Congress Gossip

This page compiles the tips submitted from the public and readers of the OpenCongress Blog. Anyone can submit a tip, either anonymously or attributed to their preferred name and e-mail address. Tips will be reviewed by Open Congress site editors, and selected tips will be published on the Congress Gossip Blog. Not all tips submitted will be published, and tips may be edited for content.

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Dec 9, 09 Congress Gossip

I’ve been watching a lot of the news coverage on the Health Care bill. It’s sad that a golden opportunity like this, to help American citizens have some form of Health Care, be argued against so viciously by both political leaders and by the people who are going to end up needing it the most. It’s hard to put yourself in the position of someone in need of this kind of Bill if you haven’t experienced what it’s like to lose someone you love due to no health insurance. I’m not saying I have; my family and I have been fortunate enough to be able to afford health insurance, but I’ve dealt with the unpleasant complexities of health insurance companies and I’ve never felt things are as they should be. I was born and raised an American and I feel proud to be a representative of this beautiful country. There are things we need to correct in order to live up to our potential. Sometimes you have to take a few steps back to take the right step forward and I believe Obama is setting the course for a better America. I can’t wrap my head around why people are so against this bill. If it’s about money, and they want to put money before life, then they shouldn’t use religion or take any moral stance in this debate. The citizens who argue against this bill have been pawns in the pockets of a corrupt system. The lack of a strong education foundation has bred generations of illiterate, uninformed, uninterested, and unhealthy people, who fight for the very side that has stripped them of all hope. It’s the America I don’t want to believe exits, but when I open my eyes, I know will always be there. I don’t think these Americans arguing against the bill fully grasp that this is only an option. If you don’t want it, you don’t have to have it. I’m not a parent yet, but I imagine it’s like talking to a rebellious teenager. We just have to be patient because one day, these Americans will be covered by the public option and it will save his/her life or someone he/she loves. It’s a fear of change and fear of the unknown that fuels them and they act from a place of confusion and anger. Congress, do not let America fall victim to itself and do not let this bill become the scape goat. There is a solution, a compromise that can be reached, and I hope we the people of the United States will one day provide Health Care to the people of the United States. Thank you for your time and your patience.

Jun 16, 09 Proposed Bill HR-2674 Protecting America’s Children Act 2009 has a very misleadi

Proposed Bill HR-2674 Protecting America’s Children Act 2009 has a very misleading title. What legislator or parent wouldn’t want to protect their children? So far bills like this one have sailed through Congress and into law because no one wants to risk their career for being “soft on sex offenders”. Ted Poe has a history of stating inaccurate recidivsm rates for sex offenders at Congressional hearings to fan the flames of hysteria and ignorance. Bill HR-2674 is another example of Pre-emptive Justice, the power to imprison those who have not yet committed a crime. Our country has been moving towards this with other examples like the Bush Doctrine and Government run Internet chat-room stings. Dr. Richard Wright wrote in Sex Offender Laws; Failed Policies, New Directions, “Our nation is built on an adversarial system of justice where one is assumed innocent until proven guilty. We are moving toward an inquisitorial system of justice in which one must prove one’s innocence; innocent people will be wrongfully arrested and punished”. Bill HR-2674 does not list a specific offender type, or category of offender, in fact it could apply to any criminal before a pre-trial hearing. HR-2674 is a broad brush to revoke funding to the states, threaten officers of the court and limit’s the ability of the “accused” to defend themselves. It has nothing to do with actions taken against a child or in protecting them. If we interpret the bill correctly this would essentially put anyone accused of a crime in prison until they have their day in court, this could be two years without any trial. Their career would be over, the ability to retain good council would be removed and inevitably the jurisdictions’ following this law would be open to multiple justified wrongful imprisonment lawsuits. We seem to be returning to a “string ‘em up” mentality that preempts any semblance of justice. Each state has its own list of crimes that will land someone on a Sex Offender Registry. What is a crime in Texas may not be in Virginia . Some states have the 3-Tiered system and other states classify an offender as non-violent or violent. Some states publicly list misdemeanor convictions on their registry and other states don’t. Even the age of consent is different from one state to another. Consensual sex between a 19 ½ and a 16 year old is statutory rape in Virginia but not in Alaska . Are Alaska ’s 16 year olds more mature and capable of making the decision to have sexual intercourse with their boyfriend but in Virginia they aren’t? No of course not, but that’s the current system. Some states will even wait until the older teen celebrates the birthday that puts them over the “age gap allowance” and then press charges. If Ted Poe really wants to “Protect America ’s Children 2009”, then reform the current laws that are failing and stigmatizing people that should have never been swept up into this political hysteria to gain votes. The current practice of titling these misleading bills as something that no one would ever vote against also needs to cease. Bills like HR-2674 are destroying the system of justice America so often holds up as an example to other countries, in recent years it’s all become a façade. Do as we say, not as we do.

