Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

20061108 Ole Luke, Get used to this face and now what?

Ole Luke, Get used to this face and now what?

November 8th, 2006


Get used to this face. Hat Tip: Kujanblog

And one face that you will not be seeing much of…

He won't seek the minority leader post. Hat Tip Breitbart.com and Michelle Malkin.

Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., stepping down is another step in the correct direction for clearing the decks to work with the Democratic majority in Congress.

For a conservative political columnist, the next two years will be a field day. I’ve already looked into purchasing a larger hard drive for my laptop.

Sooooo - now that the Dems are in power, it will be interesting to see what they will do with their new-found responsibilities.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said the outcome of the elections, in which Democrats were projected to win control of the House and pick up several Senate seats, was "not what we would've hoped."

"But it also gets us to a point: Democrats have spent a lot of time complaining about what the president has done. This is an opportunity for them to kind of stand up," Snow said. (Reuters. Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin.)

I love to tell the story of once, as a young lad, I was riding around the farm with my Grandfather – “Pop-Pop,” in an old blue Chevy pick-up truck. Ole’ Luke, the family farm dog was running along the truck and raising a ruckus.

All of the sudden, Pop-Pop stopped the truck. I asked Pop-Pop: “Why are we stopping?”

At that, Pop-Pop responded, “I want to show you what a farm dog will do when he catches a truck.”

Ole’ Luke circled the truck several times, barking and barking the entire time. Then Luke sniffed the tires. Then he peed on the tires and walked away.

We certainly hope that the Democrats will do better than Ole’ Luke – or do we?

As we turn our attention to the 2008 presidential elections, the Dems may consider a thoughtful approach. Hearing and hearing after hearing, sprinkled with tax increases, will set the Republicans up for a great chance at the White House in 2008.

So just what will the Democratic priorities be in the upcoming session of Congress?

The Associated Press gives us the following glimpse. Hey – AP, the campaign literature office of the Democrats, ought to know… So, consider this to be straight from the source.

Hat Tip: Breitbart.com and Michelle Malkin

Democratic Priorities in Congress
Nov 08 2:12 PM US/Eastern

By The Associated Press Some priorities set by Democrats in Congress:

_Military: Force an immediate drawdown of troops in Iraq and conduct oversight hearings on missteps on the war. The announcement Wednesday that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was resigning met Democratic demands that he step down to take responsibility for the situation in Iraq.

_Intelligence: Increase attention given to emerging terrorist threats in Africa and Southeast Asia and devote more resources to North Korea and Iran. More oversight of terrorism and government surveillance.

_Homeland security: Boost security for rail and mass transit systems. Tougher oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, potential restructuring of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

_Judiciary: Conduct oversight hearings on treatment of terrorism detainees, domestic surveillance programs and President Bush's use of "signing statements" affecting some requirements in the laws he signs.

_Minimum wage. Pass legislation to raise the minimum wage from the current $5.15 an hour to $7.25.

_Veterans affairs: Increase oversight with detailed budget accountings. More funding for veterans' health care, including additional mental health counseling for vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

_Health: Allow the Medicare program to negotiate directly with drug companies for lower prices. Pass a vetoed embryonic stem cell research bill again. Require insurance companies to provide benefits for treating mental illnesses equal to other medical and surgical benefits.

_Transportation: Consolidate air traffic control facilities. Allow more foreign control of airlines. Limit the number of Transportation Security Administration airport screeners to 45,000. More oversight hearings on the Federal Aviation Administration.

_Taxes: Increase education-based tax breaks. Close the so-called $345 billion tax gap, the estimated amount that people and companies owe but avoid paying each year.

_Trade: Let a law expire that forbids Congress from amending trade agreements negotiated by the president. Create a chief enforcement officer in the office of the U.S. trade representative.

_Energy and environment: Increase incentives for biodiesel, ethanol and other alternative fuels as well as wind, solar, geothermal and other sources of alternative energy. Renegotiate oil and gas leases that waived royalty payments to the government. Impose a national cap on industrial carbon dioxide emissions. Resist Bush's efforts to open more public lands to oil exploration.

_Agriculture: Increase conservation programs and require more corn- based ethanol in motor fuel blends.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA. E-mail him at: kdayhoff@carr.org www.thetentacle.com Westminster Eagle Opinion and Winchester Report www.thewestminstereagle.com www.kevindayhoff.com has moved to http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/

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