Thread: Dobbs: Five-weeks off for 'do-nothing Congress'

By Lou Dobbs
CNN

Wednesday, August 2, 2006; Posted: 12:34 p.m. EDT (16:34 GMT)

NEW YORK (CNN) -- This Republican-led, do-nothing Congress is on its way home for a five-week vacation. I'm sure while there, they'll be glad to explain to their constituents why they need so much rest in a year in which they will work fewer than 80 days.

The Republicans in Congress have little to brag about when they return home. And the Democrats have a lot of explaining to do, as well. Once the party of the New Deal, Fair Deal and Great Society, the party of working men and women, the Democrats are now buried as deeply in the pockets of their corporate masters as are the Republicans.

The Democratic Party has played a major role in helping to pass legislation that is grossly injurious to middle-class Americans and their families. This Congress, Republican-led with complicit Democrats, has cut $13 billion in college-student aid, passed numerous free-trade agreements that threaten good-paying jobs and approved an unconscionable bankruptcy law written by credit-card companies that is nothing less than a federal government heel in the neck of American families bankrupted by catastrophic illness and crushing medical bills.

In fact, 18 of the 44 Democrats in the Senate and 73 of the 201 Democrats in the House voted in favor of the creditor-friendly bankruptcy bill. They apparently either didn't bother to learn or didn't care that half of all bankruptcies are caused by the soaring medical bills that stem from unforeseen illnesses and injuries.

The Democrats are also casting deciding votes on the so-called free-trade agreements that have allowed corporate supremacists to export American jobs to the cheapest sources of labor. Twenty-two House Democrats approved the recent Oman free-trade agreement, including 10 that had previously voted for the Central American Free Trade Agreement. CAFTA, which passed the House by only two votes at the midnight hour, opened up to American businesses a market about the size of New Haven, Connecticut.

And Democrats in the Senate have embraced the wrongheaded policies of the Bush administration on border security and illegal immigration. Thirty-eight Democrats joined with the Senate Republican leadership to crush the Republican majority and pass the illegal-alien amnesty bill.

Forty-two Democrats voted against legislation that would have built a border fence to stop the flow of illegal aliens and drugs across our borders. In fact, it was Democrat Christopher Dodd of Connecticut whose amendment was attached to the legislation that would require the U.S. government to consult with the Mexican government before building a fence along our southern border.

Congressional Democrats are even more dismissive of the need for border security than the Senate Republicans. House Republicans have taken to calling the McCain-Kennedy amnesty bill the "Reid-Kennedy bill" because Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts shaped most of the legislation.

The Democrats incredibly talk about illegal aliens as victims as they press for amnesty, yet not one has raised concerns for the true victims of corporate America's lust for cheap labor: American working men and women, taxpayers all.

It was, after all, Sen. Reid who argued in 1993 that illegal aliens place "tremendous burdens" on this country's justice system, schools and social programs, stretching our federal wallet to the limit as a result of "illegal aliens getting welfare, food stamps, medical care and other benefits."

What could possibly explain Sen. Reid's complete conversion on the issue? He's said it was from talking to his wife and immigrants, but could his state's wholesale importation of illegal aliens and the importance of all that corporate lobbying and campaign contribution money be a factor? Surely not.

And how about that firebrand advocate for the Democratic Party's traditions and values, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean? Once considered a presidential candidate with a refreshing vision for America, Dean now spends no time pursuing ideas and proposals that would help working men and women. Instead, he's devoting his time and energy begging for money at the same contribution slop trough as his opponents while hurling insults at Republicans and indulging in petty name-calling.

Instead of articulating a vision and plan to help the United States win the war in Iraq, he said simply late last year, "The idea that the United States is going to win the war in Iraq is just plain wrong." And when Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was to address a joint session of Congress, Dean called him an anti-Semite for criticizing Israel. The petulant DNC chairman outdid himself by comparing an inconsequential Republican congresswoman, Katherine Harris of Florida, to the rather consequential Joseph Stalin. The incomparable Howard Dean managed to do that while calling for an end to political divisiveness.

