BOR: - Congress

Randy Weber & Speaker Boehner Represent China Bondholders Not American Middle Class

Joe Deshotel — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:00:00 GMT

The Republican Congress is at it again, casting votes that hurt average working families struggling to maintain their middle class status. If simply working harder or longer hours is what led to success in this country our middle class would be as strong as ever, but instead many are being crippled by slow economic growth, increasing wealth disparity and a Congress always for sale to the highest bidder. Following the lead of Speaker Boehner, Houston Congressman Randy Weber has been complicit in ensuring the deconstruction of America's middle class by putting Chinese bondholders over working families and decreasing what protections those working still have.

Weber voted for a Republican bill coyly titled, "Working Families Flexibility Act" that should have been more aptly called the, "Pay Working Families Less Act," because it undermines the 40 hour work, and makes it harder for workers to take advantage of the vacation days they earned. Instead of voting to increase the minimum wage, promoting fair pay, or ensuring fair scheduling practices, the purveyors of so called family values are doing just the opposite. According to the nonpartisan National Partnership for Women and Families, "The mis-named Act will mean a pay cut for workers without any guaranteed flexibility or time off" and also, "erodes the basic guarantees of the Fair Labor Standards Act: fair pay for overtime work and time off from work."

These policies promote the type of working conditions one might expect in countries who have lower standards for human rights, like China, and it may be no coincidence.

More below the jump...
Weber and Congressional Republicans also support paying China before our troops or elderly, because well promises we made to foreign communist governments are clearly more important than the one's we made to our own citizens. If anyone should get preferential treatment or be exempt from having earned entitlements furloughed it should be those who build our country to its current stature on the world stage and those who still fight to keep us there.

When the Bloomberg news organization asked Speaker Boehner to clarify if the vote is really meant to pay China first Speaker Boehner did not deny the allegations. "Listen. Those who have loaned us money, like in any other proceeding, if you will, court proceeding, the bondholders usually get paid first. Same thing here," When asked about the possible political ramifications he answered, "No. Not at all...I just think it's another tool that we can use to help impress upon the administration. If it comes to the point where they don't have enough money to pay all the bills, here is some order that we think is sound."

There you have it folks, sound political and fiscal policy from the top member of Congress. I know many Republicans make no distinguishment between people and corporations, but these actions are truly hurtful to real Texans who work hard to barely makes ends meet while politicians with excellent government pay and benefits brag about Texas leading in minimum wage job creation.

Congressman Weber's Sequester Votes Are Bad for Texans

Joe Deshotel — Wed, 01 May 2013 18:49:30 GMT

If you watch The Daily Show you may have seen the ironic skit about how members of Congress voted to fix the part of the sequester that prevented their flights from leaving on time. They fixed the part that affected them while the rest of the across the board cuts continue to hit the middle class and working poor, and threaten our border security. Unfortunately freshman Congressman Randy Weber has chosen to align himself more with Ted Cruz, like voting against Hurricane Sandy relief , than his own more moderate Speaker John Boehner. Boehner said of the Sequester, "When you look at this final agreement that we came to with the White House, I got 98% of what I wanted. I'm pretty happy,". Being partisan for the sake of being partisan is bad for Texans and its ultimately it will prove to be bad for the Republican Party. For a complete breakdown of what the sequester cuts will look like by agency the Washington Post has put together this great everything-you-need-to-know guide with lots of charts.

Emily Bittner of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released this statement:

"Earlier this month cancer clinics announced that they would have to turn away thousands of Medicare patients because of the sequester, local schools are kicking kids out of Head Start and our military doesn't have the resources needed to keep us safe, but Congressman Weber's top priority was to protect himself and millionaire campaign contributors - not the millions in the middle class who are getting squeezed,"

Her comments are based on votes taken earlier this year by congressional Republicans. The budget they presented included the Sequester, and they voted against considering the Stop the Sequester Job Loss Now Act that contained both tax increases and cuts. According to The Hill that Act would have, "eliminate[d] subsidies to the farm industry, scrap tax preferences used by oil-and-gas companies and implement a new minimum tax rate on people making seven figures annually - the proposal commonly known as the 'Buffett Rule.'"

Congressman Weber and his colleagues should concentrate on doing what's best for their constituents and less on opposing any measure by Democrats -- it may be the only thing that preserves their own jobs.

