Yesterday I noted that I was an observer of the human condition. Well, let’s take the following observation I’ve made after careful consideration and extrapolation of important data:
Congress needs to be replaced.
Every member needs to be voted out. Every member should be held accountable for the delays on what has traditionally been a one line passage of raising the nation’s debt ceiling (which covers the bills already racked up, not increases more spending). It’s like getting your paycheck and paid your mortgage, utilities, and any credit loaned to you. This is money due. All you are doing is paying it off. The problem is that the US hasn’t seen a raise at the job in several years, and that paycheck isn’t coming on Tuesday unless we go to the boss and beg for the money, something that he has never failed at doing: meeting your paycheck and those of your co-workers. Now the boss can’t meet his payroll because he has had the same clients paying the same payments every month for years without any increases to cover his increased expense to operate a business. With me so far? Our favorite Uncle is in the same situation, because it hasn’t raised his own receivables because…well, he liked a few more clients more than others. So he cut their monthly bill. And so he found himself with less money…and now his usual bills are coming due Tuesday. He can’t borrow because the bank won’t let him. So in the long run, you don’t get your paycheck.
For millions of us on Social Security, that nightmare begins Tuesday. The first thing on the table to prevent default is the billions of dollars due to Social Security recipients on that date. The will make the Government solvent for two weeks, but will leave millions without any money for their mortgage or rent; money for utilities or food; and perhaps might cause a HUGE amount of other unintended consequences for our creditors. If you have auto-deduct on anything and timed it around your Social Security, the money won’t be there…so every check you wrote, every deduction (including perhaps bank statement charges) will cause an overdraft. So the banks will be getting VERY rich on Wednesday morning and for several days after that. You have to decide between the bills or food; food or medicine; medicine or death. THIS IS REAL, MISTER PRESIDENT, MISTER SPEAKER, AND MISTER MAJORITY LEADER. There are MILLIONS who will blame YOU when this mess happens. There will be chaos and possible unrest. And we will blame YOU the entire time. Would you like to know why?
Because a few right wing fringe lunatics were allowed to hijack what had once been a great political party and turn it into the biggest group of xenophobic misanthropes the world has known. And they are intractable in addition to not being very good with a calculator. They are more interested in protecting the special interests that keep them firmly in “the Political Class” (another post on this theory of mine forthcoming in a few days) than they people they represent. They are more interested in saving face, because the first thing to go is SOCIAL SECURITY…and what a coincidence…they finally sent us back to the 20’s, made millions poor overnight, didn’t even have to use legislation to do it. because they did NOTHING. The Democrats are no better, because they didn’t see this coming; the budget to keep the government running should have been the first indication that this was their next big fight. As always, Democrats never seen the inevitable because like Ethel Merman singing, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”…the fat lady has indeed sung. And they allowed it to happen.
Then we have a man who I thought would be one of the greatest political leaders of all time, who has turned out to be more than just a disappointment…he has become a travesty and a shadow of his former self. The guy didn’t even have a good bracket for March Madness this year. He’s lost his political touch and his skill with the people. He is being weak. He is being the most ineffectual leader in a time of crisis since Herbert Hoover. He deserves a Primary Challenge (but no one will give him one). He has not used his power to get legislation through; he has done nothing but compromise after he’s constantly being kicked in the political nuts. Now I don’t know about you, but when someone’s kicking me in the nuts, they get a right cross. It’s time for him to do the political and constitutional equivalent of one…
Invoke the 14th Amendment.
Under sections 4 and 5 of the 14th, he can invoke Executive Orders ordering that all payments continue and unilaterally raise the so-called debt ceiling on his own, because that Amendment says that “the debt of the United States shall not be questioned”. This basically means we’ve been operating an unconstitutional thing called a debt ceiling for almost a hundred years. Well, we have a crisis. The bills need to be paid…and rather than seriously look at this option, he’s considering not paying Social Security. That’s going to have A LOT of people mad…fighting mad. And it doesn’t matter of you’re a Republican or Democrat, you have a crosshair at the ballot box on you the very moment this happens because EVERYONE GETS THE BLAME. No one will be safe…and banks will be richer on Wednesday morning because they have all those nice overdraft fees. Our credit rating as a nation will have plummeted. Our means of taking care of our elderly, disabled, and our soldiers will be gone. All this will happen unless one thing happens:
MISTER PRESIDENT, GROW A PAIR OF BALLS AND INVOKE THE 14TH AMENDMENT.
You may have a Constitutional crisis on your hands, but it will be preferable to the alternative: chaos and certain destruction of the economy, this country, and more importantly people’s lives. In my world there are 4 inclusive of myself I care more about…and right now we are about to suffer because of all the political posturing and bullshit in Washington is more important than my medications which keep me sane and out of pain. Or food on my table. Or a roof over my head. You will not have my vote, nor will my Congressman or Senator. I will vote for a third party. I will not waste my vote on business as usual. It’s time to stand up and be counted. It’s time to put these bastards in the crosshairs of the ballot box and let them know in no uncertain terms that they will NOT be going back to DC and that is what will happen…unless the President takes decisive action NOW…INVOKE THE 14th Amendment.
“We think too small, like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view. “
Mao Tse-Tung
Intersections In Real Time 