I have been saying for years that "modern politicians" are in it for the money and power (in that order). Yes, they do think they are above the laws they enact for "everyone else". It's not just the Senate, it's the House, also. These politicians do not want to give up the "lifestyle" they have grown accustomed to (the ones that have made a "career" out of it). They should have to abide by every law they enact and the "perks" and retirement benefits should be based on how many years they "served", lobbyists should be made illegal, and they should have to "work" 5 days a week, every week, they should also not be able to "vote themselves any raises in pay. Until some of these things come to pass, nothing will change. They think they're smarter than everyone else and know what is best for everyone else (no matter what "the people" say). I don't include all politicians in Congress in this opinion, but certainly the majority of them. They have truly forgotten that they were supposed to "serve the people", not the other way around.

Over the last couple of weeks, Congress has been in a budget battle. According to many polls taken in this Country, depending on which source you really believe, a large majority of American people want the Affordable Care Act(ACA), also known as Obamacare, to be repealed. A humorous side note is that when you call it ACA fewer people want it repealed than when it is called Obamacare.

In the last couple of budget votes in the House, the vote, of course along party lines, was:
1) Defund ACA
2) Delay the individual mandate
3) Make Congress and their staffers not exempt from ACA
(those are the ones I recall and to me are the most important)
Of course, no one believed that the first one would even get consideration, but in the end it did and was voted down easily by the Democrat majority Senate.

Then the House Republicans said, "Ok, if you still will not get rid of it, then let us delay the individual mandate for one year like most of the rest of the ACA has been delayed." Of course, no changes to ACA are allowed by the Republicans, so the Democrat Majority Senate rejected that budget.

Then the House Republicans got even more creative, they said, "Ok, if you want this thing, then you should have to abide by it just like the people you have forced it upon." Well, last night's vote along party lines proves, at least to me, and should prove to even the most hard-nosed Democrat voter, that the Democrats believe themselves to be above the laws they enact.

Another side note, the United States Government, the employer of the members of Congress and their staffers, have their insurance opportunities provided by their employer through private insurance companies. According to ACA, if your employer provides private insurance you are not required to go to the HealthCare Exchanges to obtain your insurance. As the Federal Employees Unions would never allow a renegotiation of their contracts to allow the Federal Government to not provide private insurance opportunities, those members of Congress and their staffers would never be subjected to the requirements and mandates of ACA. By passing the budget as amended, no one in Congress would really be effected and the Federal Government would not be "shut down". But I believe the fear of the Federal Government dropping their private insurance opportunities prevented them from faking out the American people. So I have to ask, "Why did they reject the second budget proposal?"

There have been many debates on this forum, and I am sure on others regarding this topic. I have been and always will remain a believer that the members of Congress and their staffers are OUR employees, not we their subjects, and should be forced to abide by the laws they enact. Last night was just more proof, in my mind, of the disconnect between many of our ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES and ourselves.

Do the members of the Senate who voted against the budget believe themselves above the people?
Do the members of the Senate who voted against the budget believe themselves above the laws they write and enact?
Do the members of the Senate who voted against the budget because it touches upon and possibly damages the credibility of legislation they have been trying to put through for decades?
Do the members of the Senate who voted against the budget reject the bill out of spite? To tell the Republicans in the House that, regardless the will of the people or the Congress(wo)men, they are so much more important?

When is the madness going to end? When will the American people finally stand up for their Constitutional Rights and tell these ELECTED Representatives they are our servants. The calling was to be a public servant in an elected capacity, but they seem to believe that we need to be their servant and can be treated as less than they.

Before anyone calls me a sycophant for the Republican party and Conservative ideals, while it was not mentioned directly, they are as much at fault for this crap as the Democrats.

The House Republicans have had at least a year to come up with, and pass, a budget. They have procrastinated. They caused the delays that have led to the current situation.

Why is it that the budget battle, which should be the first item of business in any new Congress, is the last item of business? The budget for the next year should be ironed out before any other of the bullcrap that Congress puts first in its agenda. But, no, regardless who controls the House, they do not want to do their jobs the way they should be done until it is the last minute because they want to politicize the budget fight, unless one party or another controls both sides of the Legislature.

Democrats are for the people?I have watched this battle closely and watched the house compromise and send back to the senate different proposals only to have the senate reject any and all of them. Reid and the senate are doing what Obama wants and that is to ignore the peoples wishes. These politicians have been in Washington for so long they think they can not be replaced, that they are above those that elected them. For the record I am not talking only about democrats, I did say politicians. The fact is that the uninformed people think that congress is only republicans and don't realize that the house is controlled by republicans, and the senate is controlled by democrats and the house and the senate together make up the congress. Find this hard to believe, just poll some people on your own, it will open your eyes to see just how uninformed a lot of people are. I have found that a lot of people are uneducated when it comes to government and how the government works. I listen to the so called experts,do my own research, and come to my own conclusions. I believe that the so called experts advise is what has put us where we are today, lots of book learning, no common sense. It would be wise of all the people to do the same and forget about party.

Over the last couple of weeks, Congress has been in a budget battle. According to many polls taken in this Country, depending on which source you really believe, a large majority of American people want the Affordable Care Act(ACA), also known as Obamacare, to be repealed. A humorous side note is that when you call it ACA fewer people want it repealed than when it is called Obamacare.

