It appears the Arnold Schwartzenegger feels that any cost of the California budget crunch must be born by ordinary folk, and not businesses.
Category: Legislation
And Sometimes Thomas “The Mustache of Pablum” Friedman is Right
Such as when he criticizes McCain for not even bothering to show up for votes on energy policy, he has missed all 8 votes this year, while demagoguing the drilling issue for Bikers taking a break from a topless beauty contest:
Everything else is just bogus rhetoric designed by cynical candidates who think Americans are so stupid — so bloody stupid — that if you just show them wind turbines in your Olympics ad they’ll actually think you showed up and voted for such renewable power — when you didn’t.
Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, I guess.
Lawmaker Gets Constituent High-Fives for Accidentally Supporting Marijuana Legalization
When William “Lacy” Clay, Jr. (D – MO), signed off on Barney Franks’s (D-MA) bill to decriminalize marijuana, he thought that he was supporting medical marijuana, which he has supported for years.
It turned out that Frank’s bill actually decriminalized posession of all pot in amounts less than 100g (a bit less than ¼ pound).
The response of his constituents surprised him. They were overwhelmingly supportive of decriminalizing marijuana:
Clay was worried about the reaction. Supporting the liberalization of marijuana laws is not often seen as a political winner, especially in Midwestern cities like St. Louis.
But instead of stoner jokes, derision and righteous indignation, Clay was surprised to start getting praise from complete strangers.
“People are coming up to me saying this is a common-sense, sensible way to deal with the issue of personal use,” Clay said.
So far, he said, his calls, mail and contacts are running 80-20 in favor of the bill. He was impressed enough that he decided to go ahead and step before the cameras last week with Frank and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) at a news conference touting the bill.
The only people who support throwing people in jail for a couple of joints are the business interests in the iron triangle that is the US Law Enforcement/Industrial/Prison system.
Not surprisingly, Ron Paul, who is consistent about such things, was the only Republican co-sponsor of the bill.
Great Lakes Basin Compact Passes Senate
The Great Lakes Basin Compact is a multi-state agreement that would, among other things, prevent transfer of water out of the region and coordinate environmental efforts.
It’s interesting that it’s being cast as preventing the export of water to foreign nations, though it’s far more likely that any mass transfers would be to the mountain west, parts of which rely on the rapidly depleting Ogallala aquifer.
It appears that the House will pass it too, and Bush has said that he will sign it.
Senate Chicken on Funding Bill
The Republicans, having a phony issue, the kind that they like best, that they think that they can run with, offshore drilling, have vowed to block everything until they get a vote on the issue.
Well, it looks like the Dems are calling their bluff, and daring them to block a troop funding bill which includes:
- A 3.9% across-the-board pay raise for military personnel
- A funding increase for research into traumatic brain injury treatment
- Funding increase fortroop suicide prevention efforts
- A $26 billion for the Defense Health Program
- A $500 million for Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.
Why does the Republican party hate the troops?
Bush Tantrum May Force Government Shutdown
That’s what Bush and His Evil Minions™ are threatening over offshore drilling, that they will either filibuster or veto the spending bills unless they get their favor for their buddies in big oil.
House passes bill to regulate tobacco
A bill allowing the FDA to regulate tobacco just passed the House.
It wouldn’t allow a ban, but it would regulate things like adulterants added to the tobacco and the manipulation of nicotine levels.
Bush and the Republicans are opposed, no surprise, though no veto is (yet) promised.
I don’t think they need to threaten a veto, it will never make it through the Senate.
Congress Looks to Decriminalize Pot
The proposed legislation would remove federal penalties for possession of less than 100g of marijuana.
Reps. Barney Frank and Ron Paul are sponsoring HR 5843.
I’m Matthew Saroff, and I approve this legislation.
Reid Will Allow Vote on Offshore Drilling
I’m not sure whether this move is smart or stupid.
It requires 60 votes to make the amendment, and that means 11 Dems or 10 Dems + Lieberman, because McCain won’t be casting another Senate vote until he’s done with the presidential campaign, and I do not see the votes there.
Make Them Talk
It looks like the “F$#@ Coburn Omnibus” failed to get the necessary votes to end debate.
OK, fine. Stop letting the Republicans filibuster without talking. You already did that to Chris Dodd on civil liberties, so do it to Senator Tom Coburn.
Make them do a real filibuster.
Senate Passes Housing Bill
It already passed the house, so it will go to Bush, who says that he will sign it.
My guess on the total effect, very little, since there is no mechanism to encourage lenders to actually cut a deal.
