Boehner, GOP, Stumble on Dems Sacred Cow

The near shutdown of the federal government has perhaps shown the GOP-led House of Representatives the way to pass any future spending bill until they take back the other branches of the government.Follow me on this one for a second.

The Democrats initially refused any spending cuts in the budget, pushing us closer and closer to the shutdown. It wasn't until late Friday when they finally blinked and by then they had shown their colors. In getting the Democrats to agree to the 38.5 billion in cuts, the GOP had to give up their rider that would defund Planned Parenthood. That rider would have saved another 318 million dollars.

Now in giving it up, they forced the Democrats to at least vote on it in the Senate where it likely won't pass but can likely be used in some 2012 campaign ads. More importantly as we watched Harry Reid and his caucus draw their line in the sand, it showed a way to get if not everything we want at least a lot of it.

The House should submit every spending bill with that very same rider attached to it. In doing so the Democrats will have to compromise somewhere and the GOP can say, "we take away the rider, you give us these spending cuts."

When Paul Ryan submits the 2012 budget he should ensure that it has the Title X rider, as well as riders to defund NPR, the NEA and all these other ridiculous wastes of tax dollars. Then to inch the Democrats closer to the numbers we need to get to we slowly peel away riders. Now eventually these things will have to get through but they can wait for a year and a half until we get all three branches of the government back. As of right now we only control as Speaker Boehner said "One half of one third of the federal government."

Now perhaps, the GOP should have shut the government down and pushed a little harder to get the things they really wanted; perhaps now it's too late to have real ammo for the coming battles of the debt ceiling and the FY 2012 budget. Who knows? Let's see how things shake out from here, I think Boehner, Cantor and Ryan can still make some hay with these coming battles.

They better, we gave them the House to do just that and so far they have if not let us down entirely, certainly left us with a bad taste in our mouths. I was rooting for the shutdown and was sad to see it not come to pass I think the GOP lost a good chance to win the PR war and really show whose side they were on.

Call this one strike one Mr. Speaker. Let's hope you learned something from the story of the Mighty Casey.

Web Links Wednesday

Look it's the return of the Wednesday Links here at the Musings....without further ado....

• Another Virtual Tour from the Vatican: This one of the Pope's Church, The Archbasilica of St. John Lateran. It is the Cathedral church for the Bishopric of Rome and as such, the Mother Church for all Roman Catholics.
• Wikipedia's page about the Church for your educational purposes.
• One heck of a April Fool's Joke, Unam Sanctum Catholicam created a fake papal encyclical essentially calling anything that came out of Vatican II anathema. Hilarious, be sure you check out the link in the story for the phony encyclical, as well as their related story/another April Fool's joke about the beatification of John Paul II being delayed. Exceedingly elaborate work to try and snooker some folks.
• Archbishop Sheehan of Santa Fe, issues a strongly worded pastoral letter concerning cohabitation. Father Z has a great story with some additional comments from my favorite priest blogger.
• One of my favorite voices from Red State with a blistering report on Speaker Boehner getting three minutes of President BO's time to discuss the budget.
• Some good funnies from Reaganite Republican.
• Here's a story detailing the administrative leave of Fr. John Corapi a gifted priest and speaker. He was put on leave while his order investigates a claim from a former employee of some serious allegations. Here's hoping the truth will out. The story answered my wondering about why EWTN hadn't been airing his programs. 

That's enough for now. Here's hoping this week's links edify, entertain or at least amuse you. 

An Open Letter to My Sons

It's a big world out there boys, first take care of each other, the hell with the rest of it.

One day you may be all the other one has. Love each other, support each other and when you can lend a hand to help someone else up too. Help the ones who can't help themselves.

I want to personally apologize to both of you for the fact that you are inheriting a world, a country, that is lost. This country, especially, was set apart to be something different and now it teeters slowly toward its own destruction. With a little luck it might be getting better by the time you inherit it, but I doubt it.

Having siblings gives you both an advantage. Siblings are amazing things, someday everyone you know may leave you behind, if that happens call your brother. Someday you might even have sisters, I will try my best to help you understand how to deal with them. But I may well be out of my depth as I still struggle sometimes trying to figure out how to get along with my own. The best part about having a sibling, though is that you might be ready to pound on them, you are so angry. Until someone else comes along and says something about them. Then you pound that guy.

This is a flawed, fallen, world increasingly giving into a me-first, anything goes lifestyle. Don't buy into that, look for examples all around you of the right kind of man to be. Hopefully by the time you two can understand this I will be that kind of example. If not live life the way Jesus did. Read Philippians 2. Take it to heart, live it.  Be lights in the dark for the people around you.

Always see all of the wonder in creation. From the little bugs to the biggest whales. From the deepest oceans to galaxies far, far away. Learn something new everyday. Always ask why. If you don't know why, find out. 

Don't ever be ashamed of who you are or where you come from. Have regard for your name, since it will remain for you larger than a thousand great stores of gold. The days of a good life are numbered, but a good name endures forever. (Sirach 41:12-13).

Which reminds me, read your Bible. More importantly live the Bible.

I do my best to remember everyday to tell you each how much I love you. If I forget sometimes, don't think I don't love you. Someday I am going to embarrass you. I probably won't mean to, but I will. Love me anyway.

Love your mother. She has done and continues to do a lot for all of us and sacrificed for all of us. Be kind to everyone, even people you don't think deserve it, you don't know what brought them to that point in their lives.

Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other and know how loved you are. Know that wherever you go and whatever you do in this life, I will be right here ready to catch you when you fall. That's my job.