Broken Government

[Harlan Huckleby]

C'mon Harlan...being a Congressman is not rocket science. Anyone with a reasonable degree of intelligence could do it.

Sure, in one sense all they have to do is vote "nay" or "yay". but look at he range of issues they are supposed to be knowlegeable about! If they are any good at all, they are learning at a very high rate. When you listen to the best politicians speak, its clear they have a lot of knowledge.

I think first-term politicians are handicapped, they don't know how things really work.

I am not completely opposed to term limits. I just think they need to be much longer than you probably do. 10 years is too short.

[Freak Out]

It's called voting people. If Americans would get off their ass and dig through half the shit that's thrown at them we could actually see some change. Not likely to happen though.

[The Leaper]

I am not completely opposed to term limits. I just think they need to be much longer than you probably do. 10 years is too short.

I would favor 3 terms for Senators and 4 for Reps. I think anything over 20 years...it is time to shit or get off the pot.

[texaspackerbacker]

Some people nagged me to hear about things where I disagree with most conservatives/Republicans. Well, read on.

I am neither strongly for or strongly against this farm bill. As I said, it has stuff for all sides of the spectrum to like and to dislike. Harlan, no argument about much of the farm subsidies going to wealthy farmers and agribusiness. I'm just saying those are generally OUR--meaning conservative/Republican--constituencies. I'm sure plenty of liberal constituencies are well taken care of in the bill too. That's how Congress does business--for better or worse.

The area where I disagree with many conservatives is that I don't see it as all that bad. As I said in my previous post, due to the Keynesian multiplier effect, money injected into the American economy generally benefits everybody, even if the spending could realistically be called wasteful. That is true and works every time, just so you don't STUPIDLY raise taxes to "pay for" the spending.

As for term limits, there too, I strongly disagree with the mostly conservative people who favor that idea. There's a fairly even split in Congress between the longstanding conservative/Republican politicians and the Dem/lib politicians. What term limits would do is place more power in the hands of the propagandists--predominantly, the left-saturated mainstream media. I'd rather have to put up with some liberal oldtimer who manipulates the American system--which necessarily implies he has at least limited belief in the American system, than in some upstart "change" advocate who shows every sign of hating the American system, and indeed, hating America. It's the Hillary/Obama question all over again.

[Kiwon]

Told you so.

Just show up and collect $50,000. That's an overstatement, but not by much.

"The enacted bill permits plaintiffs to seek expedited claims of $50,000 under a lower threshold of proof than a typical civil case."

Alleged past discrimination by local USDA offices is good for $50,000 or more. This is just another step in priming the pump for complete reparations.

20% of America's GNP goes toward welfare programs already, some $3,100,000,000,000 a year, and half the population pays no federal income tax at all.

What's fair about that?

.................................................. ....................

Black farmers file new suit against USDA

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 800 black farmers filed a new lawsuit against the Agriculture Department just two weeks after Congress reopened a 1999 settlement over past discrimination.

The plaintiffs wasted little time in taking advantage of a provision in the recently enacted farm bill that allows fresh claims from those who were denied damages after missing earlier deadlines.

Some 75,000 people could fall into that group. If their suits are successful, the case could cost the government several billion dollars on top of the $980 million in damages already paid under the original settlement.

The lawsuit, organized by the Virginia-based National Black Farmers Association, was filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington. Nearly all the 823 farmers who sued are from the South, mostly from Alabama and Mississippi.

John Boyd, a black farmer who founded the group, said he expects another 5,000 to join the lawsuit soon.

The suit is the latest development in the federal government's April 1999 settlement of a class-action lawsuit from black farmers who claimed they were systematically denied loans and other aid from local USDA offices. About two-thirds of the nearly 22,500 farmers who filed suit were awarded damages.

Those who filed late argued that their lawyers made mistakes or that they were not aware of the deadline.

The deadline was extended once for those who could show extraordinary circumstances. But federal courts repeatedly denied subsequent requests to reopen the settlement until Congress intervened with the farm bill.

The enacted bill permits plaintiffs to seek expedited claims of $50,000 under a lower threshold of proof than a typical civil case. Plaintiffs also can seek larger damages in court.

The USDA and the Justice Department declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Critics have charged that farmers had plenty of time to win claims and that reopening the case will reward questionable claimants who may not have suffered losses.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-06-04-black-farmers_N.htm

[bobblehead]

I agree 100% with Merlin. The time for term limits is now. Without fresh blood on a regular basis, Washington is a special interest nightmare.

I've soured on the term limit idea. Too many unintended consequences. Like the rise in power of the permanent Fed employees, the civil service. And I think there is a learning curve, congress people are most effective after 10 years under their belt. Maybe a 20 year term limit could work.

The real problem is the amount of money they have to raise to run for office. They are permanent fund raisers.

Gotta say harlan, I thinky your definition of "effective" is one even bill clinton would be proud of. I would like congress to come to a standstill, cuz the more they stay out of the way, the better off we are.

I am also in favor of removing all campaign finance rules, but insert complete full disclosure online. I want to know who donated money to who, and I would argue its my right. I also think some of these pigs have been on the public dole way too long to even realize what life is like for the average american anymore.