U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 110^th Congress - 1^st Session

as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate

Vote Summary

Question: On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on H.R.2 )
Vote Number:	23	Vote Date:	January 24, 2007, 12:01 PM
Required For Majority:	3/5	Vote Result:	Cloture Motion Rejected
Measure Number:	H.R. 2
Measure Title:	A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide for an increase in the Federal minimum wage.

Vote Counts:	YEAs	54
	NAYs	43
	Not Voting	3

Vote Summary

By Senator Name

By Vote Position

By Home State

We are approaching the most serious economic crisis since the great depression, and American life is going to be disrupted in ways that we cannot now imagine. The reason is that there is too much debt, and the new bankruptcy law means that, because those debts can never be discharged, the economy will never get the chance to restart itself that has brought it out of so many slumps in the past. What is worse, the ordinary American debtor is not to blame. There is only one debtor to blame. It is the federal debtor.

But why will it happen now? For the same kind of reason that it did in September of 1929: something has happened that will have enormous economic consequences that nobody now foresees, because of the corrosive synergy it will have with other factors that are out of balance.

In July of 1929, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates. This led to the raising of interest rates on margin debt, which resulted, in September, in a selloff that left the US economy extremely illiquid. Combined with the failure of the Credit Anhalt Bank in Australia, the subsequent worldwide cash shortage resulted in horrific deflation due to lack of money. The consequence was the great depression.

What has happened this time is slightly different, but the consequences will be the same. It is that China has decided to stop buying US debt. This means that a huge purchaser of US treasury debt is no longer there. But that is only the beginning of the problem. Last week, when the US Federal Reserve announced that American interest rates would remain unchanged, the dollar immediately dropped to a 2-year low. This means that countries like China, loaded with US debt and thus US dollars, suffered a tremendous loss. China is seeking to protect what is actually a hopeless position by no longer buying into what is obviously a collapsing currency.

But the dollar is not just a currency, like it or not, it is THE currency. When the dollar falls, values fall. It’s that simple, and it’s because the world has adopted the dollar as a de-facto international currency. In this case, at its peril and to its eventual regret.

The Bush Administration made the decision to take the country into heavy debt to finance the Iraq war. It was said at the time that “debt doesn’t matter.” The moment I heard that I though, ‘here comes the next great depression.’

When a country takes on debt beyond its capacity to manage, its citizens begin to be unable to repay their loans because the national debt is driving up interest rates. This syndrome has been the curse of Latin America, and it is about to unfold here, because the Administration took on far more debt than the economy could sustain. Far more.

The result is that the dollar is falling--that is to say, the de-facto cost of money is rising. Interest rates are rising no matter what the Federal Reserve does.

At present, the American economy’s ability to sustain its debt is faltering. Because of regulatory insufficiency, the mortgage lending industry has been allowed to fuel a false prosperity on the backs of loans to house buyers who were not, in fact, qualified to make the purchases that they did. And they weren’t qualified BEFORE all this happened. The inevitable result is in the news now every day: foreclosures, foreclosures and more foreclosures. But it will get worse. The next thing that will happen is that credit card debt will begin to become unstable. For years, banks have been allowed to charge usurious interest for this debt, and it hasn’t mattered because the economy was healthy. But now it does matter. We are running out of places to put American debt, which means only one thing: it is going to come back to haunt us.

As the dollar falls, the interest the US pays on its debt instruments must rise so that the debt will find a market. But what China has done has radically reduced the size of that market just when the debt has risen beyond our economy's capacity to handle it. Now, the US Treasury must raise the interest it pays on its instruments until a much smaller marketplace is willing to absorb them.

This will force interest rates higher across the board. It will force the Fed to raise interest rates here at home to protect the dollar abroad, lest our paper become, as Argentina's did a few years ago, too expensive for us to sell.

China’s decision is the equivalent of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates in the summer of 1929—a act with consequences that will be heard round the world, and will change all of our lives. The US media has the economic consciousness of a flea, so you won't hear much about it, unless the Administration tries to put pressure on China to resume buying. That's not a fix, though, it's just a delaying tactic, and probably only a brief one, because it places the Chinese currency in jeopardy. China has done what it has done because it has no more capacity to absorb US debt. As it is, it has a trillion dollars to sell into a market that is already glutted with dollars.

