kpete (1000+ posts) Tue Jun-28-11 08:43 PM
Original message
14th Amendment: Democratic Senators See Debt Ceiling As Unconstitutional
Edited on Tue Jun-28-11 08:45 PM by kpete
Source: Huffington Post
14th Amendment: Democratic Senators See Debt Ceiling As Unconstitutional
WASHINGTON -- Growing increasingly pessimistic about the prospects for a deal that would raise the debt ceiling, Democratic senators are revisiting a solution to the crisis that rests on a simple proposition: The debt ceiling itself is unconstitutional.
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By declaring the debt ceiling unconstitutional, the White House could continue to meet its financial obligations, leaving Tea Party-backed Republicans in the difficult position of arguing against the plain wording of the Constitution. Bipartisan negotiators are debating the size of the cuts, now in the trillions, that will come along with raising the debt ceiling.
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/28/14th-amendment...
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No mention of the fact that if you don't spend the money in the first place it doesn't become debt. Perhaps the answer is too simple for such complicated minds.
Anyway the DUmbasses like the idea that requirements to pay all debt some how translates via non-sequitor into calls for unrestrained spending:
bluestateguy (1000+ posts) Tue Jun-28-11 08:49 PM
Response to Original message
1. The nuclear option is for Obama to simply instruct Geithner to ignore the debt ceiling
Indeed there is a valid constitutional argument to be made here, and nonetheless avoiding default is simply more important than some Schoolhouse Rock bullshit about This is How a Bill Becomes a Law.
LiberalFighter (1000+ posts) Tue Jun-28-11 09:08 PM
Response to Original message
4. Will the teabaggers be for the Constitution or against it?
christx30 (517 posts) Tue Jun-28-11 09:20 PM
Response to Original message
6. From Wikipedia:
"Republican economist Bruce Bartlett argues that Section 4 renders the debt ceiling unconstitutional, and obligates the President to consider the debt ceiling null and void."
Looks like Obama is in a pretty good spot under that senario. Being forced by the constitution to ignore the debt ceiling. Like when I am forced to drink a beer, watch Star Wars, and eat a huge pizza.
valerief (1000+ posts) Tue Jun-28-11 09:26 PM
Response to Original message
7. So they've known this all along and we've been showered with more fear theater
from our Koch Congress.
I want to know which street corner this whore works on so I can whore-slap her.
Fuddnik (1000+ posts) Tue Jun-28-11 10:58 PM
Response to Original message
13. It doesn't matter what they think.
It comes down to what Fat Tony and Uncle Thomas think.
holy ****ing wow
roomfullofmirrors (27 posts) Wed Jun-29-11 12:11 AM
Response to Original message
21. this is getting stupid now. call their ****ing bluff.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4899878Got that?
The fact the US is constitutionally bound to honor its debts--a good thing--means (somehow) that we can spend ad nauseam. There is noi limit to spending. Just spend-spend-spend because as soon as you spend it becomes debt and must be paid...which is true but the debt ceiling doesn't limit how much debt is paid but how much debt may be incurred.
But to hell with facts and simple logic we need to spend.
Or do we?
derby378 (1000+ posts) Sun Jun-26-11 09:34 PM
Original message
Cost of air conditioning for U.S. troops in MidEast more than NASA budget
Source: Raw Story
The United States spends $20.2 billion annually on air conditioning for troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan — more than NASA's entire budget, NPR reported.
...
First up: NorthofDisordered
northoftheborder (1000+ posts) Sun Jun-26-11 09:38 PM
Response to Original message
1. cooling the soldiers in the desert to the tune of 20 billion is insane. bring them home.
defendandprotect (1000+ posts) Mon Jun-27-11 12:44 AM
Response to Reply #2
17. It clearly moves these wars into the criminal column ... and all of those supporting them!!
A/C = war crime
ImNotTed (250 posts) Mon Jun-27-11 12:06 PM
Response to Reply #2
62. I second that puking
and will spew it on the next ****ing moron who bleats about "wasting" money on NASA.
But the first thread says money is infinite and inexhaustable.
neverforget (1000+ posts) Sun Jun-26-11 09:54 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. The MIC must be fed. It above all else is sacrosanct. SS, Medicare
Medicaid, meh
But the 14th Amendment says...something or other
izquierdista (1000+ posts) Sun Jun-26-11 09:56 PM
Response to Reply #3
7. I do
I don't believe Gen. Patton had A/C in North Africa, and the soldiers still survived. If the military can create conditions like home, with Burger Kings and A/C and Skype links to home, then it will still be seen as a viable career choice for a 20-somethings. As Gen. Sherman said, "war is hell". It should be hell, so that everyone from privates to generals to politicians has absolutely no desire to engage in it.
We can't all live in climate controlled basements.
And then it degenerates into degenerates talking about how troops love war and killing and are morally culpable for Obama's wars...
...or something
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4897363
