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Archive for the ‘Wordpress Political Blogs’ Category
Urgent Alert: Montana Pro-Gun Bill Needs Your Help Now!
February 21, 2009
And Commies and Thugs Oh My!
February 20, 2009This is about Unions, and what goes with being a part of such things.
Sen. Bennet may be key vote on “Employee Free Choice Act”
Posted by: “libertarian17” RLCstatechapters@aol.com libertarian17
Fri Feb 20, 2009 6:24 am (PST)
Dear Friend,
Please write Senator Michael Bennet and ask him to oppose ‘The
Employee Free Choice Act‘.
Sen. Bennet may be the key vote we need to stop this anti-worker
forced unionism power grab. You can contact him at
http://bennet. senate.gov/ public/ .
———— ——— —
George Leaf explains the situation:
“For the last several years, Big Labor has suffered net losses in dues
payers. In an effort to remedy that decline, union officials and their
political allies put on a full-court press in favor of a bill called
the “Employee Free Choice Act” (EFCA).
The secret-ballot elections under the NLRA at least have the virtue of
shielding individual workers from reprisals for going “the wrong way.”
Union officials have found what they regard as a better method of
determining whether a majority want their services.
It’s called the “card check” system. If a majority of workers sign a
card saying that they want a union to represent them, then that should
suffice for the NLRB to declare the union to be the exclusive
bargaining representative, without resort to an election. Naturally,
it’s easier for union organizers to get signatures on cards – using
tactics that can include misrepresentation and harassment – than to
get workers to vote for them in an election after the airing of
arguments for and against the union.
Under the NLRA, however, employers have the right to insist on a
secret-ballot election no matter how many cards might be signed. The
Employee Free Choice Act would take that away and require the NLRB to
certify unions simply on the basis of signed cards.
Furthermore, the EFCA would ratchet up the coercion regarding contract
negotiations. The current law is bad enough in compelling “good faith”
bargaining, but the proposed new law would allow government officials
to arbitrate the terms of the initial union contract. That is to say,
if management and the union can’t arrive at a mutually agreeable labor
contract, the federal government will impose one. That additional
dollop of federal coercion is said by supporters to be necessary to
effectuate the workers’ “right to bargain.” In a free society, though,
there is no “right to bargain” with people who don’t want to bargain
with you, and a fortiori there is no right to have the government
dictate the terms of that “bargaining. ”
Union officials were licking their chops at the prospect of using the
EFCA to dragoon thousands of new workers into their ranks, but the
bill has died in Congress. It will be resurrected in the future and we
will again hear supporters making claims of why we need its new
coercive features. We will also hear opponents arguing that we should
stick with the good old status quo. What I think we really need is a
discussion about the proper approach to labor law in a free society.”
———— ——— —
Contact ALL of your representatives today!
Stimulus..?
February 20, 2009Broken windows is much to mild a comment…
(CNSNews.com) – The huge economic stimulus package that President Obama signed into law Tuesday will result in “lower wages” for American workers, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
The CBO analysis, dated Feb. 11 and sent to Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), says the $787-billion plan will increase employment in the short-term, but will run up deficit spending which will “crowd out” private investment in the economy in the long-term.
The analysis concludes that the stimulus will put downward pressure on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and wages after 2014. (The Gross Domestic Product is the total value of all goods and services produced in the United States in one year.)
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee, said the CBO analysis underestimates the long-term economic consequences.
“Number one, the spending spends out very slowly, so it doesn’t give you much of a pop,” Ryan told CNSNews.com. “Number two, it costs much more than advertised. Number three, at the end of the day, it would have been better to do nothing for the economy given that it [the stimulus package] will reduce GDP growth and wages.”
“I find those to be very startling estimates, very startling points and facts that simply have not been reported,” said Ryan.
In its analysis, the CBO predicts that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will increase GDP through 2014. However, in the following years, “the legislation is estimated to reduce GDP by between 0 and 0.2 percent.”
That decrease will not come from lack of employment, which the CBO predicts will increase by between 800,000 and 2.3 million jobs in the fourth quarter of 2009 and up to 3.6 million by the fourth quarter of 2010.
“The effect on employment is never estimated to be negative, despite lower GDP in later years, because CBO expects that the U.S. labor market will be at nearly full employment in the long run,” the CBO report states.
But the analysis adds, “The reduction in GDP is therefore estimated to be reflected in lower wages rather than lower employment, as workers will be less productive because capital stock is smaller.”
A previous CBO report said that with interest on the debt, the recovery package will cost $1.1 trillion. The Feb. 11 analysis says, “To the extent that people hold their wealth as government bonds rather than in a form that can be used to finance private investment, the increased debt would tend to reduce the stock of productive private capital.”
It continues, “In economic parlance, the debt would ‘crowd out’ private investment.” The analysis further says that “crowding out is unlikely to occur in the short run under current conditions because most firms are lowering investment in response to reduced demand, which stimulus can offset in part.”
Ryan said this will keep the economy from growing.
“When you borrow, you are going out and taking money out of the private economy, which goes to bonds,” Ryan said. “So then it’s literally taken out of the private sector and brought to the public sector.”
Another way this will decrease private investment is that it will indirectly lead to higher taxes, Ryan said.
“It’s very clear that the kind of deficits this will produce will make it next to impossible for Congress to keep tax rates low,” Ryan said. “It’s very clear that this Congress is going to use the size of the stimulus and its resulting deficit to justify higher taxes in 2011, which will reduce private sector expansion and take money out of the private sector.”
When signing the bill Tuesday in Denver, President Obama hailed the legislation as the first step out of the economic recession that has faced the country for more than a year.
