Following the passage of the Crominbus on Thursday night in a last minute "nailbiter" when the Federal spending bill got just one vote more than the required majority, it was off to the Senate. And late last night, proving that the Senate can work on weekends when a piece of Citigroup-penned legislation is on the table, in a 56-40 vote (21 democrats, 18 republicans, 1 independent voting No), the Senate joined the House in voting itself $1.1 trillion for the next 9 months, with the bill now heading for the final signature: Obama's. There is some argument whether the executive will join the legislative in confirming the US government is now (and always has been) merely a pupet of Wall Street, although we expect all it will take Jamie Dimon is just one more phone call of "encouragement" to Obama to make sure Wall Street's will is done in the White House.
Regardless, here is a roll coll of those 40 Senators who voted "No" - as CBS' Mark Knoller points out: "interesting combination of Dems and GOPs voting against the bill. Franken, Warren, McCain, Cruz, Klobuchar et al." As we showed yesterday when it became clear that Republicans and especially Democrats voting for the Crominibus and its swaps pushout provision had received far greater bribes money from Wall Street than their "No" voting peers, one can predict with laser-like accuracy that the same story will hold in the Senate, and that Senators voting for the Cromnibus will have received substantially greater "lobby" funds from Wall Street than "Nay"-sayers.
Senators voting No on final passage: 40
21 Democrats and 1 Independent voted against the Omnibus.
18 Republicans voted against the Omnibus.
Voting No: (40)
BLUMENTHAL, D-CT
BOOKER, D-NJ
BOXER, D-CA
BROWN, D-OH
CANTWELL, D-WA
CORKER, R-TN
CRAPO, R-ID
CRUZ, R-TX
FLAKE, R-AZ
FRANKEN, D-MN
GILLIBRAND, D-NY
GRASSLEY, R-IA
HARKIN, D-IA
HELLER, R-NV
HIRONO, D-HI
RON JOHNSON, R-WI
KLOBUCHAR, D-MN
LEE, R-UT
LEVIN, D-MI
MANCHIN, D-WVA
MARKEY, D-MA
MCCAIN, R-AZ
MCCASKILL, D-MO
MENENDEZ, D-NJ
MERKLEY, D-OR
MORAN, R-KS
PAUL, R-KY
PORTMAN, R-OH
REED, D-RI
RISCH, R-ID
RUBIO, R-FL
SANDERS, I-VT
SCOTT, R-SC
SESSIONS, R-AL
SHELBY, R-AL
TESTER, D-MT
VITTER, R-LA
WARREN, D-MA
WHITEHOUSE, D-RI
WYDEN, D-OR
Not Voting: (4)
Chambliss, R-GA
Coburn, R-OK
Feinstein, D-CA
Inhofe, R-OK
* * *
So, in addition to the now infamous Derivatives provision, what else does the Spending Bill contain? Here courtesy of The Hill is a breakdown of its main spending components:
The bill includes language repealing part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law that will allow banks covered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to directly engage in derivatives trading. This set off the biggest political storm for the legislation, as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a liberal insurrection against the White House, which decided not to fight Republicans over the measure.
Wall Street lobbied for the change, and the bill will be sent to Obama with the language in it.
Campaign finance
The bill also raises the limits on what people can give to political committees each year, greatly increasing the money wealthy people can donate. The provision would allow a wealthy donor to contribute a total of more than $1.55 million to a national party.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) lambasted the change in a floor speech in which she broke with the White House over the bill.
DC marijuana
The bill prevents Washington, D.C., from implementing a new referendum that legalizes recreational use of marijuana.
D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton complained that it was another example of Congress stepping on local rule, but she won few allies for her position in Congress.
Sage grouse
The bill would prevent the government for one year from listing the sage grouse as an endangered species in an effort to protect oil-drilling projects.
School lunches
The legislation relaxes school nutrition standards championed by first lady Michelle Obama.
One change would allow schools the flexibility to implement whole grain nutrition standards, while another prevents new standards to reduce sodium from taking effect until additional scientific studies are conducted.