Rep. Doggett on TANF: Focus Should Be On Ending Poverty Not Denying Assistance To Needy

Joe Deshotel — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:00:00 GMT

Congress is considering extending the program of block grants to States for the temporary assistance for needy families (TANF). Congressman Doggett (D-Austin) expressed his disappointment that more is not being done to create a long term bipartisan solution to poverty. Instead of reducing welfare rolls by denying assistance and reinforcing "old welfare Cadillac stereotypes", the Congressman believes we should provide real opportunity for people to lift themselves up the socioeconomic ladder. He noted only 1% of poor adults in America are participating in a TANF work program, and that a larger portion of our population is now living near the poverty line than when welfare reform was implemented in the 90s.

"If you evaluate the TANF program and how it has operated over the last decade and a half based upon the number of poor people who have been denied assistance it has been a tremendous success. But if you evaluate it based upon the number of poor people, who have been able to utilize it to secure a good, long term job, at a livable wage, its success is, at best, spotty."

Full transcript below the jump...
March 13th, 2013

Mr. Speaker, I believe in the value of work. I voted for the 1996 welfare law because I supported moving people from welfare to work. Our laws should foster job creation. In this important effort, today's bill is not so much malevolent as irrelevant to those poor people.

Because of the way the TANF program is currently structured, only about one percent of the working-age adults across America who are poor are participating in TANF work activities.

To most living at the bottom of the economic ladder, this bill and this program are largely irrelevant. Whether or not waivers are granted will make no difference in the lives of the overwhelming number, who are struggling to find a good job and climb out of poverty.

And today, a higher proportion of our population lives near the bottom of that economic ladder than when welfare reform was enacted. In 2011, the poverty rate was 15% or 46.2 million Americans. The census bureau estimates about 350,000 of these individuals are in the San Antonio area.

Amidst this rising poverty, we have the lowest level of poor children receiving direct cash assistance from TANF in almost 50 years. In my home state of Texas, only about one of every 20 poor children receive any such TANF aid. And when they do get help, it's not very much.

Short term extensions like today's bill and its predecessors offer convenient political opportunities to reinforce old welfare Cadillac stereotypes and blame the poor for being poor. A previous extension focused on prohibiting any withdrawals of cash assistance at strip clubs, liquor stores, and casinos.

While I certainly didn't object to that restriction, it did not even attempt to address the core issue of how to get more Americans out of poverty. Nor does today's bill.

Poverty should be viewed as a major national problem to be resolved, together, not a weapon to be used for scoring political points. It's the poverty of cooperation on solving the bigger problems, a poverty of balance that is resulting in so many children and their parents seeing so little progress.

If you evaluate how TANF has operated over the last decade and a half based upon the number of poor people to whom it denies any assistance, it has been a great success. But if you evaluate it based upon the number of poor people, who have been able to utilize it to secure a good, long term job, at a livable wage, its success is, at best, spotty.

I think that the responsibility for those failures is shared by many: states who did not do their part, an Administration that did not come forward with its own plan, and Republicans here in Congress who have continued to build on old false stereotypes as this TANF reauthorization has been considered.

The only focus of our latest short-term extension has been on attempting to limit the Administration and giving the states added flexibility.

In my opinion, in some areas, they have too much flexibility already and basically use TANF as a slush fund to fund some of the social services that they should be providing themselves, and were in some cases providing themselves, to assist those who were poor to move into the workforce and to develop better skills.

I believe that today's attempt to restrict state authority to strengthen welfare to work initiatives totally contradicts what is happening this very moment with a blockheaded Republican budget that would block grant unbridled authority to the states to weaken health care.

As to whether States need additional flexibility with regards to TANF, there's some good argument that they should, but what we really should be doing is a broad reauthorization of this program, looking at whether it fulfills its original purpose and whether we can make it work better for the taxpayer and for those that it is designed to provide temporary assistance to.

I think all of us want to see fewer people receive assistance because they found a good job, but this is no indication that these folks that are not receiving assistance found a good job, and no one should consider it a success when fewer and fewer very poor children and families have access to a program meant to serve them.

Instead of focusing on waivers and simply waving good-bye to the many people in America who are economically disadvantaged and want a better opportunity, who want some hope to get out of poverty, let's try to do more to assist those people in more productive, long-term programs.

Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of work to do to improve TANF and I wish that had been the focus of this legislation, and the focus of more attention from the Administration.

We should measure the success of TANF on getting recipients into jobs, rather than simply measuring how many have been denied assistance.

The TANF program needs to be part of the puzzle in addressing poverty in our country, instead of the broken link that it has become. Our focus should be on helping people find work, rather than trying to perpetuate myths about welfare queens.

