Tuesday
Mar172009
“Have They No Shame?”
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at 5:51PM
Coffee Brown, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer expressed the “outrage that all Americans feel” at AIG executives taking large bonuses on taxpayer money. “These people tried to separate risk from responsibility,” he said, but he was unsure whether there was any legal way to reclaim the money. “The right question is, how can they take these bonuses? Have they no shame? No sense of decency?” The right thing, he continued, would be for them to return the bonuses.
“They thought they would never have to pay the piper. The piper is being paid; not by them, but by the taxpayers,” he finished.
Hoyer also criticized a remark by former Vice President Dick Cheney two days ago that,”I don’t think you can blame the Bush administration for the creation of those (economic) circumstances.” Hoyer provided various quotes from Cheney, House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, Republican Leader John Boehner, and former President George Bush to the effect that Republicans were not responsible for the current financial crisis.
“The last administration started with a January growth of 164,000 jobs. The Obama administration took over in a January that lost 351,000 jobs,” he said. Hoyer contrasted the $5.6 trillion surplus that Bush started with against the $4.5 trillion deficit that Obama inherited. “It’s mind-boggling that the former vice president simply said, ‘well, it’s not our fault.’”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer expressed the “outrage that all Americans feel” at AIG executives taking large bonuses on taxpayer money. “These people tried to separate risk from responsibility,” he said, but he was unsure whether there was any legal way to reclaim the money. “The right question is, how can they take these bonuses? Have they no shame? No sense of decency?” The right thing, he continued, would be for them to return the bonuses.
“They thought they would never have to pay the piper. The piper is being paid; not by them, but by the taxpayers,” he finished.
Hoyer also criticized a remark by former Vice President Dick Cheney two days ago that,”I don’t think you can blame the Bush administration for the creation of those (economic) circumstances.” Hoyer provided various quotes from Cheney, House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, Republican Leader John Boehner, and former President George Bush to the effect that Republicans were not responsible for the current financial crisis.
“The last administration started with a January growth of 164,000 jobs. The Obama administration took over in a January that lost 351,000 jobs,” he said. Hoyer contrasted the $5.6 trillion surplus that Bush started with against the $4.5 trillion deficit that Obama inherited. “It’s mind-boggling that the former vice president simply said, ‘well, it’s not our fault.’”
Boehner on President’s budget: It is time for a do-over
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) spoke today about the news conference President Obama will hold this evening. A lot of Americans believe that our economy is in a crisis and they are looking to Washington for solutions, said Boehner. “I believe that Republicans are offering better ideas to the president in hopes of building a better budget.”
Republicans plan to release an alternative budget sometime next week and Boehner said that, “Our alternative will create jobs by allowing American families and small businesses to keep more of what they earn.” He went on to explain that it will ensure that the federal budget doesn’t grow faster than the family budget as well as expand access to healthcare while preserving Social Security and Medicare and reform the financial system.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve offered better solutions, and the resident knows that,” stated Boehner. He explained that he and Congressman Eric Cantor (R-Va.) personally delivered the president a stimulus proposal at the White House in January, “and what was the response? The White House pretended they never even saw it,” said Boehner.
Boehner said that the president’s budget spends too much, taxes too much, and borrows too much from our kids and grandkids. In a time when our economy is in serious recession, “I think Americans deserve better,” stated Boehner.
Boehner said that the President’s budget hurts our economy and destroys the very jobs that we are trying to save and create. “It includes irresponsible levels of spending reaching 5.1 trillion (dollars) ten years out,” and it doubles the debt on our kids and grandkids over the next six years said Boehner.
“I just think that this may be the most irresponsible piece of legislation I’ve seen in my legislative career,” and “It is time for a do-over,” concluded Boehner.