Democrats Come Out Firing

<a href="http://www.brownfieldnetwork.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=EBC71872-C631-3E2E-C9870F565C92DEB0" >House Democrats launch Discharge Petition</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>Democratic members of the House of Representatives have introduced a discharge petition in an effort to bring ag disaster relief to the floor. Minnesota representative, Collin Peterson is Ranking Minority Member of the House Ag Committee; he says the real problem is a dispute over how any disaster package would be paid for. He charges the Administration wants spending cuts to offset any aid instead of the usual emergency spending. Peterson contends that has not been the case in previous situations. “When it came to the Iraq war, didn’t have to be paid for. In the supplemental bill, we spent $2.3 billion on bird flu,” which Peterson says has a slim chance of ever materializing, “But that was an emergency.” Yet he contends at a time when farmers desperately need help, “That’s not an emergency.” Peterson says the Discharge Petition does not have any specifics about a bill, it is designed to bring a bill forth that they can then work on. “We stand ready to work with them to craft a bill that will get the aid to the people that need it.”<br />n<br />nThe petition requires that a majority of House members, 218, sign it and that means some Republicans would have to join the Democrats. Peterson says, “It only takes a handful and we have enough Republicans that have disaster in their districts to make a majority here to get this thing up.” Representatives can sign the petition as long as the House is in session, he hopes to get enough to force action before the recess, and otherwise they’ll continue it in the lame duck session after the election.<br />n</blockquote><br />n<br />nThe Democrats are really angling for any vote they can get. Even if they get thier disharge petiton the package will go nowhere. The Senate leadership will never allow it. Politics at its best.<br />n<br />n<strong>In the United States today, we have more than our share of nattering nabobs of negativism. Spiro T. Agnew </strong>