We need to conduct a thorough and careful review of more than just the work requirements to help make TANF satisfy its original objective.

Rep. Gallego: Single Biggest Threat to Border Security Is Sequestration

Joe Deshotel — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:18:51 GMT

For weeks Congressional Republicans, including Texas' own Senator John Cornyn criticized the President's comprehensive immigration reform proposal because they thought border security should be the top priority. On Tuesday Rep. Pete Gallego who represents the longest stretch of Texas-Mexico in Congress made it clear that the single biggest threat to border security is actually sequestration. In his first floor speech he admonished Congress for its finger pointing on the issue and challenged members to work together to solve the nation's problems.

"In small town West Texas when there's a fire everyone works together to put the fire out and no one focuses on how the fire started or who started the fire until after the fire is out. Here and now in Washington many folks are more focused on who is to blame for the sequester than trying to do something about it." - Rep. Gallego

The Congressman characterized the across the board cuts as having both economic and national security implications, saying, "Not having a vote this week is a decision by some in Congress for decreased border security, job loss and furloughs, and it devastates local communities and the state of Texas." His district contains a number of strategic military bases including Ft. Bliss in El Paso and Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio that could face furloughs in the tens of thousands.

His office also released this handy infographic of the impact of sequestration on the US-Mexico border. You can follow him on twitter at @RepPeteGallego and see his house floor speech below the jump.

Texas Border Already Blue: Immigration Reform Gives Democrats National Platform

Joe Deshotel — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:41:43 GMT

Texas may not yet be blue but our border certainly is. In the state House, Texas Democrats represent the entirety of the Texas-Mexico border, while freshman Congressman Pete Gallego's 23rd district represents 800 of the 1,954 total miles along the U.S.-Mexico border. The Congressman appeared on MSNBC's Jansing & Co. to talk about the fate of Comprehensive Immigration Reform in this session of Congress.

I think immigration reform gets done this session of Congress. From the perspective of both parties it is time...I think the Republicans saw with what happened with the latino electorate last and time and in places like Texas thats a really significant thing. -Congressman Gallego

Obama won the 2012 election with over 70% of the Hispanic vote, and announcing Comprehensive Immigration Reform as a top 2nd term priority during the State of the Union has left Republicans both nationally and in Texas struggling to find a viable position on the issue.

Most people don't really care where the idea comes from, I think they want action, they want something to happen, they're tired of the prolonged conversations. -Congresman Gallego

Thats true even in Texas, according to a poll...
According to a poll released by the Texas Tribune in 2012 the top two issues for Texans were "Immigration" and "Border Security", yet top state Republicans have shied away from addressing them so far this session. Maybe for now congressional Republicans should follow their lead because according the poll Texans understand the difference between the two. Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson told the Texas Tribune that Republicans' problem was that they have, "reduce[d] the entire issue to bumper sticker phrases such as 'No Amnesty' or 'Build a Fence'." If he is onto something he may want to Cc his Congressional party mates who continue to attack the President for focusing his immigration policy on a path to citizenship instead of shutting down the border. Congressman Gallego referred to El Paso as being one of the safest cities in America and said though some positive local economic activity comes to border towns when we increase our presence there, many residents were "a little tired of tying immigration to border security".

Just last week State Representatives Rafael Anchia and Ana Hernandez Luna filed a House Concurrent Resolution urging Congress to immediately pass comprehensive immigration reform. They cited a new poll that shows strong bipartisan support, at 71%, for immigration reform that included a path to citizenship. "I applaud the President's leadership on this issue and agree that it is time for Congress to pass major immigration legislation," said Rep. Anchia. The resolution incorporates statements from some traditionally conservative sources; Texas Federation of Republican Women, as well as findings by the Texas Comptroller and the Libertarian Cato Institute.

Rep. Hernandez Luna struck an inclusive tone, but Republicans have yet to embrace the invitation. "I am proud to offer this resolution with Rep. Anchia in support of practical, realistic and bi-partisan immigration reform. I look forward to garnering widespread support from our colleagues in the Texas House so that we may send a clear message to Washington on this issue. "

Its clear at some individual levels Democrats have begun to create a narrative on an issue where they have both the public's support and a weak opposition. With a little good fortune the increased profile of Democrats can emigrate to other issues like education, healthcare and energy policy.

