Mary Kate Cary

Bunning’s Benefits Blockade and the End of Civility

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March 2, 2010 RSS Feed Print
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By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog

After writing yesterday's blog about civility and partisanship, I learned hours later that Sen. Jim Bunning had made an obscene gesture at a reporter from ABC News. He did so in the midst of his standoff with Senate Democrats over unemployment benefits for folks who have lost their jobs, because he believes the bill should be paid for under the current budget, and it is not. (Remember that the president signed "pay-go" into law two weeks ago; this is one of the first bills considered since then.) As a result, unemployment benefits and COBRA health coverage are being held up for hundreds of thousands of Americans.

This story involves three things: 1. Uncivil, rude behavior by a member of Congress that has no place in the political debate; 2. continued runaway spending that further increases the budget; and 3. denying help for real families who need it.

With the exception of the ABC reporter, every person involved in this story is an incumbent in Congress. No wonder polls show that voters want to throw them all out! This is why people are angry. They're disgusted by all of it.

I don't understand Bunning's crude behavior, and I don't understand why the legislation isn't paid for, especially if everyone agrees that it's necessary. None of it makes sense.

One more thought: This tug of war we're seeing over this one piece of legislation--let's-give-benefits-to-folks-who-really-need-help compassion vs. let's-pay-for-it-first fiscal responsibility--is only going to get worse. This time it's just a small extension of temporary unemployment benefits. Imagine how bad the fighting's going to be when we have to rein in Social Security and Medicare. Yikes.

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It never ceases to amaze me at how libs lie about their backgrounds. A prime example of such is "DocChuck's"/Charles Richard Treuter's ranting about his patriotic service to the United States when in fact he was a draft dodger of the late 60s and early 70s. The sordid details are exposed at:http://ferreted.blogspot.com/2010/06/docchuckcharles-richard-treuters.html

KeepItRealDoc of TX 9:50PM June 27, 2010

It is characters like Kenneth Wayne Treuter (KWT) of McKinney, Texas, that give the Republicans a bad name and cause many educated people to look upon the party with disdain even though they may have sympathy for the group’s goals and intentions.

Kenneth Wayne Treuter has never been able to hold a job in his entire life. He was terminated from many ‘jobs’, including those as a janitor at a discount store, as a security camera monitor, as a shoe salesman, as a grocery store checker, as a preacher in a Texas church (where he was unceremoniously booted), and as a paralegal at Dallas-based Baron & Budd. Photos are available of KWT running around Dallas costumed as a ‘blood-covered’ Osama bin Laden which led many to question his sanity.

Always visualizing himself as a James Bond-type (there are photos available of him and his former female ‘partner’, brandishing big guns (007-style) and displaying a leashed ferret – the mascot of their Ferret Detective Agency. Although married to one Maria Borgus Treuter (an immigrant from mexico), he impregnated his former female partner, then REFUSED to contribute to the pregnancy expenses or the support of the love-child. As a result, his girlfriend, who eventually fled to Arkansas, SHOT Kenneth in the gut (and many say that he is ‘gutless’ – LOL). The ferret has not been seen since.

KWT reportedly contacted his brother who resided in Arkansas to seek out his former girlfriend and “ ... deal with her.” Of course, his brother, having been formally educated, refused to have anything to do with that sordid affair or with KWT.

After KWT was stripped of his private investigator license by the State of Texas, Treuter landed a $16.00 per hour job with Dallas-based Baron & Budd and was involved with soliciting plaintiffs and witnesses who could support claims by Baron & Budd plaintiffs that they were exposed to asbestos products at various workplaces from the early 1940s until the late 1960s.

KWT admitted to the Dallas Observer newspaper that he KNEW what he was doing was fraudulent but says he used his “good ol' boy nature” to work his subject with stories of corporate malfeasance or whip up sympathy for victims of asbestos disease. He said that he would evangelize. The whole sordid episode can be read on DallasObserver.com.

