Chad’s Morning Brief for 12.20.12
Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of December 20, 2012. Give Chad your feedback below and tune in to The Chad Hasty Show for these and many more topics from 8:30 to 11 am.
1. Lubbock City Council & Cell Phones
See, I told you that the Lubbock City Council would push for the state to do something about cell phones. According to reports, the Lubbock City Council will call on state lawmakers to strengthen laws dealing with the use of cell phones while driving.
The City Council wants the state to handle the issue so that the law in Lubbock is no different than the ones throughout the rest of the state. You will most likely see the issue brought up again in the upcoming legislative session, but it would surprise me if Gov. Rick Perry allowed the law to go through.
The fact still remains that distracted driving will always be around. We already have laws on the books to deal with the problem. It's called reckless driving. Passing a law that will be almost impossible to enforce makes no sense. Will we start banning people from eating while driving? What about messing around with a navigation unit in the car?
What do you think should happen?
2. Plan B (link)
Speaker John Boehner is planning to push ahead with "Plan B" in order to avert tax hikes. The White House still says no though.
House Speaker John Boehner declared Wednesday that his chamber will approve a so-called "Plan B" to avert a crush of tax hikes just 13 days away, despite President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid vowing to oppose it.
The move came as talks between Boehner and Obama suddenly hit a standstill. Boehner's decision on Tuesday to put forward the "Plan B" -- which would raise taxes only on those making over $1 million, and preserve current rates for everyone else -- angered the White House. On Wednesday morning, the White House issued a formal veto threat, as the president urged Republicans during a press conference to "peel off the partisan war paint."
In response to the president's criticism and resistance, Boehner called a press conference -- which lasted less than one minute -- to declare the House was moving forward and put the onus on the president to get Democrats on board.
"Tomorrow, the House will pass legislation to make permanent tax relief for nearly every American," Boehner said. "Then the president will have a decision to make. He can call on the Senate Democrats to pass that bill or he can be responsible for the largest tax increase in American history."
American workers, until recently, had been breathing a sigh of relief. Obama earlier this week backed off his long-held position that taxes should rise on households making over $250,000. At the same time, Boehner backed off his long-held opposition to any kind of tax rate hike, and the two sides were simply in search of a middle ground.
So far, Obama and the Democrats have had the upper-hand in the fiscal cliff debate. I don't know if this changes anything at all. Plus, Boehner may have a tough time with Republicans. I don't see how the more conservative members can vote for a tax increase without spending being taken care of.
3. January (link)
The showdown over gun control could come as early as January. President Obama said yesterday that he wants to see proposals by January. According to Politico:
President Barack Obama vowed Wednesday to act to combat gun violence, as he launched a panel led by Vice President Joe Biden that will quickly offer recommendations to him in the aftermath of Friday’s mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.
“The fact that this problem is complex can no longer be an excuse for doing nothing,” Obama said at the White House. “The fact that we can’t prevent every act of violence doesn’t mean we can’t steadily reduce the violence and prevent the very worst violence.”
The Biden-led working group will produce “concrete proposals” by January that Obama said he “intend[s] to push without delay” and will include them in his State of the Union Address. Biden joined Obama at the announcement but did not speak.
“There’s already a growing consensus for us to build from,” Obama said. “A majority of Americans support banning the sale of military-style assault weapons. A majority of Americans support banning the sale of high-capacity ammunition clips. A majority of American support laws requires background checks before all gun purchases.” The new Congress, he said, should vote on all these measures and prioritize confirming a new leader for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
But pressed by a reporter to explain his own inaction during his first term in a question, Obama got testy, listing the other issues he had to tackle over the last four years.
“Here’s where I’ve been … I’ve been president of the United States dealing with the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, an auto industry on the verge of collapse, two wars. I don’t think I’ve been on vacation,” he said. “I think all of us have to do some reflection on how we prioritize what we do here in Washington.”
Look who is using a tragedy now. This will be a major fight if it develops in Washington. What do you think will happen?
Other Top Stories:
These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.
More From News/Talk 95.1 & 790 KFYO
