Republican Filibuster Of School Aid To The States Fails

By Yashwanth Manjunath

Once again, Republicans prove that they do not care about public education by filibustering a $26 billion measure, fully paid for, to help states struggling to prevent teacher layoffs. Remember when filibusters were only used during extreme circumstances? Oh yeah, it was only four years ago, when the Democrats were in the minority in the Senate. The final cloture vote was 61-38, with Olympia Snowe (pictured, left) and Susan Collins (right) joining every Democrat in support of the measure.

What did the Republican leadership have to say about this measure? Well a spokesman for John Boehner’s office, Michael Steel (that’s Steel not Steele) said that

Democrats would be better off listening to their constituents, who are asking, ‘Where are the jobs’ rather than returning to Washington, D.C. to vote for more tax hikes and special interest bailouts.

Another criticism Republican leaders have of the measure is how Democrats are paying for the $26 billion required to fund this legislation. Senate Democrats are closing a $10 billion loophole that currently allows multinational corporations to shelter income in low-tax countries to avoid paying higher U.S taxes. According to the Republicans, what the Democrats call a “loophole” amounts to a $10 billion tax increase on these corporations.  It is always nice to see Republicans drop their traditional euphemisms like “job-creators” and “small businesses”  and just come out and say who they really represent. Protect the largest corporations in the world that fund your campaigns while spitting on teachers and students all across this country. For a Senate Republican, it’s all in a day’s work.

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