The White House said it could live with the changes.
Pensions
The bill permits trustees of underfunded pension plans to adjust benefits, saving troubled plans without a federal bailout.
But the language crafted by House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-Minn.) and ranking member George Miller (D-Calif.) could lead to cuts in the pensions of people covered by the plans.
ISIS
In a victory for the White House, the bill contains $64 billion for the Pentagon to use for its overseas contingy operations, including the fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
It allocates $5 billion from that fund for the administration to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria — slightly less than what the White House had requested.
Ebola
The bill meets another administration demand by including $5.4 billion in emergency funding to fight Ebola. While that’s not as much as the $6.2 billion requested by the White House, the inclusion of the funds bolstered Obama’s support for the measure.
Body cameras
The bill doesn’t contain funding for body cameras for police, which Obama had requested after the outcry over police killings of two black men, and grand jury decisions not to indict the officers involved. The spending package does provide funding for other related community policing programs.
The bill also doesn’t include funding for high-speed rail, for the Obama administration’s “Race to the Top” education program and for the International Monetary Fund.
If absolute power corrupts absolutely, where does that leave God?...
http://www.philiacband.com/propaganda.html
where does that leave God?... screwing MisterX and his silly blog pimping into the ground!
Go over to HuffPo, you might find a more admiring crowd.
DaddyO
where does that leave God?
This is the issue?
Just as imaginary as before, and his representatives just as corrupt as before.
As for the Cromnibus, bill it is not the smoking gun I had expected, but folks could always read None Dare Call it Conspiracy to learn what is really going on. Then ponder how it was written in 1971 ...
Fuck off with your stupid blog.
And what a bunch of treasonous scum.
The Executive Branch's Office of Ethics had its budget appropriation slashed to a mere $3,645,000.
I guess it has gotten too expensive to even pretend anymore.
"Showing the text of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015"
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CPRT-113HPRT91668/pdf/CPRT-113HPRT91668.pdf
$64 billion for its overseas operations of the pentagon? $5 billion for ISIS? Where does the rest go? Payoffs for all the heads of state throughout Europe and ME?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI6tBwVjyOY
fuck it
Regarding the Cromnibus bill, here are my insights.
Could this end up being another form of QE, less traceable to some back door through Belgium?
Consider theoretically when the first bank tries to put America on the hook for some hundreds of billions of some derivative due bill. Will that be a signal to Russia, China, or any other treasuries holder to start cashing out?
I wouldn't be surprised to see foreign T-Bill holders pressuring the congress to eliminate that clause ASAP.
One of the worst parts of this situation is that prior monies held by banks and investors were more honest money and not connected to some dubious derivative claiims on wealth Older monies were more structurally tied to some real work and real resources that were used to generate real profit. But these derivative claims on wealth seem to be some side bets that were never really structurally tied to real work done, real risk, and real economies. Rather, many of these derivatives seem to be conjured bets between parties that were acting in irresponsible ways. A lot of these derivative side bets were done at the over the top level in the economy, where the business model doesn't seem to have been tied to prosperity and constructive work performed.
I'm expecting some bank to be quickly trying to ramrod through some derivatives relief, before others banks can get in line ahead of them. Once the scale of derivative claims starts heading north, there will be blowback, and changes will be sought.
Vegan guy.
So there is nothing to see here? We just need everyone to start going to church? We just need a few tweaks to the system? we just need to vote Republican next time?
Perhaps you could direct us to your writing? What about a link to the author you admire most?
You know ... It's never too late to become the person you want to be ...
I don't care.
Just came here to say that.
It's all coming to an end and the minutia of DC theater is just entertainment for the ignoramus.
Are you talking about the Rapture? Is God going to bring it to an end? Maybe you should just stand down then ...
Do you think a long term catastrophic man made collapse is imminent? Maybe you should just stand down then ...
TPTB cannot be defeated or even exposed? Maybe you should just stand down then ...
They're ready if you try anything, so maybe you should just stand down then ...
Who has the nukes there big guy? Go defeat them all you want.