“What makes this recovery plan so important is not just that it will create or save three- and-a-half million jobs over the next two years, including nearly 60,000 in Colorado,” Obama said. “It’s that we are putting Americans to work doing the work that America needs done in critical areas that have been neglected for too long – work that will bring real and lasting change for generations to come.”
The White House points out that the package puts $150 billion into infrastructure improvements across the country for public transportation, upgrading the electric grid and expanding broadband. The law also allocates $19 billion to digitize health records for each American by 2014 and devotes $100 billion to renewable energy projects.
Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress have complained about various spending projects, such as $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, $300 million for golf carts and $8 billion for a rail line from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
The White House estimate that the stimulus bill will create 3 to 4 million jobs comes from a transition team report completed before Obama took office and before a bill was drafted in Congress. Further, the report said there is “considerable uncertainty” about the job estimates. (See Previous Story)
The White House released a state-by-state breakdown of how many jobs would be created or saved. The breakdown showed that California would get 396,000 jobs; Florida, 206,000 jobs; Georgia, 106,000; Illinois, 148,000; Michigan, 109,000; New Jersey, 100,000; New York, 215,000; Ohio, 133,000; Pennsylvania; 143,000; and Texas, 269,000 jobs. (See White House estimates)
Bumper Sticker Politics and the First Amendment
February 20, 2009The first salvo against the right to free expression was recently fired in Oklahoma of all places. Although this worked out it never should have happened in the first place.
The police officers who stopped Oklahoma City motorist Chip Harrison and confiscated a sign from his car told him he has a right to his beliefs, but the Secret Service “could construe this as a threat against President Obama,” according to the incident report released this morning.
Major Victory for American Workers Right to Self-Defense
February 19, 2009Fairfax, Va. – Today, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously in support of allowing employees to store legally owned firearms in locked, private motor vehicles while parked in employer parking lots. This decision upholds NRA-backed legislation passed in 2004.
“This is a victory for the millions of American workers who have been denied the right to protect themselves while commuting between their homes and their workplace,” said NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre. “This effort was aimed at skirting the will of the American people, and the intent of legislatures across this country while eviscerating Right-to-Carry laws. This ruling is a slap at the corporate elitists who have no regard for the constitutional rights of law abiding American workers.”
In March 2004, the Oklahoma legislature passed an amendment holding employers criminally liable for prohibiting employees from storing firearms in locked vehicles on company property. A number of corporations subsequently filed suit in opposition to the new laws, alleging they were: unconstitutionally vague; an unconstitutional taking of private property; and preempted by various federal statutes. The lower court ruled in favor of the injunction.
“This issue was contrived by the gun control lobby who goaded corporations into doing their dirty work for them,” said Chris W. Cox, NRA chief lobbyist. “However, this ruling is a vindication for every hardworking and lawful man and woman whose basic right to self-defense was taken away on a whim by corporate lawyers. NRA is prepared to defend this right and to ensure the safety of every American worker.”
In October 2008, Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry and Attorney General Drew Edmondson appealed to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals the lower court decision to strike down the NRA-backed worker protection laws. Today’s proceedings handed down by Circuit Judges Paul J. Kelly, Bobby R. Baldock, and Michael W. McConnell reversed the lower court’s grant of a permanent injunction.
-nra-
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military.
MGOM: Second Amendment March News
February 19, 2009Dear Second Amendment March Supporter,
Unintended Consequences… I seriously doubt that!
February 18, 2009Regular readers are aware that I am doing something that is apparently below the pay grade of Congress-persons and Senators.I am actually attempting to read this entire so-called stimulus bill. Others, bless them, are already zeroed in on the obvious conflicts with freedom and liberty. Reading, and even more importantly interpreting this abomination (Obaminazition?) is worse than learning the Kreb’s Cycle under Gerry Gordon M.D. in Paramedic school!
In any case Gun Owners of America has already hit the ten ring on at minimum some of this veritable beast that I believe may very well catapult the United States into irrevocable balkanization, if not revolution. I pray that secession this time will be Constitutional, and bloodless.
Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
It was a day that will live in infamy.
President Obama traveled to Denver, Colorado yesterday to sign the
multi-billion dollar, pork-laden, so-called “stimulus” bill
into law.
But forget the $787 billion price tag you heard on TV. Forget the $12
TRILLION debt limit which the bill created.
By the time debt services and other frills of the “socialism
bill” are
accounted for, the cost will be over $3,000,000,000,000 (yes, three
TRILLION).
This makes the bill the biggest government spending grab in human
history.
But what about the details? The hundreds and hundreds of pages in the
bill were not made available until less than 18 hours before the final
passage vote. But here’s what we know in relation to the gun-related
provisions:
* The final bill continues to spend between $12 and $20 BILLION on
requiring your doctor to retroactively put your most confidential
medical records into a government database. Based on our experience
with veterans, we would expect the government to try to use computerized
psychiatric records to impose gun bans on people who have sought (or
will seek) treatment.
* The final bill continues to fund liberal community action groups like
ACORN, which, you may remember, engaged in massive criminal election
fraud on behalf of Barack Obama’s presidential candidacy and also was
involved in anti-Second Amendment activism in New Jersey.
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was at least honest when he said
it would be a shame to let a crisis like the current recession “go to
waste.” Like vultures picking on the nation’s carcass, the White House
has used the nation’s pain to lavish largesse on its political
supporters, at the expense of the nation’s economic survival.
And, in the end, this act of ethical depravity was made possible by
every Democrat Senator who voted for the bill, plus the defections of
three Republicans: Arlen Specter (R-PA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and
Susan Collins (R-ME).
If there is one silver lining to all of this, it’s the debunking of a
rumor that recently swept across the internet. The rumor claimed that
the provisions of HR 45 — the massive gun registration bill introduced
by Chicago congressman Bobby Rush (D) — were “rolled into”
what was
passed.
But having searched the contents of the new law, GOA staff has
determined the rumor appears to be false.
****************************
Are You A Bitter Clinger?
Who is a Bitter Clinger? According to Barack Obama, who was recorded
unawares at a San Francisco fundraiser, bitter clingers are voters who
are bitter because of their economic frustration and so cling bitterly
to their Bibles and their guns.
Montana pisses in Obama’s cornflakes!
February 17, 2009Montana passed liberty and freedom from the Authoritarians in the federal government. I love it!
House shoots down federal gun controls
Posted on Feb. 14
 |
HELENA (AP) – Montana lawmakers fired another shot in battles for states’ rights as they supported letting some Montana gun owners and dealers skip reporting their transactions to the federal government.
Under House Bill 246, firearms made in Montana and used in Montana would be exempt from federal regulation. The same would be true for firearm accessories and ammunition made and sold in the state.
“What we need here is for Montana to be able to handle Montana’s business and affairs,” Republican Rep. Joel Boniek told fellow lawmakers Saturday. The wilderness guide from Livingston defeated Republican incumbent Bruce Malcolm in last spring’s election.
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// –> |
Boniek’s measure aims to circumvent federal authority over interstate commerce, which is the legal basis for most gun regulation in the United States. The bill potentially could release Montanans from both federal gun registration requirements and dealership licensing rules. Since the state has no background-check laws on its own books, the legislation also could free gun purchasers from that requirement.
“Firearms are inextricably linked to the history and culture of Montana, and I’d like to support that,” Boniek said. “But I want to point out that the issue here is not about firearms. It’s about state rights.”
The House voted 64-36 for the bill on Saturday. If it clears a final vote, the measure will go to the Senate.
House Republicans were joined by 14 Democrats in passing the measure.
“I would hope that our U.S. Supreme Court would begin to retreat from what I think is an abusive interpretation of our interstate commerce clause,” said Rep. Deborah Kottel, a Democrat from Great Falls who supports the measure.
That clause in the U.S. Constitution grants Congress authority to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the states. The Supreme Court has handled cases seeking to limit the clause’s application in recent years. In 2005, the court upheld federal authority to regulate marijuana under the clause, even when its use is limited to noncommercial purposes n such as medical reasons n and it is grown and used within a state’s borders.
The Montana bill follows fears here and elsewhere that the election of Barack Obama as president will trigger more gun regulation. In the months before Obama’s inauguration, Montanans rushed to stock up on guns, pushing gun sales beyond normal benchmarks despite the recession.
Opponents of the measure worry lax regulations in the state could lead to a similar surge in both gun sales and gun manufacturing.
“Who are we bringing in and is this the kind of business we want to have in this state?” asked Rep. Sue Malek, D-Missoula. “I want our state to be recognized as a state that cares about people, and that cares about the environment.”
The bill is one of a number the Legislature is considering that may extend gun rights in Montana.
Earlier in the week, the House passed another measure, HB228, that would let Montanans carry concealed weapons in city limits without having permits.
On Saturday the House Judiciary Committee narrowly passed a resolution that affirms Montanans’ right to carry weapons in national parks and wildlife refuges.
The Scamulus Bill
February 17, 2009This monster is something else; I’m not even half way through it and so far it looks like a manifesto. One that will lock socialism in place in America for generations to come. Here, read it for yourself…
* Text of the Conference Report – Division A
* Text of the Conference Report – Division B
* Joint Explanatory Statement – Division A
* Joint Explanatory Statement – Division B
Thanks to Downsize D.C
Scroll through these pdf files and you’ll see that the bill is filled with . . .
* Hand-written copy-editing,
* Insertions scrawled in the margins,
* Typographical deletions of whole paragraphs,
* And a variety of curious hash marks and other annotations.
Congressional leaders were so SCARED of the growing public opposition that they couldn’t even take the time to type the changes into a laptop!
But now, at least, we’ll finally get to learn the ingredients of this particular sausage. Think-tank scholars will read the bits that relate to their expertize and tell us about the toxic ingredients.
As the details ooze out, the President and Congressional Democrats will look very slimy. Their dire warnings about the need for speed to save the economy will ring hollow. They’ll lose credibility, and future legislation will be harder to pass.
We intend to stoke the public’s growing distrust into an inferno, starting today. The action item for today is a “Thank or Spank” message.
Your message will go to both your Representative and your two Senators. Tell them, in front of each other, what you think of their vote — thank or spank them. Remember, these people work for you!
Here’s how I “personalized” my note to my delegation,
“Sherrod Brown was flown into town, at my expense (as a taxpayer), to cast the final and most necessary vote to pass this huge, unread, boondoggle bill that rips-off both me and my children. That offends me. It’s like being asked to buy the club with which you intend to beat me.
“I also protest Ms. Sutton’s support of this bill and applaud Mr. Voinovich for voting no.
“November 2010 may seem far away, and the Republicans may yet offend me again, as they have in the past, but I’m going to remember that the Republicans were on the right side in this vote, and the Democrats almost entirely in the wrong.”
Please look below my signature to see how your elected representatives voted, and then thank or spank them.
Urge others to do the same by forwarding this Dispatch to others, and by Digging it on our blog.
Thanks for being part of the growing Downsize DC Army,
Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org, Inc.
P.S.SENATE
Alabama
Nay AL Sessions, Jefferson
Nay AL Shelby, Richard
Alaska
Yea AK Begich, Mark
Nay AK Murkowski, Lisa
Arizona
Nay AZ Kyl, Jon
Nay AZ McCain, John
Arkansas
Yea AR Lincoln, Blanche
Yea AR Pryor, Mark
California
Yea CA Boxer, Barbara
Yea CA Feinstein, Dianne
Colorado
Yea CO Bennet, Michael
Yea CO Udall, Mark
Connecticut
Yea CT Dodd, Christopher
Yea CT Lieberman, Joseph
Delaware
Yea DE Carper, Thomas
Yea DE Kaufman, Edward
Florida
Yea FL Nelson, Bill
Nay FL Martinez, Mel
Georgia
Nay GA Chambliss, Saxby
Nay GA Isakson, John
Hawaii
Yea HI Akaka, Daniel
Yea HI Inouye, Daniel
Idaho
Nay ID Crapo, Michael
Nay ID Risch, James
Illinois
Yea IL Burris, Roland
Yea IL Durbin, Richard
Indiana
Yea IN Bayh, Evan
Nay IN Lugar, Richard
Iowa
Yea IA Harkin, Thomas
Nay IA Grassley, Charles
Kansas
Nay KS Brownback, Samuel
Nay KS Roberts, Pat
Kentucky
Nay KY Bunning, Jim
Nay KY McConnell, Mitch
Louisiana
Yea LA Landrieu, Mary
Nay LA Vitter, David
Maine
Yea ME Collins, Susan
Yea ME Snowe, Olympia
Maryland
Yea MD Cardin, Benjamin
Yea MD Mikulski, Barbara
Massachusetts
Yea MA Kerry, John
Not Voting MA Kennedy, Edward
Michigan
Yea MI Levin, Carl
Yea MI Stabenow, Debbie Ann
Minnesota
Yea MN Klobuchar, Amy
Mississippi
Nay MS Cochran, Thad
Nay MS Wicker, Roger
Missouri
Yea MO McCaskill, Claire
Nay MO Bond, Christopher
Montana
Yea MT Baucus, Max
Yea MT Tester, Jon
Nebraska
Yea NE Nelson, Ben
Nay NE Johanns, Mike
Nevada
Yea NV Reid, Harry
Nay NV Ensign, John
New Hampshire
Yea NH Shaheen, Jeanne
Nay NH Gregg, Judd
New Jersey
Yea NJ Lautenberg, Frank
Yea NJ Menendez, Robert
New Mexico
Yea NM Bingaman, Jeff
Yea NM Udall, Tom
New York
Yea NY Gillibrand, Kirsten
Yea NY Schumer, Charles
North Carolina
Yea NC Hagan, Kay
Nay NC Burr, Richard
North Dakota
Yea ND Conrad, Kent
Yea ND Dorgan, Byron
Ohio
Yea OH Brown, Sherrod
Nay OH Voinovich, George
Oklahoma
Nay OK Coburn, Thomas
Nay OK Inhofe, James
Oregon
Yea OR Merkley, Jeff
Yea OR Wyden, Ron
Pennsylvania
Yea PA Casey, Robert
Yea PA Specter, Arlen
Rhode Island
Yea RI Reed, John
Yea RI Whitehouse, Sheldon
South Carolina
Nay SC DeMint, Jim
Nay SC Graham, Lindsey
South Dakota
Yea SD Johnson, Tim
Nay SD Thune, John
Tennessee
Nay TN Alexander, Lamar
Nay TN Corker, Bob
Texas
Nay TX Cornyn, John
Nay TX Hutchison, Kay
Utah
Nay UT Bennett, Robert
Nay UT Hatch, Orrin
Vermont
Yea VT Leahy, Patrick
Yea VT Sanders, Bernard
Virginia
Yea VA Warner, Mark
Yea VA Webb, Jim
Washington
Yea WA Cantwell, Maria
Yea WA Murray, Patty
West Virginia
Yea WV Byrd, Robert
Yea WV Rockefeller, John
Wisconsin
Yea WI Feingold, Russell
Yea WI Kohl, Herbert
Wyoming
Nay WY Barrasso, John
Nay WY Enzi, Michael
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Alabama
Nay AL-1 Bonner, Jo
Nay AL-2 Bright, Bobby
Nay AL-3 Rogers, Michael
Nay AL-4 Aderholt, Robert
Nay AL-5 Griffith, Parker
Nay AL-6 Bachus, Spencer
Yea AL-7 Davis, Artur
Alaska
Nay AK-0 Young, Donald
Arizona
Yea AZ-1 Kirkpatrick, Ann
Nay AZ-2 Franks, Trent
Nay AZ-3 Shadegg, John
Yea AZ-4 Pastor, Edward
Yea AZ-5 Mitchell, Harry
Nay AZ-6 Flake, Jeff
Yea AZ-7 Grijalva, Raul
Yea AZ-8 Giffords, Gabrielle
Arkansas
Yea AR-1 Berry, Robert
Yea AR-2 Snyder, Victor
Nay AR-3 Boozman, John
Yea AR-4 Ross, Mike
California
Yea CA-1 Thompson, C.
