Category: Congress

Another Ethics Investigation

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This time, it’s Maxine Waters, who is alleged to have intervened on behalf of a bank that her husband had a significant interest in.

So, in the past 4 weeks, the Ethics Committee has made a substantive move against 2 Dems, though Rengel’s ethics problems have been ongoing for months.

I’m curious as to why this is all cropping up now, and I expect a 3rd shoe to drop.

I would note that in comparison to what the Republicans did, Rengel is alleged to have done favors to people who contributed to a building named after him, evaded taxes, and misused rent controlled apartments, while Waters is alleged to have intervened on behalf of a bank where her husband served as a board member (though it was also the only minority owned bank in Massachusetts) is pretty mild.

By comparison, with the Republicans, (rolling the Abramoff* Wiki) you had people paid to lobby for slave labor in the Marianas, cheating Indian tribes, taking money from the gambling business while also taking money from anti-gambling activists, and lobbying for the genocidal monsters in Sudan.

Come to think of it, Democratic corruption appears to be rather quite lame in comparison.

It is still reprehensible, but rather a lot like comparing a small snatch and grab with the Great Train Robbery.

Both crooks, but one of them has a bit of audacity.

*Full disclosure: I went to school with, and served in the student senate with, one of his associates who has faced legal repercussions, and my babysitter went to school with his daughter.

Colorado Senate Race-Primary Update

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It looks like Andrew Romanoff, who recently sold his house to lend money to his campaign, appears to have moving ahead of incumbent appointee corporate raider/DINO Michael Bennet in the polls, with the most recent poll showing a lead of 48%-45%, though the Bennet campaign is claiming that they still hold a 4 point lead in internal polls, 41%-37%.

Note that the rule of thumb is that undecideds break at least 2:1 for the challenger, so either number looks like a very likely loss for Bennet, which to my mind would be a good thing.

Real Democrats win, and then they push good policies in office.

Rather unsurprisingly, the Obama administration come out rather strongly in favor of Bennet, as it has routinely in the case of Corporatocrats this cycle.

The primary is next Tuesday, and here’s hoping that Romanoff wins, particularly since the Republicans seem to be busy self-destructing in their primary.

Wanker of the Day

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Chris Dodd, who is saying that Elizabeth Warren is not confirmable as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Now that he is not running for reelection, I guess that he’s looking for a lobbying gig with the finance industry:

“She’s qualified, no question about that. The question is whether she’s confirmable,” Dodd added. “The issue is [if] you can’t confirm somebody, if you go six or seven months without someone in that job, you’ve got a problem.”

Progressives have been strongly pressuring the Obama administration to appoint Warren ever since the Wall Street reform bill passed in Congress. Some have argued that she be given a recess appointment if a minority of senators block her confirmation. Dodd objects to that idea.

“I think that would be a huge mistake,” Dodd said, in response to a question from TPMDC. “Recess appointments. No, no, no.”

“I think those are, you know, Republicans used to do it, I think that’s a mistake,” Dodd added. “Except in the most extreme circumstances where you need someone because of an emergency pending, but as a routine matter, I think it’s a fundamental mistake.”

Go Cheney yourself Mr. Distinguished Gentleman from Connecticut.

House Calls Obama Veto Threat on JSF Engine

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The House Appropriations defense subcommittee has voted to fund the F136 alternate engine for the JSF (see also here) which runs full face into the implied threat of an Obama veto (SecDef Gates has said that he would recommend a veto, but that is different from Obama himself threatening a veto).

I’m of mixed emotions on this matter.

I think that the F-35 is over priced, behind schedule, and useless for any likely future war, but I remember the history of Pratt & Whitney’s F-100 before GE started competing with them with their F-110 engine, and it was not pretty, so I think that the engine is a good idea.

I think that the Pentagon is worried that any dollars spent on this will drive up the front end costs, making it more likely that the program will be canceled, and they are willing to eat the additional costs of P&W being the soul source on the back end.

Blue Dog Dem Goes Chicken for MRIs

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Stupid is as stupid does

Ben Chandler of Kentucky spoke approvingly of the days when people paid their doctors with chickens, and a constituent got it on tape.

He voted against the healthcare bill, because he’s a Blue Dog, and he kisses health insurer’s asses.

Obviously, this is not as bad as Sue Lowden’s doubling down on barter for MRIs, he was just being nostalgic, but it’s likely that his Republican opponent will hammer him for it anyway, and I, for one, am glad.

We need fewer faux Dems in the Congress.

Credit Ratings Freak Out

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One of the tidbits in the financial reform bill was a provision making the ratings agencies liable for the quality of their reports, which is a good thing, since they are nominally experts, and expert opinions of this sort are generally subject to lawsuits for fraud and incompetence.

Their protection from lawsuits had a direct correlation with the crap that Moody’s Fitch’s, and S&P pumped out their door over the past few years.

The thing is, however, that the ratings agencies are completely freaking out over this, and are now demanding that their ratings not be included in bond sales prospectuses:

Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings are all refusing to allow their ratings to be used in documentation for new bond sales, each said in statements in recent days. Each says it fears being exposed to new legal liability created by the landmark Dodd-Frank financial reform law. The new law will make ratings firms liable for the quality of their ratings decisions, effective immediately. The companies say that, until they get a better understanding of their legal exposure, they are refusing to let bond issuers use their ratings.

What they are saying here is that they are unwilling to actually rate bond issues if there is the slightest chance that their own incompetence or corruption might get them successfully sued.

Well, for most of the rest of us, if we screw up a home repair, leave a cell phone in a patient during an operation, or leave an oil plug off of a car, we are liable, and the world works.

The ratings agencies have no special right to be unaccountable.

Dems Cave on Anthropogenic Climate Change Bill

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I guess that is no surprise that John Kerry and Harry Reid have given up on climate change legislation.

The only bright side is that it was a pretty sucky bill which would have handed the Vampire Squid* and Their Evil Minions™ a new market mechanism to rape.

If Obama has any balls, and he doesn’t, he will get moving to have the EPA draw up regulations, ones with real teeth make the coal, oil, and gas state Congressmen sweat.

In order to capture legislators hearts and minds on this issue, you need to get them by the balls first.

*Alas, I cannot claim credit for the bon mot describing Goldman Sachs as a, “great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.” This was coined by the great Matt Taibbi, in his article on the massive criminal conspiracy investment firm, The Great American Bubble Machine.

What BTD Says

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There seems to be a push by the blue dogs and DINOS to try to make some portion of the disastrous Bush tax cut permanent.

Of course, most the Republicans won’t vote for it unless it keeps tax cuts for millionaires, and so it needs liberal Democratic votes to pass.

Well, the the blogger formerly known as Armando has this right, the best course of action absent some major concessions from the Blue Dog types is to do nothing, and let taxes go up, particularly the inheritance tax, which will pay for the loss of revenues this year in about 18 months if it returns to its old levels:

But it is not for progressive Dems. In short, to hell with Baucus and Reid on this issue, Progressives can get what they want by simply making sure nothing happens. They have the bargaining power now. Time to use it.

All that needs to happen for the taxes to be repealed is to do nothing.

Doubtless, the Obama administration will twist arms over this, since he promised people making less than $¼ million a year that he would not raise taxes, but he also promised to support a public option, to get us out of Iraq, repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and have a serious look at torture and other war crimes by Bush and His Evil Minions™.

I don’t see any reason for liberals in Congress to go out of their way to support Obama on bad policy promises if he won’t fight on good policy promises.

Such a Good Idea For Obama and Clinton to Back Blanche Lincoln

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The latest poll has Blanche Lincoln down 25 points to Republican John Boozma, but not to worry, Lincoln’s campaign says that their internal numbers have her down by only 9 points:

You know it’s hard out there for an incumbent Senator when she has to stave off bad news by releasing an internal poll showing her down by nine to her Republican challenger. But that’s exactly what Sen. Blanche Lincon (D-AR) has done, attempting to respond to yesterday’s poll showing her down by 25 points to Rep. John Boozman (R) with numbers of her own showing her losing by a lot — but not as much.

According to Lincoln’s numbers, Boozeman leads the race 45-36 with 18% undecided. A third party candidate draws 6% of the vote. The survey of 700 voters was conducted June 22-24 and has a margin of error of 3.7%.

The rule of thumb is that undecideds break for the challenger by at least 2:1, which gives us a 57-42 blowout, and the the average other polling shows Lincoln down by over 20 points.

This was foreseeable, but you know how it is, Washington insider and incumbent protection Über Alles.

Yet another reason not to give to the DSCC, they will doubtless waste money on her, and that is throwing good money after bad.

Bloody Morons

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So, the Senate, now that Byrd’s temporary replacement has been sworn in, but they got it wrong.

They extended benefits through November. You should have extended it only to October, and then jam up the Republicans when they vote against it just before the election.

I understand that Congressmen don’t like to be in DC in October of an election year, but being there to vote for an unemployment extension is the best campaigning that you can do.

In the Annals of Troubled Military Programs, This One Takes the Cake

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As I have mentioned a number of times that I spent some time working on the recovery and maintenance vehicle for the now-canceled Future Combat Systems (FCS).

Well, no matter how misbegotten, it appears that the program reappears with a different name a few years later.

Case in point is the replacement for the FCS, the Ground Combat Vehicle, GCV, which is different largely in only one area, it no longer needs to fly on a C-130, so the 20 ton maximum weight for shipping has gone by the wayside.

This is not surprising. After all replacing the 30 ton weight class M2/M3 with a vehicle with superior mobility and protection is difficult to do in ⅔ the weight of its predecessor, all while reducing the cost of operation, is a tough nut to crack.

It’s clear that they will be going with a remotely operated turret, and without the space for the gunner and commander and the turret penetration, it makes it rather simple to fix a rather prominent shortcoming of the Bradley, its inability to carry a full 9 soldier infantry squad.

So the Pentagon is are back to square, which means fighting the wheels/tracks war yet again, though it appears that the military is favoring a tracked vehicle.

The advantages of tracks are better off road mobility, better performance in an active city conflict, since it can go over a road block made from cars or trucks, and a wheeled vehicle cannot, and more volumetric efficiency, since the wheel travel is less, and you do not need to accommodate the swept volume of the wheels which pivot to steer.

The disadvantages are operating costs, noise, weight and speed on roads.

That being said, one huge advantage for tracks is that if your infantry fighting vehicle grows into a 70 ton behemoth, wheels just won’t work at all:

The U.S. Army’s chief of staff wants to put the service’s Ground Combat Vehicle program on a diet.

Gen. George Casey said he thinks the future replacement for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle needs to be much lighter than the estimated 70 tons program officials are projecting that the new GCV will weigh.
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“I keep saying, ‘Look, man, an MRAP [mine-resistant ambush-protected] is about 23 tons, and you’re telling me this is going to be 70 tons, which is the same as an [M1] Abrams. Surely we can get a level of protection between that, that is closer to the MRAP than it is the M1,’ ” Casey said June 7. “It’s not going to be a super heavyweight vehicle.”

It would also be unaffordable. I would suggest that if the army really needs a better vehicle, that it procures new-build/rebuilt Bradleys, with the crewed turret replaced with something like the CTI tele-operated turret, and with enhanced armor based on the non-homogeneous armor technologies developed for the M-1 Abrams and the original FCS program.

You would still probably end up with less than a 40 ton weight, and you would get the capability you need at a much lower cost.

Meanwhile in the somewhat less sexy areas of folding in a few drones and an advanced network-based radio called JTRS as part of what is now called the, “Brigade Combat Team Modernization, the House Armed Services Committee is cutting this because of poor performance and cost escalation.

Once again, it’s over budget, behind schedule, and not performing.

So on the little things, where the Pentagon knows what needs to be done, they are not executing, and on the big programs, they don’t have a clue as to what they want.

Count me in Barney Frank’s and Ron Paul’s corner. We need to slash military spending.

I would also add that we need to somehow or other put adults in charge of the procurement process.

And the DCCC Can Go Cheney Themselves Too

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Because the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) funds Republicans like Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin, who has just come out with a campaign commercial touting her vote against healthcare reform.

You can be sure that the DCCC will be funding her heavily, because the first goal of the Democratic Senatorial and Congressional campaign committees is to protect incumbents, and their second goal it to support DINOs.

Note however, that this is throwing good money after bad this year. She is polling horribly, the TPM polling averages have her down by 9 points as an incumbent.

Do your own research, and donate to the candidates you support directly.

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And On the Other Side of How to Treat Children

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Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY-4) has introduced legislation to ban corporal punishment in schools.

In the context of the home, I’m a little bit more ambivalent on the idea of a corporal punishment ban, but in schools, the people most likely to engage in this are going to be be psychopaths who get off by hitting kids.