Save me, Lord! We can no longer trust anyone! All the good, loyal people are gone.
People lie to their neighbors. They say whatever they think people want to hear.
The Lord should cut off their lying lips and cut out their bragging tongues.
Those people think they can win any argument. They say, “We are so good with words, no one will be our master.”
They took advantage of the poor and stole what little they had. But the Lord knows what they did, and he says, “I will rescue those who are poor and helpless, and I will punish those who hurt them.”
The Lord’s words are true and pure, like silver purified by fire, like silver melted seven times to make it perfectly pure.
Lord, take care of the helpless. Protect them forever from the wicked people in this world.
The wicked are all around us, and everyone thinks evil is something to be praised!
Well my book says " You will Never know how I put the baby in the Womb "
Yea, people understood sex so I guess there is more meaning than you understand. By the way can anyone create a living cell?
When the Scriptures state that God created evil, it is properly translated that He allows it to exist, since evil is a behavioral pattern. He allows it to exist in order to bring judgement on those who voluntarily remain ignorant but should know better.
9 years of traitors running the show
That's been going on a hell of a lot longer than 9 years, my friend.
Indeed and what about giving King Obama legislative authority to spy on us with this POS bill?
The House took it out, then stuffed it back in before sending it over to the Senate, I see Feinstein abstained so I guess that answers my own question.
I know. I was all for voting against that supposed 'NSA reform bill' a couple weeks back because it was basically a lie and didn't reform jack shit, and it included an extension of the patriot act. So not only have they done NOTHING to roll back the police state, but they have extended it even further to allow local agencies to get in on the fun. Every single one of them that voted for this is treasonous scum. As is every one of them who hasn't sacked up and spoken out about it. I can't stand Elizabeth warren, but kudos to her for at least speaking out about this shit Citigroup managed to sneak in there That's more than nearly the entire R branch of war party has done. Not sure how putting the taxpayer on the hook for all those derivative bets jives with being 'fiscally conservative'.
"I can't stand Elizabeth Warren, but kudos to her for at least speaking out about this shit Citigroup managed to sneak in there."
Exactly right, I feel the same way.
And my attack on Feinstein is not limited to her, anyone who abstained on this is gutless, a damned coward. Take a stand...good, bad or indifferent but take a fucking stand, its what they're paid to do.
Ya I can't believe those spineless shits that didn't even vote. Either stand for something and vote against an obviously unconstitutional travesty, or just go along with the rest of your cheap, paid whore colleagues and at least be consistent. Not voting, are they trying to emulate That great statesman senator Obama and all his 'present' votes?
"If there is a God, may he strike this audience dead......You see, nothing happened". - George Carlin.
Wow that is brilliant, like George Carlin could command God's power. I bet he got a lot of converts that day, assuming everyone in the audience was absolutely retarded.
Some people need to blame something they claim doesn't even exist so that their tortured and wholly irrational contructs of this world can continue to be used as guiding principles.
Be aware, all lovers of liberty, that religion is the old/new front of attack for collectivists. Although the book review referenced below is pretty critical, it is enlightening just the same of the strategy we will see gaining ground in the culture wars, namely, while liberal atheists attack all forms of religion, their peers will be busy constructing a new, better secular religion to foment their collectivist vision.
http://www.booksandideas.net/Religion-and-the-Revolution-to.html
I'll look in the manual he left. I think we are at somewhere around the last chapters
Anyone who let's their kid join a military that favors illegal invaders of American citizens is a fool. Anyone who wants to die or serve these criminals is a fool.
Be careful there. The "manual" is not what he left. It is a book compiled of other books. Many were left out but are still referenced in the remaining texts. Who knows exactly how much of what was included was "edited" such as "Thou shall not murder" being changed to "Thou shall not kill" and be a sheep ripe for shearing.
With a little brain power we can take the ten commandments and the golden rule and validate them by comparing to natural law. The bits that don't match can then be investigated to determine who benefits. If a central earthly power benefits via control mechanisms then you can be sure those provisions are not authentic.
He would be the exception to the rule
where does that leave God?...
