Comments on: U.S. Troop Buildup Planned For Afghanistan

Heavy Spring Fighting Expected As Taliban Stages A Comeback

[exusmcsgt]

r_bayless -

And taking into account the division in the Iraqi government, it may never be enacted.

[exusmcsgt]

r_bayless -

I don't know for a fact that the Iarqi law you refer to has been enacted.

[exusmcsgt]

nynative1340-

You are correct. They portray themselves in public as servants to the electorate but in session, they are mere influence peddlers.

[exusmcsgt]

Such a practice seems tantamount to blackmail and/or bribery.
Posted by r_bayless at 10:46 AM : Jan 25, 2007

Probably the best name I can put on it is "horsetrading".

One legislator wants one thing and to get the required votes for passage, others offer "my people want this - if you go along with me on it, I'll go along with you on yours".

They also count on an uninterested and distracted electorate who won't dig and find their horsetrading practices.

[nynative1340]

exusmcsgt: I like that term 'professional politician.' Most of them aren't the 'selfless' public servants we think they should be. It's all about getting re-elected.

My congressman, Duncan Hunter, a 'close friend' of Randy Cunningham, is the poster child for term limits. His morals aren't much higher than Cunningham's, and he has the audacity to run for president.

[nynative1340]

"By the way, I am REALLY getting sick of how completely unrelated *** gets added/amended/earmarked in congressional bills." Posted by r_bayless

That's EXACTLY how Reagan raped and pillaged the career military retirement system. The USFSPA bill was 'piggy backed' onto a totally unrelated bill, and Reagen blindly signed it.

Search 'USFSPA' on Yahoo or Google.

[exusmcsgt]

r_bayless -

There's laways been a "quid pro quo" nature to legislation.

I think it's a result of having professional politicians. when the Constitution was drafted, our founding fathers never anticipated such a thing as professional politicians.

Representatives would leave their farm, business, or whatever, serve their term as a good citizen and go back to their previous life.

It was never anticipated that representatives would be there for 30 or 40 years. That's why we have no constitutional prohibition against the practice, although I believe we should.

One term and go home.

[exusmcsgt]

r_bayless -

My pleasure.

[exusmcsgt]

r_bayless -

No, I don't have one handy but it won't be hard to find I suspect. It wasn't done with much fanfare, but I do recall it happeneing in October.

[exusmcsgt]

b. The neocons still want all those bases in Iraq.
Posted by r_bayless at 10:17 AM : Jan 25, 2007


They are not going to get them. Congress pulled the plug on the funds last October.