White House, GOP Leaders Plan All-Out Assault on Federal Protections

[Redneck Socialist]

"Apparently rushing to lock in a long-sought goal before the fall elections, GOP congressional leaders may bring to a vote within weeks a proposal that could literally wipe out any federal program that protects public health or the environment--or for that matter civil rights, poverty programs, auto safety, education, affordable housing, Head Start, workplace safety or any other activity targeted by anti-regulatory forces.

With strong support from the Bush White House and the Republican Study Committee, the proposal would create a "sunset commission"--an unelected body with the power to recommend whether a program lives or dies, and then move its recommendations through Congress on a fast-track basis with limited debate and no amendments.

Three leading proposals have been introduced and are being winnowed into a final version. They would give the White House some--or total--authority to nominate members to the commission. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has confirmed that his office is coordinating development of a final version for prompt floor action.

<snip>

If such a bill should become law, the sunset commission could be packed with industry lobbyists and representatives from industry-funded think tanks, and could conduct its business in secrecy. Two of the sunset proposals under consideration would mandate that programs die after they are reviewed, unless Congress takes action to save them...."

More at http://www.bushgreenwatch.org/

It is going to take decades to recover from the damage these fuckers are inflicting on our country.

[annabanana]

1. JEEsus this is scary.

Every damn part of it will be passed in the darkest hours after browbeating & armtwisting the likes of which this Country has never seen.

[fooj]

2. They never stop.

I hate these people.

[Redneck Socialist]

3. Just when you thought your frothing rage meter was pegged...

they pull something out of their asses that pisses you off even more. They're like flesh eating zombies, they just keep coming and coming. :grr:

[ninkasi]

7. So do I, fooj

I am also starting to hate the idiots who vote for Republicans, because they are against gay marriage, or abortion, or any of the other nonsense that causes them to go into robot mode, and squawk about "godless libruls." They are apparently willing to sacrifice their children and grand-children's health, and safety, in order to prevent two people who are going to live together anyway, a chance to formalize their union with marriage.

These pathetic drones are destroying our country. It will be small comfort to them, when neocon policies cause them harm, to realize that they brought it on themselves. I can tolerate that thought, what I can't tolerate is the enormous amounts of harm done to the rest of us.

[WiseButAngrySara]

4. Decades to recover, if we are still alive! I'm becoming more convinced

that these war-mongers actually want war and disunity! If not Civil War, then WWIII. And there is a quote by Einstein about not knowing what weapons will be used in WWIII but knowing that 'sticks and stones' will be used in WWIV, or something to that effect!

[Vidar]

13. More like 70 years, taking us to pre-FDR.

[Toots]

21. Of course they want war. They make their billions in "War Profiteering"

Money is the only thing they care about, well maybe power but money gives them that. They don't care one whit about America or Americans only money..and Americans are just too damn stupid to understand that fact..

[WiseButAngrySara]

23. So sadly true. But don't you know our boys and young women are

fighting for Iraq's 'freedom' and to protect our 'democracy'? B.S., all of it. Nothing this administration says can be trusted. I'm waiting for the ban on the 'internets.'

[patricia92243]

5. I think our "Experiment in Democracy" is about dead. It lasted over 200

years. So sad.

[villager]

6. maybe, in the end, this will all hasten secession by various regions

Since, after all, there won't be any real Federal "government" -- just a military occupation -- left

[me b zola]

8. I thought that they had already launched an all-out assault

on federal protections. I guess they were just getting warmed up. I don't know why I am suprised in the slightest, I knew that they were going to dismantle this country brick by brick in a Shermanesque manner.

Decades? I believe that with the damage that they have done by stacking the courts with rw,activist judges it will be GENERATIONS to undo the damage that they have done.

I don't know whether to cry or screem, some days I do both.

[Mnemosyne]

9. Jefferson said:

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. ... God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion; what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms." -- Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith, 1787


Bastards.

[Redneck Socialist]

10. That's just crazy talk.

Not really though. It's all too true.

[Mnemosyne]

16. He was a wild one alright!

:evilgrin:

I think we're 180 years late.

[robinlynne]

11. unbelievable. People just don't get this do they?

The sheer size of the madness is astounding. I'm still fighting (and losing) to get democracy for america to support a hand count here in san diego. the left. They don't even get it. They work and work for their candidates, walk door to door, not realizing that the repubs aren't playing anymore. People are still playing the old-fashioned game from years ago, and the right is years ahead on their terror mission. As someone said a few days back, the dems are bringing knives to a gunfight.

[ThoughtCriminal]

12. Not just decades to recover

Generations - many, many generations.

[PWRinNY]

14. What is this, a HATE campaign against

the American People????? I used to think it was mostly just the poor and the elderly they were hell bent on killing off. Well, jee - screw EVERYONE - Democrat AND Republican! This is war on the American People.

[SmokingJacket]

15. I used to think their motivation was that they didn't wan to spend money

on poor people, and I didn't get it, because really, spending on social programs is not huge. Now I think their motivation is much more sinister. They actively want the poor to suffer and be desperate -- they want an ignorant, miserable populace: much more easy to control.

[Redneck Socialist]

26. I think it's far more banal than that

They just don't care. They just don't care about anything but themselves. I suspect that they honestly believe that less regulation is a good thing, at least good for their bottom lines. As long as their money keeps rolling in everyone else can just go screw.

Selfishness is their highest ideal.

[madmusic]

17. Does moveon.org know about this? n/t

[Canuckistanian]

18. Why is it always destruction?

Always destruction. Never intitiating, never proposing, never bulding, never fixing ANYTHING.

For conservatives (conserve: To protect from loss or harm; preserve.), they sure don't seem to want to "conserve" much.

[WiseButAngrySara]

24. They have embraced evil. Destruction and War is the result of

their misguided philosophy of self interest and self preservation at all costs. How can these people still smile, after exterminating thousands of innocent lives, human lives, not bug lives? How can they smile, sleep, eat, look at themselves in the mirror, want to continue living? They do, though. IMO that is evil.

[OneBlueSky]

19. along with the Iraq war, this is precisely why BushCo . . .

stole the past two presidential elections . . . to get rid of any government involvement that isn't military in nature . . . and then to employ a greatly expanded military to essentially control the planet . . .

[enough]

20. k&r

[Roland99]

22. We need some sunshine laws to shed light on these sunset commissions!!

[eppur_se_muova]

25. This would effectively destroy separation of powers.

If the Executive branch can terminate any program created by the Congress, then the Congress has no effective authority. The Founders meant for the people's elected representatives, the Congress, NOT the POTUS, to have ultimate authority.