-lol abscent, as always...
The way to deal with superstition is not to be polite to it, but to tackle it with all arms, and so rout it, cripple it, and make it forever infamous and ridiculous. Is it, perchance, cherished by persons who should know better? Then their folly should be brought out into the light of day, and exhibited there in all its hideousness until they flee from it, hiding their heads in shame.
~ h l mencken
best way to listen to god is with the aid of sister mary juana... -lmao
The problems with (masses mass) ignorance and (education) indoctrination are their intellectual weakness and lack of humility of understanding nature and our own beings.
indeed.....
All great religions, in order to escape absurdity, have to admit a dilution of agnosticism. It is only the savage, whether of the African bush or the American gospel tent, who pretends to know the will and intent of God exactly and completely. (*)
- H.L. Mencken, Damn! A Book of Calumny, (1918)
(*) including [under the divine directive] which countries to invade, and which banksters to bail-out
3 'g's' at play....
gold, god, and gullible....
~lmao
Belief in nothing is still an act of faith, hence, a religion in its own right. What are you going to do about that, kill everyone?
MisterX- If absolute power corrupts absolutely, where does that leave God?..
God is left in heaven to judge you and wether or not you burn in hell.
Where's "Heaven"?? Same physical location as many other Religions' equivalent (e.g. Valhalla, and the religions of Rome, Egypt, Greece) - namely "Up There".
Choice of religion aside (as we all are entitled to our individual choice of Religion), we now understand that "Up There" is Space, and it's a VERY big Galaxy, let alone Universe (which may be infinite).
With reports (and records) of UFO activity dating back millennia, there may well be Gods - but maybe not as we think they are since any significantly advanced civilisation (certainly a space-faring civilisation) would CERTANILY appear as gods to our ancestors from way back when.
So, was "God" really one of many? Was "God" an Astonaut? Erich von Daniken makes some very valid points.
As always, on such very deeply-emotive issues, "Your Mileage May Vary"
I find those kinds of arguments fairly ignorant of the bigger picture. Where did the universe come from? One theory has a bunch of gas and dusk compressing to cause a big bang that deposited everything we see today. Of course, nobody will ever, EVER, address the questions of where did the gas and dust come from and if there was nothing there before then where was there?
MisterX,
If absolute power corrupts absolutely, where does that leave God?
Fuckin A. Thank you. Very astute. Although infinitely and eternally opaque, it's pleasant to contemplate the Creator. Your novel comment engenders novel thoughts.
By definition, the Christian God is not corrupt. However, other Gods are. In fact, other Gods are downright evil. So, which God is the universal paradigm?
We can answer that question indirectly, referencing ourselves. Since we are finite and temporal, and since we can do evil as well as good, the evil/good dichotomy might exist only in the non-infinite and non-eternal realms; ie, the infinite and eternal realms might be 100% good or 100% bad.
Can we make a case for only one of these possibilities? Probably not.
"Onward christian treason..."
Sing with me.
An American, not US subject.
Christian rhetoric: Forgive, but avenge. Love, but hate. Don't kill, send others. Israel über alles.
Just turn to Islam or become a Jew where God is still accepted... God is only dying in the Christian Religion....
is that right?
Belief is belief. Religion is ideology.
Ideologies require your money and power, compliance. Government, the state, requires your money and compliance.
An American, not US subject.
"Connect the dots from treason to tyranny."
If money is the Root of All Evil, Why are churches always begging for it?
CALL YOUR CONGRESSMAN
throw the bums out!
You still believe in this crap?
Yes, I do.
We got to do something about it.
Yeah, like stop supporting the facade of evil dba as "government." All you're doing is legitimizing mafia rule.
Ahhhh yes...
The Religion of Government
The Religion of Glabal Warming
The Religion of HATE THE JEWS
The Religion of They are Freedom Fighters...
all Kinds of New Religions" these days....
UGH........
Then go kill K Street. They'll just buy the new bums voted in.
America has always had the best government you can buy.
You've got to pay to play.
Ante up bitchez!