For the love of holy hell: STFU with the complaints that there was too much pork in the Sandy relief bill

The Canessa Commentary
By KEVIN CANESSA Jr.

WASHINGTON, D.C. --

Editor's Note: the following commentary contains strong language that may not be suitable for all audiences. Reader discretion is advised.

Most conservatives, it seems, would just presume to leave
the roller coaster where it is because it's too expensive
to pay to remove it from the Atlantic. 

Earlier today, the House voted in favor of a bill that would bring immediate relief to the people most hard hit by Hurricane Sandy.

Of those voting, 180 members voted against the measure. It was 179 Republicans and 1 Democrat.

And immediately after —in light of criticism of  those who voted against the bill —the usual Washington grandstanding began. And it spread to Twitter and Facebook.

There are some conservatives — both elected and civilian — who say it was irresponsible for any member of the House to have voted for the bill since it contained pork.

It's as if this is the first time — ever — that there was a bill before Congress that contained pork.

I am at a point where it's intolerable to listen to these buffoons make an argument. Any American with half a brain knows pork is as much a part of a bill before Congress as a puck is to hockey or a glove is to baseball.

And while it's sickening there was, no doubt, items in the Sandy relief bill that had no business being there — I'm not going to read the bill and list specifics here — this is NOT the time for grandstanding. This is not the time for conservative nuts to be critical of pork-barrell spending.

This is not the time to pretend like this has never happened before.

Because it has — and it did — when Katrina hit.

It has — and it did — after Sept. 11, 2001.

It has — and it did — to fund a fraudulent war in Iraq.

It has — and it did — for as long as this country has been, well, a country.

If you want to bitch and moan about adding irrelevant items into bills in Congress, I'll be there to back you up — 100 percent. But I will not sit back and tolerate it when the moaning happens over a bill that will provide much-needed relief for the people of Seaside Heights, Breezy Point, Staten Island and countless other communities.

There were 180 people in Congress, nearly 100 percent of whom were conservative, right-wing nutjob Republicans — one was a moronic Democrat — who decided NOW was the best time to send a message that this Congress spends too much. There are countless other Americans who believe this is the time to bring attention to pork-barrell spending, when this is been the modus operandi for more years than can be measured.

Those people make me sick.

And I hope the people most affected by Sandy remember this, too, that in their greatest time of need — when they most needed the government to be there for them to, oh, let's say, simply get back to normal — that 180 elected officials, most of whom are conservative RWNJs, turned their backs.They said "fuck off, you worthless pieces of shit in New York and New Jersey." They said your well-being is not as important as is sending a message that the government spends too much.

These people seem to think they're the real champions here.

Try telling us something we don't already know for once.

And do not — under any circumstances — do it at the expense of people who have been hurting.

And if you don't like that? Perhaps you can do what you, the RWNJs, often tell people who get angry with out country to do whenever there's a debate over immigration — get the hell out. No one's keeping you here by force.

Sometimes, it's just plain embarrassing to be American. To think these members of Congress — and these civilians — enjoy the same citizenship that I do makes me want to vomit.

And believe me, if I had a chance to vomit, I'd almost consider looking for one of those members of Congress to puke on.

That's how despicable they truly are.

And there's no question in my mind — they'll never, ever get it.

I just hope and pray none of them — regardless of whether they're elected — ever have to face a situation where they need help from the government.

Because chances are — when that day comes — they won't be worried about pork-barrell spending for a nanosecond.

They'll only be concerned about why the government forgot about them and their loved ones.

We could only be so lucky to see that happen.

House passes Sandy aid package; 179 Republicans and 1 Democrat voted against the measure

WASHINGTON, D.C. —

The U.S. House passed a Sandy relief bill by a vote of 241 to 180. Of those voting against the measure, 179 were Republicans and 1 was a Democrat.

We will list the names of each member of the House who voted against the measure here when the tally is available. And we hope — and pray — that not one of those people's states ever have a natural disaster requiring federal relief. Because if they do — so help me god — I hope every member of the New Jersey and New York delegation votes against it.

More later.

CHRISTIE: THIS IS WHY PEOPLE 'HATE CONGRESS'

TRENTON, N.J. -- 

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie today ripped Congress for failing to take up a vote on Hurricane Sandy relief, and said it's moments like this that make Americans "hate Congress."

Christie said he was assured all weekend -- including by the Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, that the bill would be passed immediately after the Fiscal Cliff deal passed. He said he was assured, as late as 9:30 p.m. last night it would pass.

He was shocked, he said, when he learned Boehner wouldn't put the bill up for a vote.

Christie says Boehner refused to take four phone calls from him last night and today.

The governor praised the state's bi-partisan representation in the House -- and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-Hoboken, for doing all they could to get the bill passed.