In fact, China has acted because it can no longer afford to buy dollars. The decision isn't arbitrary, as was the Federal Reserve's in 1929, nor is it stupid, as the Fed's was back then. It is an essential, inescapable decision. If they buy more dollars, it means that their own export industry does not, in effect, get the profits the dollars it has collected were supposed to provide. The result? Factories close, workers are laid off, and the actual fragility of the Chinese Miracle is revealed. So they are not committing an arbitrary and reversible act at all, as the Fed did in 1929. They are acting out of their own economic necessity. They have no choice.

But the consequences will be the same.

UPDATE: Regarding investment strategies, conservative, big cap mutual funds showing consistent long-term success would be of first importance. Choose funds that concentrate on companies that have a broad base of sales both in and out of the US.

To hedge against the possibility that the US and its Asian suppliers such as China and Japan would bear the brunt of the type of economic decline discussed above, I would explore a specialized type of diversification into the international markets.

Especially if you're Sanjaya Malakar, who is considered one of the weakest performers on "American Idol" but has a fan base that has helped him survive multiple rounds of viewer elimination.

In the online community and in Malakar's home state of Washington, the croaking crooner seems to have a loyal following of friends, family and fanatics who would like nothing better than to see him achieve the ultimate "Idol" success and be the last singer standing in May.

"I think he has a career ahead of him, whether he wins or not," said Pastor Pat Wright, a gospel choir director in Seattle who has known Malakar for five years.

Wright, who calls in weekly to vote for Malakar, acknowledges that much of his support likely comes from an online community of young fans enthralled with his chameleon hairdos and flashing grin.

"He's very handsome. That's most of it," she said. "He's a teenager, and young girls and guys really like him."

In recent weeks, the lanky teen from Federal Way—a city of about 84,000, 20 miles south of Seattle—has taken some hard hits from the public and all three judges on News Corp.'s Fox network show.

Simon Cowell went so far as to say if Malakar wins, he'll quit.

But in Seattle, where Malakar sang with the Total Experience Gospel Choir, Wright and Malakar's family say the young man is holding back.

"He sings from the heart, and people who hear him can feel that heart and they become, many times, very emotional," said Wright, who has directed Malakar in her choir for at least three years.

She can't explain the change in her young pupil, but says he "sounded down" during a recent telephone conversation she had with him.

"He has not shown America what he can do. That's what I said to him a couple days ago. 'I want you to give them the showmanship. I want you to give them Sanjaya's heart,'" she said.

Despite the criticism and pressure, Malakar has held up remarkably well for someone "as young and as inexperienced as he is," says his aunt, Christi Recchi of Seattle.

Recchi introduced Malakar to Wright's choir, where she says his musical personality blossomed. But she agrees that her nephew hasn't been performing his best.

Some of the show's followers expected Malakar to be voted off quickly. But for now his success continues with assistance from fans, as well as backhanded help from the likes of Howard Stern and groups like votefortheworst.com, which since 2004 has vowed to support any contestant that producers would like to see cut from the show.

Malakar's singing talents may pale in comparison with other finalists, but his ability to work the crowd may pull him through.

"I think at this point in his career, he's the sort of classic case of desire for fame outstripping ability," said Jasen Emmons, director of curatorial affairs at Seattle's Experience Music Project museum.

Malakar's most recent performance of "You Really Got Me" showed the teen's strong stage presence, said Emmons, who has 10- and 13-year-old daughters who watch the show.

"At age 17, he's not going to be able to stand there and belt out a ballad," Emmons says. "But his charm might keep him in the fight

Why does she always pick the type of guy, you'd like to take a scrub-brush too ??   Damn with all her money, she could buy a prince !!!

