How To Check On Your Congressman Or Senator And What They Are Doing In Washington D.C........

[global1]

If your congressman was one that caved and voted 'yes' on the FISA bill yesterday that gives the telecoms immunity and basically capitulated to Bush and the Repugs - here is a way to check up on just what else your congressman or senator is doing in Washington D.C. The kinds of resolutions they are sponsoring or co-sponsoring and where the wind up.

My Congressman - a Dem - voted yes for this and now I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that he doesn't get another term. This is my way of starting my research to do him in.

This link allows you to do a search by Congressional Session (we're now in the 110th Congress but you can go back) and see what he or she has been doing for you: http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/d109query.html

It's interesting to note all the BS bills that get sponsored and passed so that they can send you a quarterly newsletter making them look like hero's and the other more important issues that get looked at an referred to a committee:

Here are a some of the issues that are brought up in the House in the 109th Congress just to give you a flavor: (note that I'm just looking a one congressman - my congressman's activity - if you go to the link provided above you can check on your representatives)

- Expressing support for the designation and goals of "Hire a Veteran Week" and encouraging the President to issue a proclamation supporting those goals.
- Condemning attacks on United States citizens by Palestinian terrorists, and for other purposes.
- Expressing the sense of the Congress regarding bone marrow failure diseases.
- Supporting the goal of eliminating suffering and death due to cancer by the year 2015.
- Congratulating the Chicago White Sox on winning the 2005 World Series.
- Supporting the goal and mission of America Recycles Day.
- Commending Armed Forces medical personnel for their outstanding care of combat casualties.
- Supporting the goals and ideals of the National Arbor Day Foundation and National Arbor Day.
- Recognizing the importance of establishing a national memorial at the World Trade Center site to commemorate and mourn the events of February 26, 1993, and September 11, 2001.
- Congratulating all of the individuals and organizations on the 15th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope that have helped make Hubble one of the most important astronomical instruments in history.
- Congratulating Albert Pujols on being named the Most Valuable Player for the National League for the 2005 Major League Baseball season.
- Designating Room H-139 of the Capitol as the "Henry J. Hyde Room".
- To amend the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 and the Revised Statutes of the United States to prohibit financial holding companies and national banks from engaging, directly or indirectly, in real estate brokerage or real estate management activities, and for other purposes.
- To hold the current regime in Iran accountable for its threatening behavior and to support a transition to democracy in Iran.
- To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for an assured adequate level of funding for veterans health care.
- To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow individuals a refundable credit against income tax for the purchase of private health insurance, and to establish State health insurance safety-net programs.
- To amend title 28, United States Code, to provide the protections of habeas corpus for certain incapacitated individuals whose life is in jeopardy, and for other purposes.
- To protect the public health by providing the Food and Drug Administration with certain authority to regulate tobacco products.
- To amend the Small Business Act to provide for increased access to capital for small businesses under the section 7(a) loan program, and for other purposes.

This is just a small sample of what goes through the House and by reading the description you can just about guess which ones get through and which ones get referred to a committee.

Just serendipity - but I received my congressmans quarterly newsletter yesterday. It makes him out to look like a hero.

Just some exerpts:

"Dear Neighbor, Today, Americans are working harder and finding everyday life more difficult because of record high gas prices, unaffordable health care, high local taxes, a sinking housing market, a shaky economy, skyrocketing college tuition, and other increasing burdens. As your representative my top priority is being a leader in the fight to help District residents - especially middle class families and seniors - cope with these hardships."

Here are some of the things he's taking credit for in his newsletter:
1. Economic Stimulus Act - tax rebates
2. College Affordability Act
3. Holding a meeting to discuss local transportation issues
4. Advocate for investments in our nation's deteriorating transportation infrastructure
5. A strong voice in Congress for aviation consumers
6. Easing the Digital Television Transition
7. Working to stabilize the housing market
8. Fighting high gas prices - (picture showing him driving a hydrogen car)
Says he sponsored two pieces of legislation: the H-Prize Act of 2007 which establishes $50 million in cash prizes for advances in the use of hydrogen aas a pollution-free replacement for gasoline (Read twice and Referred to Committee)and the Bright Energy Savings Act requiring all federal buildings to transition to energy efficient light bulbs (Referred to Committee).

This all looks pretty good in his newsletter and then you realize that the real important things that our representatives should be deliberating on - usually get referred on to committee and either die or are left to gather dust. But at least they can say that they were a co-sponsor.

I'm getting fed up with these so-called representatives that we send to represent us. They are not representing us - they are representing their own interests. Everything else they do is window-dressing to make them look good so that they can win another term and continue to pull the wool over our eyes.

They need to be exposed for what they are. We need to make sure that the people we send to Congress really represent our needs and use our vote to assure that the window-dressers are thrown out.

I'm interested in how others are working to get rid of their dead weight in Congress and looking for ideas.

[daa]

1. Does that apply to Obama as well? He sold us out.

"Obama Supports FISA Legislation, Angering Left

By Paul Kane

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) today announced his support for a sweeping intelligence surveillance law that has been heavily denounced by the liberal activists who have fueled the financial engines of his presidential campaign.

In his most substantive break with the Democratic Party's base since becoming the presumptive nominee, Obama declared he will support the bill when it comes to a Senate vote, likely next week, despite misgivings about legal provisions for telecommunications corporations that cooperated with the Bush administration's warrantless surveillance program of suspected terrorists."

http://community.marketwatch.com/groups/us-politics/topics/wow-shocker--obama-takes-huge

[TreasonousBastard]

2. What might seem to be a fatal flaw in democracy is...

that there are a lot of people who do not agree with me about what's important, and even those that do agree with me often do not agree on how to deal with these things.

My Congressman is moderately liberal but represents a district that is moderately conservative. Not only that, but few people around here on any end of the spectrum give a shit one way or the other about FISA, impeachment, or any of the other heartstoppingly urgent affairs that mean life and death on DU and other leftwing sites.

At the last meeting with him, close to a hundred people showed up and the Broadwater gas projet, dredging Mattituck inlet, and the noise from low flying commuter helicopters to the Hamptons took up almost all the time. Even Iraq was hardly mentioned.

His vote on FISA is irrelevant and unnoticed-- he brokered a deal on the choppers and is taking some credit for defeating Broadwater, and that's the kind of thing that kleeps him in office.

[biermeister]

3. thanks for the link!!

I've bookmarked it and expect to use it regularly in the future to keep track of my congresspersons.

[Donkeykick]

4. Very Interesting Site.

Thanks! I bookmarked it! :toast: