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15 Jul 2011 21:53

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Politics: Republicans Senator: “We’ve got nobody to blame but ourselves”

  • Maybe the debt ceiling was the wrong place to pick a fight, as it related to trying to get our country’s house in order…maybe that was the wrong place to do it.
  • GOP Senator Bob Corker • In a shockingly frank admission that the Republicans overplayed their obstructionist hand. The phrase “pick a fight” implies antagonism for antagonism’s sake which, if one reflects on the Republican party’s behavior over the last three years, would seem an appropriate implication. Another Senate Republican, Lindsey Graham, had a similar confession: “Our problem is we made a big deal about this for three months…we’ve got nobody to blame but ourselves.” Yes, indeed. These confessions bode well for the prospects of a deal passing the Senate, but the House remains another question entirely. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Oct 2010 22:27

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U.S.: Chris Christie’s N.J. rail tunnel cancellation = Shaky political ground

  • New Jersey’s governor just gave public works projects a body blow today. Why, you ask? Well, Chris Christie, frustrated over the possibility of putting taxpayers on the hook for billions in cost overruns, ordered the shutdown of a massive, long-in-the-works plan to build a passenger rail tunnel under the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York City. While his reasons are fiscal conservative to the core, let’s just emphasize a few things about what he’s costing his state by shutting down the largest public works project in the country:
  • $8.7 billion, the estimated cost of the New Jersey rail project
  • $3
    billion     the amount the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had already promised for the project
  • $300
    million     the amount New Jersey may have to pay back the federal government for the unfinished project
  • $2.7B the anticipated cost overruns of the already-in-progress public works project
  • 6,000 the number of jobs the project would have given New Jersey construction workers
  • 20 the number of years the wheels had been turning on this highly-anticipated project source
  • » And lots of people are pissed, too. Even considering the costs of this project (which had bipartisan support, by the way), the potential benefits could’ve been long-term and might’ve paid for themselves. Homeowners lost out on higher home prices. Commuters lost the possibility of less-annoying commutes. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood sounded like he wanted to shout in Chris Christie’s face so loudly it ripped the governor’s skin off. And Christie, while bolstering his support among the right, could hurt his re-election chances because of the perceived flip-flop. This is dangerous ground no matter the fiscal benefits.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Feb 2009 09:53

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Biz, U.S.: Need something to do this weekend? Go to a Chicago Tea Party!

Fifteen Rick Santelli tea parties, just this weekend. Couldn’t wait ’til July. He must be proud. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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