The single thing that would help the most, and it would cost the government nothing would be to allow bankruptcy judges to modify mortgages for primary residences, as they can for investment and vacation property.
Maybe after January 21.
More Bad IP Legislation
Well, it appears that Senator Patrick Leahy has merged two draconian IP bills to create a bill that combines the worst of both.
I think that the problem is two fold:
- The large IP driven businesses know that their business model exists only because of government support, so they spend lavishly.
- That IP enforcement has been defined as ownership, when it is merely an exclusive license granted for the benefit of society.
So, we now have
- Doubling of penalties
- The authorization of federal prosecutors to use civil suits, where the burden of evidence is 50%+1
- Confiscation of any property tangentially involved, like computers and houses.
- The creation of an IP “Czar”, which would necessarily lead to an expansive and aggressive policy towards pursuing the law, as it is how the “Czar’s” office would justify its existence.
Bad law, bad policy, and a fundamental misunderstanding of the reasons behind copyright and patent protections.
DAP to be Eliminated in Housing Bill
About f$@#ing Time
I’ve mentioned the Downpayment Assistance Program before, and it’s one of the worst scams in real estate, and the housing rescue bill shuts it down.
The FHA requires a down payment of 3%, and “non-profit” agencies will front the money to the buyer. That money, plus what is typically a $500 fee, comes from the seller, who raises the price of his house to cover it, effectively meaning that the buyer pays an additional $500 (plus taxes and commission) to create a phony downpayment.
Huzzah!
Housing ‘Phants Upset Over Bush Housing Flip-Flop
I don’t know about you but I’m crushed that they feel that Bush betrayed them.
This has been your daily dose of schadenfreude.
Bush Caves on Housing Bailout Bill
They now say that he will sign the bill.
I guess that he doesn’t want another override this month.
Mexican State Oil Company Threatens to Drill Outside of Mexico
Bloomberg.com: Exclusive: “Pemex May Drill Outside Mexico for First Time If Reforms Fail”
Pemex needs foreign help because it doesn’t have the technology to drill in water deeper than 500 meters (1,640 feet), he said.
Pemex may need foreign help, but it does not need a partner.
It can buy that expertise without a foreign partner. Oil field services companies like Slumberger (disclosure) can do this on a fee for service basis.
And it turns out that their “threat” is to do a partnership with Petroleo Brasileiro, which has more deep water experience.
They are trying to get through with a bill that will allow “partnerships” that are ownership in everything but name, because someone gets the fat “commissions” for brokering the deals.
The Big Picture on the “Stop Excessive Speculation Act”
I’ve always been a doubter that speculation is responsible for much of the run up in oil prices, but I wholeheartedly the proposed “Stop Excessive Speculation Act”, which would crack down on speculators by allowing the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CTFC) to regulate futures market and, “differentiate between “legitimate” and “illegitimate” hedge trading”.
The reason that I support this is because it is a real sea change. It is a refutation of the myth that completely unsupervised markets self-regulate to the benefit of society.
It is the arbitrage and exotic financial vehicles that have been created in the past nearly three decades of free market fundamentalism, frequently lauded by Alan “Bubbles” Greenspan, which are at the core of our current credit crunch.
The markets have devolved into complex self-serving insider deals that have harmed everyone.
I think that this bill is a baby step, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Administration Calls for Congress to Act on Detainees – NYTimes.com
Michael Mukasey, George Bush’s new bottom at the department of justice is now saying that allowing Gitmo detainees to actually be physically present in court to contest their detention would constitute an “extraordinary risk”, so Congress needs to act to prevent this.
His proposal:
- All hearings heard in a single court (no doubt one particularly friendly to Bush and His Evil Minions™).
- Detainees would remain in Gitmo for the hearings (meaning that they intend to keep the Gulag open).
- The courts would not be allowed to release the prisoner.
- The courts would not be allowed to delay trials.
One hopes that the Dems have some backbone on this, but I doubt it.
Bush Threatens Veto on Intel Authorization
It appears that he is unhappy about the provision requiring full notification of the members of the House Intelligence Committee in order to release 75% of the funding.
The Bushies also hate the provision prohibiting the use of contractors in interrogations, which is also a good provision.
Barney Frank Looks for Limits on GSE Bailout
Well, the head of the House Financial Services Committee is saying that there limits on executive pay and dividends as a quid pro quo for any deal being done.
He’s talking about inserting language into the bill which would require regulatory approval of senior executive pay, and that any government purchased stock would be first in line for dividend payments.
Additionally, he’s looking at language to explicitly tie any monies involved in the bailout to the Federal Debt limit, which is responsible thing to to.
I think that Frank is one of the 10 best congresscritters out there.