Nay CA-2 Herger, Walter
Nay CA-3 Lungren, Daniel
Nay CA-4 McClintock, Tom
Yea CA-5 Matsui, Doris
Yea CA-6 Woolsey, Lynn
Yea CA-7 Miller, George
Yea CA-8 Pelosi, Nancy
Yea CA-9 Lee, Barbara
Yea CA-10 Tauscher, Ellen
Yea CA-11 McNerney, Jerry
Yea CA-12 Speier, Jackie
Yea CA-13 Stark, Fortney
Yea CA-14 Eshoo, Anna
Yea CA-15 Honda, Michael
Yea CA-16 Lofgren, Zoe
Yea CA-17 Farr, Sam
Yea CA-18 Cardoza, Dennis
Nay CA-19 Radanovich, George
Yea CA-20 Costa, Jim
Nay CA-21 Nunes, Devin
Nay CA-22 McCarthy, Kevin
Yea CA-23 Capps, Lois
Nay CA-24 Gallegly, Elton
Nay CA-25 McKeon, Howard
Nay CA-26 Dreier, David
Yea CA-27 Sherman, Brad
Yea CA-28 Berman, Howard
Yea CA-29 Schiff, Adam
Yea CA-30 Waxman, Henry
Yea CA-31 Becerra, Xavier
Yea CA-32 Solis, Hilda
Yea CA-33 Watson, Diane
Yea CA-34 Roybal-Allard, Lucille
Yea CA-35 Waters, Maxine
Yea CA-36 Harman, Jane
Yea CA-37 Richardson, Laura
Yea CA-38 Napolitano, Grace
Yea CA-39 Sanchez, Linda
Nay CA-40 Royce, Edward
Nay CA-41 Lewis, Jerry
Nay CA-42 Miller, Gary
Yea CA-43 Baca, Joe
Nay CA-44 Calvert, Ken
Nay CA-45 Bono Mack, Mary
Nay CA-46 Rohrabacher, Dana
Yea CA-47 Sanchez, Loretta
Not Voting CA-48 Campbell, John
Nay CA-49 Issa, Darrell
Nay CA-50 Bilbray, Brian
Yea CA-51 Filner, Bob
Nay CA-52 Hunter, Duncan
Yea CA-53 Davis, Susan
Colorado
Yea CO-1 DeGette, Diana
Yea CO-2 Polis, Jared
Yea CO-3 Salazar, John
Yea CO-4 Markey, Betsy
Nay CO-5 Lamborn, Doug
Nay CO-6 Coffman, Mike
Yea CO-7 Perlmutter, Ed
Connecticut
Yea CT-1 Larson, John
Yea CT-2 Courtney, Joe
Yea CT-3 DeLauro, Rosa
Yea CT-4 Himes, James
Yea CT-5 Murphy, Christopher
Delaware
Nay DE-0 Castle, Michael
Florida
Nay FL-1 Miller, Jeff
Yea FL-2 Boyd, Allen
Yea FL-3 Brown, Corrine
Nay FL-4 Crenshaw, Ander
Nay FL-5 Brown-Waite, Virginia
Nay FL-6 Stearns, Clifford
Nay FL-7 Mica, John
Yea FL-8 Grayson, Alan
Nay FL-9 Bilirakis, Gus
Nay FL-10 Young, C. W.
Yea FL-11 Castor, Kathy
Nay FL-12 Putnam, Adam
Nay FL-13 Buchanan, Vern
Nay FL-14 Mack, Connie
Nay FL-15 Posey, Bill
Nay FL-16 Rooney, Thomas
Yea FL-17 Meek, Kendrick
Nay FL-18 Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana
Yea FL-19 Wexler, Robert
Yea FL-20 Wasserman Schultz, Debbie
Nay FL-21 Diaz-Balart, Lincoln
Yea FL-22 Klein, Ron
Yea FL-23 Hastings, Alcee
Yea FL-24 Kosmas, Suzanne
Nay FL-25 Diaz-Balart, Mario
Georgia
Nay GA-1 Kingston, Jack
Yea GA-2 Bishop, Sanford
Nay GA-3 Westmoreland, Lynn
Yea GA-4 Johnson, Henry
Yea GA-5 Lewis, John
Nay GA-6 Price, Tom
Nay GA-7 Linder, John
Yea GA-8 Marshall, James
Nay GA-9 Deal, Nathan
Nay GA-10 Broun, Paul
Nay GA-11 Gingrey, John
Yea GA-12 Barrow, John
Yea GA-13 Scott, David
Hawaii
Yea HI-1 Abercrombie, Neil
Yea HI-2 Hirono, Mazie
Idaho
Nay ID-1 Minnick, Walter
Nay ID-2 Simpson, Michael
Illinois
Yea IL-1 Rush, Bobby
Yea IL-2 Jackson, Jesse
Present IL-3 Lipinski, Daniel
Yea IL-4 Gutierrez, Luis
Nay IL-6 Roskam, Peter
Yea IL-7 Davis, Danny
Yea IL-8 Bean, Melissa
Yea IL-9 Schakowsky, Janice
Nay IL-10 Kirk, Mark
Yea IL-11 Halvorson, Deborah
Yea IL-12 Costello, Jerry
Nay IL-13 Biggert, Judy
Yea IL-14 Foster, Bill
Nay IL-15 Johnson, Timothy
Nay IL-16 Manzullo, Donald
Yea IL-17 Hare, Phil
Nay IL-18 Schock, Aaron
Nay IL-19 Shimkus, John
Indiana
Yea IN-1 Visclosky, Peter
Yea IN-2 Donnelly, Joe
Nay IN-3 Souder, Mark
Nay IN-4 Buyer, Stephen
Nay IN-5 Burton, Dan
Nay IN-6 Pence, Mike
Yea IN-7 Carson, André
Yea IN-8 Ellsworth, Brad
Yea IN-9 Hill, Baron
Iowa
Yea IA-1 Braley, Bruce
Yea IA-2 Loebsack, David
Yea IA-3 Boswell, Leonard
Nay IA-4 Latham, Thomas
Nay IA-5 King, Steve
Kansas
Nay KS-1 Moran, Jerry
Nay KS-2 Jenkins, Lynn
Yea KS-3 Moore, Dennis
Nay KS-4 Tiahrt, Todd
Kentucky
Nay KY-1 Whitfield, Edward
Nay KY-2 Guthrie, Brett
Yea KY-3 Yarmuth, John
Nay KY-4 Davis, Geoff
Nay KY-5 Rogers, Harold
Yea KY-6 Chandler, Ben
Louisiana
Nay LA-1 Scalise, Steve
Nay LA-2 Cao, Anh
Yea LA-3 Melancon, Charles
Nay LA-4 Fleming, John
Nay LA-5 Alexander, Rodney
Nay LA-6 Cassidy, Bill
Nay LA-7 Boustany, Charles
Maine
Yea ME-1 Pingree, Chellie
Yea ME-2 Michaud, Michael
Maryland
Yea MD-1 Kratovil, Frank
Yea MD-2 Ruppersberger, C.A.
