7 Days From Possible Shutdown

[Tee Kay]

In 2012, the Democrats got more votes in Congressional races than Republicans, yet Republicans won more seats. It is not the extremes of rural Oklahoma and inner NYC where gerrymandering happens.

Not just more seats. A LOT more seats.

The worst gerrymandering happen in states like North Carolina and Florida.

 

[Cutlass]

How much of it is actual jerrymandering and how much is simply how populations are distributed?
I mean, it is going to be hard to get a rural Oklahoma county to be a fair fight between left and right. Likewise, it is just as hard to get a fair fight in, say, inner city New York.

Much of it is gerrymandering. However, there is a trend where people of extreme political views (not necessarily extreme positions, but rather extreme dedication to those principles!) sort themselves out by moving to places where others hold the same positions. Call it political self-segregation. Not everyone can do it, even if they want to. But many people do.

 

[hangman]

Again?
I should probably grab any census data I'll be using for projects before the 11th.

Ohhhhh yeah. Last time around I lost access to just about everything I was using at the time from NOAA and NASA.

 

[Colonel]

Well hoping that there isn't a shut down, I like my paycheck lol.

 

[Angst]

Seriously Congress, you have one job.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Well hoping that there isn't a shut down, I like my paycheck lol.

The Airforce is unconstitutional !
Either Obama is impeached immediately or the Republicans will defund the Airforce and shutdown the Federal government

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court, in a shocking decision, declared the U.S. Air Force unconstitutional earlier today.

In a 5-4 decision, the high court mandated a complete redistribution of personnel, equipment, and funds, “in a more constitutionally permissible manner.”

The controversial decision is the end result that began at Eglin Air Force Base near Valparaiso, Florida. About seven years ago, Jonathan Smith, a local business owner, filed a civil suit against the Department of Defense. In the suit, Smith claimed that Eglin Air Force Base impermissibly acquired a one mile stretch of his privately owned property by improperly installing a large fence. Among other legal issues, Smith argued that the National Security Act of 1947 had unconstitutionally established the United States Air Force, and therefore, any appropriation of his land was improper despite other legal justifications.

“We were looking for a way around Sovereign Immunity and various other protections that military institutions enjoy. We decided to roll the dice and litigate for knees, as it were,” said Timothy Jones, the attorney representing Smith.

The majority, led by Justice Antonin Scalia, reasoned: “This question is very simple. We must look to the text of the Constitution. That text is clear by its absence. The Constitution, despite establishing the Army and Naval Forces, says absolutely nothing about the Air Force. Our inquiry must end there.”

In a concurring opinion, Justice Kennedy elaborated, “the constitution is remarkably silent about any militarized air units. And it is not as if the drafters of the Constitution were unaware of flight. Lighter than air and dirigible technology were around at the time the constitution was written. If the founders knew about these things and did not enumerate Congress with the power to create an Air Force, we must assume that this is a power retained by the States as per the 10th Amendment.”

In a blistering dissent, Justice Ginsburg said, “this is just another instance of the conservative branch of the high court hiding behind textual originalism instead of going through the effort of making a sensible argument. This is judicial laziness which will have devastating effects down the road.”

The exact fate of personnel in the Air Force remains unclear. The President and the Department of Defense have released a vague press release, saying, “While [the Air Force’s] current form is unconstitutional, Justice Kennedy’s concurring opinion suggests that the Constitution would be open to a state-operated Air militia. We will be looking into a vast restructuring in order to comply with the mandates of the Constitution.”

According to an anonymous source at the Pentagon, there are whispers of, perhaps, rolling the Air Force back into the Army. This would reflect the constitutionally permissible subservience that the Marine Corps has with the Navy. If that is not far enough, some have said they’d be rolled back into the Signal Corps.

 

[Quintillus]

Like this shut down is going to do anything but drive down congressional approval ratings down.

You mean they're still above zero?

On the one hand, I think they should let the government shut down to prove how incompetent they are. As P.J. O'Rourke says, "The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it." It's about time they follow through on that proving it part.

On the other hand, I'm apathetic about the U.S. government by this point. I know they say apathy kills, but I don't care.

And on the other foot, this is why I'm voting for any third party candidates who aren't complete bozos (and did so this November). Unfortunately a lot of candidates (including from major parties) are complete bozos, but I was able to find some third-party ones who weren't. I suppose we wouldn't have such incompetent elected officials if candidates who were bozos were rare.

Oh, and I actually have a more favorable opinion of Fidel Castro than Congress, too. I wouldn't go so far as to say I approve of Fidel Castro, but at least he accomplished some things, even if there were some noteworthy downsides as well. So it doesn't surprise me that Castro has a higher approval rating than Congress.

 

[Commodore]

The Airforce is unconstitutional !
Either Obama is impeached immediately or the Republicans will defund the Airforce and shutdown the Federal government

Source? The article you posted sounds like it is from The Onion.

 

[James Stuart]

Source? The article you posted sounds like it is from The Onion.

Commodore, of course it's from the Onion.

