131 House Members Miss Surprise Vote!!

After being told that was it for the day, and there would be no votes until the next day, majority Democrats closed the vote - 40 minutes after calling everyone back in!!

Most representatives made a beeline out of the Capitol around 6:30 pm Tuesday. Lawmakers had just approved an emergency war funding bill. And the leadership brass advertised that vote as the last one of the evening. But the House wasn’t done with it’s work. The plan was for members to start plowing through a slate of 127 amendments to the annual Commerce, Justice, Science spending bill. Some lawmakers would stick around to debate. But there would be no votes until Wednesday.

That all changed at 8:21 pm.

That’s when the House bells rang and Congressional aides pinged their bosses via BlackBerry messages ricocheting all over Washington. Lawmakers were instructed to hustle back to the House for an unexpected procedural vote.

This, IMHO, is unacceptable!! Everyone should have been given enough time to return, debate, and vote as they had started doing earlier - before they were told they could go because of no voting taking place until tomorrow!!

Is this the way things run on a regular basis in Congress?!?!?!?? If so, no damn wonder things continue to get more f'ed up!! Damn government......

star and flag for you. yes this is business as usual for them. it's how the federal reserve act was passed. it was during christmas break.

Not even the neo-cons did that while they hold congress.... pretty disgustng.

I like those amendments...

Almost immediately, Republicans tried to portray Democrats as fearful of three amendments in particular. Two, offered by Rep. Steve King (R-IA), would prevent ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) from scoring federal funds. A third, authored by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), would launch a $2 million Justice Department probe of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her allegations that the CIA lied to her. Meantime, Democrats countered that Republicans forced them to take extreme measures to yank the measure from the floor.

Originally posted by Vitchilo
Not even the neo-cons did that while they hold congress.... pretty disgustng.

I like those amendments...

Almost immediately, Republicans tried to portray Democrats as fearful of three amendments in particular. Two, offered by Rep. Steve King (R-IA), would prevent ACORN (the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) from scoring federal funds. A third, authored by Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), would launch a $2 million Justice Department probe of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and her allegations that the CIA lied to her. Meantime, Democrats countered that Republicans forced them to take extreme measures to yank the measure from the floor.

Bingo! Who in the hell do the democrats think they're fooling? This is unbelievable! They got caught with their hand in the cookie jar and now we're hearing their self-righteous, smug, condescending joke of an explanation.

This is some of Nancy's doing I'm sure. She's running scared.

This really pisses me off! I'm sick and tired of people stepping around the constitution and its procedures. They decided afte 20 minutes that it would take too long! I can't wait until 2010 when we can vote these worthless peices of garbage out of office. Who knows, by then maybe there will be enough "czars" that the congress won't even be necessary anymore.

More than one lawmaker featured red cheeks and a whiff of alcohol on the breath, as though they had hit the bar.

I need a drink after reading this article. Great find OP

-E-

[edit on 17-6-2009 by MysterE]

Someone needs to introduce legislation that makes it impossible for ANY piece of legislation to be voted on unless there is at least 95% of the voters present at the time of the vote.

Simple enough, and I can think of no reason as to why that should not be the case?

Just your typical Democratic sneakiness plain and simple.

This is on the same level as them sticking the billion dollar world bank bailout in the bill to fund the troops!

Games, games, games. They think it's all a game. Well the American public doesn't think that the job Congress is supposed to do is a game. Too bad they do...

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Someone needs to introduce legislation that makes it impossible for ANY piece of legislation to be voted on unless there is at least 95% of the voters present at the time of the vote.

Simple enough, and I can think of no reason as to why that should not be the case?

Because then if 5% of the voters band up and boycott a vote, they then have veto powers because the vote cannot continue.

God this makes me sick.

Really sick.

Votes on ACORN funding..and Pelosis CIA crap..
Ya, us civilians are just too stupid to put 2 and 2 together.
Naw, we arent even here GOVT. Do what you must. Please. We dont see you. Its ok. Any angle you want, take what you can, hold no prisoners, and take out anyone who asks questions. Thats the way to do it!!!!!

