The firing squad is too good for some of the assholes in the United States Senate. The Senate has decided to vote on the bailout bill this evening to try to sway the House to re-vote on it before the end of the week. And guess how the “leadership” has sweetened the pot to get those pesky Republicans and balky Democrats on board….
First, a great big old $149 BILLION tax cut for millionaires and corporations so that they won’t have their feelings hurt because no one loves them any more.
Second, over $100 million in earmarks to a wide variety of pet projects on both sides of the aisle, ranging from mine safety equipment to NASCAR race tracks.
I’ve been cruising through some conservative blogs, since they’re the ones shrieking about the earmarks today, and they all seem to be conveniently overlooking the tax cuts, but it was clear from the Today Show appearance by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Minority Whip Roy Blunt that this was the outstanding demand that was going to draw in enough Republican votes to pass the bill in both houses. One way or another, these motherfuckers are going to find a way to line the pockets of their cronies.
As a sop to the people calling for more relief for the average person, there will be a temporary increase of the FDIC insurance to cover up to $250K in bank deposits, but my guess is that if you have a quarter of a million dollars just sitting in the bank, you’re probably not an average person.
Bush promises to spend the day trying to convince lawmakers to hand over all our money to the same thieves he’s been giving it to for the last eight years.
McCain and Obama are both returning to Washington to vote on the measure (both of them have indicated that they will vote “yea” — big fucking surprise there). Biden will also be on hand to vote in favor of the bailout, too. After all, most of those big banks are chartered in Delaware, and Biden has long been a big supporter of giving the banks whatever they want. Sarah Palin, on the other hand, will be hiding from Katie Couric before she asks her some other super-tough question like “If Bill has three apples and Marsha had six, how many apples do they have in all?”
Meanwhile, who’s the only guy in the House of Representatives asking the tough questions? It’s Dennis Kucinich, of course. Here he is on Monday during the roll call on the bailout:
If candidates were trading cards, I would give you 10 Barack Obamas for just ONE Dennis Kucinich. We need a guy like this leading the Democratic Party, NOW.
Lastly, a reminder to one and all to contact your senators RIGHT NOW and let them know you oppose this terrible legislation. The congressional websites are all being hammered this week, so your best bet is to make a phone call to your senators’ local offices rather than to try to send e-mail. I was able to get an e-mail through to John Kerry, who is unfortunately toeing the party line on this deal, but it took quite a long time to do so. And don’t let up on your House reps, either, because this bill is likely to wind up right back in their laps within a day or two.
This was the outstanding demand that was going to draw in enough Republican votes to pass the bill in both houses.