go back...
....Before the Internet or PC or the MAC......
....Before semi-automatics and crack....
....Before Playstation, SEGA, Super Nintendo, even before Atari...
....Before cell phones, CD's, DVD's, voicemail and e-mail....
....way back...
....way.....way....way back.....
I'm talkin' bout hide and seek at dusk
Red light, Green light
Red Rover....Red Rover.....
Playing kickball & dodgeball until the first...no...second...no...third
Streetlight came on
Ring around the Rosie
London Bridge
Hot potato
Hop Scotch
Jump rope
Duck....duck....GOOSE!!!
YOU'RE IT!!
Parents stood on the front porch and yelled (or whistled) for you to come home - no pagers or cell phones
Mother May I?
Hula Hoops
Seeing shapes in the clouds
Endless summer days and hot summer nights (no A/C) with the windows open
The sound of crickets
Running through the sprinkler
Cereal boxes with that GREAT prize in the bottom
Cracker jacks with the same thing
Ice pops with 2 sticks you could break and share with a friend
...but wait.....there's more....
Watchin' Saturday Morning cartoons
Fat Albert, Road Runner, Tom&Jerry, Heckle&Jeckle, Pink Panther, Richochet Rabbit,
Schoolhouse Rock
Watchin' Sunday morning oldies (Abbott & Costello, Three Stooges, Tarzan, Shirley Temple OR WONDERAMA!!)
Wonder Woman & Super Man Underoos
Catchin' lightning bugs in a jar
Chanukah nights
Your first day of school
Bedtime Prayers and Goodnight Kisses
Climbing trees
Swinging as high as you could to try and reach the sky
Getting an Ice Cream off the Good Humor Truck
A million mosquito bites and sticky fingers
Jumpin' down the steps
Jumpin' on the bed
Pillow fights
Sleep-overs
A 13" black and white TV in your room meant you were RICH
Runnin' till you were out of breath
Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt
Being tired from PLAYING
WORK: meant taking out the garbage or doing the dishes
Your first crush
Your first kiss (the one that you kept your mouth CLOSED and your eyes OPEN
Rainy days at school meant playing "Heads up 7UP" or hangman" in the classroom, remember that?
Oh, I'm not finished yet....
Kool-Aid was the drink of the summer
So was a swig from the hose
Giving your friends a ride on your handlebars
Wearing your new shoes on the first day of school
Class Field Trips with soggy sandwiches
When nearly everyone's mom was at home when the kids got there
When a quarter seemed like a fair allowance;
and another quarter a MIRACLE
When ANY parent could discipline ANY kid, or feed him, or use him
to carry groceries...And nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it
When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to
the fate that awaited you at home.
Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of
drive by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc.
Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! And some of
us are still afraid of em!
Didn't that feel good? Just to go back and say, "Yeah, I remember
that!"
Well, let's keep going!!
Let's go back to the time when...
Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo"
Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "do over!"
"Race issues" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "monopoly"
Catching fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening
It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.
Being old, referred to anyone over 20.
The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was cooties.
Nobody was prettier than Mom
Scrapes and bruises were kissed by mom or grandma and made better
It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the "big people" rides at the amusement park.
Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.
Abilities were discovered because of a "double-dog-dare"
Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.
The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
Water balloons were the ultimate, ultimate weapon.
Older siblings were your worst tormentors, but also your fiercest protector
If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!!!
Pass this on to anyone who may need a break from their "grown up" life......I TRIPLE DOG DARE YA!!!!!!

Paul Harvey and Prayer

Paul Harvey says:

I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue

somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I

don't agree with Darwin, but I didn't go out and hire a

lawyer when my high school teacher taught his theory

of evolution.

Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be

endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer

before a football game.

So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there

reading the entire book of Acts. They're just talking to a

God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the

players on the field and the fans going home from the game.

"But it's a Christian prayer," some will argue.

Yes, and this is the United States of America, a country

founded on Christian principles. According to our very

own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others

better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect-somebody

chanting Hare Krishna?

If I went to a football game in Jerusalem,

I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer.

If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad,

I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.

If I went to a ping pong match in China,

I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.

And I wouldn't be offended.

It wouldn't bother me one bit.

When in Rome ..

"But what about the atheists?" is another argument.

What about them?

Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to

pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If

that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear

plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand.

Call your lawyer!

Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or

two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do.

I don't think a short prayer at a football game is

going to shake the world's foundations.

Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other

cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our

parents and grandparents taught us to pray before

eating; to pray before we go to sleep.

Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a

handful of people and their lawyers are telling us

to cease praying.

God, help us.

And if that last sentence offends you,

well ...

just sue me.

