Perpetual Blackmail By House Republicans ?

Under the guise of protecting the country from a growing deficit and national debt, the newly-enfranchised House Republicans have taken to blackmail like a fish to swimming or a bird to flying -- like it's a natural thing for them. They started with the budget for this year, threatening to shut down the government if their demands for slashing of social programs, the EPA, and education were not met.

The president was able to negotiate an end to that crises without too much hurt for ordinary Americans, but only because the Republicans recognized an even better opportunity for blackmail was just down the road -- a vote on whether to raise the debt ceiling established by Congress. And the time for that is now fast approaching.

The government will reach the debt ceiling around the middle of May, and unless that ceiling is raised by Congress the government might have to default on the debt it owes. If that were to happen it could not only throw this country into a depression, but could have negative worldwide reprecussions. The House Republicans don't seem to care about that. They simply see an opportunity to use this crises to get rid of social programs they never liked (like Medicare and Medicaid) and cut many others (Social Security, food stamps, unemployment insurance, etc.), while giving more tax cuts to the corporations and the mega-rich.

They are currently in the process of throwing a tantrum and threatening to vote "no" on raising the debt ceiling if their mean-spirited and hurtful demands are not met. They even have business scared, and many corporate and business representatives have been trying to get these House Republicans to pick another battle because the reprecussions of this one are too serious. But so far they have not been able to talk the Republicans out of their blackmail scheme.

In fact, some of these House Republicans are devising a scheme to turn the blackmail over raising the debt ceiling into a perpetual and permanent thing. They have been discussing among themselves a plan to raise the debt ceiling only for a couple of months each time. And they would want some of their demands met each time a new vote was scheduled. This way they could keep slashing programs they don't like and cutting taxes for their rich buddies without end, since they would get more every couple of months. And some Republicans, especially some of the new teabaggers in Congress, are already signing on to this scheme.

It goes without saying that this new blackmail scheme would be disastrous for the country's economy. Not only would it do nothing to create jobs and encourage growth, but it would keep both the government and the country in a never-ending state of turmoil -- destabilizing the economy and hurting all Americans. But they don't seem to care about that as long as they can get what they want.

It is time for the president and the Democrats to put their foot down. A continuance of the debt ceiling for only a couple of months is unacceptable, and giving in to the onerous Republican demands is just as bad. It's time to call their bluff. They have already gone too far by voting to abolish Medicare (so they can give corporations new tax breaks) and the people are angry. If they refuse to raise the debt ceiling and throw this country into turmoil, they will make the majority of Americans even angrier -- and they will pay for it at the polls in 2012.

Republican leaders know this and I don't believe they'll let the congressional teabaggers do anything else to further hurt the party. If the Democrats will just have enough backbone to stand firm, the Republicans will give in and vote to raise the debt ceiling. Democrats just need to make sure it is not a short-term (two month) solution. They must not allow the Republicans to engage in perpetual blackmail.