Texas Governor and Chairman of the Republican Governors Association Rick Perry was less than impressed with President Obama’s efforts this week to reach out to governors across the country on health care, saying he was “disappointed” with the results of the attempt. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell seemed to feel the same way, saying the president seems unwilling to expedite the case against health care to the Supreme Court in order to erase some of the uncertainty surrounding the law. Republican and Democrat governors alike have major concerns about just how much Obamacare will cost the states, resulting in massive push back and multiple lawsuits against the health care overhaul questioning the constitutionality of the bill.
Overal,l however , Republican governors seem to be rejecting President Obama’s agenda all around whether it is fighting against healthcare, rejecting federal tax dollars for high-speed rail projects and cutting public employees’ ability to collectively bargain in order to close state budget gaps.
UNION FIGHT CONTINUES
The union fight in Wisconsin continues as 14 Democratic senators from the state are still hiding out in Illinois in order avoid a vote on a bill that would help close the state’s nearly $4 billion deficit. However, Governor Scott Walker isn’t backing down and has given the “fleebaggers” a choice: come back to work, or 12,000 public employees will lose their jobs.
In the meantime, Wisconisin Republicans are playing hardball, calling a surprise vote and passing Walker’s “controversial” bill in the State Assembly while getting shouted down by Democrats yelling “shame! shame!” after the two parties debated the bill for more than 60 hours.
GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN LOOKING LESS LIKELY
The House GOP looks like it will pass a resolution this week that would extend federal funding for the next two weeks in order to avoid a partial government shutdown scheduled for Friday if nothing is done. The resolution will allow more time for House Republicans, a Democrat-controlled Senate and President Barack Obama to come to some kind of agreement over spending and spending cuts moving forwards. However, given that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has called GOP cuts “draconian,” and that the President has given no indication he is willing to cut spending despite running a national debt of over $14 trillion, a two week extension seems like more time to argue than to come to agreement.
TEA PARTY MOVEMENT TURNS TWO
One of the most influential movements in the history of the United States turned two years old this week. In February of 2009, President Obama signed the $800 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the “stimulus” package, into law. Before that, President George W. Bush bailed out the banks and the auto industry with a price tag of $700 billion billed to the American taxpayer, inspiring everyday people to stand up against runaway government spending. Thus, the tea party movement was born.
Today, the movement remains a grassroots effort and is still free of a “leader” or cookie cutter agenda, leading the charge against big government to the citizens involved who choose to get involved.
SAUDI ARABIA NATIONAL ARRESTED
A Saudi national was arrested in Texas this week after planning to target U.S. military members and the Dallas home of President George W. Bush with a weapon of mass destruction. Twenty-year-old Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari allegedly had been researching how to build bombs with dangerous chemicals and planned to hide explosives in plastic dolls placed in baby carriages to blow up dams, government buildings and homes. Aldawsari also planned to target popular night clubs. He was in the country on a student visa and admitted on blog posts that he was practicing Jihad.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Wisconsin Rep. Gordon Hintz, Democrat, to Rep. Michele Litjens, Republican, after a vote was called on Gov. Scott Walker's bill limiting collective bargaining for public employees :
"You're f---ing dead!"
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