Today in Washington D. C. - May 5, 2009 - Manic Depressives & Constitutional Concerns

The Senate resumed consideration of S. 896, a housing bill, which will also provide more money and borrowing authority to the FDIC. Votes on amendments to the bill are expected throughout the day. Yesterday, the Senate rejected two amendments to the bill from Sen. David Vitter (R-LA). Isn't it interesting that the Democrat Senate leadership spends lots of time on some bills and certain issues but then rams through (expited) spending, bailouts and budgets without taking time to read the bills or to allow the minority party and America citizens to read the bills. The Democrat leadership appears to operate like a bunch of manic depressives displaying "mixed bipolar episodes."

The House members under Democrat Pelosi's leadership continues to come up with various bills seeking to limit individual freedoms, rights and access to one's own money. The crazy ideas are too long to list. This statement while true does not ignore the fact that Republican leadership has failed as well in the past in protecting individual liberty. Regardelss of one's individual's persepective on an issue -- get out your Constitution -- remember when anyone rights set forth in The Bill of Rights are infringed, then we are all infringed upon. In summary (not listing all items), The Bill of Rights prohibits Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise therof or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances; forbids infringement of "...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms...", and prohibits the federal government from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. In federal criminal cases, it requires indictment by grand jury for any capital or "infamous crime", guarantees a speedy public trial with an impartial jury composed of members of the state or judicial district in which the crime occurred, and prohibits double jeopardy. In addition, the Bill of Rights states that "the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people," and reserves all powers not granted to the federal government to the citizenry or States.

The Obama Administration's White House failing to get things through Congress is seeking ways of using the Constitution against the people by seeking treaty agreements that limit American citizens. Our forfathers never envisioned by Article VI, paragraph 2 which stipulates "...all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution [of any State] or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding." However, Article VI, paragraph 3 requires all Federal and State officers to also swear:"...to support this [U.S.] Constitution..." In summary, Curtis W. Caine, MD in his position paper said, "A treaty may not do or exceed what the Congress is charged to do or what it is forbidden to do. Constitutional authority supersedes, overrules, and precludes any contrary treaty authority." Yesterday, we posted on "Obama Pushes Anti-Gun Treaty."

Politico's Huddle briefing today: “This whole second 100 days thing is already proving to be tougher for the Obama team – and their biggest problem seems to be Democrats in Congress. Just yesterday Democratic appropriators took away Obama’s Guantanamo prison closure money, added money he didn’t want and then warned that Afghanistan money wouldn’t last past next year unless real progress is made. And then Democrats began picking at what should be a slam dunk: closing offshore tax loopholes. But folks like Max Baucus, the Finance chairman and Rep. Joe Crowley, worried about his multinational banks in New York, were a bit cool on the tax crackdown. These Dem squabbles come as the party remains divided over a sweeping global warming bill.”

According to The Wall Street Journal, “Top House Democrats raised tensions with the White House on a key foreign policy goal, rebuffing a request for funding to begin closing the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.” It sounds like Democrats in the House have realized that “the administration lacks a plan and a safe alternative for closing Guantanamo. . . . [The administration] it should reconsider its arbitrary deadline on Guantanamo just as it reconsidered its commitment to arbitrary withdrawal deadlines on Iraq. (Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell)”

The House has moved to prevent the Obama administration from using emergency government funding from the military appropriation to close GITMO. McClatchey reported that "The Obama administration's bid for $50 million to move prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility was left out of the Democratic-authored emergency war-spending bill unveiled Monday." Internationally, Germany rebuffed AG Eric Holder's and has refused to take any GITMO detainees.

The other major area where administration plans ran into resistance yesterday was a proposal to tax deferred overseas income, thus penalizing companies for brining money back into the U.S. and putting them at a competitive disadvantage. According to Bloomberg, the plan “drew a skeptical response from fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill, indicating that his plan may face obstacles on its path through Congress. . . . Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Montana Democrat, called for ‘further study’ of Obama’s proposals within minutes of the president’s announcement yesterday. Representative Joseph Crowley, a Democrat on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, said he’s wary because the tax changes would hurt Citigroup Inc., his New York district’s largest private-sector employer. Natalie Ravitz, a spokeswoman for Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat, said that any tax overhaul should not lead to “unintended consequences.”

From the appearance of the problems the Obama administration is seeing from fellow Democrats, as well as from Republicans, on funding for closing Guantanamo and tax hikes on globally competitive American companies, "maybe" some sanity is finally returning to Congress in being a watchdog over the White House.

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Tags: Eric Holder, FDIC, Germany, GITMO, manic depressives, The Bill of Rights, US Congress, US Constitution, US House, US Senate, Washington D.C. To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!