The silent majority has been silent too long. It's time we

let that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard

........ that the vast majority don't care what they want. It

is time the majority rules! It's time we tell them, you don't

have to pray; you don't have to say the pledge of allegiance;

you don't have to believe in God or attend services that

honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your

right. But by golly, you are no longer going to take our

rights away. We are fighting back ...

and we WILL WIN!

God bless us one and all ... especially those who denounce

Him. God bless America, despite all her faults. She is still

the greatest nation of all.

God bless our service men who are fighting to protect

our right to pray and worship God.

May 2006 be the year the silent majority is heard

and we put God back as the foundation of our

families and institutions.

Keep looking up.

If you agree with this, please pass it on.

If not .

Delete.

 

Story Highlights

• 60 percent of Americans surveyed believe their 60's are the new middle age
• Globally, three out of five consumers surveyed believed the 40's are the new 30's
• 48 percent of Russians would consider cosmetic surgery to maintain their looks

.........................................................................................................

 Ancient calculator was an astronomical instrument of great precision
• The device could track the movements of the sun and moon through the zodiac
• Scholar says there is nothing like it in the history of astronomy
.........................................................................................................

 NEW: Rare blizzard warning issued for parts of Oklahoma
• NEW: Oklahoma schools, all nonessential state offices shut
• NEW: 200 departures canceled from Dallas-Fort Worth airport
• Snow, ice, 35-mph wind gusts possible in Kansas, Missouri

..........................................................................................................

 

Bob started screaming at Pam, saying she had humiliated herself and telling her, 'You're nothing but a whore! You're a slut! How could you do that movie?' — in front of everyone. It was very embarrassing," the source said. "Pam thought he could have a sense of humor about the movie. She was in on the gag from the very beginning and loved doing the movie. And on the eve of what was supposed to be a very positive thing, he made it an awful night."

Ever since the outburst, things cooled down between the couple.

"Bob is just a very unhappy and angry man. Pam is very disenchanted and sad. You know, there are reasons why she never married him before. Those reasons disappeared while they were together on a boat in St. Tropez, but she knows now that they never went away. The reality is he is an insecure, angry man," the source told the Post.

The newspaper reports that Anderson left her Malibu home Sunday so that Rock could pack up his stuff and leave. She took her sons, Brandon, 10, and Dylan, 8, with ex-husband Tommy Lee, to Santa Monica. "Pam is just very happy to not be in the same house with so much passive-aggressive hostility in it," the friend said.

Rock's rep didn't return calls, and Anderson's manager declined comment on the story to the newspaper.

Meanwhile, People magazine reports that friends of the couple are shocked at the split.

"Maybe it's a spat," Richie Rich, one of the designers behind the fashion line Heatherette, told the magazine. "They're so in love, and I'd be surprised if it was over forever. I don't think she'd let her prince go."

Anderson and Rock cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the dissolution of marriage. On her Web site Monday, Anderson posted a message that said, "Divorce Yes, it's true. Unfortunately impossible." A picture of the pair appeared next to the statement.

Earlier this month, Us Weekly magazine reported that Anderson had suffered a miscarriage.

"Reportedly, Kid never liked Pam's friends. He was still very jealous of her ex, Tommy Lee. They really were just having a really bumpy ride. The most recent of which, unfortunately, Pam did suffer a miscarriage and sources say that was the end of it. She was done trying. And that's it," Katrina Szish, a contributing editor for Us Weekly magazine, said on The Early Show Monday.

"They've been on and off, engaged before, the engagement has been off before," says Szish. "It seems like this time it's really over because they actually had time to be together and clearly they were not compatible."

---

Rod Stewart’s 27-year-old daughter Kimberly is suffering from liver disease, caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

The 61-year-old rocker reveals doctors have told Kimberly her liver is badly deteriorated and she risks putting her life in danger if she doesn’t stop drinking completely.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Stewart says, “She just discovered that she had a very serious liver illness from drinking too much.

“She said to me, ‘Dad, I’m half Scottish - I thought I was allowed to drink a lot.’ “I said, ‘No darling, it doesn’t work like that.’” Stewart claims Kimberly has seen a liver specialist and stopped drinking and smoking three months ago.

She isn’t the first of Rod’s children to have battled with booze - his 26-year-old son Sean has undergone rehab for drink and drug problems.