You can see Congressman Gallego on MSNBC here

Coffee Party Radio: Politics Done Right w/Egberto Willies-The Triumph Of Bad Ideas Sat 12-2PM CST

egberto — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 05:09:41 GMT

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Politics Done Right with Egberto Willies

Saturday 12:00 Noon Central/1:00 PM Eastern

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This weeks I wrote several blogs. Two of these should be examined in detail, "The Triumph of Bad Ideas" and "Debt Hostage Takers Are Dangerous & Delusional-Will Media Stop Enabling The Right Wing". That said, there is a lot to talk about and a lot of ideas to exchange on solutions of major issues.

Let us talk solutions. Give me a call or listen in.

Following are this week's blogs.

Please call me at (646)929-2495 let us discuss these issues. I want to hear and discuss ALL points of views.

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Coffee Party Radio: Politics Done Right w/Egberto Willies-New Congress Same Problem?Sat 12-2PM CST

egberto — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 15:53:16 GMT

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Politics Done Right with Egberto Willies

Saturday 12:00 Noon Central/1:00 PM Eastern

Call In, talk and/or Listen: (646) 929-2495

A new House of Congress was seated this week. The 113th Congress. Sadly based on the initial uttering s from some of the old protagonists, much will remain the same. Unless Speaker Boehner decide to do his job as speaker of the House and not just speaker of the Republicans, this Congress will suffer the fate of the last Congress, the worst relative performing Congress in history.

Let us talk about these issues. Give me a call or listen in.

Following are this week's blogs.

Please call me at (646)929-2495 let us discuss these issues. I want to hear and discuss ALL points of views.

Listen And Chat Here at your computer or smartphone

LIKE My Facebook Page
Follow @EgbertoWillies

TX-14: Lampson Gains More Momentum, Weber Breaks Another Law

Joe Deshotel — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 21:51:30 GMT

Today Market Watch listed TX-14 in its "5 races Investors Must Watch on Election Day", saying, "Lampson has made this race closer than expected" and giving him the momentum. Last week his opponent Randy Weber was busy answering questions over illegal campaign contributions, and this week he's explaining why he broke an election law. The bill, passed in 2007, restricts anyone from "use[ing] any mechanical or electronic means of recording images or sound within 100 feet of a voting station.", and this week the Weber campaign featured photos of the candidate voting (presumably for himself). At the time of this posting his Facebook page still featured the illegal photos with the slogan "Aqui VOTE" - yes I think there's a joke in there somewhere. It's clear that Weber has sounded the alarm because the RNCC, Ted Cruz and now Rick Perry have all come to his rescue. His campaign has failed to raise the funds, gain the support and build that sense of inevitability that Republican's expected when they redrew this district.

Lampson refuses to be outdone - including in star power. Last week he shared the stage with former President Bill Clinton. Clinton came to the new coastal district to remind them of the good ol' days when he was in the White House and Lampson was in the Capitol. Those days were marked by bipartisan legislation, budget surpluses and balanced federal checkbook. Clinton told the estimated crowd of 2,000 Southeast Texas voters:

I like Nick Lampson…He believes in arithmetic over illusion, evidence over ideology, shared prosperity and opportunity and responsibility over trickle down. And I know he believes we’re all in this together.

That concept has been Lampson's message from day one, in ads, emails and on the ground. His record of working across the aisle is fondly remembered for civility sake, but more importantly, the substance of balanced budgets and surpluses is something that hasn't been done since Lampson was in Congress. Though Lampson has very high name ID district-wide (65%+) these type of high profile events help expose him to those less familiar, like students. They may have heard of Lampson's prior service but many were too young to remember and such events give an opportunity to see the candidate in action. First time voters attending the rally at Vincent Beck Stadium had across the board positive reaction (from KIITV):

I feel very very confident about my decision. I've been watching both parties and I do feel that he is really putting more emphasis on people in my position and people who are relying on student loans, people who are in school, so I do have more confidence. -Lamar University student, Erin Wilrich

I had knowledge of it and after tonight, I have even more knowledge. I just feel really good about all the plans that he has for the Democratic party so if feel confident. -First time voter, Jasmine Reeves

I think it's pretty important and it gives me perspective on people who aren't the presidential candidate on the congressman. I really didn't know anything about that and I feel more confident in voting than I was earlier tonight. -First time voter, Rowan Waedemon

The momentum seems to be with Lampson on a number of important fronts; in the bank, across the airwaves and on the ground. Jefferson County has experienced record early voting this election and the campaign believes if it receive 60% there, Lampson will win the election.