Finally, KWT became a COLONEL (no one is quite certain how he accomplished this) because he never attained any formal education, military service, or anything else that can be ascertained. But as a COLONEL, he started up a business called “On-Point Legal Support Services” where his most outstanding credential is that he is a Notary Public (a ‘title’ that he flaunts).

After purchasing some mail-order ‘degrees’ from ‘on-line colleges’ and attaining the rank of COLONEL, Kenneth Wayne Treuter was self-designated “Esquire” - a title of respect for a member of the English gentry ranking just below a knight; placed after his name. KWT, who couldn’t find England on a map now considers himself English gentry (although his parents were from German stock and his wife is from mexico). This guy is PLAINLY unbalanced, mentally. AND, he is Colonel Kenneth Wayne Treuter, Esq.

KWT loves to file lawsuits, threaten to file lawsuits, and look for possible lawsuits. He fancies himself as a lawyer although be barely made it out of high school. Indeed he sued Kaufman County, Texas, where he once lived, for a number of trumped up, obviously bogus claims. His lawsuit was thrown out by the circuit judge.

KWT now lives in the Texas backwoods (in rural Collin county) in a compound-like structure (photos on Google Street View) and bills himself as a TEA Party leader and a spokesman for the Patriotic Resistance where he has a page on ResistNet.com where he continues to spout his insanity. He spends an inordinate amount of time “reporting” people to the Department of Homeland Security.

America does NOT need characters such as Kenneth Wayne Treuter. No intelligent, educated person is ever going to believe ANYTHING that KWT spouts.

Louise Chiffonade Brescia of GA 12:13PM April 25, 2010

You are likely correct that my experience in Idaho differs from that of NC. However, I would not hastily conclude that one is "paranoid." I doubt you would appreciate being castigated as "deludid."

My point revolves around some of the questions I posed. Perhaps, we are just from the ends of two political spectrums.

Do I dislike corporate greed? Of course! But I believe in Adam Smith's Invisible Hand and that the markets will correct themselves.

The problem we have is government has become such a "player" in the health industry that it causes the "invisible hand" to work slowly if at all.

You and I both know that government intervens . . . Look at Medicare, Medicaid, Lobbyists for drug company and insurance companys, frivolous medical law suites, laws allowing illegal or the uninsured to freely frequent hospital ERs etc.

So the solution to government meddeling is MORE government meddeling?

I applaud you for working hard, finding a way to provide for yourself. But I would assert that you and what you have is the culmination of the choices that you freely made.

You could have dropped out of high school, you could have a meth addiction, you could be 200 lbs overweight with health problems from eating at McDonalds everyday. But you didn't. You used your freedom of choice wisely and enjoy good consequences. But, because you made good choices, you are ok with government intervention that will forcefull take your freedom away and give it to someone else. That's morally reprehensible and unjustice. Is there injustice in the world? Absoultely, but do you resort to injustice to solve the injustice? Absolutely not.

Here's the injustice I refer to. I work to live. Everyday that I trade my time for dollars I make a sacrifice. I can find a plethora of activities to do beside with my precious time. But that's called responsibility. Dollars allow me freedom to do what I want within the constraint of the amount of dollars I possess. Progressives who use the government to steal, through forced taxation, my dollars is stealing my time which my tax dollars represent. It's stealing my freedom meaning I have to work harder to recoup the theft which means more hours at the office and fewer hours from my family. If you can't understand this then I don't know what to tell you.

Don't misconstrue what I'm saying. I am not against taxes. Taxes are a necessary evil. Taxes are a civic responsibility and duty. Taxes pay for roads, bridges, infrastructure projects and improvements. Taxes fund the military that keeps the collective safe from foreign invaders. Taxes fund law enforcement which protects our property. Taxes are used to help those who are physically, emotionally, mental unable to provide for themselves. Govt via taxes is to be used to do for the benefit of all what the individual cannot do, but in broad general terms where the burden and the benefit is the same for all w/o creating govt expansion.

David of ID 4:24PM March 04, 2010

Mary Kate Cary

Mary Kate Cary

Mary Kate Cary is a former White House speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush. She currently writes speeches for political and business leaders.

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