Mar 3, 09 Amendment No. 601 to the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009

Amendment No. 601 to the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 (H.R.1105), submitted by ultra-right Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), has submitted an amendment to the Appropriations Act this afternoon that would block Planned Parenthood health centers from receiving federal funds from Title X, the nation’s family planning program. This amendment would single out Planned Parenthood, and should the bill pass, would effectively close the doors of one of the only health care clinics that provides affordable women’s care like cancer screening, mammograms and reproductive counseling. Here’s the text from Thomas.gov, which doesn’t have static links, so the following url may not be functional: (http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?r111:3:./temp/~r111zLhwBi::) SA 601. Mr. VITTER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 1105, making omnibus appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table as follows: At the appropriate place, insert the following: Sec. __. None of the funds appropriated under this Act shall be made available to Planned Parenthood for any purpose under title X of the Public Health Service Act.

Jan 14, 09 Congress Gossip

I noticed the Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) is featured as one of the most frequently visited profiles on OpenCongress. I suspect that one reason for the increased interest in Rep. Conyers is his introduction of H.R. 104. Support is growing for (H.R. 104) a bill to establish a Commission on War Powers and Civil Liberties. A group has already formed on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/group.php?gid=44163743542. In addition, a petition asked members of Congress to support this people has been created on the People’s Email Network. http://www.usalone.com/cgi-bin/petition.cgi?pnum=926 Please let me know when information on the bill to create a Commission on War Powers and Civil Liberties is available on your site.

Dec 17, 08 Can congress submit their support in making a retired Navy Oiler useful?

Can congress submit their support in making a retired Navy Oiler useful? In the fact that oilers are very important to the Navy, it would seem useful if one were made available to be used as a museum. The Neosho Class was the 1st oilers designed to support a task force. They were the 1st oilers to have a stream lined profile. The vast majority of the American public has no idea of their existence. There in not one single museum for Navy Oilers. A start would be to bring the retired naval oiler in Suisun Bay, USS Kawishiwi AO-146 out of status “Disposal” and placed in “Historical Review” status. See: http://navy.memorieshop.com/World-Ports/BayArea/Suisun-Bay/ Please view web page http://www.memorieshop.com/Seattle/ where there are links to “Why”, museum site suggestions of “Elliott Bay” or “Columbia River”, “The History of Oilers”, “What Is Kawishiwi”, “The Native American Connection”, and of course a page where I made the papers, “Vern’s News”.

Nov 18, 08 "Beggars on the Hill"

Via Drudgereport.com “Beggars on the Hill” Fourth paragraph from the end: “A vote on the measure – which includes an extension of jobless benefits – could come as early as Thursday. But in an acknowledgment of the long odds facing such a plan, Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., also laid the groundwork for a straight up-or-down vote on the more widely supported unemployment measure, which is probably all that can pass this week.”

