STOP Gun Appreciation Day!

Sign the petition to Stop Gun Appreciation Day at Signon.org

Larry Ward, Chairman of Gun Appreciation Day insults me, and probably most black people in America (except Allen West, most likely). Not only is this so-called wack Gun Appreciation Day tasteless and insensitive to victims of gun violence, it is specifically designed to coincide with the Inauguration of President Barack Hussein Obama and the Martin Luther King holiday. The blatant racist and insensitive nature of this abominable day make me want to spit. Join me in signing the petition against it!

With the increase in gun violence in America, I am more and more concerned for the safety of all Americans, but in particular African Americans, the President, other minorities and other targeted groups from these right-wing hatemongers. As you can tell, at this writing I am also quite pissed by Ward’s crack regarding black slaves and gun ownership. For the record, during slavery black people were property (and still are in some cases). It was against the law to teach black people to read nevermind own a gun.

Sign the petition to Stop Gun Appreciation Day at Signon.org

The 14th Amendment

Deadbeats

House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi clearly advocated invoking the 14th Amendment last Sunday on the CBS’s, Face the Nation, and now there are reportedly several Democrat members of the Senate that would back President Obama if it came to that. Even though I still don’t think that President Obama will invoke the 14th Amendment, it’s good to know that Democrats are showing solidarity against right-wing extremism and GOP brinksmanship. Isn’t it funny, to Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s point, that Republicans never had any issues with raising the debt ceiling during the deficit-creating Bush years? Section 4 of the 14th Amendment states as follows:

The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

If the 14th Amendment were invoked by President Obama, Section 4 would definitely be challenged relative to its interpretation and application, but I think it very clearly indicates that valid public debt (any debt not deemed as illegal) “shall not be questioned.” With each balk by the GOP at raising the debt ceiling, they are challenging the very legality of the debt which Congress has already legislated. That is an oxymoron.

The Debt Ceiling Escape Hatch?

Debt Ceiling

Edward Kleinbard’s opinion piece in the New York Times entitled The Debt Ceiling’s Escape Hatch offers an interesting solution to the coming federal debt ceiling fight between the White House and Republicans in Congress. He proposes that President Obama issue “registered warrants” also known as scrip. The non-technical term would be an I.O.U. In fact, the state of California, successfully, issued I.O.U.’s as recently as 2009 when it faced its own budget crisis. Kleinbard writes,

“The scrip would not violate the debt ceiling because it wouldn’t constitute a new borrowing of money backed by the credit of the United States.”

Who can say whether or not this would be the best approach, but the alternatives are probably worse. If President Obama were to heed the House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi’s advice and invoke the 14th Amendment, Republicans in the House, no doubt, would move toward Articles of Impeachment. Given President Obama’s pragmatic political disposition, I just don’t see him doing that.

Read the full article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/opinion/an-escape-hatch-for-the-debt-ceiling.html?_r=1&

Edward D. Kleinbard, a former chief of staff at the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, is a law professor at the University of Southern California.

AIG Says “No”

AIG

AIG wisely said no to the offer by former CEO and AIG shareholder, Maurice R. “Hank” Greenberg to sue the federal government for damages at $25 billion. He claims that the AIG bailout deal in 2008 was a raw deal for AIG and unconstitutional. Are you kidding? AIG would not have survived had it not been for the American taxpayer. AIG’s is currently running a media campaign thanking the American people for that bailout, so I’m sure that the Insurer does not want to squander the credibility it has regained after repaying taxpayers in full plus a profit of $22.7 billion. We the People bailed out AIG to the tune of $182 billion because AIG was considered, as they say, “too big to fail”. In fact the federal government considered it would have been “catastrophic” if AIG had failed resulting in a devastating domino effect throughout the financial markets. Needless to say, the AIG Board decision not to join this lawsuit was a smart one.

 

 

Presidential Inaugural Gala

ObamaGala

Join us on Sunday, January 20, 2013 from 6:00 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Atrium at Treetops. Come celebrate and commemorate the historic re-election of the first African American President, and the nation’s 44th President of the United States of America, President Barack H. Obama. The event includes free garage parking, and we are Metro accessible. Located just 10 minutes outside the nation’s capitol.