Originally posted by Iamonlyhuman
Games, games, games. They think it's all a game. Well the American public doesn't think that the job Congress is supposed to do is a game. Too bad they do...

For anyone who missed this thread showing a video of other state reps casting votes for the reps that are 'MIA'

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Simply amazing that this goes on on the general public says nothing...

"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."-Thomas Jefferson

In light of Rockpuck's post, I have a question.

What would it take, short of Jesus himself coming back and enacting this, to make it so any bill being voted on was a single bill with no riders? Eliminate pork altogether. Your bill has to stand on it's own. No more waste for stupid things. This didn't happen overnight. this has been getting worse and worse over the years. When Bush was still in office and the bailouts were first discussed, nobody wanted them. We called our congressmen and women, and shouted NO! but they still passed. And in record time. What tricks were used to make this happen? were there promises made? Was there blackmail? Our elected officials are not working for us. This has to change, but I don't know how. I will personally do whatever it takes on my part, but I don't know what it will take. Somebody has to know. Please step up to the plate whomever you are. Fix this mess. Please.

I see the distractions are working.

Keep up the arguments about Dem or Rep because it really helps to hide the small things like foreign policy. As long as we're arguing about what Democrat said what to this Republican, then it doesn't really matter that we're spending countless dollars and thousands of human lives to promote "Democracy" in a places around the world, and we have yet to make it work to a reasonable measure here in our own country.

... what was I saying? Sorry, Dancing with the Stars is coming on ... oh yeah those dirty democrats and repugnant republicans. shame, shame.

If you really want to fix the system, step up to the plate. Write your representative, or better yet, put your own name on the ballot.

Yes somehow people still vote Democrat. Does anyone have an explanation?

When a kid, we learn that our government is a giant system of checks and balances, and everything follows certain guidelines to promote the best for the peoples interests.

It doesn't even feel like we live in a (representative) democracy anymore.

Originally posted by ninecrimes

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Someone needs to introduce legislation that makes it impossible for ANY piece of legislation to be voted on unless there is at least 95% of the voters present at the time of the vote.

Simple enough, and I can think of no reason as to why that should not be the case?

Because then if 5% of the voters band up and boycott a vote, they then have veto powers because the vote cannot continue.

Good thinking...

Then perhaps this:

If your a Congresscriter and you miss more then 5% of the votes, you will be penalized by fines or other consequences.

This exact thing happened in the Colorado senate. The Democrats have a 6-4 majority, but on a specific senate bill 170, immigration tuition bill that would grant illegal immigrants in state tuition one of their own refused to support making it a 5-5 split which in essense, kills the bill. Well, senator Ted Harvey (R) had to leave for a family emergance so the senate scheduled an emergency vote the minute Harvey was on the plan to get the vote to pass 5-4.

Srouce

This is so sickning. Here we are watching our country going down the tubes an their rushing to get it done before the 2010 elections.

This whole thread further demonstrates how far congress has gone into the toilet. The Dems are to be commended for their shiffty, underhanded, low life, scum bag, lying sack of poop ways, but I would expect this of them. They are in control now, and let there be no mistake, as Rohm Emanuel, or whatever the heck his name is, said, (paraphrase), "we won't let a good catastrope go by without taking advantage of it." he was true to his word. Even though both parties lie and steal, the Dems have taken it to a whole other level. They are drunk with power, but beware Dems, it will come back to haunt them. Only problem, by that time, it won't make any difference, the whole economy will be in the sh____r. We;re close to flushing it all down the crapper now.
Ever since I've been voting, I haven't seen such an obvious rape of the system by a political party. There is NO comparison. The Dems are taking no prisoners on this ride. The Rep's seem to be powerless to stop their drunken orgy of power. Make's one wonder what's next.....