Nick Lampson Receives Every Major Daily Newspaper Endorsement In TX-14

Joe Deshotel — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 15:30:00 GMT

On Sunday the Lampson for Congress campaign received an extra boost just before Early Voting began with the endorsement of all 3 major daily newspapers in TX-14; Houston Chronicle, Beaumont Enterprise and Galveston Daily News. These endorsements were not based on any promises Nick Lampson made this election cycle but on his "solid track record as a moderate who works hard for Southeast Texas." The editorial boards of the Houston Chronicle and Beaumont Enterprise are generally conservative and that will give credit to Lampson's claim that he can work across the isle. As for his opponent, Randy Weber, it shows that getting "the number one conservative rating in the House" isn't necessarily a badge of honor. Federal funds for transportation and infrastructure are crucial to the port cities along the Texas coast and these fast growing areas can't afford another Dr. No.

Weber has spent the entire campaign trying to label Lampson as part of an Obama-Pelosi-Lampson ticket but that notion was soundly rejected as all 3 papers, to my chargrin, also endorsed Mitt Romney. True for now, it may be a waste of ink for a Texas paper to endorse a Democratic President, but Lampson has a record recognizing the needs of this area and delivering. At times Weber has sounded more like he was running against "Obamacare" instead of a moderate opponent with 64% name ID. His website literally says, "Vote to Repeal Obama's Agenda...Vote for Randy Weber". It may be fashionable to bash Obama and the federal government but as the Galveston Daily News said, "attention to what's happening here, as opposed to what's happening elsewhere, would be welcome." That one criticism puts this entire race into perspective. Nick Lampson deserves another stint in Congress because he is a statesman who puts the interests of Southeast Texas over partisanship.

Early voting starts today and runs through Nov. 2nd. Election Day is Nov. 6th. Here are Early Voting Locations for Brazoria, Galveston, and Jefferson Counties.

Nick Lampson Reports Strong Fundraising, Growing Momentum in TX-14

Joe Deshotel — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 19:57:04 GMT

Today the Lampson for Congress campaign reported strong fundraising numbers and building momentum across the district. The campaign currently has $421,518 cash on hand and has raised over $1 million from at least 2 thousands contributors. "When you have popular ideas you get popular support." Lampson said today on a conference call. His campaign manager referred to it as the "Lampson brand", but the former Congressman said of himself, "Voters know I'm an independent voice. He [Randy Weber] has a 100% partisan rating and I've done my best to pay attention to the needs of my district."

Lampson got a real boost to his bi-partisan credentials last week when he received the "Problem-Solver Seal" from the No Labels PAC. The 501 (c)(4) organization awards the seal to those candidates who agree to join the "Problem-Solvers Bloc" in congress, an emerging group dedicated to "working across the aisle to discuss effective, principled and pragmatic solutions to our country's problems." No Lables Co-Founder William Galston said of Lampson, "[He] is running for Congress to serve the American people, not partisan interests. His commitment to putting country first makes him a welcome addition to the Problem-Solvers Bloc."

Lampson has represented 80% of the new Tx-14 and most constituents are familiar with his a record of bi-partisanship, yet Weber has staked his campaign on tying Nick Lampson to Nancy Pelosi and pledging to repeal "Obamacare". Putting country first is also the subject of team Lampson's TV ad campaign which helps to highlight the major difference in how these two candidates would legislate. The first ad to hit the airways began with, "There's seems to be a lot of whining and crying in Congress today. We can get so much more done when we work together." In the latest ad they highlight Rep. Randy Weber's votes to give tax breaks to companies that send jobs overseas alongside Lampson's own efforts in Congress that helped create local jobs.

That contrast was on display in a recent debate where Lampson pointed out some of those votes that Weber touted as "tough decisions". Weber said,

We cut 27 billion-with-a-b dollars from our budget, we know what it is to live with in our means, I've proven that with my votes. You know you don't get the number one conservative rating in the House being a go along to get a long guy.

To which Lampson replied,

Randy you cut the Children's heath Insurance Program, that left 1.2 million Texas children without insurance. Those were the easy votes because you balanced the budget on the back of our children. You cut $6 billion out of education. If every child in this country is going have the opportunity to go work at NASA and become an astronaut then were not going to get there by cutting back on education, cutting back on healthcare by doing away with the things that have build a strong community and strong families.

This is one of the closest and most important races in the country and one of the few that are competitive in Texas. Lampson is far from the tax and spend liberal that Weber is hoping to portray him as. Lampson proudly noted that he never voted to raise the debt ceiling and worked on the last balanced budget Congress passed in a generation. The biggest problem for Weber is that many voters still remember. But, If you'd like to help by sending them a reminder, you can donate to Nick Lampson for Congress at our Burnt Orange to Blue page.