WASHINGTON – Arizona congressional offices have been flooded this week by phone calls and emails on the debt-limit impasse, after President Barack Obama urged voters to call their representatives on the issue.
“We haven’t received this many phone calls and emails since Congress debated Obamacare,” said Genevieve Rozansky, a spokeswoman for Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Mesa, in an email Thursday.
House and Senate officials could not give specific numbers Friday, but members of the state’s congressional delegation, Republican and Democrat, reported a sharp uptick in calls and emails since Obama’s speech Monday.
That’s when the president told people to “let your member of Congress know” how they felt about the reducing the deficit.
“If you believe we can solve this problem through compromise, send that message,” he said.
On Friday, Obama kept the pressure up, challenging voters to, “Make a phone call. Send an email. Tweet.” His office followed up by posting “the Twitter handles of GOP lawmakers in each state” throughout the day.
Not everyone was thrilled by the tactic. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Peoria, tweeted later in the day that while “@BarackObama’s busy spamming folks on Twitter,” Franks was linking followers to a debt plan.
Officially, congressional staffers welcomed the influx of comments — which they claimed were largely positive and uniformly in line with the positions of their representatives.
“The positive-to-negative calls have been nearly 40-to-1,” said Adam Sarvana, a spokesman for Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson. “We’ve been getting a ton of really great calls.”
That theme was repeated by aides to Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Flagstaff.
“The majority of callers have been in favor of the (House Speaker John) Boehner plan to compromise and therefore, the congressman has decided to support this plan,” Hannah Loy, a Gosar spokeswoman, wrote in an email. “The congressman loves hearing the thoughts and concerns of his constituents.”
The increase even reached Arizona district offices. Aides to Rep. Ed Pastor, D-Phoenix, said they had received “maybe 50 calls,” most of which they said were thank you’s for the congressman’s efforts to protect Social Security.
But while the aides did not say so, at least one market research professional said congressional staffers may be experiencing more strain than usual because of the surge in constituent contact.
Sara Radicati, CEO of Radicati Group Inc., said she thinks the stress load is probably pretty high, making emails difficult to respond to.
“I don’t think these poor staffers have had a chance to categorize these emails,” Radicati said. “It becomes a struggle to read them, a struggle to answer them.
“Clearly these emails contain different opinions, but it’s not a simple yes/no,” she said. Obama “reached out directly to the American people to increase pressure,” Radicati said.
But that’s just fine to some Arizona aides.
“We always like it when our phones blow up,” said Richard Cullen, a spokesman for Rep. Ben Quayle, R-Phoenix.
Maggie Pingolt is a reporter for Cronkite News Service.
soricobob posted at 5:19 am on Mon, Aug 1, 2011.
They are so lucky that we don't vote on their benefits!
azconan posted at 9:41 am on Mon, Aug 1, 2011.
545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan .....
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote al l o f them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren't so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his burro.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'
I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it get there!!!
GO AHEAD. . . BE AN AMERICAN!!!
rouse2 posted at 10:10 am on Mon, Aug 1, 2011.
apparently obama got the tea party to get on the phones. whatever was said. obama lost.
NothingButTheTruth posted at 11:00 am on Mon, Aug 1, 2011.
Don’t be fooled. We’ve just been betrayed by Washington.
A deal on the debt ceiling is near and Washington still hasn’t gotten serious about the fundamentals. It hasn’t gotten serious about default. It certainly hasn’t gotten serious about the future. When Harry Reid hails a “bipartisan compromise” you know we’re doomed.
Republicans and Democrats have just negotiated away the future of our children behind closed doors. The big compromise on Capitol Hill features elaborate triggers, tranches, Hornswogglers, Snozzwangers, Super Duper Commissions that will make the Snozzberries taste like Snozeberries, and a whole bunch of other convoluted gibberish that will, no doubt, come with loopholes and create entire new bureaucracies. What it doesn’t do is fix the problem.
The fact is Moody’s has already warned us that no one has put a plan on the table that comes close to solving our long-term problem. Moody’s will downgrade us. This could happen tomorrow, in six months or maybe a year from now, but at some point in the near future it’s going to happen. And it’s going to hurt. So we must be prepared.
Imagine your credit card’s interest rates constantly rising. Imagine high inflation eating away at your savings accounts, retirement funds and salary — if you’re lucky enough to have one these days. Imagine the interest rate on your mortgage rising and compounding until there was no hope of escaping debt. Imagine that fewer and fewer people are willing to lend you any money as your credit rating takes a dive.
Now imagine we’re talking about 15, 25, 100 trillion dollars and your Medicare, Social Security and Treasury bonds.
Those tanks and missiles Republicans say we need? No more. Those food stamps and green-energy boondoggles Democrats say we can’t live without? Forget it. We won’t be able to afford them. It won’t matter how many prime time speeches the president gives or how dangerous the world gets. The unsustainable cost of irresponsible governance mean everyone loses.
And by everyone, I mean the whole world.
Remember the saying: as Greece goes so goes the world? The United States economy constitutes around 25 percent of the world’s GDP. What happens to global economy when we default? Everyone will feel it. After all, who’s going to send billions in weapons to Egypt’s military regime to help it quell the “democratic” Arab street when we can’t even pay the janitors at the IRS office space?
So what is the point of all the drama in Washington? As best as I can tell most politicians are scared stiff that they might have to have a substantive debate about the debt ceiling during the election season. Other than that, we’re back where we started.
For one, any promise of future cuts is as about as rock solid as a politician’s word. Experience has taught us every year some “unprecedented” emergency will require us to spend hundreds of billions, if not trillions, we don’t have to “fix.” Mark my words, the war (I’m sorry … “kinetic military action”) that no one even understands in Libya will expand and then all the promises forgotten.
It’s true that seven or eight months ago Democrats were still saying we needed another stimulus package and calling for new spending. Now, we’re not just talking about whether to cut but about how much to cut. And it’s great news that Washington has made significant progress in moving the Balanced Budget Amendment — the only real and lasting solution to this crisis. Nevertheless, the fact remains that this deal raises the debt limit by about $2.5 trillion dollars without making substantial and immediate cuts.
Congressman Jason Chaffetz, in fact, explained that the first year of spending cut is $7 billion and when you consider that we deficit spend $4 billion a day, the real savings in the first year of this deal covers only two days of spending.
Promises mean nothing in Washington. We need genuine, transformational reform and real spending cuts today, not a strategic Republican victory. The time for political expediency is over.
Isn’t it curious that when Democrats wanted to push through a $1 trillion stimulus plan that enriched every social engineering project in the country they got it done? Isn’t it amazing that Democrats had the willpower to ram through health unpopular Obamacare which changed our entire health care system without any compromise whatsoever?
Why can’t Republicans find a similar backbone? Why can’t they fight for the people who elected them? Are you telling me they can’t find significant waste and fraud in the Federal government right now?
The answer is simple.
You cannot spend more than you earn. You cannot run up the largest credit card bill in human history. You want more revenue? Stop chasing income earners overseas by threatening them with higher taxes, stop inflating their energy costs and stop punishing them with never-ending regulations. Mr President, put down your socialist mop! Stop with the Cloward and Piven floor wax.
And then balance the budget, cut back the spending and reform entitlements.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/glenn-beck-commentary-why-the-debt-deal-is-bad-news/