What’s more the punishments fall disproportionately on minorities and the disabled.

Full press release after the break:

Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy Introduces Legislation to End Corporal Punishment in Schools
Tuesday June 29, 2010

Washington, DC–Today, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy (NY-04) introduces the “Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act,” legislation that aims to eliminate the use of corporal punishment in schools.

Data collected by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights shows that over 220,000 students in 20 states, in schools across the country are corporally punished, and studies indicate that corporal punishment in schools has a negative effect on students. Children of color and with disabilities experience corporal punishment at disproportionate rates. This legislation aims to alleviate this and promote positive school cultures and climates.

Additionally, data shows there is no evidence that corporal punishment is an effective disciplinary tool or that it results in academic success.

“I am introducing this legislation to addresses the damaging use of corporal punishment against our nation’s school children. This bill will eliminate the use of corporal punishment in schools, as well as assist in creating a safer learning environment for every child ensuring that our schools are places that foster students’ growth and dignity,” said Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy. “Twenty states still permit corporal punishment in public schools and studies indicate that this type of discipline has a negative effect on students. This legislation amends the General Education Provisions Act so that no funds for programs administered by the Department of Education shall be made available to any educational agency or institution that has a policy or practice which allows school personnel to inflict corporal punishment on a student.”

Congressman Bobby Scott (VA- 03) member of the Healthy Family and Children Subcommittee, and co-sponsor of this legislation highlights that racial disparities do exist with the use of corporal punishment.

“Thirty states across the country have already prohibited corporal punishment,” said Congressman Scott. “Corporal punishment does not work and in fact leads to increased negative behavior and dropout rates. Moreover, the fact that schools are applying school discipline policies in a discriminatory manner based on race, color, national origin, disability, or gender constitutes a civil rights violation.”

Congressman Phil Hare (IL-17) who has been a champion and supporter of innovative programs designed to teach positive behavior as a way to improve school climate, is also a co-sponsor of this legislation.

“Corporal punishment such as paddling and other physical abuse is reprehensible and should be banned immediately. It is time to move away from the old conventional wisdom that threatening and punishing a student will motivate them to achieve. Instead, we should transition to 21st century programs like school-wide positive behavior supports which encourage, reward, and breed good behavior from the beginning,” said Hare.

According to the Department of Education, while African Americans made up 17.1 percent of public school students nationwide, they accounted for 35.6 percent of those who were paddled during the 2006-2007 school year. Similarly, although students with disabilities constituted 13.7 percent of all public school students, they made up 18.8 percent of those who are subjected to corporal punishment. These students are often punished simply for behaviors arising out of their disabilities, such as autism or Tourette’s syndrome.

Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers has been a long-time advocate against the use of corporal punishment in school supports this measure.

“Corporal punishment doesn’t improve behavior or student performance. Rep. McCarthy’s bill would end an outdated disciplinary practice,” said Weingarten.

Spearheaded by the American Civil Liberties Union, over 80 education and child advocate groups have signed a letter supporting this legislation.

“This important legislation would end the arcane practice of corporal punishment in schools. It is stunning to think children in some states receive greater protections against physical discipline in detention facilities than they do in classrooms,” said Deborah J. Vagins, ACLU Legislative Counsel. “The Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act will help provide the safe, supportive academic environment all students deserve and need to achieve academic success.”
The National Parents Teachers Association (PTA) agrees that corporal punishment does not foster positive environments for students to thrive and grow.

“National PTA opposes the use of any violence in schools. National PTA supports federal efforts to abolish corporal punishment in schools and the development of alternative discipline programs, such as Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) to provide for an orderly climate for learning. We applaud the efforts of Congresswoman McCarthy to abolish the use of corporal punishment in America’s schools and stand ready to assist in her efforts,” said Charles J. “Chuck” Saylors, National PTA President.

The National Association of Secondary School Principals says schools should find positive approaches to disciplining children.

“The National Association of Secondary School Principals has a long history of supporting the personalization of the school environment and student learning,” said NASSP President Jana Frieler, who is the principal of Overland High School in Aurora, Colorado and testified before the Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee in April. “We believe that school climate must be one that never tolerates violence but instead focuses on each student’s success and how the school can foster a proactive approach to discipline. For this reason, we are proud to support the Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act and will work with Congress to ensure this important legislation is enacted into law.”

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