"If the people of New Jersey feel betrayed today, by the people in Congress who did this, then they've have good company. I'm with them," Christie said.

THIS HOUSE IS ABSOLUTELY INCAPABLE OF HEARING -- PERIOD

The Canessa Commentary
By Kevin Canessa Jr.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — 

Just a month after President Barack Obama was re-elected on a platform that the super-rich need to pay more in taxes to get this country back in better shape, we're just a few days away from the entire nation falling over the so-called fiscal cliff.

And if there's one thing that's absolutely clear through it all, it's that every single member of the House of Representatives is deaf, incapable of hearing what the people demanded. And it knows no boundaries -- it's Republicans and Democrats.

Hey Mr. President & Congress: Shut up and get the hell to work!

I am so sick of the term "Debt Ceiling."

I am so sick of seeing President Barack Obama bitching about the Republicans inability to get something done.

I am so sick of seeing Speaker-of-the-House John Boehner bitching about the inability of the Democrats to get something done.

I am so sick of Washington, D.C. and all it represents.

For crying out loud, what the hell did we send these representatives to Washington for anyway? Was it to argue and bicker about every piece of minutia to come before them? Was it to have them have press conferences that tell us nothing we didn't know before the press conference began? 

NO!

We sent whom we sent because a message was loud and clear: The country is sick and tired of politicians whose mouths emit hot air and whose resumes of accomplishment are as blank as most chalkboards inside classrooms are this time of year.

Yet for weeks, we've seen politicians and our President acting childishly.

Beyond anyone's possible imagination.

And let us not forget Harry Reid, who said there'd likely be a vote at 1 a.m. today. Now, the feeble idiot rescheduled it for 1 p.m. today, because he and his comrades -- on both sides of the aisle -- were likely "too tired" to get anything done.

My biggest concern of all in this absurd mess, for the interim, is the possibility that Social Security checks -- like the one my grandma gets each month -- might not be available if these Washington buffoons don't get something done. Thank goodness my grandmother is in a position where she'd be OK if there is a delay -- but could you imagine the millions of senior citizens who rely on said checks for food, medication and the simple necessities of life?

For the love of God, we could literally see people DYING -- elderly people who would otherwise be healthy -- because they won't be able to get their meds, or food, or drink. And you can bet your last penny that members of the Senate, the House and the White House staff won't miss a single, solitary paycheck. As per usual, the "Washington Elite" will continue to be well-taken-care-of. 

Yet Mrs. Jones, age 85, from around the corner, might not have food to put on her table. She might not be able to get her cholesterol and blood-pressure pills, because Boehner, Obama and Co. are sitting on their asses acting like the spoiled little brats that they are instead of like the adults they like us to believe they are.

I can't even turn on the cable-news stations anymore because of this nonsense. And we're slowly approaching the deadline that could, in effect, throw this country -- and every country we trade with -- into a frenzy.

If that happens, it will be one of the darkest days in our nation's history.

So, the time is ripe for President Obama to lead -- and to get this done -- before more Americans have reason to compare this mess to just like what they saw between 1977 and 1980. 

And we know that comparison really, really hurts.

Really.

Rothman votes againt further Iraq War spending

U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman, D-Fairlawn, a vocal member of the Out of Iraq Caucus, opposed further funding for the war in Iraq if it is not linked to the safe redeployment of U.S. troops out of Iraq. The congressman issued the following statement about his vote:

“Tonight, I voted against a $165.4 billion funding bill for the war in Iraq. At a time when Americans are facing rising food costs, higher prices at the pump, home foreclosures and failing roads, sewers and bridges, it is irresponsible to continue to misuse our military forces, and misspend our finite U.S. tax dollars to continue to police the Iraq civil war. With no clear end in sight, estimates show that the war in Iraq could ultimately cost the United States up to $3 trillion. The Department of Defense is spending an estimated $10.3 billion a month on operating costs in Iraq — while here at home our economic resources are exhausted.

“I will only support funding for the Iraq war if it is linked to beginning the immediate redeployment of U.S. troop from there. Our failed Iraq policy has resulted in the deaths of over 4,000 American troops and left nearly 30,000 of our soldiers wounded. It has stretched our military to the breaking point and strained military families with repeated and lengthy deployments.

“I have and will continue to fight efforts to provide federal funds for the war in Iraq unless that money is used to bring our brave young men and women home. It is long past time for the U.S. to redeploy all servicemen and women out of Iraq, maintaining a rapid action force in neighboring countries, just over the Iraqi horizon. Democrats and Republicans alike must work together to develop a foreign policy strategy that focuses on real threats to America’s security, not on policing civil wars half a world away.”

Read more about Rothman's views on the Iraq War at: http://rothman.house.gov/topic_iraqwar.htm.