The $40 Million Dollar Taxpayer Boll Weevil?

"The American taxpayer come on down, you're the next contestant on Congressional PliNKo!"

Don’t you feel like you are watching a game show with how Congress, the White House and the Media are playing the American taxpayer concerning the debate over the Debt Ceiling?

Congress and the White House have had since November 2010 elections to figure out the Debt Ceiling, that’s 8 months of ZERO accomplishment except seeing themselves pandering to the cameras and pointing crooked fingers at the other.

So now we’ve come to last minute theatrics, with the GOP walking into the White House over the past weekend with a large $4 trillion spending cut list, only to stomp out the door like a bunch of whiney pimply faced pre-teens straight to the nearest camera to whine.

How does that make those that voted for the GOP feel to see their leadership act like that?

But the best part is that the GOP blinked first in the debate when Speaker Boehner announced he’d take half to get the deal done. That has to infuriate the political base to see Boehner downsize their intentions.

It’s easy to say Boehner is feeling the heat within his own party, for everyone seems to be coming forward with their own ideas and negotiation skills. The GOP is tearing apart from the inside, eating their own, and I called it when I first started blogging 18 months ago.

Now Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has come out and said “let Obama raise the ceiling.” How he was able to walk out of the building without an angry mob chasing him?

Then again, it’s McConnell that has been saying time and time again that the #1 priority is defeating Pres “O” and making him a one term president, which explains the lack of any production out of Congress over the Debt Ceiling.

Pres “O” was correct in letting people know that they may not receive their Social Security checks in August, just as the Speaker Boehner stated our Military may not receive their paychecks in August as well. Using the American citizens as pawns is not new in politics, Jefferson and Adams played the same game in their famous battles.

Republicans keep the mantra of not taxing the highest income or business because “they are the job creators” yet unemployment numbers are showing they are doing the opposite. Big business is making a profit by having less overhead and overworking their employees. It’s not a new concept, it’s just not talked about in the Media.

We've been told these "job creators" need all the cuts possible to create jobs for the past 10 years and still we've never been below 6% unemployment and they still want more.

GOP and their Tea Party brethren keep talking of less government, which is fine and makes for a great rallying cry, yet that’s where their words end. No one talks of how the Unemployment rate really only reflects the Private sector and sits at 9.2% and if we add in the Public sector, my how that number jumps to 15%!

The Public worker just doesn’t go away after being terminated, no they collect Unemployment or Social Security benefits like the rest of the nation. Bringing more stress to the States and the Stock Market.

Every month the speculators come up with some random number for job creation and when the monthly job reports comes out, the Stock Market stands quiet to listen. Poor numbers bring down the Market and a good number raises the economic bar.

The best quote to come from Speaker Boehner has got to be “We need new taxpayers” which means there is less Revenue coming in with Unemployment sitting so high. Yet, his own Party members such as Jim DeMint and Jon Kyl say “there is no Revenue problem, we have plenty of Revenue,” if that’s the case then why all the hoopla about the Debt Ceiling? Shouldn’t we be able to pay the debt then?

Fact: There is a Revenue problem. Too many tax breaks for everyone and corporations, so many voluntarily or forcibly taking early retirement to collect Social Security, terminated and of course not to mention the rebuilding and health care for our Military. It all adds up and something has got to give or someone has got to give.

We have to raise the retirement age to collect on Social Security, it’s the starting point. Currently for one to collect full Social Security they can be no less than 65 years of age. Raise it! People are living longer and many are healthier, so bring it up to 70, maybe even 72. But age is not the only correction in need, for there are many collecting Social Security benefits due to loss of child and/or parent. As much as it pains one to think of it, this has got to change in one form or another.

Secondly, Congress must pass a reform in Medicare. Something as simple as going after Hospitals and Doctors for useless testing and paying them correctly for services rendered and not just a regular payout. Think of all the waste and theft there is just on Medicare alone and the savings can easily reach at least $3 billion yearly

Thirdly, tax loopholes must be brought to a stop. We can debate about taxing those that make $1 million or more all day long but it will only solve the miniscule amount of debt. FOX News’ Bill O’Reilly has even come to terms with such a tax hike, calling for a National 1% consumer tax, yet no one is attacking him for the suggestion. Wonder why they are silent over at FOX and Bill’s tax notion?

Finally, and this needs done regardless and that’s for Speaker Boehner to introduce the “Balance Budget” Amendment on the floor for debate. The one thing California did right in the last few years was introduce such a bill with an attachment that reads “a budget must be approved and signed on time and must be balanced, no smoke and mirrors. If it is not and/or sent back to Legislature to be corrected, then Legislation then will not be paid for their time (paraphrase).”

Think about that, create a bogus balanced budget and get caught doing so means you have to work without pay and no reimbursements for travel and whatnot! This must be adopted by our Federal Government.

There’s no doubt about it, no matter what gets cut or raised, Americans will have a gripe. But to keep this Nation solvent, Congress and the White House must act now. No dog and ponies allowed, do the job they were voted upon to do, after all they are our employees on the Hill, let’s not let them forget that.

For if we do let them forget, we won’t be paying $40 million yearly for Boll Weevil eradication, no we’ll be paying double.

What the hell is a Boll Weevil anyway other than the mascot for the University of Arkansas!