Anybody watching the Senate on CSPAN re. the OMNIBUS Bill?

[Pachamama]

I just happened to be flipping through the channels and sure enough as I got to CSPAN-2 there was a live session of the Senate meeting debating the Omnibus Spending Budget Bill....

As I began to watch and listen, the most frightening revelation came: Sen. Conrad of North Dakota (a dem ofcourse) pointed out a "law" in the bill that made it the law of the land for the Appropriations Committee to have access to any US taxpayers Tax Return and without any legal consequence. As I listened to him talk about it and then the ensuing debate, I couldn't believe my ears....No one, not one of the Senators had caught this and they had just been getting ready to pass the bill at the 11th hour because of the spending crisis facing our nation without this bill.

The good news is that in the last hour, the Democratic Minority managed to stop this bill from passing without this "passage" being in the bill and from it becoming law....but, it came this close to happening....Sen. Byrd of WV stood up and said that there was no way he was going to pass it and minutes earlier before this revelation of this little "law" being included, he had said he was supporting the bill. The compromise made was to have the Senate wait until this coming Wednesday when the House is to meet and re-vote on the bill but taking this "law" out of the bill.

Scary....All I can think to myself right now is how close we just came to having such a far-reaching law that invades our privacy and civil rights pass...thank goodness for the due diligence of North Dakota's Senator! But this makes me wonder - how many other little "laws" are in this bill and others that the Republican majority is slipping in to these massive bills that are never read in their entirety it seems by any of our lawmakers? What will pass tommorrow? Or next week? And especially with the new incoming Congress and Senate?

:scared:

[Pirate Smile]

1. A couple of threads worth already.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1377146

[Pachamama]

2. I had figured that I wasn't the only American worried about our

civil liberties....unreal!

I literally have been glued to the TV in disgust and thinking to myself - OMG...this is what is happening on a Saturday night and none of our citizens are aware of this?

The good news is that we are having it blocked....but like I said, how many things like this get passed and no one, including our Representatives know what they just passed...

Who the hell is watching our democracy? Anyone but a few?

:scared:

[mcscajun]

4. And that's Why it's on Saturday...

...'cause nobody will be paying attention...or so they think.

And for the most part, they're right...only poli-sci major and political junkies like the folks here actually watch C-Span.

[Pachamama]

5. Hey, I'm a poli sci/economics major....

I guess your right...it's just us paying attention....Soooo scary....

The good news is that we got to also see the few dems left with cajones defending our democracy....

Thank gawd for Sen. Conrad and his staff finding this....unbelievable!

:kick:

[OHdem10]

3. Yes, and Scary is

right on. There was another bill sipped in re Abortion--
gags Doctors from being able to discuss abortion as an option. Further hurts women of low income and God knows what else--called Weldon Ammendment. Barbara Boxer worked out a deal whereby she is going
to try to repeal this ammendment later. She could not stop it
tonight. but Frist promised her she could bring a bill to the floor and she weould be given debate time etc..
As you said--wonder what other little power grabs were stuck
in hopeful no one woulc catch them until it was too late.
Power Corrupts.

[Pachamama]

6. We need to make sure we stay on top of that one too...give our

support to Boxer (my Senator) and to make sure Frist doesn't forget his promise....

The thing that is so upsetting about this is that it will probably with the new Senate majority be allowed to remain....

I am ill...The only thing about a "law" like that re. the abortion gag order is that it will be challenged like the partial birth abortion ban, and then be stopped by a court as unconstitutional since it interferes with a woman's constitutional right.