Yea MD-3 Sarbanes, John
Yea MD-4 Edwards, Donna
Yea MD-5 Hoyer, Steny
Nay MD-6 Bartlett, Roscoe
Yea MD-7 Cummings, Elijah
Yea MD-8 Van Hollen, Christopher
Massachusetts
Yea MA-1 Olver, John
Yea MA-2 Neal, Richard
Yea MA-3 McGovern, James
Yea MA-4 Frank, Barney
Yea MA-5 Tsongas, Niki
Yea MA-6 Tierney, John
Yea MA-7 Markey, Edward
Yea MA-8 Capuano, Michael
Yea MA-9 Lynch, Stephen
Yea MA-10 Delahunt, William
Michigan
Yea MI-1 Stupak, Bart
Nay MI-2 Hoekstra, Peter
Nay MI-3 Ehlers, Vernon
Nay MI-4 Camp, David
Yea MI-5 Kildee, Dale
Nay MI-6 Upton, Frederick
Yea MI-7 Schauer, Mark
Nay MI-8 Rogers, Michael
Yea MI-9 Peters, Gary
Nay MI-10 Miller, Candice
Nay MI-11 McCotter, Thaddeus
Yea MI-12 Levin, Sander
Yea MI-13 Kilpatrick, Carolyn
Yea MI-14 Conyers, John
Yea MI-15 Dingell, John
Minnesota
Yea MN-1 Walz, Timothy
Nay MN-2 Kline, John
Nay MN-3 Paulsen, Erik
Yea MN-4 McCollum, Betty
Yea MN-5 Ellison, Keith
Nay MN-6 Bachmann, Michele
Nay MN-7 Peterson, Collin
Yea MN-8 Oberstar, James
Mississippi
Yea MS-1 Childers, Travis
Yea MS-2 Thompson, Bennie
Nay MS-3 Harper, Gregg
Nay MS-4 Taylor, Gene
Missouri
Yea MO-1 Clay, William
Nay MO-2 Akin, W.
Yea MO-3 Carnahan, Russ
Yea MO-4 Skelton, Ike
Yea MO-5 Cleaver, Emanuel
Nay MO-6 Graves, Samuel
Nay MO-7 Blunt, Roy
Nay MO-8 Emerson, Jo Ann
Nay MO-9 Luetkemeyer, Blaine
Montana
Nay MT-0 Rehberg, Dennis
Nebraska
Nay NE-1 Fortenberry, Jeffrey
Nay NE-2 Terry, Lee
Nay NE-3 Smith, Adrian
Nevada
Yea NV-1 Berkley, Shelley
Nay NV-2 Heller, Dean
Yea NV-3 Titus, Dina
New Hampshire
Yea NH-1 Shea-Porter, Carol
Yea NH-2 Hodes, Paul
New Jersey
Yea NJ-1 Andrews, Robert
Nay NJ-2 LoBiondo, Frank
Yea NJ-3 Adler, John
Nay NJ-4 Smith, Christopher
Nay NJ-5 Garrett, Scott
Yea NJ-6 Pallone, Frank
Nay NJ-7 Lance, Leonard
Yea NJ-8 Pascrell, William
Yea NJ-9 Rothman, Steven
Yea NJ-10 Payne, Donald
Nay NJ-11 Frelinghuysen, Rodney
Yea NJ-12 Holt, Rush
Yea NJ-13 Sires, Albio
New Mexico
Yea NM-1 Heinrich, Martin
Yea NM-2 Teague, Harry
Yea NM-3 Lujan, Ben
New York
Yea NY-1 Bishop, Timothy
Yea NY-2 Israel, Steve
Nay NY-3 King, Peter
Yea NY-4 McCarthy, Carolyn
Yea NY-5 Ackerman, Gary
Yea NY-6 Meeks, Gregory
Yea NY-7 Crowley, Joseph
Yea NY-8 Nadler, Jerrold
Yea NY-9 Weiner, Anthony
Yea NY-10 Towns, Edolphus
Yea NY-11 Clarke, Yvette
Yea NY-12 Velazquez, Nydia
Yea NY-13 McMahon, Michael
Yea NY-14 Maloney, Carolyn
Yea NY-15 Rangel, Charles
Yea NY-16 Serrano, José
Yea NY-17 Engel, Eliot
Yea NY-18 Lowey, Nita
Yea NY-19 Hall, John
Yea NY-21 Tonko, Paul
Yea NY-22 Hinchey, Maurice
Nay NY-23 McHugh, John
Yea NY-24 Arcuri, Michael
Yea NY-25 Maffei, Daniel
Not Voting NY-26 Lee, Christopher
Yea NY-27 Higgins, Brian
Yea NY-28 Slaughter, Louise
Yea NY-29 Massa, Eric
North Carolina
Yea NC-1 Butterfield, George
Yea NC-2 Etheridge, Bob
Nay NC-3 Jones, Walter
Yea NC-4 Price, David
Nay NC-5 Foxx, Virginia
Nay NC-6 Coble, Howard
Yea NC-7 McIntyre, Mike
Yea NC-8 Kissell, Larry
Nay NC-9 Myrick, Sue
Nay NC-10 Mchenry, Patrick
Nay NC-11 Shuler, Heath
Yea NC-12 Watt, Melvin
Yea NC-13 Miller, R.
