see how they fare.  I predict some might change their tune. 

Startling but true, the current minimum wage, $7.25, has less value than the $1.60 paid in 1968, which would be worth $10.56 today.  President Obama's request for a $9.00 minimum wage falls below that.  Congress has no problem voting its .own raises, but balks at elevating the earnings of the working poor.  I am sick of hearing all the nonsense and sick at heart for the intransigence of the very people elected to work on behalf of the nation's citizens.  Voting is the sole power citizens have to voice their objections to the status quo, yet states continue to send the same inept people to make our laws and handle our finances.  If these buffoons worked for a business, a vast majority would have been fired long ago.  When will America wake up from its long winter's nap?

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John Boehner Wins Another Round as House Speaker

 

 

Ham on Wry has lost all confidence in the House of Representatives, not that much confidence existed in that branch of the 112th Congress after its failure to make substantive advances in legislation that could actually benefit this country's citizens.  The Speaker of the House historically used the power granted to that position to push through bills and accomplish something worthwhile.  In that regard, Boehner has failed miserably and shows no signs of improvement in his latest performance dealing with tax legislation that required a special session New Year's Day for the House to approve a deal struck between the Senate and the Administration before the deadline.

With responsibilities for stemming rising debt, balancing the budget, establishing a more common sense tax code, and a plethora of other issues the 113th Congress, which was sworn in today, must consider, the House of Representatives will, once again, hold the American people hostage, while its members check in the with the sponsors who pull their strings.  Many representatives have forgotten to whom they owe allegiance--the citizens of the United States, not the special interest groups.

Ham on Wry desperately hopes that voters pay close attention to the representatives from their districts and use their power to eliminate any members that don't recall who elected them and act according to the wishes of the electorate.  It's past time to demand that our representatives do their job and negotiate with those that don't share their views in order to reach compromise.  Those who obdurately vote in lock step with a party mentality instead of focusing on what's best for the country, should be summarily fired during the next election.  The United States is running out of time to get it right, and I don't think John Boehner has demonstrated the kind leadership that can spur action during his previous term.  He has perfected a permanent scowl, but that doesn't do much to move the country forward. 

Does us all a favor, Speaker Boehner.  Step down so we have a chance for real leadership.

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John Boehner Ignores Public Opinion on Fiscal Cliff

Yuri Gipas/Reuters

John Boehner should point his finger at himself, rather than the audience in the photo at left.  He created the major obstruction to a financial deal that would win public support and has lost touch with the country's mainstream demands in the negotiations to avoid falling over the fiscal cliff. Instead, he listens to the whining of political activists and members of a special club of wealthy elitists. Blaming President Obama for the financial problems this country faces flies in the face of logic. The 2008 economic meltdown occurred when George W. Bush still presided over the United States.

 

Awaken from your hypnotic state, Mr. Boehner, and hear the drumbeat that sounds a message from ordinary citizens who support an increase in the tax rate for the wealthiest Americans. This blogger eagerly awaits an announcement that Republicans will do what a majority of citizens want: keep the current tax rates for those earning below $250k a year and raise them for those above that mark. Fixing our economy, balancing the budget, and reducing debt will require more time than the few days remaining to deal with the tax structure. Spending cuts must figure prominently in adopting a balanced approach to government expenditure, but that can be handled next year.

Boehner's statements repeat the same, tired rhetoric from the previous attempt to deal with the economy.  The time has already passed to look anew at measures that will actually work.  Get to work, Mr. Boehner.  That's what the citizens of this country are paying you to do.  If you worked for a corporation, you would have been fired long ago.  More action and no statements until a breakthrough, please.

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John Boehner Spouts Unsubstantiated Rhetoric

Alex Wong/Getty Images

What is the deal with John Boehner's ever-present dour expression?  His countenance always conveys doom and gloom, so it's no wonder that he never has any positive news to report.  More disturbing, however, Boehner's updates about the talks to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff"--a term  Ham on Wry despises because it reduces some complex to a simple catch phrase--mimic his announcements in the last session of Congress prior to the elections.



Ham on Wry could have accurately predicted this stalemate before the negotiations began.  Boehner and many of his fellow Republicans claim that raising taxes on the wealthy will cause another economic downturn and stymie job growth.  This blogger has spent hours poring over statistics from past administrations where the highest tax rate far exceeded the current cap on taxes.  None of those studies support Boehner's claim that raising taxes on the wealthy would "deal a crippling blow to the economy."  Instead, the stastics showed that the economy still grew, and most Americans experienced job security and enough money to keep their families afloat.  It seems that Boehner has far more interest in the top earners in the country than he does the middle class and those who fall below the poverty line.  Could part of his motivation be self-serving?

Until Boehner provides data accumulated by objective sources--no thinly-veiled groups run by the Koch Brothers or Grover Norquist--citizens should pay little attention to his moaning and groaning and demand movement toward a compromise that doesn't involve preserving low tax rates for the rich.  Those people already have various means of investment vehicles that shield money from taxes and don't need the help of those of us who don't have the same choices. 

Either prove your statements or stifle yourself, Mr. Boehner.  Hearing you speak about the negotiations reminds this blogger of watching Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray.  Repetition doesn't make a statement true.

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Leadership and Action Missing in 112th Congress

Harry Reid(left)and John Boehner(right)

Harry Reid, Majority Leader of the Senate and John Boehner, Speaker of the House, deserve no better than to be pictured as the bullseye on targets that measure congressional inaction.  Both parties and both houses should hang their heads in shame for their inept handling of the major economic, security, and health issues that remain in limbo because of their failure to act.  As Lee Iaccoca famously opined, "Lead, follow, or get out of the way."  Since no substantive leadership has occurred in either house and none of the members show any ability to do so, Ham on Wry believes it's time to get out of the way.

Occupy Wall Street and all of its derivatives are still calling attention to the great disparity that exists in incomes for corporate CEO's and others in the 1% in comparison to the 99%.  Part of the reason this inequality has grown so much greater over the past 50 years lies in the fact that Congress has passed laws that helped facilitate an increasing gap.  Who wouldn't want a job in which a person can earn a salary on average 30 times greater than the average employee in the company, pocket a huge bonus by risking the money of clients, and then walk off with a golden handshake when the company either fails or another so-called leader is hired to save the day.  Financial Services firms that have grown "too big to fail" should recognize this scenario.

The biggest losers in this country are not trying to shed pounds on a TV show.  American taxpayers have wound up as the biggest losers.  We continue to fund programs that don't work, trips for Congressional members that have little to do with government, and allow these thieves to line their pockets while they serve office.  No wonder recent college graduates have difficulty handling the debts from college loan.  This Congress has done nothing to create conditions that would foster jobs here.  I have an idea.  Tax all the corporations that outsource to other countries in the same way other exports are taxed.  How many of you enjoy talking with someone in India about customer service?  Customer service for American companies belongs in the US.

For the sake of clarification, Ham on Wry assures readers that its author is neither a protectionist nor an isolationist.  We have a global economy, but our businesses in this country should keep jobs here and let other countries keep their jobs as home as well.  We'll still have many products to trade.  It appears that common sense no longer exists in government.  Job creation comes from the private sector, but the government can make it difficult to take jobs that already exist her and send them to another country.  This blog calls for Harry Reid and John Boehner to step down at the end of their respective terms and allow people to take over who have innovative ideas and leadership qualities to move this country into the 21st Century, albeit several years since the 21st Century began.  Time to get out of the way, gentlemen!

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