# I pit Senator Bunning for killing seniors **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 27, 2010, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594 "2010-02-27T01:34:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/41 "2010-02-27T19:16:31Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > But Medicare is SOCIALIZED MEDICINE! > > I thought all Republicans were against SOCIALIZED medicine! Get rid of it. Get rid of SOCIAL security too. While we’re at it, let’s change the “words and stuff” about the general WELFARE. And all that talk about the STATE, which is code speak for Communism. And unemployment insurance too, because them out of work guys are takin’ mah moneh! There’s too much Commie stuff out there 😃 The above is just humor, for those who might miss it. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/42 "2010-02-27T19:19:36Z")
> [@niblet\_head](#): > > Well, that’s just ridiculous. Why don’t they just go to their church or their family or a charity? And plus, they’re probably all Democrats anyway. Ummmmm because that’s not an answer. If a person just recently went bust, he / she may not yet be “poor enough” to qualify? Because there are Hispanic charities, black charities, Jewish charities, etc, but depending on an accident of birth, some people may be “a little too whitebread”? (deliberate sarcasm). Added on edit: Your sarcasm was duly noted also 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/43 "2010-02-27T19:34:38Z")
Wow, what an asshole. He filibusters the extension of unemployment benefits because of the deficit, yet he has no problem cheating the country out of tax dollars by running a “charity” that employs himself as the only employee in a clearly altruistic endeavor: autographing baseballs and paying himself hundreds of thousands of dollars in return for his “service.” [http://www.kentucky.com/2008/12/18/630621/non-profit-profits-us-sen-jim.html](http://www.kentucky.com/2008/12/18/630621/non-profit-profits-us-sen-jim.html) ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/44 "2010-02-27T20:14:32Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > That sounds like an invitation to run more and more of the Federal government off-budget, like Republicans did with the war on terror for so many years; before deciding that pretending to be deficit hawks served their interests better under a Democrat president. > > Paying for shit as you go along is the way to go, not grandstanding like Bunning, or engaging in stupid tricks that _will_ be gamed. Um, there’s an easy remedy for that: don’t allow off-budget money. See, over here, there’s an annual / bi-annual federal / state budget that the state assembly votes on, with all ministers haggling over which budget gets slashed by finance, and which is so important it needs to be raised. Then, after the haggling, the different parties have to agree and pass it, and then this budget is valid for the whole year / two years, until a new one has been passed. If it turns out that unexpected problems require additional money, then an addendum-budget is passed the same way, with all different parties having to agree on it. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/45 "2010-02-27T20:33:37Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Wow, what an asshole. He filibusters the extension of unemployment benefits because of the deficit, yet he has no problem cheating the country out of tax dollars by running a “charity” that employs himself as the only employee in a clearly altruistic endeavor: autographing baseballs and paying himself hundreds of thousands of dollars in return for his “service.” > > [http://www.kentucky.com/2008/12/18/630621/non-profit-profits-us-sen-jim.html](http://www.kentucky.com/2008/12/18/630621/non-profit-profits-us-sen-jim.html) Autographing memorabilia and throwing money at Catholic churches as a tax shelter. This man has balls the size of Texas. What a fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Carol\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carol_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/46 "2010-02-27T20:39:32Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > OK, I’ll laugh now, see -\> 😃 > > Just a little thin skinned, being in dire economic straits myself. (I no longer qualify for any form of unemployment coverage, thus, I am all too familiar with what these people will be facing) No problemo. No chastisement intended in my response, either. What, you can’t see me winking at you? I’m sittin’ right here! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/47 "2010-02-27T21:35:14Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > Autographing memorabilia and throwing money at Catholic churches as a tax shelter. This man has balls the size of Texas. What a fuck. Why aren’t the Dems all over this? Stupid fools are missing a golden opportunity here. Here’s how I would play it, in their shoes: [ul] [li]He cares more about some basketball than he does about anything else, including constituents. So much for the “party of responsibility”.[/li][li]He and his party don’t care about families. His attitude is “tough shit”.[/li][li]He and his party are “all about” obstruction of anything and everything.[/li][li]He and his party will throw anyone and everyone under the bus for political purposes.[/li][li]His party is being far too silent about his behavior.[/li][/ul] The Dems should be (like I said) all over this. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/48 "2010-02-27T23:23:32Z")