The Inaugural Gala presented by MNA & Associates humbly boasts the finest customer service of any of the major Inaugural Balls. Tickets include food, open bar and an evening of live entertainment and dancing throughout this magnificently appointed venue. This inaugural gala is being held in honor of President Obama and Vice-President Biden’s reelection. We invite you to celebrate with us this remarkable milestone in American History. Hurry. Tickets are selling fast.

For ticket information visit us at The Presidential Inaugural Gala sponsored by MNA & Associates.

Immigration Reform

Immigration ReformOn January 2nd, the White House ruled that foreign spouses and children can stay with their U.S. citizen relatives if they are applying for green cards (permanent residency). This is another step in the right direction as the Obama Administration moves toward comprehensive immigration reform. Nancy Pelosi mentioned immigration reform in her remarks at the opening of 113th Congress, but there was no mention from John Boehner. President Obama has promised to introduce an immigration reform bill shortly after his inauguration that will give legal status to approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants. I think he will do just that. Besides, something must be done on immigration reform in his second term, and after garnering 71% of the Hispanic vote in the 2012 Election, I think that President Obama has a mandate.

The Republicans will charge that President Obama needs to secure our borders, but Mr. Obama has been doing that and more. In fact, according to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Obama Administration in FY11 alone almost 400,000 immigrants were deported, and in FY12 over 400,000 immigrants were deported. Recent deportations, within the last fiscal year, and as a matter of priority, fell into the category of immigrants who were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors as the Obama Administration fine-tuned its deportation policy.

One might ask, what happened to the significance of the sonnet, “New Colossus” inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free“. Or does this phrase only have application if the immigrant population is European? Conservative Republicans do not want immigration reform, and if the GOP remains on its same course, immigrants who may someday become U.S. citizens represent yet another constituency with whom they will have no influence, especially Hispanic immigrants. With the political composition of 113th Congress, immigration reform promises to be another gritty battle for the Obama Administration. Nonetheless, now is the time for comprehensive immigration reform.

Read the ABC Univision piece: Analysis: 6 Things Obama Needs To Do for Immigration Reform

113th Congress – Let The Games Begin

113C

Boehner retains his role as Speaker of the House with a total vote of 220, and 192 votes for House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi. A total of 15 “other” votes were cast for members of the House including Cantor (3) and former Rep. Allen West (1). There was much speculation regarding whether or not John Boehner would retain his Speakership, but it appears that he has survived the storm that was the fiscal cliff and the 112th Congress. I am actually in favor of Boehner retaining his Speakership. The thought of Eric Cantor being elevated was disturbing. As they say, “better the devil you know…” Having said that let me be clear that I’m no fan of Boehner either, but at least we know that he is an establishment Republican and not a Tea Party fanatic. The games of the 113th Congress are now afoot with the Speaker and House-elect being sworn in a little after 2 p.m. today.

Congress Spends Money. The Deficit Belongs to Them.

bluntandcranky's avatarbluntandcranky

A rare Blunt and Cranky shout-out to President Obama for reminding Congress of its Constitutional responsibilities. His words:

“I will not have another debate with this Congress on whether or not they should pay the bills for laws they have already racked up.”

Maybe this former legal scholar will remember these words later on. We most certainly should. It has become fashionable of late to blame the Prexy for everything that is wrong with America, but the truth is: he has very little power over our fiscal situation.

Let’s focus on the Congress when it comes to taxing and spending. The only people who benefit from blaming the Executive for our crap balance sheet are the legislators who bear the actual responsibility.

Mr. B & C

View original post

Will the Supreme Court Dismantle the Voting Rights Act?

LBJ_VRA

The Fifteenth Amendment assigns Congress — not the Supreme Court — the responsibility of ensuring that no citizens are denied their right to vote. Section 5 has faced at least two constitutional challenges in the past, and survived both of them.

Read the full article by Raul A. Reyes, Attorney; USA Today Columnist at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/raul-a-reyes/voting-rights-act_b_2194360.html

The Voting Rights Act of 1965: http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/intro/intro_b.php