North Dakota
Yea ND-0 Pomeroy, Earl
Ohio
Yea OH-1 Driehaus, Steve
Nay OH-2 Schmidt, Jean
Nay OH-3 Turner, Michael
Nay OH-4 Jordan, Jim
Nay OH-5 Latta, Robert
Yea OH-6 Wilson, Charles
Nay OH-7 Austria, Steve
Nay OH-8 Boehner, John
Yea OH-9 Kaptur, Marcy
Yea OH-10 Kucinich, Dennis
Yea OH-11 Fudge, Marcia
Nay OH-12 Tiberi, Patrick
Yea OH-13 Sutton, Betty
Nay OH-14 LaTourette, Steven
Yea OH-15 Kilroy, Mary Jo
Yea OH-16 Boccieri, John
Yea OH-17 Ryan, Timothy
Yea OH-18 Space, Zachary
Oklahoma
Nay OK-1 Sullivan, John
Yea OK-2 Boren, Dan
Nay OK-3 Lucas, Frank
Nay OK-4 Cole, Tom
Nay OK-5 Fallin, Mary
Oregon
Yea OR-1 Wu, David
Nay OR-2 Walden, Greg
Yea OR-3 Blumenauer, Earl
Nay OR-4 DeFazio, Peter
Yea OR-5 Schrader, Kurt
Pennsylvania
Yea PA-1 Brady, Robert
Yea PA-2 Fattah, Chaka
Yea PA-3 Dahlkemper, Kathleen
Yea PA-4 Altmire, Jason
Nay PA-5 Thompson, Glenn
Nay PA-6 Gerlach, Jim
Yea PA-7 Sestak, Joe
Yea PA-8 Murphy, Patrick
Nay PA-9 Shuster, William
Yea PA-10 Carney, Christopher
Yea PA-11 Kanjorski, Paul
Yea PA-12 Murtha, John
Yea PA-13 Schwartz, Allyson
Yea PA-14 Doyle, Michael
Nay PA-15 Dent, Charles
Nay PA-16 Pitts, Joseph
Yea PA-17 Holden, Tim
Nay PA-18 Murphy, Tim
Nay PA-19 Platts, Todd
Rhode Island
Yea RI-1 Kennedy, Patrick
Yea RI-2 Langevin, James
South Carolina
Nay SC-1 Brown, Henry
Nay SC-2 Wilson, Addison
Nay SC-3 Barrett, James
Nay SC-4 Inglis, Bob
Yea SC-5 Spratt, John
Not Voting SC-6 Clyburn, James
South Dakota
Yea SD-0 Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie
Tennessee
Nay TN-1 Roe, David
Nay TN-2 Duncan, John
Nay TN-3 Wamp, Zach
Yea TN-4 Davis, Lincoln
Yea TN-5 Cooper, Jim
Yea TN-6 Gordon, Barton
Nay TN-7 Blackburn, Marsha
Yea TN-8 Tanner, John
Yea TN-9 Cohen, Steve
Texas
Nay TX-1 Gohmert, Louis
Nay TX-2 Poe, Ted
Nay TX-3 Johnson, Samuel
Nay TX-4 Hall, Ralph
Nay TX-5 Hensarling, Jeb
Nay TX-6 Barton, Joe
Nay TX-7 Culberson, John
Nay TX-8 Brady, Kevin
Yea TX-9 Green, Al
Nay TX-10 McCaul, Michael
Nay TX-11 Conaway, K.
Nay TX-12 Granger, Kay
Nay TX-13 Thornberry, William
Nay TX-14 Paul, Ronald
Yea TX-15 Hinojosa, Rubén
Yea TX-16 Reyes, Silvestre
Yea TX-17 Edwards, Thomas
Yea TX-18 Jackson-Lee, Sheila
Nay TX-19 Neugebauer, Randy
Yea TX-20 Gonzalez, Charles
Nay TX-21 Smith, Lamar
Nay TX-22 Olson, Pete
Yea TX-23 Rodriguez, Ciro
Nay TX-24 Marchant, Kenny
Yea TX-25 Doggett, Lloyd
Nay TX-26 Burgess, Michael
Yea TX-27 Ortiz, Solomon
Yea TX-28 Cuellar, Henry
Yea TX-29 Green, Raymond
Yea TX-30 Johnson, Eddie
Nay TX-31 Carter, John
Nay TX-32 Sessions, Peter
Utah
Nay UT-1 Bishop, Rob
Yea UT-2 Matheson, Jim
Nay UT-3 Chaffetz, Jason
Vermont
Yea VT-0 Welch, Peter
Virginia
Nay VA-1 Wittman, Rob
Yea VA-2 Nye, Glenn
Yea VA-3 Scott, Robert
Nay VA-4 Forbes, James
Yea VA-5 Perriello, Thomas
Nay VA-6 Goodlatte, Robert
Nay VA-7 Cantor, Eric
Yea VA-8 Moran, James
Yea VA-9 Boucher, Frederick
Nay VA-10 Wolf, Frank
Yea VA-11 Connolly, Gerald
Washington
Yea WA-1 Inslee, Jay
Yea WA-2 Larsen, Rick
Yea WA-3 Baird, Brian
Nay WA-4 Hastings, Doc
Nay WA-5 McMorris Rodgers, Cathy
Yea WA-6 Dicks, Norman
Yea WA-7 McDermott, James
Nay WA-8 Reichert, Dave
Yea WA-9 Smith, Adam
West Virginia
Yea WV-1 Mollohan, Alan
Nay WV-2 Capito, Shelley
Yea WV-3 Rahall, Nick
Wisconsin
Nay WI-1 Ryan, Paul
Yea WI-2 Baldwin, Tammy
Yea WI-3 Kind, Ronald
Yea WI-4 Moore, Gwen
Nay WI-5 Sensenbrenner, F.
