The US Senate spent nearly $230,000 to bail out its already overpriced federal barbershop and Republicans then joked about their time spent at the shop.

The Senate’s personal barbershop has been in business for 153-years and because of union laborers being employed the average salary is  $81,641, far higher then the national average for stylists.

Because of high labor costs the shop lost a good $300,000 chunk of money lately despite charging $27 for a cut-and-blow-dry, $105 for highlight jobs and 27,000 annual customers.

Speaking to The Daily Senate Sergeant at Arms Terrance Gainer remarked:

“There’s no way to sugarcoat” the problem, “It’s costing the government money, and that includes taxpayers like you and me. That’s the way it is. I just have not pulled the trigger. That’s on me.”

While Gainer acknowledged that it might be time to end the federal barbership his Republican counterparts disagree, according to Sen. John McCain jokes that he calls his barber the “butcher” because  ”He is a butcher, and I’ve got the scars to prove it. I’m lucky to be alive and have needed several blood transfusions to survive.”

McCain might be laughing but with nearly 28 million Americans out of work arguments that union labor is more expensive doesn’t hold any weight, Senate leaders looking for a haircut should pay more for their haircuts, not pass the buck on to taxpayers.

Do you think American taxpayers should be paying for U.S. Senators to get their haircuts or should they pony up money at regularly prices barbershops like the rest of us?

US Senate Bails Out Federal Barber Shop is a post from: The Inquisitr

The United States Senate on Thursday passed a massive $662 billion defense spending bill that brings with it various sanctions, harsher treatment of suspected terrorists and more.

Under the bill the U.S. plans to issue crippling sanctions against Iran in the hopes of choking off finances to the country by marking their entire banking sector as a “primary money laundering concern.”  By marking the Iran banking system in such a way the US and other international banks will closely monitor transactions and deny fund transfers from the countries lending institutions.

Sanctions against Iran were met with a 100-0 unanimous vote despite the possibility that gas prices could be pushed up in the United States because of the tighting control over Iran’s finances.

Speaking about sanctions against Iraq Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) noted:

“Iran’s actions are unacceptable and pose a danger to the United States and the entire world,” and ”Iran supports terrorist groups, arms the killers of American soldiers, lies about its nuclear program, violates its citizens’ basic rights and threatens Israel’s security.”

The bill will also allow the U.S. military to hold suspected terrorists indefinitely without trial even if they are captures on US soil and if they are American citizens.

Because of the bills ramped up security against “possible” terrorists the White House has already threatened to veto the bill. The White House issued the following statement:

“Applying this military custody requirement to individuals inside the US would raise serious legal questions, and would be inconsistent with the fundamental American principle that our military does not patrol our streets.”

The terrorist section of the bill would also require that all terrorists linked to al-Qaeda and their affiliates be placed under direct military custody, while American citizens would be exempt from such military holdings control.

The bill has managed to anger civil rights groups, including the the senior legislative counsel for the ACLU who revealed:

“Since the bill puts military detention authority on steroids and makes it permanent, American citizens are at greater risk of being locked away by the military without charge or trial if this bill becomes law.”

It’s not just the American Civil Liberties Union that opposes more military control over terrorist suspects, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta also opposed the bill as did FBI Director Robert Mueller who both said the bill “challenges or constrains the president’s authorities to collect intelligence, incapacitate dangerous terrorists and protect the nation.”

The section of the bill authorizing money for military personnel, weapons systems, national security programs in the Energy Department and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 was met with a vote of 93-7.

It should be noted that the bill is $27 billion less than President Obama requests and $43billion less than what Congress awards to the Pentagon in the 2010 fiscal year.

As of Thursday the White House has said the threat of a veto still stands if the bill remains in it’s current state.

