There is not a lot Congress will do before the summer recess, so the pundits will have to make a “mountain out of a molehill” and continue that theme over the summer. that makes it difficult for political junkies like me to find topics to discuss,so I’m forced to combine several pending issues. And that’s the reason they call it the “Dog Days of Summer.”
I think the defining your opponent period of this presidential campaign is confusing and boring for most. When my wife asked me what all the hoopla was about; I gave her a simple answer of “the Obama campaign set a trap, and Romney fell for it." I then told her that Mr. Romney couldn't run on his expertise of running a business and transitioning that experience to the White House; if he couldn't answer the questions, he's been asked since 1994. His Republican opponents also questioned his business ethnics and have asked for several years of back income tax returns. Mr. Romney was reluctant to do that, so he's stuck in a no man's land. I'm fairly certain that Mitt Romney didn't do anything illegal, but those tax returns may reveal just how rich he really is and how little he paid in taxes. If his 2000 and 2001 income tax returns show that he got paid as a CEO for Bain Capital; it will be one more document where he has to explain the words “retired retroactively."
The Obama campaign attack ads are working despite Karl Rowe's white board showing a Gallup Poll that had Obama ahead by one point before the Bain Capital ads and tied at 47 after the ads were shown. The Obama ran the ads in the battle ground states where polls show that he gained substantially. Mitt Romney couldn't stand the Bain ad heat anymore, so he called a press conference with all the major networks to try to explain his side, but he maintained his arrogance of not releasing his tax returns. That stance is starting to get on the nerves of the leaders of his party. I'm really surprised and pleased with the Obama campaign because, as Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of the Nation said “republicans usually go for the juggler and democrats go for the capillaries."
I prefer to stay on the issues where believe it are not; I'm beginning to learn more of how everything is interconnected. I heard some good ideas this weekend having to to do with the SNAP (food stamp) program and farm subsidies. The president of a farm group in Iowa said that they like those on welfare who would rather receive a fair price for their crops or wages rather than government subsides. He said it the big corporate farms are making a lot of money because 26 farms receive direct payments of $1 million each in farm subsidies. Granted, I don't know anything about farming but this man said that he would rather be paid a fair steady price for his corn and soybeans, than for the government supplementing him for the low prices of his crops. He disclosed that the two crop rotation makes his land venerable to harmful insects.He said, “we don't want to outsource, illegal immigration, or pay $10.00 for a head of lettuce; that presents a problem." He also said, "right now we are importing most of our food in order for the big farm corporations to get rich." The agriculture industry cannot survive unless we find a way to keep the prices low with cheap labor.
The panel agreed that we can lower our welfare payments by setting the minimum wage to a livable standard. This bad economy has put 46 million people on the Snap program. Food stamps went from $17 billion to $76 billion during this recession. How much is that? That comes out to be $253 per each member of a household, if you believe that your taxes are earmarked to pay for this expenditure. A representative from the SNAP Program said that 87% of the recipients on food stamps are for the elderly, children, and single moms. There are exceptions to the rule but only about 1% of the pay outs involve fraud to the tune of $760 million.
All those programs are interconnected and managed by well informed lobbyists. When the question came up of restricting the use of food stamps on non sugary items; the sugar lobby shut that down. Some congressman wanted to restrict those on food stamps from buying store bought cakes or sodas. It was quickly brought out that they could legally buy all the ingredients to make the cake. It's a rule that could not be readily enforced, unless you expect full corporations from the grocery stores. Remember once again, when the GOP wants to drastically cut the food stamp program, that money will also be taken away from those government workers who were hired to enforce the rules.
If I could only be more than a " unverified commenter" at VI Cad; I would've had an answer for the letter writers who stated that those of us who voted for President Obama are to blame for our nation’s decline and the other one about Democrats helping those who cannot get a voter ID. The first letter writer did not state his" truth certain" economic policy, the Republicans would have put in that would have assured us of a quick recovery. The second letter writer is a little more ignorant if that's possible. His blind loyalty keeps him from seeing that voter ID and the way it implemented was just a voter suppression ploy. Since 2002, Texas has cast 39 million votes and only 70 and has been investigated for voter fraud. It's easy to see your motive when you're talking about a minuscule percentage of wrongdoing. It's just another case of wanting to finesse the issues.
The GOP might have a peaceful convention now that Ron Paul lost in Nebraska this past weekend. Mitt Romney doesn’t even have to give him a prime-time speaking role since he didn’t get the 5 states he needed to challenge the presumptive nominee.That long-shot attempt at beating Romney has now ended. Republicans,Mitt Romney is your nominee.