NBC/WSJ Poll Reveals Americans Priorities; Guess How they Match With GOP Lawmakers Priorities The new NBC/WSJ poll conducted November 14-17 provides a post election snap shot of American voter expectations, including their priorities for actions Congress should take. Can you guess how they match up with GOP Lawmaker’s priorities? It’s a real shocker folks. The People’s agenda for Congress: 1. Access to lower cost student loans—80% support. 2. Increase spending on infrastructure—75% 3. Raising the minimum wage—65% 4. Emergency funding for fighting Ebola in Africa—60% 5. Addressing climate change/reducing carbon emissions—59% 6. Building Keystone Pipeline—54% Agenda items registering below 50% support were: lowering taxes by closing loopholes; approving U.S. troops to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria; reducing Medicare and Social Security benefits for wealthy retirees; new trade agreements with Asian nations; lowering corporate tax rates; cutting funding for ACA; path to citizenship; and raising Social Security retirement age. I thought it would be insightful to compare America’s priorities with those of our newly elected Congress. According to PolitiFact House Speaker John Boehner and soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have laid out some of their top legislative priorities. It’s a range of issues — everything from dismantling the Affordable Care Act to passing international trade agreements, and shutting down the possibility of another government shutdown. Here is PolitiFact’s list in the order presented: 1. Authorize Keystone Pipeline. 2. Repeal ACA (“Obamacare”) 3. Pass the “Hire More Heroes” (veterans) Act. 4. Pass Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement with Asia. 5. Lower corporate taxes. 6. Thwarting Obama on Immigration Executive Action. 7. Reign in the EPA and roll back environmental regulations. In a Wall Street Journal op ed published the day after the election, Boehner and McConnell outline some of their legislative priorities. Looking ahead to the next Congress, we will honor the voters’ trust by focusing, first, on jobs and the economy. Among other things, that means a renewed effort to debate and vote on the many bills that passed the Republican-led House in recent years with bipartisan support, but were never even brought to a vote by the Democratic Senate majority. (The bolding is mine). A distillation of the Boehner/McConnell priorities in the order presented. 1. Repeal “Obamacare.” 2. Authorize the Keystone Pipeline. 3. Pass the “Hire More Heroes” (veterans) Act. 4. Restore “traditional” definition of full time work week to 40 hours (see item 1.) 5. Protect and expand America’s energy boom [thanks Obama]. 6. Support charter schools with tax dollars. Keeping in mind their promise “honor the voters’ trust” it is interesting to note that there is only one item in common with the voters actual agenda for Congress, which is #6 on the people’s list and #2 on B & M’s list. Other than that, these Republican leaders address none of the issues Americans have said are the most important; nothing about student loans or the cost of college; nothing about infrastructure, bridges and roads; nothing about the minimum wage; after all their hysteria before the election, nothing about money to fight the Ebola outbreak; and instead of addressing climate change and reducing carbon emissions they of course want to do just the opposite. How is that for honoring the voters’ trust? It is clear the GOP doesn’t trust voters at all, because they will do everything in their power to lower voter enthusiasm and participation, and therefore have no intention of honoring voters’ trust by addressing the issues that matter most. The GOP agenda is the Koch Brothers’ agenda. It is Sheldon Adelson’s, the Walton’s and the oil companies’ agenda. 1,124 note
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 07:33:19 +0000