Right and Wrong over Left and Right

Bill Moyers – the venerable and brilliant, Bill Moyers – wrote this week about how we need legislators to vote for right over wrong and to forget about right and left. How terribly true!
by Charlie Leck

The Senate tried to put together some sort of bill in the last week or so to help students reduce educational debt. It would have required the wealthiest Americans to pay a little more in taxes. The Senate managed to come up with 56 votes to pass the bill over to the House, but, as you know, 60 votes are needed in the stupid Senate these days to avoid the filibuster. (Democracy is broken and the good old Republic isn’t working well these days).

Passing this bill would have been a very compassionate act on the part of the Senate and it would have asked for very little of those of us who can afford it.

Well, I thought you’d like to know the names of the 37 Senators who actually voted against the bill. Think about these rascals when you go to support your Senator next time.

Lamar Alexander (TN)
Saxby Chambliss (GA)
John Cornyn (TX)
Michael Crapo (ID)
Michael Enzi (WY)
Charles Grassley (IA)
Orrin Hatch (UT)
James Inhofe (OK)
John McCain (AZ)
Mitch McConnell (KY)
Pat Roberts (KS)
Jefferson Sessions (AL)
Richard Shelby (AL)
Roy Blunt (MO)
John Boozman (AR)
Richard Burr (NC)
Jeff Flake (AZ)
John Isakson (GA)
Mark Kirk (IL)
Robert Portman (OH)
Patrick Toomey (PA)
David Vitter (LA)
Roger Wicker (MS)
John Thune (SD)
Thomas Coburn (OK)
Daniel Coats (IN)
Dean Heller (NV)
John Barrasso (WY)
Mike Johanns (NE)
James Risch (IN)
Marco Rubio (FL)
Rand Paul (KY)
John Hoeven (ND)
Mike Lee (UT)
Ron Johnson (WS)
Deb Fischer (NE)
Ted Cruz (TX)

Three Republican Senators did stand with the Democrats and they deserve praise for their courage. To them it was a matter of doing the right thing and not considering the left or the right in the Senate. Thanks to Susan Collins of Maine, Bob Corker of Tennessee and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

Harry Reid’s no vote was just a procedural thing. His place on the dissenting side allows him to bring the issue up for future votes.

You can read Moyers column about this vote at http://billmoyers.com/2014/06/17/the-37-senators-who-voted-for-millionaires-over-students/

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