Nay WI-6 Petri, Thomas
Yea WI-7 Obey, David
Yea WI-8 Kagen, Steve
Wyoming
Nay WY-0 Lummis, Cynthia
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Conservationists..?
February 17, 2009One would think that the Associated Press could distinguish between conservationist’s and preservationists, much less eco-terrorist’s. What follows is so filled with misinformation that it is difficult finding a place to begin. Gray wolves are endangered? Not where ariel control is being used, not at all. Coyotes? You have got to be kidding, period. Black Bears..? Again, it is simply ridiculous to think that Black bears are endangered. Why can’t these people be honest? They just hate killing animals, even when those animals are a clear and present threat to humans. No doubt they will also make the claim that this is some sort of sport hunting as opposed to culling , or removing human threats.
RENO, Nev. — Conservationists argue in a new report that U.S. taxpayers should stop subsidizing a $100 million program that kills more than 1 million wild animals annually, a program ranchers and farmers have defended for nearly a century as critical to protecting their livestock from predators.
Citing concerns about the economy and the potential for a fresh look at the decades-old controversy in the new Obama administration, 115 environmental groups signed onto a recent letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging him to abolish the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Wildlife Services.
The American Sheep Industry Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and more than 70 other livestock production and state agriculture offices in 35 states countered with a letter citing more than $125 million in annual losses to the sheep, goat and cattle industry as a result of predation.
Now, as Congress tries to tackle the looming federal budget crisis, a new report by conservationists entitled “War on Wildlife” being made public on Tuesday documents significant increases in recent years in both the number of carnivores killed and the size of the agency’s budget — $117 million in 2007, up 14 percent from the average from 2004-06.
“We ask Mr. Obama to get out his scalpel and protect the public’s hard-earned dollars from this unscrupulous agency,” said Wendy Keefover-Ring, director of carnivore protection for WildEarth Guardians based in Bozeman, Mont.
The vast majority of the 121,524 animals killed in 2007 were coyotes — 90,326. But the trapping, poisoning and aerial gunning of the predators also is taking an increasing, unintended toll on other creatures, including 511 black bears and 340 endangered gray wolves in 2007, according to a copy of the report obtained by The Associated Press.
Authors of the 108-page report being presented to USDA, members of Congress and the White House on Tuesday described it as the first comprehensive, national, independent assessment of the agency in 40 years.
“While most people enjoy observing wildlife, Wildlife Services massacres our nation’s wildlife mainly to benefit agribusiness,” Keefover-Ring said.
“They’re killing more and more predators, and more endangered species and using more tax resources,” she said.
The result is a “sledgehammer approach” to wildlife management that in many cases could be replaced by non-lethal alternatives, the report concluded.
More than 40,000 of the coyotes killed in 2007 were in just four states — Texas (19,123), Wyoming (10,915), California (7,759) and Nevada (7,447).
In addition to concerns about the fiscal and biological impacts, the use of helicopters and small planes to fly low enough for contracted sharp shooters to pick off the coyotes has resulted in plane crashes killing 10 and injuring 28 from 1979-2007, the report said.
Aides to Vilsack referred questions about the program to USDA’s Animal, Plant, Health Inspection Service, which oversees Wildlife Services.
USDA spokeswoman Carol Bannerman said Vilsack intends to review all of USDA’s programs but that it would be weeks before he had any idea about possible changes he wants to make.
Bannerman said the federal agency only kills predators when livestock owners or state officials request their assistance. She said most of the time those private individuals or state agencies provide about half the funding for the effort.
“From our perspective, we certainly feel that we have a responsibility to respond to those requests,” she said from APHIS headquarters in Riverdale, Md.
Bannerman said the agency is required to review each individual project under the regulations of the National Environmental Policy Act “and move ahead only if there would be no long-term negative impact on the environment.”
“With that mandate … we can give people an outlet to deal with a problem that if they took into their own hands could have longer-term negative impacts,” she said.
The agricultural commodities’ groups said in their letter to Vilsack about a month ago that livestock losses to predation cost producers more than $125 million a year.
“Without non-lethal and lethal predator control by Wildlife Services, these numbers could easily double or even triple,” said Skye Krebs, an Oregon rancher and president of the Public Lands Council, which spearheaded the letter along with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
“The agency provides a means for striking a balance in the wildlife-livestock interface, including limiting the spread of disease from wildlife,” Krebs said.
___
On the Net:
WildEarth Guardians: http://www.wildearthguardians.org
USDA Wildlife Services: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage/
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association: http://www.beef.org
Conservative Libertarian Outpost 