The bipartisan proposal “ends Too Big To Fail subsidies or funding advantages for Wall Street mega-banks with more than $500 billion in assets.”

In order to stop the financial bleeding, the U.S. government voted to rescue the big banks rather than allow them to fail and take our economy with them. Ever since, big banks have only gotten bigger on the premise that if they fail again, the government will bail them out.

But an amendment was offered as an attachment to the Senate budget bill and it received unanimous support; 99-0. The U.S. Senate voted to strip “too big to fail” banks of the taxpayer subsidies.

Two reports indicate that the banks were rolling in taxpayer dollars that they didn’t need. In February, Bloomberg News reported that the banks made an estimated $83 billion a year. But that number could be even higher. In March top banking analyst, Chris Whalen estimated that big banks rake in more than $780 billion of government subsidies every year. Banks have been making trillions of dollars over the last few years even though they didn’t need the money.

Now it falls to the House Republicans to approve the bill and send it to the President. Considering the conservative obsession with forcing the Ryan Budget upon America, passage of the Senate bill looks grim. Now would the time for everyone to get on the phone with their representative in Congress to demand passage of the Senate budget.

• 1996: Ron Portman co-sponsors Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriage, even if performed in a state where it is legal
• 1999: Votes against allowing same-sex couples to adopt children in Washington. D.C.
• 2002: ACLU rates him at 7%, indicating an anti-civil rights voting record
• 2004: Votes YES on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage nationwide, which would have nullified same-sex marriages in states which had legalized it
• 2010: Says to let the military decide on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell instead of overturning it.
• 2010: Tells the Christian Coalition that he still supports a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage nationwide
• 2011: Ron Portman’s son tells him that he’s gay and would like to be able to get married someday.
• 2013: Gay marriages for everybody!

credit

As it stands, it feels like giving a gold medal to someone for not spitting on homeless people.

I wish there was no disease or inequality; but since there will be I wish it all upon our Senators and Congressmen/women and their families. Because thats the only time things change. 

thepoliticalfreakshow:

Ten Republican U.S. senators — out of a total of 45 — have filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting congressional leaders in their defense of the Defense of Marriage Act.

The 10 are Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Orrin Hatch of Utah, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Dan Coats of Indiana, Mike Crapo of Idaho, Charles Grassley of Iowa, Richard Shelby of Alabama, and Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, both of Mississippi, reports Equality on Trial.

The brief comes in the case of Windsor v. United States, which the U.S. Supreme Court will hear in March. As the Obama administration has declined to defend DOMA, the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, led by Republicans in the Senate and House, has taken up defense of the antigay law.

Those who signed on to the brief claim their support of DOMA, which prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, is not based on hostility to gays and lesbians. “There is no basis to equate support for the traditional definition of marriage with unconstitutional animus or ‘a bare congressional desire to harm a politically unpopular group,’” the brief says.

Later, it continues, “It is simply not irrational or bigoted to oppose the redefinition of marriage in a manner ‘unknown to history and tradition,’ to use the language of the court below. … To the contrary, when faced with a proposed fundamental redefinition of the institution of marriage, it would be irrational not to consider ‘American society’s historical view of a marriage as being between a man and a woman.’”

Read more here.

It should be criminal for a person elected to represent a diverse population to be so abusive with their power. Also, I’m sick of looking at old, white, rich men tell us what is or isn’t historical. There has ALWAYS been queer people, disabled people, people of color, oppression, sexism, racism, etc. Grow the fuck up. 

(via reagan-was-a-horrible-president)

justinspoliticalcorner:

 Here are just five of the most revealing windows into Cruz’ Tea Party worldview:

1) Ted Cruz Believes George Soros Leads A United Nations Conspiracy To Eliminate Golf: In 1992, President George H.W. Bush joined the leaders of 177 other nations in endorsing Agenda 21. This twenty year-old document largely speaks at a very high level of generality about reducing poverty and building sustainable living environments. Cruz claims that it’s actually a nefarious plot to “abolish ‘unsustainable’ environments, including golf courses, grazing pastures, and paved roads.” Cruz lays the blame for this global anti-golf conspiracy at the feet of a well-known Tea Party boogieman — “The originator of this grand scheme is George Soros.”

2) Ted Cruz Wants To Gut Social Security: Cruz labeled Social Security a “ponzi scheme” and outlined a three-step plan to gut it. Cruz would raise the SS retirement age, cut future benefits, and implement a George W. -style plan to privatize the program.

3) Ted Cruz Wants To Party Like It’s 1829: The Constitution provides that Acts of Congress “shall be the supreme law of the land,” thus cannot be nullified by rogue state lawmakers. Cruz, co-authored an unconstitutional proposal claiming two or more states could simply ignore the Constitution’s command and nullify the Affordable Care Act.

4) Ted Cruz Is An Islamophobe: Cruz touted a Tea Party’s favorite conspiracy, claiming that “Sharia law is an enormous problem” in this country. Although it is common for far right politicians to claim that American law is somehow being replaced with Islamic law, these claims have absolutely no basis in reality.

5) Ted Cruz Campaigned On How He Helped Texas Kill A Mexican: Cruz’s very first campaign ad encouraged GOP primary voters to support him because he helped make it easier for Texas to kill an “illegal alien.”

h/t: Ian Millhiser at Think Progress Justice

(via reagan-was-a-horrible-president)