Do you think the U.S. Senate has overstepped their bounds is the treatment of potential terrorists? Would you pay more for gas at the pump if it meant constraining the power of Iran?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

US Senate Passes Massive $662 Billion Defense Spending Bill is a post from: The Inquisitr

Elizabeth Warren hopes to become the next Democrat U.S. Senator but she may have hurt her chances after she referred to herself as an “elite hick” during a recent interview.

Speaking with ABC News Warren the Senate hopeful made her comment after political attacks were aimed at her Harvard professor background.

“I’m a new category, an elite hick,” said the Massachusetts Democrat while adding, I don’t even know what to say about that one.”

She then appeared to be joking when she laughed as she said:

“I’m going for the hick vote here,” and “I just want you to know. Maybe we could start wearing stickers that say, ‘Hicks for Elizabeth.’ Could we do that?”

Massachusetts Republican in the meantime called her use of the word “hick” insulting, apparently to actual hicks.

For there part her campaign says Elizabeth was just acting in jest:

“Elizabeth gave a self deprecating answer when an interviewer said that like her, he was from Oklahoma and often called a hick,” while adding, “It was a lighthearted moment in an otherwise serious conversation about Elizabeth’s fight for middle class families.”

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times, cracking jokes in the middle of a near double dip recession just doesn’t translate well for voters who want real honest answers to unemployment and other risks of economic collapse.

Do you believe Ms. Warren was just attempting to tell a joke or that was her campaigns response to avoid further backlash from voters and the GOP?

Senate Hopeful Elizabeth Warren: I’m An “Elite Hick” is a post from: The Inquisitr

It’s a no go for President Obama’s American Jobs Act. All Republicans and two Democrats (Ben Nelson and Jon Tester) voted to stop the bill when it reached the Senate floor on Tuesday.

As previously reported the bill required 60 votes to advance with only 53 seats currently residing with the Democratic party.

Before the vote Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said:

“The truth of the matter is, most Democrats know just as well as I do that passing another stimulus and tax hike is a lousy idea — which is why the president is having such a hard time convincing many Democrats to vote for it.”

Speaking in defense of the American Jobs Act Jim Messina, campaign manager of Obama for America noted:

“Their strategy is to suffocate the economy for the sake of what they think will be a political victory.” Messina added, “They think that the more folks see Washington taking no action to create jobs, the better their chances in the next election. So they’re doing everything in their power to make sure nothing gets done.”

Several Democrats who voted yes to the bill said they opposed the proposal as it currently stands but would be willing to vote yes in the future when the bill is broken down into it’s basic components and voted on again.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the bill didn’t pass, various members of the Republican led Senate said they would filibuster the act when it reached the voting floor.

Do you believe Republican lawmakers made the right decision in terms of shooting down the bill or should the American Jobs Act have been passed in the hopes of ensuring 5 million American’s don’t lose unemployment benefits come January 2012?

Senate Blocks American Jobs Act With Filibuster is a post from: The Inquisitr

After long legal battle, Minnesota senator Norm Coleman has finally accepted that Al Franken won his Senate seat back in November 2008.

Understatement of the year from Coleman, via USA Today:

“I congratulate Al Franken” on his victory, Coleman said at a news conference outside his home in St. Paul. “Sure Iwanted to win. I thought we had a better case. But the court has spoken.”

Yeah, we never would have guessed that with you hanging on to absentee ballots like a chad in Florida, homeslice. This is an epic FML for Senate Republicans, as Franken’s seat gives Democrats the sixty-seat edge needed to block Republicans from delaying Democrat legislation. Stuart Smalley that, Bill O’Reilly!

The earliest Senator-elect Franken can claim his seat will be next week due to the July 4th holiday. In a statement, President Barack Obama pieced together some meaningless soundbites stated:

“I look forward to working with Senator-Elect Franken to build a new foundation for growth and prosperity by lowering health care costs and investing in the kind of clean energy jobs and industries that will help America lead in the 21st century.”

Franken wins seat as Coleman finally concedes is a post from: The Inquisitr