GOP Blackmail, Conflict of Interest? You Decide

Is the GOP guilty of Blackmail and Conflict of Interest? You Decide. This is a guest post from my friend and fellow 99er Cindy Paoletti.

As most of you have probably read, the GOP has written a letter, signed by 42 Republicans and delivered it to Harry Reid which states they will object to every motion brought to the Senate floor until the Bush tax cuts and funding the government have been voted on and passed. After watching two days of discussion in the Senate, it is also obvious they are not willing to compromise on eliminating the tax cuts for the millionaires and billionaires.

Giving the Democrats this type of ultimatum is in my opinion, a form of blackmail. Knowing that millions of people are suffering and unemployment benefits have expired, they continue to preach that the Bush tax cuts are what the "American People" consider the most important legislation at this time. Exactly which American people are these Republicans talking to? After reading numerous news articles and watching the news on television, I have yet to see where the American people have said the tax cuts are the first priority Congress should tackle. The "American People" are screaming that the economy, jobs and unemployment are the number one priority for this country! The Republican party has stepped over their bounds holding hostage the crucial legislation that needs to be addressed NOW. There are still 3 weeks before the tax cuts expire, are they rushing this bill so that they can then vote to adjourn for the Christmas holiday and leave millions of unemployed suffering through Christmas and ignore the 99ers again? Isn't blackmail against the law?

This brings me to my second issue which is a conflict of interest. 53% of Congress are millionaires. A good majority of them are Republicans. Is the big picture coming in clear now? These lawmakers want the tax cuts for the top 2% because if they aren't extended, they all have to pay higher taxes. This is a CONFLICT OF INTEREST! These Senators and Reps that are millionaires should not be allowed to vote on something that benefits their own interest. This makes the voting process totally unfair. If this vote was put to the citizens of this country, the outcome would be NO tax cuts for the millionaires and billionaires. The citizens do not have a voice in the matter, yet the lawmakers in Congress are allowed to vote on something that fattens their wallets and adds billions to the deficit that they continually complain about reducing.

There's something drastically wrong with this picture. It's even worse that President Obama is allowing it to happen. He should have been in the GOP's faces as soon as he found out about this letter. I have never in my life seen such deception, greed and insubordination from our government. If any employee ever tried to pull something like this on their employer they would have been fired on the spot. I think it's about time the "American People" that hired these lawmakers to work for US, have the ability to file motions to FIRE them. Any legislation they pass into law, should also be followed and obeyed by Congress, including health care, retirement, sick time and working more than 10 days a month! The majority of people in Congress are the worst examples of employees I have ever seen.

***Paladinette Opines: Hypocrisy is a staple for the GOPigs: "It is the view of 100 percent of Senate Republicans, and a number of Senate Democrats as well ... that we ought to treat all taxpayers the same," McConnell told reporters. They went on to say "No tiers for the tax payers and to treat them all the same" Yet we (the 99ers) have been forced into tiers and have been discriminated against for over a year now.

The answer to the question is YES - the GOP IS guilty of Blackmail, Conflict of Interest and a host of immoral and reprehensible behavior. The real question is: How long are the American People going to take this lying down or bending over....

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