Who Shut Down the Government?

Thomas Sowell: Who shut down the government?

Whether Obamacare is good, bad or indifferent is a matter of opinion. But it is a matter of fact that members of the House of Representatives have a right to make spending decisions based on their opinion.
Obamacare is indeed “the law of the land,” as its supporters keep saying, and the Supreme Court has upheld its constitutionality.
But the whole point of having a division of powers within the federal government is that each branch can decide independently what it wants to do or not do, regardless of what the other branches do, when exercising the powers specifically granted to that branch by the Constitution.

http://www.hpe.com/opinion/x559273386/T ... government

I couldn't figure out which thread this should go in so please put in the appropriate spot if starting a new thread isn't the place for it.

What, are you asking the redneck morons here? Do you really care about their predictable answers? And haven't we gone through this already?

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/10/11/ ... al-crisis/

Yeah, here's what the knuckle-draggers call "good faith":

House Republicans Changed The Rules So A Majority Vote Couldn't Stop The Government Shutdown (VIDEO)
Here's How House Republicans Rigged The Shutdown

In its effort to extract concessions from Democrats in exchange for opening the government, the GOP has faced a fundamental strategic obstacle: They don't have the votes. A majority of the members of the House have gone on record saying that if they were given the opportunity to vote, they would support what's known as a "clean" continuing resolution to fund the government.

So House Republican leaders made sure no such vote could happen.

In the hours working up to the government shutdown on Sept. 30, Republican members of the House Rules Committee were developing a strategy to keep a clean CR off the floor, guaranteeing the government would remain shut down.

Though at least 28 House Republicans have publicly said they would support a clean CR if it were brought to the floor -- enough votes for the government to reopen when combined with Democratic support -- a House rule passed just before the shutdown essentially prevents that vote from taking place.

During a floor speech on Saturday, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) drew attention to the quietly passed rule when he attempted to present a motion to accept the Senate's clean continuing resolution and reopen the government.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), presiding over the chamber, told Van Hollen that the rule he was asking to use had been "altered" and he did not have the privilege of bringing that vote to the floor. In the ensuing back and forth, Chaffetz said the recently passed House Resolution 368 trumped the standing rules. Where any member of the House previously could have brought the clean resolution to the floor under House Rule 22, House Resolution 368 -- passed on the eve of the shutdown -- gave that right exclusively to the House majority leader, Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia.

"The Rules Committee, under the rules of the House, changed the standing rules of the House to take away the right of any member to move to vote to open the government, and gave that right exclusively to the Republican Leader," said Van Hollen. "Is that right?"

"The House adopted that resolution," replied Chaffetz.

Nothing says "good faith" like changing the rules in the middle of the night without any debate.

Spare me the gratuitous "they did it too"... 58% of the Public already KNOWS that the teabaggers farted and tried to blame it on the dog. The GOTP OWNS this shutdown...And they'll be wearing it around their necks for decades.

lol Last I knew this was a place for discussion. Sowell gives a great presentation as to how things work in the government. Worth reading for all those who are busy bashing the House for doing its job.

Big Dougy wrote: What, are you asking the redneck morons here? Do you really care about their predictable answers? And haven't we gone through this already?

http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/10/11/ ... al-crisis/

Thomas Sowell really knows his stuff. And it was a combination of both parties.

As I said before Thomas Sowell is not allowed here. He uses facts and logic.

People don't want to hear that the shut down is legal and is actually a tool to keep some from abusing power, well at least those that are abusing that power don't want to hear it.

I know LJ and little dougy (who has taken on a very LJish tone as of late) don't like to discuss things, but like calling other people knuckle dragging for wanting to, well that sounds a lot like forehead dragging to me....are you sure you haven't just ground your heads right off at this point.

Let's not even talk about the truth, you cannot handle discussion.