Oct 18, 08 **JUDICIAL INJUSTICES BEING INFLICTED ON POORER AMERICANS NEEDS....CHA*NGE....**

JUDICIAL INJUSTICES BEING INFLICTED ON POORER AMERICANS NEEDS….C*H*A*N*G*E….. SENATOR OBAMA, PLEASE LET THE AMERICAN VOTERS AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY KNOW YOUR FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT A NEEDED FUTURE REPAIR AND RENOVATION OF A BROKEN US JUDICIAL SYSTEM THAT CONTINUES TO ALLOW THE EXECUTION’S OF EVEN POSSIBLE INNOCENT AMERICAN’S LIKE TROY DAVIS OF GEORGIA <cite>?</cite> BEING THE WEALTHIEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD SENATOR OBAMA, DON’T WE NEED AS THE LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD TO BEGIN ONCE AGAIN TO RE-INVEST THE PROPER MONIE$ IN OUR OWN US JUDICIAL SYSTEM, ASSURING ALL OF OUR CITIZENS THEIR RIGHTS TO FAIR TRIALS WITH PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION ??? DOES GOD NEED TO LOBBY OUR US CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD ON BEHALF OF OUR poorer american’s SENATOR OBAMA,OR ARE YOU WATCHING OUT FOR THEM ?? ***OUR US CONGRESS CONTINUES TO DENY MIDDLE CLASS AND WORKING POOR AMERICANS PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION EVEN THOUGH WRONGFUL EXECUTIONS & FALSE INCARCERATIONS CONTINUE ALL ACROSS AMERICA ??? <ul> <li>700 BILLION $$$ AVAILABLE FOR US BAILOUT, & NO $$$ FOR ALL POORER AMERICANS PROPER LEGAL REPRESENTATION ? SENATOR OBAMA, THIS JUDICIAL INJUSTICE HAS BECOME AN AMERICAN ART FORM, AND NO LONGER CAN BE KEPT HIDDEN OR SECRET FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE EVEN IF CERTAIN (501c3) U$ RELIGIOU$ LEADER$ HAVE BEEN $ILENCED ??</li> </ul>LETS ALL HOPE OUR MEDIA FRIENDS CONTINUE TO SHOW AN INTEREST IN REPORTING ON THIS AMERICAN HORROR FACING THESE (TENS OF THOUSANDS) FORGOTTEN AND TRAPPED POORER AMERICANS, AND HOW THIS PRESIDENTIAL CONTENDER HANDLES THIS VERY SERIOUS ISSUE FACING AMERICA’S LATINO AND BLACK AMERICAN COMMUNITIES ???? WITH 80% OF THE BLACK AMERICAN VOTERS SAYING THEY SUPPORT SENATOR OBAMA IN THIS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, IT IS ONLY FAIR FOR EVERYONE TO KNOW PRIOR BEING ELECTED OUR NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES HOW THIS DEMOCRATIC SENATOR TRULY FEELS ABOUT THIS AMERICAN JUDICIAL INJUSTICE CONTINUING TO INFLICT GRAVE HARM ON THE BLACK & LATINO AMERICAN FAMILIES AND THEIR COMMUNITIES NATIONWIDE <cite>??</cite> <ul> <li>WHEN GOD’S FACE BECAME VERY RED * THE US SUPREME COURT GAVE ENEMY COMBATANTS FEDERAL APPEAL HC RIGHTS LAWYERS AND PROPER ACCESS TO US FEDERAL COURTS,AND POORER AMERICANS (MANY EVEN ON DEATH ROW) ARE DENIED PROPER FEDERAL APPEAL LEGAL REPRESENTATION TO OUR US FEDERAL COURTS OF APPEAL, AND ROTTING IN AMERICAN PRISONS NATIONWIDE <cite>??</cite>???</li> </ul> <ul> <li>INNOCENT AMERICANS ARE DENIED REAL HC RIGHTS WITH THEIR FEDERAL APPEALS ! THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE $LOWLY FINDING OUT HOW EA$Y IT I$ FOR MIDDLE CLA$$ AND WORKING POOR AMERICAN$ TO FALL VICTIM TO OUR U$ MONETARY JUDICIAL $Y$TEM.</li> </ul><hr /> WHEN THE US INNOCENT WERE ABANDONED BY THE GUILTY **** The prison experts have reported that there are 100,000 innocent Americans currently being falsely imprisoned along with the 2,300,000 total US prison population nationwide. <hr /> WHERE ARE AMERICA’S RELIGIOUS LEADERS <cite>??</cite>? Since our US Congress has never afforded poor prison inmates federal appeal legal counsel for their federal retrials,they have effectively closed the doors on these tens of thousands of innocent citizens ever being capable of possibly exonerating themselves to regain their freedom through being granted new retrials. This same exact unjust situation was happening in our Southern States when poor and mostly uneducated Black Americans were being falsely imprisoned for endless decades without the needed educational skills to properly submit their own written federal trial appeals. This devious and deceptive judicial process of making our poor and innocent prison inmates formulate and write their own federal appeal legal cases for possible retrials on their state criminal cases,is still in effect today even though everyone in our US judicial system knows that without proper legal representation, these tens of thousands of innocent prison inmates will be denied their rightful opportunities of ever being granted new trials from our federal appeal judges!! Sadly, the true US legal Federal Appeal situation that occurs when any of our uneducated American prison inmates are forced to attempt to submit their own written Federal Appeals (from our prisons nationwide) without the assistance of proper legal counsel, is that they all are in reality being denied their legitimate rights for Habeas Corpus with our US FEDERAL COURTS and will win any future Supreme Court Case concerning this injustice! For our judicial system and our US Congressional Leaders Of The Free World to continue to pretend that this is a real and fair opportunity for our American Middle Class and Working Poor Citizens, only delays the very needed future change of Federal Financing of all these Federal appeals becoming a normal formula of Our American judicial system. It was not so very long ago that Public Defenders became a Reality in this country.Prior that legal reality taking place, their were also some who thought giving anyone charged with a crime a free lawyer was a waste of taxpayers $$. This FACADE and HORROR of our Federal Appeal proce$$ is not worthy of the Greatest Country In The World! ***GREAT SOCIETIES THAT DO NOT PROTECT EVEN THEIR INNOCENT, BECOME THE GUILTY ! A MUST READ ABOUT AMERICAN INJUSTICE: 1) YAHOO 2) GOOGLE MANNY GONZALES THE KID THAT EVERYONE FORGOT IN THE CA PRISON SYSTEM. <ul> <li>A JUDICIAL RIDE OF ONES LIFE !</li> </ul><hr /> Someone please tell our US Congress that the GED degree that Manny Gonzales acquired in prison is not a LAW DEGREE !!!!!! lawyersforpooramericans@yahoo.com (424-247-2013)

