GULFGATE OBSCURES CONGRESS VOTE

I really have to applaud Congress, again, for pulling the wool over our eyes these past 3 weeks. While the rest of you were running down to the Gulf, to sing and walk and demonstrate about oil balls floating in the water, and riding around in planes and cars from one end of Louisiana to the other, USING UP MORE GAS AND LINING THE POCKETS OF OIL COMPANIES, strumming guitars and singing about "Giving Green a Chance", using the old John Lennon tune, of Give Peace a Chance (could you not come up with something original?), the House of Representatives and the Senate managed to walk away from their plush Capital Hill offices today, head out via private jets and limos to luxurious homes and foreign shores, leaving 2,000,000+ Americans without any funds to buy hot dogs, gas or even a bus ticket. Gotcha!

All the screaming about the GULFGATE Oil Disaster, helped to create the illusion, which Congress needed, to deflect mass media viewing of the Senate leaving DC, refusing to vote on the Extended Benefits provision, to millions of Americans, until they return from vacation.

So,today, right now, there are over 2,000,000 unemployed people, along with their families (another 3-5 million (wives/children/husbands who live with the unemployed) who will have ZERO funds from Unemployment for at least a month, or more, or until Congress returns on the 12th of July and then makes a big political stance, to show off what they learned in debating classes, for a few more weeks, while Americans starve. Oh, and they are planning on not giving any more extended benefits when they return to those still without work. By the way, when they go off Unemployment, they are no longer counted in the national statistics or state statistics monthly reports. There are estimates of 35% of the US being out of work now, even though states are still claiming less than 10% on the books, because once you stop receiving checks you are no longer counted in the numbers.

Oh, I said my peace about GULFGATE, in previous blogs. It is disgusting to be 75 days out and there are still no BP officials in jail, and Obama is going to allow offshore drilling with no restrictions, which is what his deal is with the oil cartels who run their fingers through the World Bank and had such a huge influence in the White House for the last 5 administrations--it's money and politics, as usual.

However, for the Senate, led by Democrat VP Biden,  to walk away from voting on extending benefits to those still on unemployment, after the House voted to extend benefits to those who need them, until July 12, for their vacation, reminds me of why Rome fell. Lack of interest, but plenty of interest for money, power and control. 

Do you realize that there may be nothing they can do to stop the oil from flowing into the Gulf? It may go on forever, until billions of gallons are shot out of the earth, and the entire Gulf is destroyed? Because that is what is happening now. So what do you do? Which do you choose to voice your displeasure over to Congress? Both. Your neighbors and their families are going to be destitute in a few days, maybe weeks, for those who have some help. But not all.

I have watched the Famous head down to the Gulf, on their jets and super luxurious RV's, to sing songs and walk around cities playing their guitars. If they had any sense, they should have been in DC, standing in the Capital, knocking on the doors of their Senators and Reps, putting some real pressure on them. The last thing any Senator wants is famous stars and musicians bringing along the media, to their Senate Building doors.

A friend of mine in New Orleans went to one of the demonstrations and was disgusted with the fact that a lot of people who showed up were only interested in seeing the famous actors and musicians. It was a media blitz for the famous and did little, other than a minute blitz on the news stations, to bring attention to the fact that most of the people who should of gone because they are so devastated that their source of income is gone now due to the oil spill, cannot afford to buy gas to put in their cars to go to a rally, since they have to buy food.

If anything, Congress should have stayed and voted for an increase in unemployment benefits, extended the deadlines out, because there are going to be a lot more people on the roles in the states affected by the spill, now. I blame Joe Biden for this since he is the head of the Senate and he could of kept them all there, in their seats, making them vote tonight. Senators' vacations are more important than your neighbors getting another check Friday, to put hot dogs and soda on the table for the 4th of July. Well, I think, the US Congress' new slogan should be taken from the lips of Marie Antoinette, as Rosseau remembers.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's 12-volume autobiographical work Confessions, was written in 1770. In Book 6, which was written around 1767, he recalls:

At length I recollected the thoughtless saying of a great princess, who, on being informed that the country people had no bread, replied, "Then let them eat pastry!"