So the same senate that has not passed a budget in over 1,000 days now has time to investigate 'bounties' in the National Football League.

http://news.yahoo.com/senator-calls-...3430--spt.html


I suppose it will make some Senator feel important as he or she grills Sean Payton in front of the C-Span cameras.


If any politicians still wonder why they are held in such low esteem, I submit this dog and pony show as Exhibit A.

 

10,215 new regulations in the past three years.

The TEA Party is being accused of using the term "big government" as a subliminal racial epithet.

OWS is creating violence and chaos in an effort to make government bigger.

We're in pretty rough shape. This piece makes it abundantly clear. It's too bad most people aren't paying attention to what's happening.

 

Durbin is right on with this one, it's a good move. After all they have done such a great job getting to the bottom of Fast and Furious.

What a dimwit Durbin is, he should have been thrown out of office a long time ago.

 

I'm torn on this one. Part of me says, "WTF?!? Don't you worthless clowns have anything better to be doing instead of going after sporting events???"

Then another part of me speaks up and says, "The only other thing they do is blow your money and raise your taxes. This doesn't cost you near as much..."

 

Don't worry, once they are done being camera hogs on this topic, they will get back to spending our money.

 

Well, the politicians do have another skill besides spending money. That skill is increasing government power by inserting themselves even deeper into the private sector through government regulation and control.

When they 'investigate' the NFL, it serves their purposes in a few ways.

1) It distracts us from the even more insidious power grabs they make. I'm thinking of the Dodd - Frank specifically. It places government into private businesses in ways in which the general public has no idea.

2) Under the pretense of 'protecting' the players, it gives them a chance to seize a small bit of power over the NFL, which is a huge and profitable industry. By intimidation or actual legislation, they can force the NFL to adopt the government's ideas on how the game should be played. Then they can use this precedent to gain similar power over the NHL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR, etc...Of course, maybe the Senate hearings will just 'go away' if the owners quickly make the appropriate campaign contributions and discreetly 'loan' a few valuable luxury boxes to the 'right' people.

Call me cynical, but like Wittom, over the last 25 years, the amount of government red tape I have observed and have to deal with has grown dramatically. Most of this regulation does not benefit the public interest in any measurable way. It just raises overhead, reduces profits and results in higher costs to customers.

NFL tickets are too expensive already. Just wait until the government gets their fingerprints on the game.

 

Now correct me if I'm wrong. Aren't defensive players given better contracts the better they do? Wouldn't that kind of encourage them to hit as hard as they can? Granted it's not directly being paid to hurt people, but the end result is about the same. If the congress critters are so full of themselves to think they have any way of controlling this, they really are dumber than most think. Even if there are rules in place to prohibit such activities it will still occur, it just won't be talked about around any official or team management.

 

What really pisses me off is when existing regulations are not being enforced, so Congress deems it necessary to impose more restrictions that do the same thing as the existing regulations that are not being enforced. The end result is people have to do things twice once to fulfill the requirements of a regulation not being enforced then again for more regulation that isn't going to be enforced to stop an action that the government has no desire to enforce. This is very prevalent in immigration enforcement. People are crying out for immigration reform to stop the flow of illegals, but in reality what needs to happen is BP, ICE, and CBP need to be unleashed and told to do their jobs, rather than being held back.

 

They are dumber that most think, with or without this going on.

I would go as far as to say the majority of people do not have a clue how screwed up politicians are, they think they are doing public service for the good of the cause.
Look at the Senate, they are not doing their job ( passing budget work ) for some time and they still get reelected.
This tells me the ones that are career Senators have people snowed that they are doing good work for them.

 

I'm at the point where regardless of political party, I'm going to vote against all incumbents in Congress.

I'm being cynical here, but how many of you are Tom Clancy fans? What we need is the scenario from Executive Orders. Complete and total housecleaning.

 

I refer to it as the DRIP strategy: Don't Return Incumbent Politicians.

If they did not fix the problems they were elected to fix, it is time for them to leave so someone else can give it a try. For the senate especially, 6 years is plenty of time.

Unfortunately, long serving members are rewarded with power and position.

As for Durbin, his NFL hearings amount to the political equivalent of ambulance chasing. Instead of doing the job he was elected to do, he is using his authority to a) get himself some publicity b) shakedown the NFL c) grab power and control over an industry that is far more successful and credible than the senate he is a part of.

Disgusting.

 

DBD I agree with your intention, my only worry is that it will leave a lower level of career bureaucrats in charge of the major decisions. Of course even as I type it I see it can't be any worse than the system failure we are already experiencing.

 

A lower level or one with less tenure ?

It has been proven that tenure and seniority do not make a good politician.

If they are not in long enough to make quid pro quo arrangements, they might have to make an actual informed decision on which way to vote.
Even if it is coin toss it can't be any worse than the vote for mine I'll vote for yours agreements in place today, that have nothing to do with representing the people from their district.

 

Copied ,an email I received, authored by Warren Buffett.


Congressional Reform Act of 2012


1. No Tenure / No Pension.

A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social
Security.

All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the
Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into
the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the
American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all
Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.
Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and
participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the
American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void
effective 1/1/13. The American people did not make this
contract with Congressmen/women.


Congressmen/women made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers
envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their
term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will
only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive
the message. Don't you think it's time?


THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!

 

The 1st time I saw this, it was tagged as Act of 2011. Don't think Buffett authored it either. It is not an actual act in place either.

Not to say they are not good ideas.

I think when it 1st made the rounds in 2011, was around the debt ceiling increase time, and Buffett did say in an interview; 'Any time there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, any sitting politician in congress is not able to run for election for the next term.'
( single quotes = paraphrase not direct quote )