 

[Commodore]

Commodore, of course it's from the Onion.

With some of the headlines and articles we see from serious news outlets nowadays, it never hurts to ask. You know, just to be sure.

What does it say about the state of our government when such an article is actually within the realm of believability?

 

[FriendlyFire]

House on Brink of Spending Deal to Avoid Another Government Shutdown

Some conservatives tried to rally opposition to the leadership and take the fight to the president in the lame-duck session. Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, crossed the Rotunda to address more than 20 conservative House lawmakers and stoke their anger, much to the chagrin of many of his fellow party members

Several dozen conservatives could abandon their leadership and vote ‘no.’ Representative Steve King, Republican of Iowa, said that as many as 50 members would vote with him against the leadership’s plan — a claim some of his fellow Republicans played down.

Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio, want to attach language to the spending bill that they say would prohibit United States Citizenship and Immigration Services from using the fees it collects to carry out the president’s action.

Mr. Cruz has said the Senate should hold up all of Mr. Obama’s coming nominations not directly tied to national security as leverage.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/u...ink-of-deal-to-avoid-government-shutdown.html

So Republicans will defund United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Without any funds the USCIS will deport mexicans and not just shutdown ? Me dont understand how that works.
Maybe the USCIS will work for free and continue deporting Mexicans.

Thanks Obama

 

[JollyRoger]

Someone should inform Congress that it does not take money to not prosecute.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Someone should inform Congress that it does not take money to not prosecute.

Shhhhhh!

 

[Colonel]

So Republicans will defund United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Without any funds the USCIS will deport mexicans and not just shutdown ? Me dont understand how that works.
Maybe the USCIS will work for free and continue deporting Mexicans.

Thanks Obama

Thats a key to Congress approving a spending bill, they can defund specific line items since everything the government spends money on is approved in abstract by Congress. For instance if Congress/President passed a spending bill that said the US military could no longer buy say an item like pencils we would be forced to not buy any pencils.

In this specific case, they would defund any action related to President Obama's amnesty action because there are aspects of the order which require funding. Now the part they couldn't defund is the part about not arresting people for being illegal as that requires no additional funds. What they can do as follow up is pass some sort of immigration laws but more then likely that would result in a veto from the President if they called for a hard line Conservative action.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Thats a key to Congress approving a spending bill, they can defund specific line items since everything the government spends money on is approved in abstract by Congress. For instance if Congress/President passed a spending bill that said the US military could no longer buy say an item like pencils we would be forced to not buy any pencils.

In this specific case, they would defund any action related to President Obama's amnesty action because there are aspects of the order which require funding. Now the part they couldn't defund is the part about not arresting people for being illegal as that requires no additional funds. What they can do as follow up is pass some sort of immigration laws but more then likely that would result in a veto from the President if they called for a hard line Conservative action.

For example ???
How would they stop USCIS from NOT deporting people ???
Since NOT deporting people dosnt cost any money

Unless it dose cost money ?

 

[Colonel]

For example ???
How would they stop USCIS from NOT deporting people ???
Since NOT deporting people dosnt cost any money

Unless it dose cost money ?

Specifically, the President's amnesty order requires Homeland Security to reclassify millions of illegals to allow them to use government services. This requires money, thus defunding that specific line item would effectively nullify his order. However, it appears that Congress is planning to fund Homeland Security entirely for a short period of time until Congress convenes its new session with a Republican majority in both houses.

 

[FriendlyFire]

Specifically, the President's amnesty order requires Homeland Security to reclassify millions of illegals to allow them to use government services. This requires money, thus defunding that specific line item would effectively nullify his order. However, it appears that Congress is planning to fund Homeland Security entirely for a short period of time until Congress convenes its new session with a Republican majority in both houses.

Thats BRILLIANT, Stop funding the DHS from granting legal citizenship to illegals by Not paying them and funds to stop them from not doing, what are NOT doing already.
Next Defund Obama from giving non-american Muslims terrorist groups social security ! How dare Obama
And Defund those Deathpanels

I still dont understand but we'll find out soon.

The White House appears to have engaged in administrative sleight of hand, changing U.S. immigration law not by executive order but by a memorandum “exercising prosecutorial discretion”

Deferred action is a form of prosecutorial discretion by which the Secretary deprioritizes an individual’s case for humanitarian reasons, administrative convenience, or in the interest of the Department’s overall enforcement mission. As an act of prosecutorial discretion, deferred action is legally available so long as it is granted on a case-by-case basis, and it may be terminated at any time at the agency’s discretion. Deferred action does not confer any form of legal status in this country, much less citizenship; it simply means that, for a specified period of time, an individual is permitted to be lawfully present in the United States. Nor can deferred action itself lead to a green card.

 

[Tahuti]

Source? The article you posted sounds like it is from The Onion.

I actually almost believed it. Which probably tells more about the influence of the Tea Party than myself.

 

[hangman]

I actually almost believed it. Which probably tells more about the influence of the Tea Party than myself.

Nah, the Tea Party likes their military-industrial complex too much. They've been clamoring for MORE spending, in fact.