Attorney Robert Willmann, Jr. emails:
I was concerned yesterday about the wording in any final "deal" on the federal budget and raising the
debt ceiling.
The law as passed, H.R. 2775, is attached and was downloaded from the Library of Congress website,
http://thomas.loc.gov
Division A is the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014. Division B is "Other Matters".
It turns out that Division A contains other matters, too. Check out these two sections--
Section 123. Section 3(a)(6) of Public Law 100-676 is amended by striking both occurrences of "$775,000,000"
and inserting in lieu thereof, "2,918,000,000".
(This section 123 is said to be a special appropriation for Kentucky, of Senator Mitch McConnell, to increase
funding for the Olmsted dam lock in Paducah, Kentucky.)
Section 145. Notwithstanding any other provision of this joint resolution, there is appropriated for payment to
Bonnie Englebardt Lautenberg, widow of Frank R. Lautenberg, late a Senator from New Jersey, $174,000.
(What is this payment of $174,000 to Senator Frank Lautenberg's widow about?)
Under Division B, Other Matters, we have section 1001 on the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), which concerns verifying eligibility, and section 1002, entitled Default Prevention, which concerns raising the debt ceiling.
Read the four pages plus a few lines of section 1002 and try to figure out what that means regarding the debt ceiling.
step a. whip up hysteria. step b cobble together shit you wanted to put in bill previously but thought mightn't fly. step c smile for camera shaking hands.
ReplyDeleteThe $174,000 is a death benefit 'gift' in the amount of one year's salary to the surviving spouse of a member of the senate who dies while in office. The late senator was reportedly worth $60 million when he passed. This was reported earlier as being part of a couple of the earlier failed attempts that failed to pass.
ReplyDeleteThis particular action is more telling of just who these people are than any off the grand theater we have seen over the past month or so. Snakes and thieves who consider themselves apart from the rest of us.
What in the world are they thinking! It's pretty bad when the only reasonable response to hearing this is WTF??!!?!? For all their high-minded talk, these members are nothing more than street thieves in suits. They would steal milk money from a grade schooler if they thought they could get away with it.
Really, the woman is worth 60 mill, is probably in her 80's, and likely had life insurance to boot. Again, WTF!!!?!?!?
Well said, sir!!!
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