Thursday, February 9, 2012
Arkansas Politics This year's legislative gimmick
Posted by Max Brantley on Thu, Feb 9, 2012 at 2:00 PM
Fifteen Republicans and a Democrat (Gene Jeffress, sigh) reportedly powered a dog-and-pony show by the new Arkansas Conservative Caucus today at the Capitol with a call for a consitutional convention. The purpose would be to adopt a U.S. constitutional amendment to require approval of a majority of state legislators before the federal debt ceiling could be raised. The sponsors.
Give federal monetary control to the likes of this bunch? Can you imagine the dithering that would occur while crushing needs mounted. They'd block the blind school budget to prove a point.
This kind of gimmickry should be off-limits in the Arkansas fiscal session, instituted to deal only with annual budget matters. Some Republicans, naturally, can't resist an opportunity for election year demagoguery. This particular bloody shirt is Jason Rapert's tomfoolery. Empty stuff. We can let Congress run the federal budget or we can let Justin Harris and Co. I'll take Congress, even with Tim Griffin on board.
Footnote: In the history of the republic, there has never been a constitutional convention to amend the Constitution. This current gimmick is the product of a conservative think tank. ALEC, the Koch-funded lobby to pass anti-tax, anti-regulation state legislation backs the idea. It's a Tea Party fave, too, though some 'baggers are resistant, including Rep. Michele Bachmann, who believes it would be simpler for Congress to propose a balanced budget amendment.
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Comments (15)
Showing 1-15 of 15
"Footnote: In the history of the republic, there has never been a constitutional convention to amend the Constitution."
You are correct. All proposals to amend the Constitution thus far have come from Congress. The nearest occasion for 2/3s of the states to have such proposal conventions came during the Reagan years with the advocacy of a balanced budget amendment. It fell 2 states shy of the 34 required. But it is a legitimate way of making proposals.
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Jeez, our local clowns (and our Governor, sadly) turn down millions of Federal dollars to plan for the expansion of health insurance in a state with one of the highest poverty rates in the nation, and now they have the nerve to ask us to trust them with Federal monetary policy? You gotta be kidding.
Dog n' Pony show indeed!
Once the red states have the federal teat cut off they will discover how much of the Federal pie they were getting and how their "low tax rates" are really maintained. Only Tex with it's oil and oil extraction taxes is the exception.
Ark is a 1.4 to 1 state. That's about a 40% return on tax money so go ahead wingnuts and cut it off.
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We saw how loud and desperately the red leaders of Ft Smith were when their $150 million dollar per yr air operation was threatened.
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Food stamps are the problem?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe…
Calling it a dog and pony show denigrates dogs and ponies. Poor Jason, he writes a few articles for the paper in Heber and thinks he's informing the public, when in reality he's just showing us his limitations.
Is this the same Jeffress that's running for Congress from Monticello as a Democrat? FML.
Don't stop there Jason, in this day & age, why don't we just put the budget to popular vote? Instead of taking 3 years to get a budget we can stretch it out to infinity. Everyone can be responsible for reading and understanding the thousands of line items, I'm sure we'll get a very informed vote.
Seriously though, if you want to change the constitution to reduce debt, why don't we change the war powers portion in Article 1 section 8 to call for no war unless 1) its fully funded by an additional income tax & 2) All citizens are subject to the draft with no deferrals or exemptions? I bet there would be less wars.
Of course, my soon-to-not-be Senator Gilbert Baker was in on the mob action. It doesn't call for really smart peole to make dumb actions like this. And Rapport is up for Gilbert's position? Zero from zero is zero!
Of course none of you were there and show that you are totally comfortable with a 15.3 trillion debt and congress that is unresponsive and cowardly. And I see Max et al have their talking points.
conservative, and you don't consider the Arkansas and other state legislatures to be "unresponsive and cowardly" as well as stupid, ignornant, run by extremists of all persuations, and very small-minded? And that lists their better qualities. Plus there is no constitutional reason for the states to get involved in federal decisions but it would shoot Arkansas and their 40% of the budget from federal sources in the foot. But keep thinking those small thoughts.
Arkansas would go bankrupt in about 20 minutes and if there are forest fires, I suggest you buy a turn-out coat as you may be drafted by the almightly state to help fight it.
When you consider that conservative is representative of the "deep thinking" that elects these nutsacks, it helps explain how Morons like Jeffress's emerge from under their rocks so often.
A resource for anyone who wants to find out what the NDRA really is about: www.RestoringFreedom.Org
conservative-- Restoringfreedom site will not convince many by just shoveling more Republican poop.
You'd think if they can put a man on the moon, someone could figure out how to make a pool table that could remain level enough for play at sea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-aE5oszXyQ
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