In the last couple of budget votes in the House, the vote, of course along party lines, was:
1) Defund ACA
2) Delay the individual mandate
3) Make Congress and their staffers not exempt from ACA
(those are the ones I recall and to me are the most important)
Of course, no one believed that the first one would even get consideration, but in the end it did and was voted down easily by the Democrat majority Senate.

Then the House Republicans said, "Ok, if you still will not get rid of it, then let us delay the individual mandate for one year like most of the rest of the ACA has been delayed." Of course, no changes to ACA are allowed by the Republicans, so the Democrat Majority Senate rejected that budget.

Then the House Republicans got even more creative, they said, "Ok, if you want this thing, then you should have to abide by it just like the people you have forced it upon." Well, last night's vote along party lines proves, at least to me, and should prove to even the most hard-nosed Democrat voter, that the Democrats believe themselves to be above the laws they enact.

Another side note, the United States Government, the employer of the members of Congress and their staffers, have their insurance opportunities provided by their employer through private insurance companies. According to ACA, if your employer provides private insurance you are not required to go to the HealthCare Exchanges to obtain your insurance. As the Federal Employees Unions would never allow a renegotiation of their contracts to allow the Federal Government to not provide private insurance opportunities, those members of Congress and their staffers would never be subjected to the requirements and mandates of ACA. By passing the budget as amended, no one in Congress would really be effected and the Federal Government would not be "shut down". But I believe the fear of the Federal Government dropping their private insurance opportunities prevented them from faking out the American people. So I have to ask, "Why did they reject the second budget proposal?"

There have been many debates on this forum, and I am sure on others regarding this topic. I have been and always will remain a believer that the members of Congress and their staffers are OUR employees, not we their subjects, and should be forced to abide by the laws they enact. Last night was just more proof, in my mind, of the disconnect between many of our ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES and ourselves.

Do the members of the Senate who voted against the budget believe themselves above the people?
Do the members of the Senate who voted against the budget believe themselves above the laws they write and enact?
Do the members of the Senate who voted against the budget because it touches upon and possibly damages the credibility of legislation they have been trying to put through for decades?
Do the members of the Senate who voted against the budget reject the bill out of spite? To tell the Republicans in the House that, regardless the will of the people or the Congress(wo)men, they are so much more important?

When is the madness going to end? When will the American people finally stand up for their Constitutional Rights and tell these ELECTED Representatives they are our servants. The calling was to be a public servant in an elected capacity, but they seem to believe that we need to be their servant and can be treated as less than they.

Before anyone calls me a sycophant for the Republican party and Conservative ideals, while it was not mentioned directly, they are as much at fault for this crap as the Democrats.

The House Republicans have had at least a year to come up with, and pass, a budget. They have procrastinated. They caused the delays that have led to the current situation.

Why is it that the budget battle, which should be the first item of business in any new Congress, is the last item of business? The budget for the next year should be ironed out before any other of the bullcrap that Congress puts first in its agenda. But, no, regardless who controls the House, they do not want to do their jobs the way they should be done until it is the last minute because they want to politicize the budget fight, unless one party or another controls both sides of the Legislature.

I guess I just don't understand why Republicans just don't get it. The President was reelected with this law already passed, it was backed up by scotus, and the senate is also full of elected officials elected by the people. So 2/3 of the decision makers are democrats. That leaves congress. The 2/3 (President and Senate) have been clear that the ACA is not going to be defunded. So instead of banging your head into a brick wall.. realize that more than half of America put the people you oppose into office. So your will is not the peoples will..... its YOUR will.

The fact that the first budget they sent made it clear they did not care about fixing the budget. Funding every single area of the government EXCEPT the ACA.. were there no other areas that could be cut? They are trying to get what they want without following the rules. Again.

As for the senate.. you say you want them to live by the laws they make. Be allowed to keep your insurance is in there.. maybe they want the same rights everyone else has? For them to keep their insurance would be 100% in line with the ACA.

They don't vote out of spite. They vote because they were elected by people who wanted this. Again, they are both just representing their parties interests and ideals and they were voted in by the people.

They aren't just voting for what they want, they (Senate) are voting based on what their constituents were well aware of and voted them in to support. This is not a new law. Why is it that when a Republican is in office he should do what his continents voted him in to do.. but when a Senator actually does just that it is because they are selfish and not in touch?

I guess I just don't understand why Republicans just don't get it. The President was reelected with this law already passed, it was backed up by scotus, and the senate is also full of elected officials elected by the people. So 2/3 of the decision makers are democrats. That leaves congress. The 2/3 (President and Senate) have been clear that the ACA is not going to be defunded. So instead of banging your head into a brick wall.. realize that more than half of America put the people you oppose into office. So your will is not the peoples will..... its YOUR will.

Democrats are for the people?I have watched this battle closely and watched the house compromise and send back to the senate different proposals only to have the senate reject any and all of them. Reid and the senate are doing what Obama wants and that is to ignore the peoples wishes. These politicians have been in Washington for so long they think they can not be replaced, that they are above those that elected them. For the record I am not talking only about democrats, I did say politicians. The fact is that the uninformed people think that congress is only republicans and don't realize that the house is controlled by republicans, and the senate is controlled by democrats and the house and the senate together make up the congress. Find this hard to believe, just poll some people on your own, it will open your eyes to see just how uninformed a lot of people are. I have found that a lot of people are uneducated when it comes to government and how the government works. I listen to the so called experts,do my own research, and come to my own conclusions. I believe that the so called experts advise is what has put us where we are today, lots of book learning, no common sense. It would be wise of all the people to do the same and forget about party.