Or, not really.
Slow news weekend before the big speech, and before we get into the pitched battle over health care reform. What we've seen up until now is just the prelude, which I think most of us realize.
So without a whole lot else to do while waiting for next week, I figured I'd take a cruise 'round the interwebs for a bit this afternoon before I go carousing at the bowling alley later. And what did Anima find on his journey this afternoon?
A lil' photographic proof of Chuck Grassley's feelings on federal spending. Well, not photographic per say; I just took screen shots of his own website. Why?
We're going to hear a lot of bullshit from Republicans about how much health care reform is going to cost. The same people who ballooned the national debt to epic proportions under Reagan, Bush, and Bush, and who hated that Clinton guy who actually balanced the budget, are going to tell us that they're suddenly "concerned" about the affect of health care reform on the deficit.
They didn't seem so concerned about the deficit when they cut taxes for the rich TWICE under George Bush, or when they pissed hundreds of billions away in Iraq, but then again their goal has never been to have a balanced federal budget. Their goal is to destroy government (outside of national defense) wholesale.
Of course, their hypocrisy knows no bounds, and they're also fine with spending when it comes back to their home states. They haven't any problem in the world with taking funds from the federal till that we all pay into if it means a boost to their reelection chances.
So when they start blathering on about how to "pay" for health care reform, all while refusing to raise taxes on the rich back to levels seen during the Clinton (nevermind Reagan) years, remember that their rumblings and grumblings about the deficit and national debt are nothing more than a rotting, fetid sack of walrus shit.
And what of that proof I spoke of? See for yourself.
These are images of Chuck Grassley's press releases and news for just August and the first four days of September, 2009. One can only imagine how much there is total going further back.
I personally don't have any problem with most of these programs - they're exactly the kinds of things the federal government should be doing. What I have a problem with is political opportunism and rank hypocrisy coming from senators who gleefully take oodles of money and brag about it to their constituents, then turn around and say that they're against health care reform because of the price tag.
If you're concerned about costs, either refuse the money you're receiving and be up-front and honest with your constituents (and see how they feel about not having anymore federal spending), or admit that you're fine with federal spending and come on board the solution train to find a way to pay for health care reform that everybody knows is necessary.
I did a lil' more sleuthing, and didn't immediately find other Republican senators bragging on their websites quite so much about their exploits at bringin' home the bacon for their constituents - but we know it's happening. It'd be interesting to hear the senators justify their continued hypocrisy when it comes to federal spending, and it'd be interesting to hear them tell us why tax cuts for the rich are what Jesus would do, while spitting on those who need health care reform is also what Jesus would do.
How is it that invading and destroying a relatively poor country that did not attack us, and giving gigantic tax cuts to the rich, are things that simply MUST happen at ALL costs, while finding reasonable ways to actually make our country more fiscally sustainable (by preventing health care from bankrupting us) over the long run is obscene? Why is making American business more competitive in the global marketplace a bad thing to Chuck Grassley?
And why is all this federal spending just fine to wrangle up votes, while at the same time $3 million in contributions to Mr. Grassley from the health care & pharmaceutical lobbies to help pay for reelection is more important than providing health care to Iowans? The cynic in me...or is it just the me with my eyes open?...is sensing a trend here in all Mr. Grassley's decisions: his own best interest.