Burnt Orange Report

I cannot even begin to describe my furor when I saw my supposed "Representative" at the top of the "NAY" list during this hour of need. For any human being with the least bit of a conscience to vote against this aid is unconscionable. Everyone is saying not to politicize this tragedy and I agreed up until this point.

Now the gloves are coming off...

This is a slap in the face to every survivor, every aid worker, every first responder, and every caring citizen that has been touched by this tragedy.

I worked in shelters over Labor Day while on Galveston Island, TX and again at home in Arlington and continue help some of these survivors try to get back on their feet again. I am sure they would all love to know the names of these 11.

Every Texan and every citizen within the 50 states needs to hear about Joe Barton and these 10 other "Summer Soldiers and Sunshine Patriots" and their inability to find their backbone. I guess Joe Barton and company expect those private citizens that have already responded with support to make up for the failure of the federal government.

After all, the "move to Houston is working very well for some of the poor people that left New Orleans" as stated by the First Lady.

To not vote is one thing (this I could accept if he was down in the area helping or assessing it, but he wasn't) but to vote "NAY" is adding insult to injury in a magnitude I cannot even explain rationally.

I hope all Texas voters remember this day, 8 September 2005, when they go to the polls in November, 2006 to vote in the election. I will do my part when I run against Joe Barton in 2006 to make sure that he, and the rest of his cronies, remember this day for sure. If you are interested in getting involved to help me with this endeavor please email me at FM2DC@aol.com or visit my site at www.followmetodc.com to register for our mailing list and be notified when we launch.

Thanks to all for the strength and support during these trying times. Kindness and justice will prevail. Be strong for those that cannot be right now.

"Whether in chains or in laurels, liberty knows nothing but victories." - Wendell Phillips

Paul's votes nay on everything. My hometown is in district 14. The voters will never hear of this. Even if they did it isnt like they would do anything about it. No one has run against him as long as I can remember.

I saw Ron Paul on CSPAN this evening talking about the war in Iraq. His prepared remarks were so right on. He called it like it is. Rarely do I agree with Texas Republicans, but tonight I saw a glimmer of hope. He challenged the war from an historical, political, moral, and rational persepctive. It was so refreshing to hear.

-LJ in Port A

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c109:2:./temp/~c109f

Is this the bill Ron Paul and the others voted Nay on? If so, good for them. Maybe they wanted some accountability finally from this administration instead of the blank checks it gives to the military and its "Department of Homeland Security." May not sound important until you realize how Halliburton still hasn't really accounted for everything it's gotten from its "contract" to "rebuild" Iraq. Some of us still think it would have been nicer not to have rebuilt it at all. Especially considering the fact we destroyed it. Bush always manages to jump around that little detail when talking about how important it is to rebuild Iraq.

I'm a lifelong Democrat but I think the time has come to tell those Democrats who think the answer to everything is to just write blank checks and worry how to cover them later that since we always end up paying more taxes to cover them, instead of us paying more taxes, they should just get their checkbooks out and cover it all themselves. It's a very bad habit. Even the Republicans seem to have picked it up.

We need to go back to cash and carry. If we don't have the cash, we don't buy it unless we put something else back on the shelf. Simple economics. Housewives, the bain of all politicians, used to do quite well with cash and carry. Until Visa, MasterCard and American Express arrived.

Balanced budgets are supposed to mean you don't spend more than what you take in. Not this Enron system of accounting in which you cook the books to make it appear that you didn't spend more than you took in. Of course Enron developed its system from the government system. What does that tell you?

Baby Snooks writes:

"Maybe they wanted some accountability finally from this administration..."

...and then Baby Snooks writes...

"tell those Democrats who think the answer to everything is to just write blank checks and worry how to cover them later that ...they should just get their checkbooks out and cover it all themselves."

I'm sorry, is it ten years ago, or aren't Republicans in control of Congress and the White House. How are Democrats at fault for writing blank checks when Bush has led this country to a $7 trillion deficit? Aren't Bush and Cheney, like, related to the Enron folks?

Did I miss something?

Well Phillip, it's like this. If only 11 people voted against a bill giving another blank check to this administration, then obviously a whole lot of Democrats voted for it. You figure it out. Is someone holding a gun to their heads?

Remember the magnificent way Congress rose above their partisanship in order to help everyone after 9/11 and appropriated funding to help get everyone impacted by it back on their feet through low interest loans? Many businesses in Lower Manhattan who applied for loans were turned down while many businesses in Georgia were approved. Last time I checked, no one flew any planes into any buildings in Georgia. Your government at work. Blank checks. That you and I pay for. And pay for. And pay for. That our children and grandchildren and, at the rate this maniac and the Congress supporting him is going, our great-grandchildren will be paying for. Here's an AP story about it:

http://www.breitbart.com/news/na/D8CG8FN80.html

"How are Democrats at fault for writing blank checks when Bush has led this country to a $7 trillion deficit?"

Again, there are a whole lot of Democrats voting for these appropriations. Including the war in Iraq which most likely, despite their Enronesque acounting methods, will bankrupt us. Or perhaps I should say as a result of their Enronesque accounting methods.

But hey, it has helped Halliburton immensely and we all know how generous Halliburton is to communities, particularly in Houston where it is headquartered. How much did Halliburton give to Red Cross or Salvation Army or any charity reaching out to victims of Hurricane Katrina? Or was sending Dick Cheney to New Orleans to comment on how responsive the government was their contribution? More than likely he was setting up contracts for Halliburton. They're very good at rebuilding cities, you know. Just look at Baghdad. If you can bear to.

At least Ken Lay and Enron gave some of what they stole back to the community they stole it from.

Republican policies and Republican leadership are the ones calling the shots, Baby Snooks, and that is what I was talking about. Obviously Democrats are voting for the Hurricane relief as well -- my point was why are you singling out Democrats, like they're the ONLY ones who write blank checks.

You know that, too. And you also know that Democrats that vote against the Hurricane relief package would be almost automatically kicked out of their seats. Democrats offered lots of alternatives to the $51 billion package, including lots of accountability measures. Republicans wouldn't let them come to the floor, and when the time came to vote for some help or no help, all the Congress did what any of us would have done -- what they could.

Again, Republican leadership and Republican policy set the tone for this bill (which is all I'm talking about, just to clarify). So, at the very least, if you feel the need to criticize the bill and accounting methods, be consistent and spread the blame around, k?

Here's their opportunity to step in and say, wait a minute.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/10/national/nationalspecial/10contracts.html

"Joe M. Allbaugh, a close friend of President Bush, the president's 2000 campaign manager and the FEMA director from 2001 to 2003, and James Lee Witt, an Arkansan close to former President Bill Clinton and a former FEMA director, are now high-priced consultants, and they have been offering their services to companies seeking or holding federal contracts in the post-hurricane gold rush."

Now that's what I call bipartisanship at work. Equal opportunity at its best. For the insiders.

The Democrats can be voted down on the floor. They cannot be voted down in the media. I didn't hear any Democratic voices going, wait a minute.