The Democrats want to wrest control of Congress from Republicans, and they have a better than average opportunity to accomplish the feat. The next five weeks just might be a good time for frustrated, disgusted constituents to ask what it will take to elect a Congress willing to represent working men and women and their families.

And let me know what you hear.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/08/01/dobbs. ... index.html

NEW YORK (CNN) -- This Republican-led, do-nothing Congress is on its way home for a five-week vacation. I'm sure while there, they'll be glad to explain to their constituents why they need so much rest in a year in which they will work fewer than 80 days.

Ya that much unproductive work would have anyone of us fired!

The Republicans in Congress have little to brag about when they return home. And the Democrats have a lot of explaining to do, as well.

I really hope they get so much flak from their constituents, etc. during the entire 5 week vacation.
It would sure make their 5 weeks off miserable.

BTW, 5 weeks? I would have to work at my company for 20 years before I got that!!!

BTW, 5 weeks? I would have to work at my company for 20 years before I got that!!!

Ya pretty cushie benefits for a job un-done.

What I want to know is why are we still being made to pay their salaries? They should be paying us for the lousy jobs they are doing, not the other way around. I'm sick of this taxation without representation.

What else boils me is the fact they they also get their full pay until they die. I don't remember any company ever giving that option. Once your retirement fund is gone, bye bye birdie. (No offense Crazybird.)

Maybe it is a good sign .
While they have nothing to do , we do not have to worry every day what are they plotting behind our backs .
So we can have a nice momentum and use it for our benefit .
A lot of positive things can be found even in the negative situation .
The momentum is in our favor , the wind is increasing , it is a good time to sail in the right direction =- lol

Hope's

Maybe it is a good sign .
While they have nothing to do , we do not have to worry every day what are they plotting behind our backs .

Hope that would be nice and it's the logical thought that one would have, but UNFORTUNATELY George W. Bush didn't go on vacation too. Due to that little convenience called the "telehphone" and E-mails and faxes, VERY VERY MUCH can happen while they're on vacation.

Someone told me they've never seen GWB so mad before as they did last night on the news (I think it was CNN). He said that he was banging his fist on the table or podium or something, and saying, "WE NEED THOSE WORKERS". He said he had never seen him like that before.

SO, rest assured, A LOT of work is STILL getting done. Their boss is not on vacation and their boss is busy, busy, busy applying the pressure.

But you positive thoughts were a nice idea, anyway, Hope.

They should be paying us for the lousy jobs they are doing, not the other way around. I'm sick of this taxation without representation.

I was listning to WLS this morning and they were talking about the year break they gave those 15 illegals to come up with a case for immigration. Guess they pounced on the judge and he said he had to keep his constituants in mind. Since when are illegal aliens his constituants? Seems there's barely a handful left to support the CITIZENS! These guys and gals aren't doing diddly to support the citizens. It's just darn close to impossible to get these guys out!

Any one of us with a work record like they have would have been canned. I don't begrudge vacations at all......but gee whiz......how many do they need in a year? They are getting a huge salary, tons of benefits, and playing games with peoples lives and no longer have a clue of who or what the American Citizen is. Boy I hope some lawyer is spending some time researching this stuff. I'd like to think we still actually have a say or a method to fight back.

Like if your landlord refuses to fix something you can put your rent in an escrow account to be released to him when the jobs done. So it's not like not paying. An account with your tax payment but not till your represented.

They got a guy here in the Green party that is now able to get on the Nov. ballot. They had to get 25,000 signatures for him.....but only 2,000 for Topinka or Baclovich(or what-ever). Seems anyone different that the elite group doesn't stand a chance to even get in the ball game.

There are also those little things called the airplane and the invitation, which might go something like this:

Senator So and So, why don't you AND YOUR FAMILY fly to Washington tomorrow to have lunch with Laura and I. We can have a nice little "visit" and "TALK".

The only thing they're probably cut off from is mostly US, and our emails and phone calls.

So for them to go on vacation is not really any help for us. And that means that WE don't get any vacation.