Sunday, September 30, 2012

MegaVote 2012-09-24


Congress.org (congress.org) presents: M E G A V O T E  for September 24, 2012

In this MegaVote for Georgia's 13th Congressional District:

Recent Congressional Votes -* Senate: Veterans Job Training  Motion to Waive
* Senate: Foreign Aid Suspension
* Senate: Iran Nuclear Threat
* Senate: Continuing Resolution
* House: Student Loan Exemption for Deceased Veterans  Suspension
* House: Public Funding for Political Conventions  Suspension
* House: Welfare Work Requirements  Disapproval Resolution
* House: STEM Visa Program - Suspension
* House: Manhattan Project National Park  Suspension
* House: Energy Regulatory Rollback  Passage

Upcoming Congressional Bills -* Senate: Sportsmen's Act of 2012

Editor's Note:  The House and Senate are in recess until Tuesday, November 13.

Recent Senate Votes:Veterans Job Training  Motion to Waivehttp://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=193&chamber=S&congress=1122
Vote Rejected (58-40, 2 Not Voting)
The Senate spent much of last week working on this bill that would have created a so-called jobs corps to assist Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in finding post-service employment. After invoking cloture on a motion to proceed to the bill, a substitute amendment by Veterans Affairs Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., was introduced. Among other things, the amendment would have required states to issue certain licenses, such as for plumbing or truck driving, to veterans without the normal requirements if eligible applicants had at least 10 years experience in related military activities. Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., raised a point of order against the amendment that its costs exceeded the amount of funding allowed under current budgetary limitations. Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., then moved to waive the point of order, which would have allowed the amendment to be debated. 60 votes are required to waive budgetary points of order, however, and proponents of the bill fell two votes shy. Sustaining the point of order effectively killed the bill.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted NO
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted NO
Usually these guys are falling all over themselves to be on the official side of supportying veteran’s, surely because most citizen’s believe that respect is fair recompense for risks taken for country and injuroes to person. Throwing regulatory admendmets onto bills designed to make the team look good sounds like a planned poison pill.

Foreign Aid Suspensionhttp://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=196&chamber=S&congress=1122
Vote Rejected (10-81, 9 Not Voting)
Despite only having one must-pass item to clear before recessing  namely a continuing resolution to keep the government running, the Senate was in session into the wee hours of Saturday morning. This was initially due to the insistence of Rand Paul, R-Ky., on getting a vote for his bill to suspend foreign aid to Pakistan, Libya, and Egypt. Eventually an agreement was reached to hold a vote on the bill, which was soundly defeated due to bipartisan opposition.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted NO
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted NO
Usually these guys are falling all over themselves to be on the official side of supportying veteran’s, surely because most citizen’s believe that respect is fair recompense for risks taken for country and injuroes to person. Throwing regulatory admendmets onto bills designed to make the team look good sounds like a planned poison pill. give the country money in hopes of purchasing marginal access to negotiation, call it what it is, and that is a bribe. A bribe for which there is little hope of reward. Rand Paul is right on this one, and the whole of the Senate is trying their best to ignore reality. Sound familiar?

Iran Nuclear Threat
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=197&chamber=S&congress=1122
Vote Agreed to (90-1, 9 Not Voting)
This resolution from Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., would reaffirm U.S. opposition to the Iranian nuclear program and states that the current regime of diplomacy and sanctions must continue until Iran meets certain benchmarks. These benchmarks include suspension of uranium enrichment, compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions and full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UNs nuclear watchdog. The resolution pointedly states that none of its language constitutes an authorization for the use of force. Rand Paul was the lone nay vote.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted YES
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted YES
If you want to throw a charge into the ass of Iran, vote to go to war.

Continuing Resolutionhttp://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=199&chamber=S&congress=1122
Vote Agreed to (62-30, 8 Not Voting)
After rejecting the Paul foreign aid measure and passing the Graham Iran resolution, the Senate was able to take up the continuing resolution that would fund government operations for the next six months at more or less flat levels (funding would increase by 0.6 percent for most programs.)
Sen. Saxby Chambliss voted NO
Sen. Johnny Isakson voted NO

Recent House Votes:
Student Loan Exemption for Deceased Veterans  Suspension
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=585&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (400-0, 29 Not Voting)
This bill, passed under suspension of the rules and therefore requiring a two-thirds majority for passage, would exempt student loan debt from gross taxable income for veterans who die as the result of a service-related disability. Loan forgiveness would be back-dated to October 7, 2001, and families/survivors of the deceased would have up to one year after enactment of the bill to file for refunds. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its prospects are uncertain.
Rep. David Scott voted YES
Fine, but this is little more than election year politics. Why couldn’t the President do this with one of his executive orders, he’s issued more than 800 of the Constitutional side steps.

Public Funding for Political Conventions  Suspensionhttp://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=586&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (310-95, 24 Not Voting)
Another suspension bill would prohibit the use of monies in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund for financing presidential nomination conventions, e.g. the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Under current law each major party is entitled to $4 million to stage their conventions and minor parties are entitled to an amount proportionate to their popular vote percentage in the previous election. An earlier House bill passed last December (Roll Call 873) would have eliminated the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, and thus the public financing of elections entirely. Unlike that measure, which was unanimously opposed by Democrats, the more modest bill passed last week attracted about half of all Democrats voting as well as all Republicans. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., has introduced a companion measure with bipartisan support in the Senate.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
If you want to throw a charge into the ass of Iran, vote to go to war.

Welfare Work Requirements  Disapproval Resolutionhttp://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=589&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (250-164, 15 Not Voting)
The issue of welfare was a persistent theme in the presidential campaign for months  with the Republican nominee Mitt Romney accusing President Obama of removing work requirements from the program and allowing people to collect money with no strings attached. At issue was a July 12 memorandum issued by the Health and Human Services Department (HHS), which oversees the welfare program, whose technical name is Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The memo laid out a proposed waiver program for states that meet certain requirements for boosting TANF employment goals. Republicans claim that HHS does not have the waiver authority it claims in the memo, and that the proposal should have been formally submitted to Congress since it amounts to an agency rulemaking. The latter assertion was supported by a Government Accountability Office report. Partisans on both sides have either decried or supported the waiver proposal, including the two chief architects of 1990s welfare reform, former President Clinton and former Speaker Newt Gingrich. The action taken by the House last week would repeal the move by HHS. In order for the repeal to become law, however, a similar resolution would have to pass the Senate and be signed by the president, both highly unlikely.
Rep. David Scott voted NOLet’s see, the President’s department ignores legislation,the House passes a resolution that is essentially a bitch complaint and the President has the right to veto if it gets to his desk?  Disfunctional, yes!

STEM Visa Program - Suspensionhttp://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=590&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Failed (257-158, 14 Not Voting)
Immigration has always been a partisan battleground, but one area the parties seemed to have formed agreement in the 112th Congress was on the need to boost immigration by high-skill workers, particularly those in the so-called STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, R.-Tex., had been working with Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for months on just such a proposal. As with so many bipartisan efforts in the last two years, however, talks foundered. Both chairmen support creating roughly 50,000 visas for graduates of U.S. institutions with advanced degrees in STEM fields. The detail that derailed talks is that Smith wanted those visas to come at the expense of an existing program, the diversity visa lottery, which sets aside slots for people from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the U.S. Schumer and other Democrats wanted to simply create new slots for the STEM graduates while holding the diversity lottery harmless. Last week Smith and House leadership decided to try their luck on the floor with a suspension vote for Smiths proposal; it ended up falling 20 votes shy of the two-thirds needed for passage. Given the bipartisan support for the overall idea, it is possible talks could resume in the lame duck session, though the crowded agenda makes any decisive action unlikely before next year.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
STEM legislation is policy pushed by lobbyists, supported by industry, the desired yet unspoken effect is to drive down professional wages by applying professional scabs.  This is an attack on domesticall trained scientists and engineers. Thank you for this vote Representative Scott.

Manhattan Project National Park  Suspensionhttp://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=591&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Failed (237-180, 12 Not Voting)
Another failed suspension vote came on this bill to set aside federal land in New Mexico, Washington state, and Tennessee for a national park commemorating the Manhattan Project that led to the creation of the atomic bomb. Most suspensions are non-controversial, and Democrats in particular are usually in favor of creating parkland, but opponents of the measure said it would send the wrong message to allies such as Japan, which suffered mass casualties as a result of the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. The bill fell 41 votes short.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
Don’t we have enough freaking parks? Some sonofabitch in New Mexico that owns the land, or the development rights is pushing for another waste of money. Just say no.  

Energy Regulatory Rollback  Passagehttp://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=603&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (233-175, 21 Not Voting)
The final bill passed by the House before the November elections was a summation of sorts regarding one of Republicans core electoral and policy arguments  namely that regulations, particularly those concerning energy production  are hurting the economy. H.R. 3409 is a smorgasbord containing the texts of five different bills, four of which had previously passed the House (Roll Calls 249, 573, 741 and 800, all in 2011). The original bill would prevent the Interior Secretary from issuing any regulations before 2014 that would result in damage to the coal industry, e.g., reductions in coal mining jobs, the amount of coal available for consumption or export, etc. The other proposals would: prevent EPA from regulating greenhouse gases as a pollutant under the Clean Air Act, as well as effectively repeal automobile efficiency standards that would increase gas mileage to 54.5 mpg by 2025; create a cross-agency council for analyzing EPA regulations and their effect on the economy, as well as pre-empting a handful of EPA rules from being finalized and nullifying others already finalized; prevent EPA from regulating coal ash - a byproduct of coal combustion that some states use to make asphalt  instead allowing the states to regulate it as they see fit; and limiting EPA authority over water-quality standards. The Senate will not take up the bill when it returns, and the president has issued a veto threat.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
The President and Democrats are on the wrong side of this issue, they choose to ignore the fact that their policies are antit-growth. We people, since when have you seen the population decrease?  Resources have to be developed to keep up.

Upcoming Votes:

Sportsmen's Act of 2012 - S.3525Before breaking for recess, the Senate invoked cloture on the motion to proceed to this catch-all bill sponsored by Jon Tester, D-Mont. It would loosen a variety of regulations on hunters and fishermen, particularly regarding their activities on public lands.
Just watch the pansies jump all over this one.

MegaVote is powered by the CQ-Roll Call Group (http://corporate.cqrollcall.com), Copyright (c) 2012.

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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Dumb Basstuds

This from the state that brought us the five decades of Ted Kennedy.

Massachusetts: Obama 55%, Romney 40%
Unbelievable.

Election 2012: Massachusetts President - Rasmussen Reports™


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Let Them Smoke It

Typical government innocence. It is universal, people that mean to do well, don't think it through.  Give criminals the opportunity to grow things and what do you think that they are going to do?  I'll guess, grow marijuana, grow mushrooms, you name it.  All they really had to do here was supervise the darned thing with a person that knows what he is looking at.
Marijuana used to grow wild on the banks of the river I lived near, I learned by the time I was 10 years old what it was because my father would pull it up and throw it in the water, problem solved.
For the prisoners I suggest that they let them grow the stuff, and share it equally amongst those interested. The pot would mellow out the users and maybe cut down on ass rape.  Heck it might even make the food more palatable.


Jail's gardening scheme backfires as prisoners grow pot (via AFP)
Warders in a French jail where prisoners are allowed to grow their own produce have been left red-faced after the discovery of cannabis plants among the flowers and vegetables. The plants, which had reached a height of around 80cm (two and a half feet) before being spotted at the weekend, were found…

Friday, September 21, 2012

MegaVote 2012-09-17

Congress.org (congress.org) presents: M E G A V O T E for September 17, 2012

In this MegaVote for Georgia's 13th Congressional District:

Recent Congressional Votes
·         House: Minnesota Land Exchange
·         House: Government Surveillance Authorities
·         House: Sequestration Replacement
·         House: Continuing Resolution
·         House: Energy Department Loan Guarantees

Upcoming Congressional Bills
·         Senate: Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012
·         Senate: Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013
·         House: Welfare waiver disapproval
·         House: STEM Jobs Act of 2012
·         House: Stop the War on Coal Act of 2012

Recent House Votes
Minnesota Land Exchange
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=568&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (225-189, 15 Not Voting)
This bill would facilitate a land exchange between the federal government and the state of Minnesota. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area wilderness in northern Minnesota is currently segmented by state-owned lands; the bill would instruct the secretary of Agriculture to exchange unspecified federal land elsewhere within the state for about 86,000 acres of state-held land in the wilderness. The bill is controversial among House Democrats because it bypasses normal processes for environmental review and land value appraisal and would grandfather in certain activities such as hunting and fishing on the land being converted from state to federal. (Hunting and fishing are normally prohibited in federal wilderness areas.) A handful of Democratic amendments to reverse these changes were defeated. The bill's prospects in the Senate are unclear.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
Since a basic urban Democratic principle is that citizens should be disarmed, it is a natural extention that there is no need to allow a state the priviledge of allowing citizens to hunt within its borders.  No matter that the principle ignores the right to bear arms.  No surprise here.

Government Surveillance Authoritieshttp://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=569&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (301-118, 10 Not Voting)
This bill reauthorizes the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) through 2017. FISA permits the Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to authorize warrantless surveillance of foreign terrorism suspects who are based overseas. The law sets the rules of the road, broadly speaking, for intelligence agencies engaged in these spying activities.  The bill prohibits the spying power from being used to target persons in the United States, and the program is subject to oversight by the congressional Judiciary and Intelligence committees and a special court. Almost all Republicans voting backed passage, while a majority of Democrats (111) voted against the bill. Senate Intelligence committee chair Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has been pushing for reauthorization in the other chamber, but has met resistance from fellow committee member Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Wyden wants to know how many American citizens have been targeted by the spy program and has placed a hold on the Senate's reauthorization measure until he has an answer. The White House strongly backs the bill.
Rep. David Scott voted YES
This is one where I think the contrary Democrats have it right and the President with Republicans and David Scott have it wrong. Note that the bill is spaking of foreign based spys.  Not foreign located spys. That means all the DNI needs is a link to foreign sponsorship and voila they have the right to apply warrantless surveillance on US citizens.  I would rather that they do it illegally like they surely already are and be limited by the risk they of they abuse the wrong people there isa price pay.

Sequestration Replacement
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=577&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (223-196, 10 Not Voting)
There is increasing concern in Congress over the looming "sequester," or automatic spending cuts, slated to begin on January 2, 2013. These cuts were triggered after the so-called "supercommittee" created by last year's debt-ceiling deal failed to find $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction. Republicans have expressed particular concern over the cuts to defense spending, which would amount to roughly $500 billion over 10 years without changes to current law. H.R. 6365, the National Security and Job Protection Act, represents the second attempt by the House to replace the sequester. (The first sequester replacement bill, H.R. 5652, Roll Call 247, was passed in May.) The bill instructs President Obama to submit to Congress by October 15 a plan to replace all discretionary and mandatory defense spending cuts (but not domestic mandatory cuts to programs such as Medicare) scheduled to occur next year. Such a plan could not include any revenue increases. Upon enactment of the replacement cuts, the overall level of authorized spending for FY 2013 would be reduced by $19 billion, which would bring the total amount in line with the House Republican budget resolution passed in April. Finally, the bill would eliminate the separate caps on defense and non-defense spending for subsequent years of the sequester, potentially allowing increases in defense spending even as the rest of the budget is reduced. The president has threatened to veto the bill, though it will likely not be brought up in the Senate anyway.
Rep. David Scott voted NO
This whole damned charade is a good example of a pack of chickenshit politicians.

Continuing Resolutionhttp://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=579&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (329-91, 9 Not Voting)
The only "must-pass" bill on the congressional ledger before election season fully takes over is a measure to fund the government beyond September 30. Prior to the August recess, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. announced an agreement in principle to fund the government for six months. The House did its part last week, passing six-month CR with an overwhelming majority. The resolution sets FY 13 annualized spending at $1.047 trillion, roughly in line with the level set by last year's debt ceiling agreement. Democrats claimed a tactical victory as the House Republican budget passed earlier this year had set a lower spending level. The perceived tradeoff for Republicans is that, if they win control of the Senate next year and retain the House majority, they will have a freer hand in writing spending bills. While most programs receive a nominal increase in funding from the CR, a handful, including wildfire suppression, cybersecurity, and veterans' benefits, would receive more substantial boosts. There is also about $88.5 billion in war funding and $6.4 billion in disaster relief, neither of which count against the overall cap. The resolution is likely to pass quickly in the Senate and has the White House's backing; however, one potential snag is a decrease in surface transportation funding from the level in the reauthorization passed in July. Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who chaired the conference committee on that bill, has already expressed concern on that front.

Rep. David Scott voted YES
No budget, no problem.  Isn’t it amusing that the major political concerns expressed are all on the risks to potential spending?  When I was a child my parents allowed me to be irresponsible, but taught me to avoid similar in future by applying consequences.  Who raised these jack-offs?


Energy Department Loan Guarantees
http://capwiz.com/congressorg/issues/votes/?votenum=584&chamber=H&congress=1122
Vote Passed (245-161, 23 Not Voting)
The last piece of business for the House last week was a bill to effectively end the Energy Department's (DOE) loan guarantee program for renewable and "innovative" energy projects. Dubbed the "No More Solyndras Act," the bill is a response to the bankruptcy of the solar panel manufacturer of the same name, which resulted in a $535 million loss to taxpayers. It would forbid DOE from considering applications that had been submitted after December 31, 2011, and would put in place a new set of procedures for applications submitted prior to that date, including placement of all such applications under review by the Treasury Department. Passage of the bill was mostly along party lines, though 22 Democrats, mostly hailing from more conservative districts, did support the measure. The bill is unlikely to be taken up by the Senate.
Rep. David Scott voted NO

Upcoming Votes:
Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012 - S.3457
The Senate spent most of its time last week on this measure sponsored by Bill Nelson, D-Fla. It would create a veterans jobs corps to expedite and enhance employment opportunities in the public and private sector. After voting last week to proceed to the bill, Majority Leader Reid introduced a substitute amendment from Veterans Affairs committee chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash., and filed cloture on the substitute. There is currently agreement to hold a series of votes on Wednesday September 19, on a budget point of order regarding the Murray amendment; a motion to waive the point of order; cloture on the amendment (assuming the point of order is waived); and final passage of the bill (assuming cloture is invoked).
Employent building plans offered by persons that have no idea on how to do their own job. Rich.

Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 - H.J.RES.117
The Senate will take up the six-month CR following their work on the veterans jobs bill. A cloture vote is scheduled for Thursday, September 20.
Timed well in front of the election, a good opportunity for politicians to show veterans how they support patriots

Welfare waiver disapproval - H.J.Res.118
This disapproval resolution would overturn modifications that the Health and Human Services Department made to federal welfare rules in July.

STEM Jobs Act of 2012 -
This bill introduced by Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Tex., would make changes to immigration rules to encourage foreign recipients of doctorate and Masters degrees in so-called STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) to stay and work in the U.S.
I know it is tempting, but of what I see in industry, and I do work as an engineer in that, is pressure from the large conglomerates to import cheap engineers.  There are companies out there gentlemen that will use heap labor to screw you and they are paying off the PACs os politicians to get their way.  Another good example is that crap Scott Brown is putting out to help the Irish specialists.

Stop the War on Coal Act of 2012 - H.R.3409
This bill includes a number of measures previously passed by the House under the umbrella of a bill recently cleared by the Natural Resources committee. The "parent" bill would effectively prevent the Interior department from issuing new regulations on coal mines until December 31, 2013.
I agree with this one, the Prsident has over-stepped is legal authority with respect to the fossil fuel industries.

MegaVote is powered by the CQ-Roll Call Group (http://corporate.cqrollcall.com)
Copyright (c) 2012.
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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The 9/11 attacks on the US embassies were not about a movie

Pre-planned with deadly intent.
People don't decide to riot and then run home to get their RPG because they might be handy. Caroline Glick stays factual in the following....

The 9/11 attacks on the US embassies were not about a movie


Sunday, September 9, 2012

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

ICE Chief of Staff Resigns

I guess when your professional objective is to enhance the experience of travelers crossing the border, a little thing like a crossing the boundaries of good taste would seem insignificant.
Suzanne Barr, chief of staff to director John Morton has resigned after complaints were received from two separate male employees.  James T. Hayes Jr. has filed a lawsuit, asking for $4 million.

Via GOPUSA

ICE chief of staff resigns amid misconduct claims

Let's break this down.
  • Political policy obstructs federal employees from administering immigration law.
  • Political obstruction prevents state officials from doing their job.
  • Female manager makes multiple sexual suggestions that would land a man on feminist's repulsive list.
  • Political management, besides the waste of their salaries, costs the taxpayer $4 million.
Your (our) government at work.