Topic: Congress

Tax Rebates: A windfall spending spree, or saving for a rainy day

By Christine Anne Piesyk | January 25, 2008 |

Congress is opting to put more money in the pockets of taxpayers via tax rebates of $600 to $1,000, a move made in the hopes that taxpayers will quickly funnel that money back into the economy. A worthy goal, I suppose.

I’m sure that electronics showrooms and a host of other retailers are hoping for a spending surge in a few months, but will it happen, and will it be enough to jump start the economy? The jury will be out for a while on that one.

I do know that for me any refund or other form of “windfall” will not quickly refuel the economy. My TV works just fine. I won’t buy a cell phone. My closet is full of clothes. I borrow more DVDs from the library than I will ever buy. A trip to Barnes and Noble could constitute a “weak moment” but since B&N is in Nashville, I’d have to say “not likely.” I’ll just pocket the cash for a rainy day. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Opinion | No Comments

Omnibus Spending: Senate missed the mark

By Chris Lugo | December 26, 2007 |

Last week the United States Senate passed the Omnibus Spending Bill, which included an appropriation of $70 billion for Iraq, showing that the Senate is once again out of touch with the basic values of the American people. According to a December 13th Gallup survey, Americans say that the war in Iraq is their number one concern, yet this past week the US Senate voted to “stay the course” and handed the President everything he wanted with respect to the war in Iraq.

American’s are highly skeptical about the notion of progress in Iraq, with only 11% polling responding that they are “pleased” with the results of the war. Yet Americans seem resigned to the fact that US troops are going to remain in Iraq. The simple fact is that the United States cannot afford to continue this war. In addition to the complete lack of international support for Bush’s folly, the middle class can no longer afford to pay for the war. The national debt is at an all time high of $9.1 trillion dollars and Congress has appropriated another $580 billion dollars in military spending, far in excess of the actual amount of appropriations needed to defend the national security . «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Opinion | 1 Comment »

Since 2000, more issues than answers arise in e-voting’s short history

By Bernie Ellis | December 13, 2007 |

In the wake of 2000 election issues, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in 2002. HAVA was intended to address the problems of accuracy and functionality such as “hanging chads”– of the voting systems then in use. HAVA’s mandate also included ensuring that all voters with disabilities have access to voting systems that would provide private and independent voting.

These changes were required in every state for the 2006 federal election. Millions of tax dollars were allocated and dispersed to the states to upgrade and buy new equipment that would incorporate these requirements. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues | No Comments

Cut oil companies corporate welfare

By Beth Robinson | December 12, 2007 |

The House has passed H.R. 6, a bill containing moderate energy reforms. The best part of this action is a repeal of $13.5 billion in tax breaks for oil companies. Haven’t they been reporting record profits? Some Republicans objected to the repeal, and hope that it can be taken out when the bill goes to the Senate. Aren’t we looking for a way to reduce the federal deficit? Democrats are ’supposedly’ guilty of tax-and-spend. The current administration is just ’spend’.

The bill raises fuel efficiency standards, requiring that cars average 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020. Although this is quite modest compared to other countries standards, it represents the first US increase in efficiency standards in over 30 years.

The bill also mandates that some of the electricity produced by utilities come from renewable sources. Contact your legislators to support this minimal change to US energy policy. Support H.R. 6

Sections: Opinion, Politics | 1 Comment »

Matthew Shepard bill is a casualty of war

By Christine Anne Piesyk | December 6, 2007 |

How many perfectly good pieces of legislation have faded to oblivion by virtue of being “attached” to an unpopular bill doomed for failure.

Such is the case with the hate crimes bill, familiar to many as the Matthew Shepard bill, a meticulously drafted act that would have categorized crimes based on gender identity or sexual orientation as hate crimes. Matthew Shepard was a young, gay university student in Wyoming who was beaten into a coma and subsequently died.

The Matthew Shepard Bill was a bill whose time had not only come but was terribly overdue, but being incorporated into a package of military spending (i.e. Iraq War funding) resulted in a kill on the battlefield of equal rights and civil liberties. Matthew Shepard and gays across America have become casualties of war. «Read the rest of this article»

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Suddenly, impeachment hearings are looking like a strong possibility

November 8, 2007 |

Kucinich, by bringing his Cheney impeachment resolution to a floor vote in the House, has shaken up the politics of impeachment, and looks like it may end up putting Cheney in the dock.

You wouldn’t know it if you just watch TV news or read the corporate press, but this past Tuesday, something remarkable happened. Despite the pig-headed opposition of the Democratic Party’s top congressional leadership, a majority of the House, including three Republicans, voted to send Dennis Kucinich’s long sidelined Cheney impeachment bill (H Res 333) to the Judiciary Committee for hearings.

The vote was 218 to 194.

Now the behind-the-scenes partisan maneuvering that preceded that vote was arcane indeed, with Kucinich first exercising a member’s privilege motion to present his stymied impeachment bill to the full House, only to have Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrange for a colleague (Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-MD) offer a motion to table it. The Republicans, anxious to embarrass the Speaker, threw a wrench into that plan, though, by voting as a bloc to oppose tabling. Since Kucinich already has 22 co-sponsors for his bill, it was clear that the tabling gambit would fail. As soon as that became apparent, rank-and-file Democrats, unwilling to be seen by their constituents as defending Cheney, rushed to change their votes to opposing the tabling motion. In the end, tabling failed by 242 to 170 with 77 Democrats supporting a pleasantly surprised Kucinich. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Opinion, Politics | 1 Comment »

SSA funding increase coming up for vote

November 7, 2007 |

Last week, key members of the House of Representatives and Senate met as conferees to reconcile their respective versions of the appropriations bill that includes funding for Social Security Administration - the fiscal year (FY) 2008 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill. The House and Senate conferees agreed to include the Senate version of the appropriation for SSA, which provides $9.871 billion for SSA’s administrative FY 2008 budget. This amount is $275 million above the President’s request and would allow SSA to:

• Hire about 250 more ALJs.

• Replace some of the several thousand positions lost in SSA field offices over the past two years.

• Increase hiring in DDSs to replace a loss of over 800 positions.

While this level of funding is not enough to eliminate the disability claims backlog, without this appropriation, the backlog will continue to increase and SSA service will worsen, as SSA’s staffing drops to its lowest level in over 30 years. This bill is very important to people with disabilities and their families! «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: News, Opinion, Politics | No Comments

Demand Action For Our Veterans

October 11, 2007 |

The budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs is officially late. Instead of working to get it passed, Congress is caught up in a furor over Rush Limbaugh’s latest comments and MoveOn.org’s most recent ad.

With the help of grassroots supporters, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America Action fund is running this ad to break through the clutter. If you’re interested in getting involved, whether you’re a veteran or a concerned civilian visit their web site.

As a recent report from the Government Accountability Office reveals, seven months have passed since the Walter Reed crisis and serious problems in veterans’ care remain.

As of October 1, the veterans’ budget is late. Until it is approved, the VA will be forced to ration care.

Now, it’s up to the President and Congress to approve the budget. Add your name to the statement, and demand they take action.

«Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Issues, Opinion, Politics | No Comments