kurtster wrote: 
They did a good job of f**king it up before then. How in the world did our budget get so out of whack to begin with, after Clinton had balanced it. Hmmm? I remember when the Repubs would have midnight meetings and lock the Dems out of the room.

How come you respectfully disagree with him, but insult me? Hmmmm...

 islander wrote: 

I will respectfully disagree with you.  The Repubs haven't had their fingerprints on anything coming out of Washington from January 20th, 2009 through December 2010.  The Repubs were shut out of everything, even to the extent of changing the locks on doors in the Capitol Building by the Democrats.

The Democrats had a Super Majority until Brown of Massachusetts was elected.  Other than a couple of nominations, what did the Republicans block in Congress during this peiod ?  Nothing that I can think of.

After two years of a Democrat Super Majority, the Democrats own everything. 

 kurtster wrote: 
Again, both parties are solidly culpable in the current state of affairs where very little is brought forward. Both parties have lost understanding of the word compromise. But the republicans were the initial instigators in the block everything and refuse to do anything that wasn't on their agenda party in recent history. 

 islander wrote: 
You are correct.  Its a poor way to lead.

I would not have made the remark "We Won" to anyone else in a discussion of these issues.  It was directed to someone who thinks exclusively in these terms.

 kurtster wrote:  Um, WHY was it never brought up for a vote? Because Senators filibustered every other dang thing, or threatened to, which effectively shut down the proceedings. The Republican strategy was (is) delay, delay, DELAY. And it's not about that crook Tom this time. They pushed out important business, betting (rightly) the new batch of crooks would have more success.

They ALL engage in dirty tricks. Every single one. To say the Dems are 'not doing their job' is horseshit. Their job is to fight for their constituents, with whatever means are available, whether it's filibustering or denying a quorum. You don't like it, I don't like it, but that's the way the game is played.

 cc_rider wrote: 

The Budget was never even brought up for a vote, that is the responsibility of Reid and Pelosi.  How can one vote on something that isn't even brought up for a vote ?

This is the new Democrat style, avoid voting and going on the record.

 kurtster wrote: 
He was hardly the first to express the sentiment. But it has never made a good position from which to govern - especially so when the electorate is so evenly split and a considerable portion of all voters are choosing the lesser of two evils.  I think it is all of our jobs to call out and not support this behavior from either side, especially your own.

 kurtster wrote: 
Oh snap, I guess you got me Kurt. You must be much smarter than me, so I see no point in trying to convince you otherwise.

 hippiechick wrote:
Well if the results of the Teachers' skills is only 34% of Wisconsin's 8th graders reading at the 8th grade level, with some of the highest costs per pupil in the Mid West, then they deserve to get their union busted for protecting these teaching poseurs.

The Republicans have proposed no budget.  The only budgets being discussed are Democrat ones. 

I know you rarely deal with facts, as you are not dealing with facts now.

As Obama once said, We Won, get over it !   

How does it feel to be on the other side of that ?

 kurtster wrote: 
So, U.S. Senate Republicans who filibustered irrelevant bills, while the budget issue loomed, WERE doing their jobs?

Wisconsin's State Senators apparently do not have the option of filibuster. They used the only method available to block action on a bill they abhor. Republicans in the U.S. Senate have used the filibuster to block action on bills they abhor.

Kettle, meet Pot.

 kurtster wrote: 
In case you aren't aware, this is about union busting and screwing the teachers. It's become the "style" now to blame all of the educations system's woes on the teachers' unions (See Chris Christie. )

The Republican's budget is full of vendetta, like denying $$ to Planned Parenthood and NPR, and it doesn't deserve to get passed.

 hippiechick wrote: 
The Governor is doing what he promised to do if elected.  No surprise, except for maybe a politician keeping campaign promises for a change ?

It will be the Democrats in the Senate who will shut down the Federal government by refsing to vote on the House's Budget proposal.  Now if the Democrats had passed a Budget last year like they were supposed to, this would not even be a possibilty.

The Democrats are responsible because they failed to do the job they were elected to do in the first place.

 kurtster wrote: 
The governor refuses to discuss or compromise.

The Republicans are threatening to shut down the Federal government.

Elected D's are abadoning their posts like rats bailing from a sinking ship.

First they have left Wisconsin and now they have left Indiana.  WTF ?

I hear they will be bailing from Ohio next.

The whole place is upside down.  Now Democrats don't want to vote ?

This is really the best exhibition of sore loosers ever witnessed in American politics.

And they will probably want to get paid while partying hiding in other states rather than showing up and doing their elected job.

The Teachers on strike in Wisconsin have even gotten sympathetic doctors to write them phony excuses to say they were sick while protesting.

And Obama has given his blessings to this behaviuor.

This is freaking insane.  And these are adults ?

 lester wrote: 
The latter...

 hippiechick wrote:

I'm confused.  Was kurtster continuing a discussion of war appropriations from the previous U.S. administration? or was he raising issue with Section 2006 of this bill?

 kurtster wrote: 
Excellent! 

Voting is beginning now, 5 minutes early.

8.09 est, passed 60 to 39

McConnell just said, "this bill is a monument to bureaucracy and spending"

WTF , he sure as hell ain't lying about that.

Live on C-Span 2

 hippiechick wrote: 
So your OK with bribes then ?  Chicago, Chicago ...