Oct 14, 08 Congress Gossip

Ebenezer Biden and Trickle Down Charity (Stingier Than Obama) September 25th, 2008 GOOGLE: STOOS VIEWS BLOG Copyright © 2008 by William Kevin Stoos For reasons I do not understand, of all the columns I have written, “Ebenezer Obama and Trickle Down Charity (The Rather Uncharitable Obamas)” has generated far more interest than anything other. I did not understand why, until a friend reminded me of a central truth about the public—which I had forgotten: You may lie, cheat, or steal, and the public may forgive you in time. But when you talk one way and live another, watch out. The public hates hypocrisy above all else. So, just when I thought there was no politician stingier than Barack Obama—who has given as little as .6% of his income to the poor [Ebenezer Obama and Trickle Down Charity (The Rather Uncharitable Obamas) Stoos Views, June 13, 2008]–lo and behold Obama picks as his running mate, the only man in the Senate who gives less to the poor than he. While Obama’s tax returns reveal a portrait of a man, who privately gives very little to the poor—less than any Republican I know—Joe Biden gives even less. In fact, Biden’s charitable giving is so abysmally poor that he makes Obama look like Santa Claus. For two of the most “liberal” senators in Washington, they are embarrassingly conservative when it comes to reaching into their own pockets and helping the poor, whose cause they pretend to champion. If they thought that the public actually knew how little they do to help the poor, these two hypocrites would never again spout their populist drivel about Republican “trickle down” economics or criticize the opposition for not doing enough to help the poor. A close look at their returns reveals the true depths of their hypocrisy. From 1998 through 2006, Joe Biden’s income has varied between $200,000 and $330,000. Where I come from, that is serious money. Remarkably, his reported annual charitable giving—as shown on his Schedule A—varies between a whopping $120 during the lean years and a little less than $400 when he feels extra charitable. No, I have not missed a decimal place. He does not give in terms of five figures, nor does he give in terms of four figures. No, he gives an astounding three <del>figure sum that has never exceeded $400 in any given year. Put in terms that even the most liberal, uneducated , uninformed, ardent follower of the Scrooge Brothers can understand, Joe Biden—one of the most powerful , “enlightened,” liberal , and wealthiest persons in America (remember ,the Democrats think that anyone in his income range is “wealthy” )—gives, on average, one</del> thousandth of his income to the poor. That is not one dollar in ten or even one dollar in a hundred; no, he gives a paltry one dollar in a thousand to the poor. That is, in other words, about four hundred candy bars a year. And he wants you to pay more taxes because it is your patriotic duty. As with Ebenezer Obama, Joe Biden may talk about compassion, talk about helping the poor, and decry trickle down economics, but actions speak louder than words. And private giving—when, as the Bible says, the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing—speaks far more loudly than empty speeches about helping your neighbor. When it comes to running mates, Obama has picked his true soul brother. Both are remarkably stingy; neither gives a great deal to the less fortunate, and Biden, like Obama, is much better at giving away your money than his own.

