This Week in Washington

Well, some good things happened in Washington this week.  Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed with support from Maine Senators, Snowe and Collins.  I give them credit for breaking ranks with their party.  It looks like the START Treaty may get ratified without changes that a couple of Republicans wanted which would have doomed the treaty and again our Maine Senators seemed poised to support the treaty.
I have to laugh when I hear the Republicans complaining that too much is being jammed into the "lame duck" session.  You know if they hadn't blocked just about everything all year this would not have been necessary.  It is as if they have never done the same thing.  I hope Harry Reid keeps them there till after Christmas.  They have just had a long break for the elections anyway and most of us are lucky to get two weeks off for vacation.
But on the other hand some bad things happened also.  One was the two year extension of the tax cuts for the very wealthy which will cost the country billions of dollars even though many of the wealthiest like Warren Buffet said they didn't need or want them. So much for the hypocrisy of the Republicans worrying about the deficit.  What did we get for that, a measly 13 month extension of unemployment benefits.  Yes there were other things in the bill but basically the middle class got screwed again!
It looks like the FCC is going to pass some rules governing the Internet.  Will it be true Net Neutrality?  NO! The FCC and the Obama administration are again favoring the big corporations over the will of the people.  Over 100,000 people signed a petition circulated by Senator Al Franken.  He has been the spokesperson for Net Neutrality along with some progressive groups.   So we have been betrayed again.
The Dream Act did not pass and that is too bad for so many young people who were brought here illegally by their parents.  This would have given them a path to citizenship by attending college or serving in the military and it would help solve a portion of the immigration problem for these young people who have been brought here with no choice of their own.
The failure to pass the Omnibus spending bill which will fund the government will hurt the child care and Headstart programs which benefit those children whose parents are struggling to make ends meet.  The days of taking care of the people is coming to an end and will get even worse under the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.
I am trying to have a positive attitude but it gets increasingly more difficult as program after program gets slashed and government rolls to a stand still.  Let's all keep writing and calling our elected leaders and hope that President Obama knows where the veto pen is and how to use it if necessary.
Hey, the Patriots won in a close game so that is good!