United Liberty
How Did Your Congressperson Vote?
Tue, 09/30/2008 - 10:37pm | posted by Shana Kluck
We all may have breathed a sigh of relief two days ago when we realized the bailout bill had been defeated, but the truth is, the battle is not yet over. The Senate votes on the bill this evening, and if it passes it will come back to the House on Thursday for another vote. It will only take a few Representatives to change their vote in order for the bill to pass and it’s imperative that we do not allow that to happen. We must continue to keep up the barrage of phone calls, emails and faxes to both Houses in order to keep it from passing.
The website track.nocashfortrash.org has been set up in order to help us keep track of how our Congresspersons voted. I encourage all of you to visit it and note how your rep voted. If that information isn’t available yet, you have the ability to enter the information yourself. A simple phone call to your candidate’s office will give you the answer and the opportunity to either thank them or berate them.
I’d like to share with all of you what my friend Michele recently reminded her TN Congressman after learning that he had voted yes for the bailout. He told her that despite his constituents adament opposition against the bill, he had voted yea because he felt it was the best thing for TN and the country. This was Michele’s response-
Cooper,
You don’t get it…I said “vote no.” I don’t care what YOU think is best for me or TN. You are an elected official who is to represent the opinion of your constituents. You idiots think that despite a 100-1 disapproval rating of ANY bailout plan that you know better. Well, you don’t. Government cannot fix anything by definition, nor is it your job. In case you are unsure of what your job description is, allow me to enlighten you. Under the United States Constitution, you are allowed the privilege of serving the citizens of this country in the following ways: “ALL bills for raising revenue shall originate in the HOUSE (not the executive); Congress has the power to lay and collect taxes for the defense and general welfare of the US BUT it must be uniform throughout the US (NOT pandering to corporations nor people unable to pay their debts); you are able to borrow money on the credit of the US (the implication is from foreign countries NOT a private central bank); you are able to COIN money.” Those are essentially your duties regarding debt and money that Congress is limited to. By the way, have you ever even read The Constitution?
Vote “no” to any and all bailouts…period.
Many of our Congressmen have forgotten that they are our employees and that they serve at our pleasure. It’s time we reminded them.
Whether or not the facts of this letter to the congressman are correct, the tone is such that I fear it will only bring about a negative reaction (if it is not immediately trashed by a staffer before it even gets to the congressman). How you say something is just as important as what you say. This letter is constructed to be both patronizing and scolding. I understand that was probably her point, but I do not believe she is doing anyone any favors by calling him and his ilk idiots while asking if he has read the Constitution. These are things we can wonder to ourselves. They are not appropriate for discourse. Let’s be civil, please.
Ladies and Gentleman,
Here’s a list of the companies and organizations that are lobbying in support of the bailout. Please email, call, and fax any or all, especially if you have relationships with them.
http://libertarian.meetup.com/364/files/
One thing you can do if you are affiliated with them is to threaten to withdraw membership, do whatever it takes to indicated your displeasure with their leveraging their stocks against our childrens future.
You wouldn’t borrow several thousands of dollars in your kids names to make up for your losses in the stock market would you?
Tell them you’re unhappy.
-Austin Petersen
Volunteer Coordinator
Libertarian National Committee
austin.petersen@lp.org
Robert,
I think a Congressman voting in contempt of his constituency deserves contempt in return. In fact, I think anyone stupid enough to try to do this to the taxpayer deserves insult, ridicule, and even threats.
God forbid we should offend a representative while they are in the process of enslaving us to our betters !
I’m not Robert, but I think you were addressing me. My reply is thus:
Two wrongs do not make a right.
I’m not saying a constituent shouldn’t raise hell. I’m saying it serves no purpose to argue in the gutter. That kind of letter might make the author feel better, but it will bring about no change.
While I’m not 100% in favor of everything that is included in the Bill, something must be done. I don’t want to see my fellow Americans standing on bread lines. Do you know what if means for our credit to completely dry up? I’m not rich. If I need a car, I must take out a loan.
I want the Bill to pass.
Too much pork attached! Ex.Why do they need to give tax breaks for bicycle purchases and repairs. Give tax breaks to corporations that create jobs! Do away with capital gains taxes to stimulate growth! Congress is just behaving in their corrupt business as usual.
Maybe they should take another vacation.
The Senate and House are moving entirely without economic thought! They are motivated by those who are losing a great deal of money. Many of us live our lives ‘by the number’. We work hard, save our money, send our children to college so they can work in society with good sense about them…We don’t use our homes as casino chips and we don’t gamble on the stock market that it will be our ‘nest egg’ when we retire. The banks and mortgage lenders that took people off the street and gave them loans without even knowing if the mortgage could be paid back should go to jail!! Let the chips fall where they may…after all I know what hard work is already..and my Savings and Loans Bank didn’t dabble in bad mortgages (nor do the sell my mortgage out)!
The bottom feeding scum that placed earmarks into the bailout bill, knowing how excessive spending has weakened the dollar and knowing how poor political and financial decisions has hurt working Americans, deserve severe punishment to set the example to their fellow
bottom feeders. These greedy, selfish profiteers, must be eliminated. We must know who they are.
Who published this blog. I didn’t see a name taking credit however, I would bet that the author would be the first to scream to the mountain tops if the bill didn’t pass and the economy went into the dumpster.
It is much like the Panama Canal debate. Idaho citizens told their senators they were against it but one voted for it, stating he was much more in the know than those back in Idaho. At the next election he was voted out in one of the biggest routs ever, him stunned at the backlash. Guess what, he never returned to “The Great State of Idaho” but instead became a lobbyist in DC.
Yet something Sentaor Church said brings the current debate to mind, if the common citizen isn’t privy to critical information, then TELL US. I, too, worry if the bail out bill is defeated it will certainly put this country into a deep recession if not a depression. Give me INFORMATION so I can make an informed decision as to how to direct my representatives in Congress to vote…but don’t treat me like a child, unable to absorb information and formulate an INFORMED decision.
Don’t pass this bailout. The financial indusrty will continue making money foreclosing on american homeowners and the corporations will continue laying off american workers and expecting us to continue to support their markets and things will continue to be as bad as they are, but we should not continue to condone greedy behavior, poor performance and quasi-ethical financial operations. This economy needs a natural forest fire to burn out the overgrowth and undergrowth and underhanded and underperforming banks and corporations. U.S. people have funded the major corporations of the world and also funded the major banks of this country, and yet we are treated as the patsy for all this poor financing operarations. We are in much worse shape now that we were ten years ago. And after all. It is OUR money. Do not pass this bailout.
Do not pass this pork loaded bill. Our country is in bad shape we need to take care of the hard working people of this country not the banks and financial goons who will use this bailout to cover themselves while people keep losing their houses, and still have no health insurance. Give every American 18 & older a tax incentive check of 400 thosand dollars tax them 30 percent let them stimulate econamy and let wall street suck up to us!
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