Sep 30, 08 Congress Gossip

This letter needs to be sent to every congressman. The Common Sense Fix Years of bad decisions and stupid mistakes have created an economic nightmare in this country, but $700 billion in new debt is not the answer. As a tax-paying American citizen, I will not support any congressperson who votes to implement such a policy. Instead, I submit the following threestep Common Sense Plan. I. INSURANCE a. Insure the subprime bonds/mortgages with an underlying FHA-type insurance. Government-insured and backed loans would have an instant market all over the world, creating immediate and needed liquidity. b. In order for a company to accept the government-backed insurance, they must do two things: 1. Rewrite any mortgage that is more than three months delinquent to a 6% fixed-rate mortgage. a. Roll all back payments with no late fees or legal costs into the balance. This brings homeowners current and allows them a chance to keep their homes. b. Cancel all prepayment penalties to encourage refinancing or the sale of the property to pay off the bad loan. In the event of foreclosure or short sale, the borrower will not be held liable for any deficit balance. FHA does this now, and that encourages mortgage companies to go the extra mile while working with the borrower—again limiting foreclosures and ruined lives. 2. Cancel ALL golden parachutes of EXISTING and FUTURE CEOs and executive team members as long as the company holds these government-insured bonds/mortgages. This keeps underperforming executives from being paid when they don’t do their jobs. c. This backstop will cost less than $50 billion—a small fraction of the current proposal. II. MARK TO MARKET a. Remove mark to market accounting rules for two years on only subprime Tier III bonds/mortgages. This keeps companies from being forced to artificially mark down bonds/mortgages below the value of the underlying mortgages and real estate. b. This move creates patience in the market and has an immediate stabilizing effect on failing and ailing banks—and it costs the taxpayer nothing. III. CAPITAL GAINS TAX a. Remove the capital gains tax completely. Investors will flood the real estate and stock market in search of tax-free profits, creating tremendous—and immediate—liquidity in the markets. Again, this costs the taxpayer nothing. b. This move will be seen as a lightning rod politically because many will say it is helping the rich. The truth is the rich will benefit, but it will be their money that stimulates the economy. This will enable all Americans to have more stable jobs and retirement investments that go up instead of down. This is not a time for envy, and it’s not a time for politics. It’s time for all of us, as Americans, to stand up, speak out, and fix this mess.

Sep 27, 08 Congress Gossip

I am a native Texan from Moore County in the Panhandle. I now live in Pennsylvania, but the rest of my family still resides in and owns property in the Dallas, Houston, Corpus Christi, and Amarillo areas. I congratulate Jeb Hensarling on his leadership to do the right thing in regard to the Bailout of the Bankers. It is indeed critical that we preserve the Free Market Economy and not push us over the cliff into Socialism. The thought occurred to me that there may be more than just a Socialistic Agenda at work here on the part of the Democrats. What if the Bailout money is actually going to benefit the Bankers who are bankrolling the Democrat re-election campaigns? Will they take the windfall from the Taxpayers and make large contributions to the re-election campaigns of the Democrats who rammed the bill through congress just before their recess to campaign?

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Dec 9, 09 Congress Gossip

Jun 16, 09 Proposed Bill HR-2674 Protecting America’s Children Act 2009 has a very misleadi

Mar 3, 09 Amendment No. 601 to the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009

Jan 14, 09 Congress Gossip

Dec 17, 08 Can congress submit their support in making a retired Navy Oiler useful?

Nov 18, 08 "Beggars on the Hill"

Oct 18, 08 **JUDICIAL INJUSTICES BEING INFLICTED ON POORER AMERICANS NEEDS....CHA*NGE....**

Oct 14, 08 Congress Gossip

Sep 30, 08 Congress Gossip

Sep 27, 08 Congress Gossip

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Congress Gossip

Latest Tips

Dec 9, 09 Congress Gossip

Jun 16, 09 Proposed Bill HR-2674 Protecting America’s Children Act 2009 has a very misleadi

Mar 3, 09 Amendment No. 601 to the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009

Jan 14, 09 Congress Gossip

Dec 17, 08 Can congress submit their support in making a retired Navy Oiler useful?

Nov 18, 08 "Beggars on the Hill"

Oct 18, 08 JUDICIAL INJUSTICES BEING INFLICTED ON POORER AMERICANS NEEDS....C*H*A*N*G*E....

Oct 14, 08 Congress Gossip

Sep 30, 08 Congress Gossip

Sep 27, 08 Congress Gossip

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Oct 18, 08 **JUDICIAL INJUSTICES BEING INFLICTED ON POORER AMERICANS NEEDS....CHA*NGE....**