Congresspedia Review: This Week in Congress (September 13-20, 2008)

Submitted by Conor Kenny on

Coming off of the August recess, most expected the 2009 fiscal year budget and energy legislation to dominate the Congressional agenda for the five weeks until the scheduled October adjournment. However, with the recent shocks in the U.S. financial markets and the resulting calls for government action, Congress and President Bush scrambled to figure out their gameplans. Plus, Massachusetts had its congressional primaries and Don Young narrowly edged out his primary challenger in Alaska when the final votes were in.

Proposals for the crisis recovery scenario generally involve the government infusing the financial sector with massive funds, either through purchases of rapidly devaluing mortgage-based securities, loans, loan guarantees or purchases of large stakes in the companies, effectively making U.S. taxpayers the largest shareholders in some of the big Wall Street players.

The action to bail out Wall Street would have far-reaching effects. Not only would it supplant other congressional priorities this session, but the amount of money required would handicap domestic spending in the 111th Congress as well. That would leave little discretionary funding heading into the next congressional cycle, and a new president would have few options to pursue on the domestic spending front.

While players on Wall Street and officials in Washington were striving to halt the deepening financial crisis, Congress did accomplish some other work this week. The House approved an energy bill that would allow some coastal states to determine whether oil companies can explore for oil offshore. In addition, the bill would extend a series of tax credits and other incentives for the development of renewable energy alternatives.

A close primary race in Alaska was finally resolved this week, when absentee ballots were tallied for the state’s at-large congressional district. Rep. Don Young, the incumbent, narrowly defeated Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell in the Republican primary. Young will not face Ethan Berkowitz in November. In Massachusetts Tuesday, incumbents carried the day in the two contested races. Sen. John Kerry and Rep. John Olver, both Democrats, held off challengers from within their party. Kerry and Olver are also being challenged in the November general election, but are expected to win their respective races with ease.

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DWIGHT BAKER replied on

WHO HAS REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE CLAIMS THAT HAS NOW RESULTED IN THE BLAME THAT ALLOWED AND APPLAUDED THE LAUD OF FRAUD NONE OTHER THAN CONGRESS? By Dwight Baker Monday, October 06, 2008 The wheels of commerce and trade around the world today are screeching and grinding to a halt. As WE THE PEOPLE of THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA in the west are beset with an unjustifiable, baseless, moronic CONGRESS that has caved into the many failed and frocked with fraud BUSH BUNCH NEO-CON agendas. And in doing that the RULE of LAW in our CONSTITUTION has been held in derision when hard decisions have come along and thus CONGRESS winked at the RULE OF LAW as having no more legitimacy. Thus in simple terms THE RULE OF LAW as it stands now in America today is just the SEE-SAW YAW of law. Hence our CONSTITUTION has no more strict substance that remains and ALL can be interpreted depending on the circumstances. Therefore those in our CONGRESS most coming from the school of LAW seem to prevail and taking what they want from WE THE PEOPLE very open handily and characteristic of their profession composed and drafted in private cherty and secretively. Thus when making claims of deeds done for WE THE PEOPLE ALL seems very hazy and reveled guardedly. The games that CONGRESS has been involved for the last several years is to deny the RULE OF LAW to which the oath they took to uphold. Therefore the only good signal that WE THE PEOPLE can send around the world that things will change for the better in America is to demand that CONGRESS recall all that testified before CONGRESS in the frocked with fraud PAULSON and BUSH plan and after them taking oaths or if they do not agree to do so, recall the PAULSON and BUSH PLAN now as law then annul it. Now who among us can push CONGRESS ALONG to do right not wrong for WE THE PEOPLE? Who can deny that they do not love America as it has stood as a beckon of light for the world to emulate? And who can deny that over the last forty years many vile, evil and loathsome ones have attempted to steal our rich heritage? And who can refuse to acknowledge that those many efforts of beast like savagery has been done at the will and hands of our elected political officials and judges in our UNTIED STATES OF AMERICA? WE THE PEOPLE urge our Professional MEDIA to expose the truth as never before with statements of the EXACT FACTS comprising the TRUTH then hold CONGRESS and others to their sworn duties of recalling the witness of the PAULSON and BUSH BAILOUT PLAN then proceed rapidly to annul it. Because many that testified before CONGRESS committed fraud.

Anonymous replied on

Speaking of the U.S. Congress: The U.S. Congress does not like George W. Bush—Bush committed too many crimes. George W. Bush committed hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism (indicated in my blog). George W. Bush did in fact commit innumerable hate crimes. And I do solemnly swear by Almighty God that George W. Bush committed other hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism which I am not at liberty to mention. Many people know what Bush did. And many people will know what Bush did—even to the end of the world. Bush was absolute evil. Bush is now like a fugitive from justice. Bush is a psychological prisoner. Bush has a lot to worry about. Bush can technically be prosecuted for hate crimes at any time. In any case, Bush will go down in history in infamy. Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996 Messiah College, Grantham, PA Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993 (I can type 90 words per minute. In only 7 days, posts basically like this post of mine have come into existence—all over the Internet (hundreds of copies). One can go to www.google.com right now, type “George W. Bush committed hate crimes of epic proportions and with the stench of terrorism,” hit “Enter,” and find more than 300 copies indicating the content of this post. One cannot be too dedicated when it comes to anti-Bush activities. As I looked back at my good computer work, I thought how fun and easy it was to do it.) “GEORGE W. BUSH IS THE WORST PRESIDENT IN U.S. HISTORY” BLOG OF ANDREW YU-JEN WANG ______________________ I am not sure where I had read it before, but anyway, it goes kind of like this: “If only it were possible to ban invention that bottled up memories so they never got stale and faded.” Oh wait—off the top of my head—I think it came from my Lower Merion High School yearbook.