In January I blogged about the obstruction and inefficiency that the nation has witnessed in the U.S. Senate throughout my first year in the "world's greatest deliberative body."

Since then things haven't improved. In many ways, they've actually gotten worse. Over the past two months, we've seen the list of bills passed by the House of Representatives, but stalled in the Senate, climb to 290; we've seen a single senator hold up key legislation, causing the Highway Trust Fund and critical Unemployment Insurance to lapse; we've seen a single senator grind business to a halt to consider a project in his state; and we've seen routine nominations blocked by filibusters, or left to languish by the mere threat of filibuster, despite majority support of many.

The continued abuse of Senate rules is the kind of business-as-usual Washington politics that so frustrates the American people.

Some of the nation's top political commentators, legislators and intellectuals offer their insight into the biggest news story burning up the blogosphere today.




Today's question:

Chief Justice John Roberts fired back at the White House this week. Will the battle between the high court and the White House continue to escalate in 2010?

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Since taking office, President Obama’s Administration has been singularly obsessed with passing a government takeover of healthcare.  In times like these, one would think that the President and his team would have other buzz words and topics on their mind rather than a wildly unpopular expansion of government.  I can think of several things…to start, how about, jobs, the economy, or the deficit?!

Yesterday, the Treasury Department released its latest budget numbers, and the story is told in a trail of red ink.  In February, the federal government ran a deficit of nearly $221 billion, 14% higher than the previous record set in February of 2009. 

As you might know, the fiscal year of the U.S. Government begins on October 1 and ends on September 30.  Now, 5 months into the new fiscal year, the government’s budget deficit totals nearly $652 billion which is 10.5% higher than this time last year.  This is absolutely beyond sustainability.

As Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus’s Afghanistan Taskforce, I want to offer my thoughts on the war in Afghanistan in light of Rep. Kucinich’s resolution, H.Con.Res. 248, considered today on the House floor.  I firmly believe our current strategy falls far short of bringing stability to Afghanistan or security to America.  My serious concerns about U.S. strategy have led me to oppose the war funding supplemental bill in 2009, oppose increased funding for the 30,000 troop surge, support a war tax, and call for an about-face in funding priorities.  My concerns have led me to host innumerous congressional briefings on Afghanistan, pursue the commissioning of GAO reports to audit aspects of U.S. engagement, and author multiple op-eds on the subject.  In short, I take my chairmanship very seriously.

As long as we continue to pursue military solutions to this conflict, paying little to no heed to economic, political and social solutions, security will remain elusive.  As long as we continue to forego the building of Afghan capacity and instead prop up a privatized defense industrial complex, as well as an increasingly privatized development industrial complex, Afghans will never be able to answer our call to “stand up”.  As long as we remain unwilling to bring to justice our allied warlords and corrupt officials in Afghanistan, our calls for an end to corruption in Kabul ring hollow. Read more...

President Obama and Congressional liberals have hit a wall.  The American people have rejected their government takeover of health care, and the only people changing their minds are the moderate Democrat members who are now opposing the latest version.

Despite all the rhetoric, news coverage, and town hall meetings, the public opinion polls have remained constant against ObamaCare. The Wall Street Journal reported public opinion remains at about 2 to 1 against this scheme.  Why? The poll revealed that 57% of voters believe that ObamaCare would hurt the economy, and they are right to be concerned. 

The government take-over of health care that liberals are ramming through will increase taxes on families and small businesses, include mandates that will force employers to cut jobs, increase the cost of health care, and increase uncertainty for families and small businesses.

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Some of the nation's top political commentators, legislators and intellectuals offer their insight into the biggest news story burning up the blogosphere today.




Today's question:

Will Speaker Nancy Pelosi get the votes to pass healthcare reform? Read more...

Congress must adopt a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget. Our nation’s economic future may well depend on it. Today our national debt sits at more than $12 trillion. The president’s budget projects more than a $1.6 trillion shortfall this year. When you include all of the unfunded liabilities of paying for future entitlement spending the national debt looks more like $65 trillion. It is also projected that in the next 15 years our national debt will eclipse our gross domestic product, essentially bankrupting our government.

This is a bleak picture to say the least.

While these debt figures can be almost numbing, the bottom line is this: our nation is speeding toward a precipice of complete financial calamity. The only solution is to hold Congress’ feet to the fire and require that they, like every family and nearly every state in the country, have a balanced budget. We can no longer recklessly spend money we don’t have. If lawmakers are serious about fiscal responsibility, a constitutional amendment to balance the federal budget should be adopted.

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This country spends, in a typical year, $350 billion importing oil from Saudi Arabia and other foreign countries.  While this is no doubt good news for the Saudi royal family, one of the richest in the world, it is bad news for the average American.

The vast majority of the American people understand that now is the time to move to energy independence so that we are no longer subject to the greed of OPEC or Wall Street speculators, or need to fight “wars for oil” in the Middle East.  Americans also know that if we are serious about addressing environmental pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and the imperative to create millions of good-paying jobs, we must move aggressively to energy efficiency and such sustainable technologies as solar, wind, geothermal and biomass.  

Thomas Edison, one of history’s greatest inventors said; “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”  He was right then, in 1931, and he remains right today. The American people agree.  Today, 92 percent of all Americans want our country to develop solar energy resources, and 77 percent believe the federal government should make solar power development a national priority.

Some of the nation's top political commentators, legislators and intellectuals offer their insight into the biggest news story burning up the blogosphere today.




Today's question:

How is the Obama administration handling national security?