The Will Of The Voters

[RANT]
The Republican Party doesn’t care about us all they care about is power.

But wait you say that you are a Republican and that is not true that you vote Republican because you want smaller government, less invasive government, and fiscal responsibility and I say you are an enabler.

Missouri Voters Backed An Anti-Gerrymandering Measure; Lawmakers Want To Undo ItNPR
By Jason Rosenbaum
January 8, 2019

Just two months ago, Missouri voters approved a constitutional amendment to change how the state draws legislative boundaries. The state's lawmakers, who return to session this week, aren't having it and may seek to nix or rewrite the anti-gerrymandering law.
Voters Approve Major Changes To Redistricting And Other Voting Laws

Missouri was one of four states where voters last year decided to make significant changes to the redistricting process in the name of curbing partisanship and reducing political influence on legislative and congressional maps.

In approving a measure known as Amendment 1 with more than 60 percent of the vote, Missouri voters chose to give much of the power to draw state House and Senate districts over to a demographer who must craft a map that emphasizes partisan fairness and competitiveness.
And the Republicans thumbed their nose at the voters!
[…]
But fans of the measure barely had a chance to exhale before the GOP majority began to talk about repealing it. The Republican leaders of the House and Senate, as well as Gov. Mike Parson, expressed support for repealing or altering the new redistricting system.

"I think it's a major concern for this majority, in how that is going to impact the future," said Senate President Pro Tem-elect Dave Schatz last year. "And I do think those issues are going to have to be addressed there."

The Republican Party will do anything to maintain power, the Republican Party is corrupt!

Then in Wisconsin to thwart the Democrat governor who was elected by the people…

Wisconsin’s GOP Governor Signs Controversial Bills Weakening Democratic Successor
Time
By Todd Richmond and Scott Bauer / AP
December 14, 2018


(MADISON, Wis.) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed a sweeping package of Republican-written legislation Friday that restricts early voting and weakens the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general, brushing aside complaints that he is enabling a brazen power grab and ignoring the will of voters.

Walker signed the bills just 24 days before he leaves office during an event at a state office building in Green Bay, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) from his Capitol office.

The Republican governor and one-time GOP presidential candidate downplayed bipartisan criticism that they amount to a power grab that will stain his legacy. He detailed all of the governor’s powers, including a strong veto authority, that will not change while defending the measures he signed as improving transparency, stability and accountability.

And in Michigan they did the same thing!

Protesters pack Michigan capitol as Republicans try to strip power from newly-elected Democrats
Michigan capitol is packed with protesters objecting to Michigan legislature efforts to strip power from Democrats
Salon
By Matthew Rozsa
December 13, 2018

As Republicans in the Michigan legislature work to strip power away from newly-elected Democrats, protesters are packing the capitol to voice their opposition to actions they consider undemocratic.

The underlying issue is that the Republican-controlled legislature is pushing a series of bills intended to limit the powers of the newly-elected governor, attorney general and secretary of state, according to Common Dreams. It reported that demonstrators have entered the capitol building in Lansing and are chanting "The people, united, will never be defeated!" The concern is that, by stripping power away from duly elected officials, Michigan Republicans are essentially negating the choice made by the voting majority in their states.

The Republican-controlled Michigan legislature hasn't only gone after Democratic officials. They have also worked to undermine initiatives supported by voters that would increase the minimum wage and forced workers to provide paid sick leave to their employees.

This all started in North Carolina.

Other States Follow North Carolina GOP's Lead To Limit Executive Power
WFAE
By Cole Del Charco
December 10, 2018

In the past three weeks, state legislatures in Wisconsin and Michigan have moved to strip power from incoming Democratic governors. The tactics, while themselves different, follow the efforts of North Carolina Republicans in 2016 to limit the power of incoming Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

Between the election of Cooper and the time he took his seat in Jan. 2017, the General Assembly took action to limit his ability to appoint cabinet members and members of the board of elections, among other appointments. The assembly also moved to limit the power of the state Attorney General, Josh Stein.

Some of those provisions stand, but some, like turning the board of elections bipartisan, were struck down in court. Still, others are currently in litigation.

The Republicans will try anything to stay in power… rigging districts by gerrymandering, voter suppression, and closing polling places in predominantly black and Democratic districts.

As for less invasive government, the Republican Party wants to control women’s bodies by limiting access to birth control, making abortion illegal, tell you who you can marry, and by giving special rights to Christians to discriminate.

And fiscal responsibility… HA!

Federal Deficit Climbs Again, Putting It on Track for $1 Trillion This Year
New York Times
By Jim Tankersley
January 8, 2019

WASHINGTON — The federal budget deficit continued to rise in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and is on pace to top $1 trillion for the year, as President Trump’s signature tax cuts continue to reduce corporate tax revenue, data released Tuesday shows.

The monthly numbers from the Congressional Budget Office also show an increase in spending on federal debt as rising interest rates drive up the cost of the government’s borrowing.

The widening deficit comes despite a booming economy and a low unemployment rate that would typically help fill the government’s coffers. Federal spending outpaced revenue by $317 billion over the first three months of the fiscal year, which began in October, the budget office reported. That was 41 percent higher than the same period a year ago, or 17 percent after factoring in payment shifts that made the fiscal 2018 first-quarter deficit appear smaller than it actually was.

And look who are backing the Republicans…

How Putin's oligarchs funneled millions into GOP campaigns
Dallas News
By Ruth May, Contributor
May 8, 2018

Editor's note May 8, 2018: This column originally published December 15, 2017. New allegations about $500k in payments from a Russian oligarch made to Trump attorney Michael Cohen have placed it back in the news.

As Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team probes deeper into potential collusion between Trump officials and representatives of the Russian government, investigators are taking a closer look at political contributions made by U.S. citizens with close ties to Russia.

Buried in the campaign finance reports available to the public are some troubling connections between a group of wealthy donors with ties to Russia and their political contributions to President Donald Trump and a number of top Republican leaders. And thanks to changes in campaign finance laws, the political contributions are legal. We have allowed our campaign finance laws to become a strategic threat to our country.
[…]
In 2015-16, everything changed. Blavatnik's [Len Blavatnik, a dual U.S.-U.K. citizen, he returned to Russia when the Soviet Union began to collapse in the late '80s] political contributions soared and made a hard right turn as he pumped $6.35 million into GOP political action committees, with millions of dollars going to top Republican leaders including Sens. Mitch McConnell, Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham.

You wonder what all that money bought? Does their behavior in Congress give any clues? Are the Republicans becoming Russian dupes?

If you voted vote Republican because you want smaller government, less invasive government, and fiscal responsibility you bought their lies hook, line, and sinker.
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