It’s a waste of time and money for the Dems to go after Bunning. He’s retiring anyway, so he’s not up for re-election. His constituents already know he’s an asshole. And by the time the Monday morning news cycle hits, the bill will be on the calendar for a vote, and indeed, will likely have been voted on because no one who actually is up for re-election wants to get caught dead holding it up again. The Dems really do have bigger and better fish to fry. Just let Bunning have his basketball game, we’ll all get mad and forget about it Monday. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/49 "2010-02-27T23:49:53Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > It’s a waste of time and money for the Dems to go after Bunning. He’s retiring anyway, so he’s not up for re-election. His constituents already know he’s an asshole. And by the time the Monday morning news cycle hits, the bill will be on the calendar for a vote, and indeed, will likely have been voted on because no one who actually is up for re-election wants to get caught dead holding it up again. > > The Dems really do have bigger and better fish to fry. Just let Bunning have his basketball game, we’ll all get mad and forget about it Monday. I hope he gets to the game way late after a horrible drive in awful traffic, and “his” team gets trounced. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/50 "2010-02-28T01:22:30Z")
**Broomstick** , you forgot the hot sauce on that dildo way upthread. Honestly. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/51 "2010-02-28T01:48:41Z")
Any updates on this as a news story? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/52 "2010-02-28T01:49:13Z")
Actually, Bunning is a huge hero for this. He’s courageously standing up and demanding to know how the government is going to pay for all this. At least, that’s how his allies see it. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/53 "2010-02-28T04:06:51Z")
> [@whiterabbit](#): > > **Broomstick** , you forgot the hot sauce on that dildo way upthread. Honestly. _sigh_ How about I just rub some poison ivy on it instead? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/54 "2010-02-28T04:31:13Z")
Well, you’re gonna need an ocean full of calomine lotion. You’ll be scratching like a hound, the minute you start to mess around. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/55 "2010-02-28T05:03:46Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Actually, Bunning is a huge hero for this. He’s courageously standing up and demanding to know how the government is going to pay for all this. > > At least, that’s how his allies see it. You mean his allies that are going to all vote for this bill on Monday or as soon as it actually gets to a vote? They may _say_ that they think so, but they don’t vote that way. It’s lip service. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/56 "2010-03-01T14:02:17Z")
> [@](#): > > Two thousand federal transportation workers will be furloughed without pay on Monday, and the Obama administration said they have a Kentucky senator to blame for it. > … > LaHood said construction workers will be sent home from job sites because federal inspectors must be furloughed. > > Among the construction sites where work will be halted: the $36 million replacement of the Humpback Bridge on the George Washington Parkway in Virginia; $15 million in bridge construction and stream rehabilitation in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; and the $8 million resurfacing of the Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi. [Trucker News](http://www.thetrucker.com/News/Stories/2010/3/1/SenateimpassefreezeshighwayfundssendsDOTemployeeshome.aspx) [Looking on the sunny side:](http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2010/03/sen-bunning-singlehandedly-causes-2000-federal-worker-furloughs.html) > [@](#): > > DOT says that federal programs that help states combat drunk driving and reduce traffic injuries are also affected. The federal part of those efforts, funded by the Highway Trust Fund, will come to a halt Monday. Cops’ll be less of a worry for anyone driving while wasted on St. Patricks day this year. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/57 "2010-03-01T21:25:54Z")
