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Don't Make Us Angry - We Wouldn't Vote for You When We're Angry
2005.09.22 (Thu) 16:18
This is just ridiculous.
Senate Republicans on Wednesday scuttled an attempt by Sen. Hillary Clinton to establish an independent, bipartisan panel patterned after the 9/11 Commission to investigate what went wrong with federal, state and local governments' response to Hurricane Katrina.
The New York Democrat's bid to establish the panel — which would have also made recommendations on how to improve the government's disaster response apparatus — failed to win the two-thirds majority needed to overcome procedural hurdles. Clinton got only 44 votes, all from Democrats and independent Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont. Fifty-four Republicans all voted no.
Come on. What the fuck is wrong with these politicians?
A senator's job is to serve the people of the United States — not to cover their Party's ass. An investigative commission of the government's response to Hurricane Katrina is a move that would identify the problems with that response, and hopefully enable officials to rectify those problems to preclude their reoccurrence in future emergency situations. It is not about "placing blame" — despite the fact that, certainly, after such an investigation, we would know who to blame for the inaction and lying we've witnessed. But the "blame game" is only a peripheral side effect of such a commission; the primary purpose is to improve our government and the agencies under its command, thus serving the people of our nation by augmenting our ability to aid them in the event of another such emergency!
So...Republican senators...what the fuck are you thinking? What do you think the purpose of your fucking existence is, as senators? As senators, you are part of the carefully constructed three-way balancing act we call our democracy. Your job is not to blindly support an administration with whom you share a label — "Republican" — but, in fact, quite the opposite: to make sure that neither of the other two branches of government gets out of control...by keeping them in check. "Keeping them in check" — wow, that seems to lead so logically into "initiate an investigation into their actions when something goes wrong for which they may be responsible." So again: what the fuck is wrong with you assholes?
If the vote hadn't gone so clearly along party lines, then perhaps one could make an argument that there is a "valid" reason for not commissioning this investigation. But that clear-cut border is so glaring, a giant neon red buzzing arrow pointing right at the Republican Party. The only reason the vote went this way, quite simply, is because these folks think that their political party is more important than their people. Fucking hell, even the Louisiana Republican, David Vitter, chose to abstain rather than voting on a measure that would put his party under the microscope. That's pathetic.
Keep in mind that yes, we know this is the game of politics, and this is how it's typically played. We aren't surprised at the behavior on display here, we are simply incredibly pissed off. So none of that "Why does this shock you?" stuff. It doesn't shock us — it angers us. Dig?
Somewhere along the way, politicians forgot what government is supposed to be about: it's about maintaining our nation, its liberties, and its safety. And our nation, folks, is our people — without the people, what the fuck is there? Zip, zero, nada, nothing. Our politicians seem to be laboring under the delusion that the point of government is to maintain their own power.
It's fucking disgusting.
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[ Filed under: % Government & Politics ]
Comments (5)
Grendel, 2005.09.22 (Thu) 19:19 [Link] »
The Two Percent Company, 2005.09.22 (Thu) 22:47 [Link] »
Grendel, 2005.09.23 (Fri) 10:11 [Link] »
Shawn, 2005.09.23 (Fri) 13:46 [Link] »
The Two Percent Company, 2005.09.23 (Fri) 15:56 [Link] »
% Trackback » 2005.09.26 (Mon) 22:32
"Obvious Headline of the Week" from The Two Percent Company's Rants
How does this AP headline grab you? Brown Says He Should've Sought Aid Sooner Hey, no shit, Mike. You don't say? Also of interest in this article: Brown is continuing to work at the Federal Emergency Management Agency at full pay,... [More]
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