Archive for May, 2011
Posted by About.com US Politics on May 28th, 2011 | Categorized as US Politics
On May 25, 2011, the Senate defeated the controversial House budget plan that includes Medicare changes that polls show many Americans oppose.
Democrats control the Senate, which means that Majority Leader Harry Reid (a Nevada Democrat) decides what legislation is brought to the floor. Reid and other Democrats vehemently oppose the House budget plan, which would, among other things, drastically change the Medicare program, which provides health insurance benefits to senior citizens. The federal government currently directly provides health insurance to seniors under Medicare. The Republican plan would transform the program by giving seniors vouchers to purchase health insurance on the private market.
...Read Full Post
...
Posted by About.com US Politics on May 26th, 2011 | Categorized as US Politics
The victory of Democrat Nancy Hochul in the May 24, 2011 special election to fill an open House of Representatives seat from New York had spinmeisters from both parties twirling out of control.
...Read Full Post
...
Posted by About.com US Politics on May 22nd, 2011 | Categorized as US Politics
Watchers of the federal budget got their latest view of Republican spending priorities for the next fiscal year (fiscal year 2012) on May 11 when the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee announced allocations to subcommittee chairmen.
...Read Full Post
...
Posted by About.com US Politics on May 21st, 2011 | Categorized as US Politics
Public opinion polls in 2011 show that many voters don't want Congress and President Obama to increase the federal debt limit. Those voters believe the federal government already is spending too much money.
...Read Full Post
...
Posted by About.com US Politics on May 20th, 2011 | Categorized as US Politics
If John Ensign of Nevada had not resigned from the Senate in early May, the Senate Ethics Committee would have asked the United States Senate to kick him out.
On May 9, the bipartisan leadership of the Senate Ethics Committee - Democrat Barbara Boxer of California and Republican Johnny Isakson of Georgia - went to the floor and bluntly accused Ensign, a Republican, of a variety of misdeeds. They said they want the Justice Department and the Federal Election Commission to investigate the possibility of criminal charges against the former Republican senator.
...Read Full Post
...
Posted by About.com US Politics on May 15th, 2011 | Categorized as US Politics
On May 9, the Senate continued a filibuster on the nomination of James Cole to be the Deputy Attorney General. If you were watching C-SPAN, you wouldn't have noticed the filibuster.
...Read Full Post
...
Posted by About.com US Politics on May 14th, 2011 | Categorized as US Politics
American voters are growing even more politically polarized and are less inclined to identify themselves as Democrats or Republicans. That's the conclusion of a fascinating new study by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.
...Read Full Post
...
Posted by About.com US Politics on May 11th, 2011 | Categorized as US Politics
People who work in Washington often have connections that go back a long way. Two people in the news this week of May 9, 2011, Newt Gingrich and James Cole, demonstrate this principle.
...Read Full Post
...
Posted by About.com US Politics on May 8th, 2011 | Categorized as US Politics
On Jan. 5, Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) introduced legislation entitled the "Revoke Excessive Policies that Encroach on American Liberties Act."
Those sound like lofty and worthwhile goals. Americans believe in freedom and no one likes excessive policies. Based on its name, what would you guess this bill does?
...Read Full Post
...
Posted by About.com US Politics on May 7th, 2011 | Categorized as US Politics
The term "exploratory committee" may sound like something that Queen Isabella formed before sending Christopher Columbus on his journey to discover America. But it's not.
Exploratory committees are something that Republican presidential candidates have begun to form as they consider whether to run for their party's presidential nomination in 2012. Mitt Romney and Ron Paul have formed them. Sarah Palin hasn't yet. She says it's too early.
...Read Full Post
...