Thanks to all who defended my honor while I was away. Let me be very clear, I have no problem with pro bono work and I have been known to see patients for free, but I can’t spend savings to keep my office open. I’ve already dipped into my funds to keep the place open. How many people would go to work each day if they were told that instead of getting a paycheck, they would now be required to give their employer a check for $100 for each day they work there? No offense, but my cats have to eat. I think that those people getting umemployment benefits have the worst of it. As was noted upthread, many of these people are living on the edge as it is, and cannot afford a delay in payment. As for the Medicare sustainable growth formula, because of the stalling, now they’re looking at a 6 month delay, at which time doctors will be subject to a 26% reimbursement cut. The reason that the prior budget cannot just be kept in effect is that the prior budget, by being tied to gnp rather than inflation or actual costs, mandates a 5-10% cut in payments yearly. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Smashy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mr\_Smashy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Smashy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/58 "2010-03-02T13:28:59Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > Fuck Jim Bunning sideways. And fuck the clueless “leadership” in the Senate that let him get away with this bullshit. Because of one lone asshole, there are going to be millions of people put into some terrifying positions this weekend while he goes and watches basketball. There is no way to let him feel the collective pain that he’s caused with his obstructionist bullshit, but there ought to be something that can be done. Perhaps a beating with soap in socks? Good piece by that wiseguy Milbank in the [WaPo](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/01/AR2010030103401.html?hpid=opinionsbox1) (free reg required) that talks to Bunning’s latest antics. You say that it’s the ‘leadership’ letting him get away with this; in actuality, the author suggests that he’s doing this to get back at Mitch M for forcing him to the sidelines; one senator has the power to do what he’s been doing, there’s not much the leadership can do. Either that, or he’s truly gone crazy, which. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/59 "2010-03-02T14:03:24Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > Why aren’t the Dems all over this? Stupid fools are missing a golden opportunity here. > > Here’s how I would play it, in their shoes: > > [ul] > [li]He cares more about some basketball than he does about anything else, including constituents. So much for the “party of responsibility”.[/li][li]He and his party don’t care about families. His attitude is “tough shit”.[/li][li]He and his party are “all about” obstruction of anything and everything.[/li][li]He and his party will throw anyone and everyone under the bus for political purposes.[/li][li]His party is being far too silent about his behavior.[/li][/ul] > The Dems should be (like I said) all over this. The Democrats who are running for Bunning’s seat (Dan Mongiardo and Jack Conway) both came out swinging against this nonsense, but tepidly and way too late. The frontrunning Republican at the moment is Rand Paul–son of Ron, ophthalmologist, and lunatic. He has come out strongly in favor of Bunning, which should help knock him out of that frontrunning position. His main primary opponent, the far more reasonable Trey Grayson, appears to be keeping his mouth shut about it (as far as I’ve heard). ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594/60 "2010-03-02T14:41:31Z")
Minority whip approves Bunning tactics: > [@](#): > > The Senate will pass an unemployment benefits extension this week, Sen. Jon Kyl said Sunday, but said it was right of Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., to hold up the legislation last week because the money to pay for it hasn’t been found. > … > Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Kyl said Bunning’s decision to block a $10 billion temporary extension of jobless aid was to point out the hypocrisy of the Senate exempting the legislation from a just-passed bill requiring Congress to pay for legislation as it comes up, commonly referred to as PAYGO. [Jobless Benefits to End, But Likely Only For a Couple Days](http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/28/jobless-benefits-end-likely-couple-days/) Since it’s only for a “Couple Days”, I suppose the GOP leadership who let this happen are only evil-fucks for a “couple days.” No, what am I saying? Evil isn’t usually a passing thing, it sticks. There’s no profit in thinking fuzzy about it: > [@](#): > > [Acknowledging the existence and actions of evil](http://www.heritage.org/Press/Events/ev030210a.cfm)enemies means accepting that we are at war, and then designing and conducting a strategy to win. > > -Michael Ledeen [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-senator-bunning-for-killing-seniors/530594.md?page=4)