Washington Hotlist » U.S. Senate

Another Case for Campaign Finance Reform

Steve Levine — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:26:17 +0000

Last November, America said a resounding NO to Republican ideas and a full-throated YES to change, including a new and sensible health care system. By what tortured logic, then, is the committee drafting new health legislation composed of an EQUAL number of Democrats and Republicans?

What kind of dysfunctional democracy do we have when the shape of that legislation rests in the hands of six senators from some of the smallest states in the Union? When passage of this vital measure is in the hands of just ONE of those senators — Republican Olympia Snowe of Maine – OLYMPIA SNOWE, for God’s sake!

No wonder Americans are taking to the streets. What’s puzzling is why even more of us aren’t storming the barricades to protest this insult to our intelligence and the violation of our public will.

Lord knows we need to reform our broken health care system. But to put the task in the hands of senators who are beholden to the very institutions we’re trying to reform is both futile and idiotic.

There will be no reform of this or any other aspect of our society until there is federal funding of all elections and we have removed the corrupting influence of campaign contributions from our political life.

ANOTHER REASON WHY AMERICA THINKS SO LITTLE OF CONGRESS!

Steve Levine — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:07:53 +0000

When Bush attorney Harriet Miers ignored a subpoena to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committe, what did they do about it? NOTHING!

When former Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez lied to the same Committee, what did they do?
NOTHING!

They apparently donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t have the time or inclination to pursue THOSE offenses, but they DO have time to obsess over what Roger Clemens might have had injected in his butt!

What the hell are they doing wasting time on this nonsense?

Is it any wonder that America is fed up with Washington?

Speaking Of History Repeating Itself…

Joshua Rosenstock — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:43:46 +0000

The Senate voted Tuesday night to approve a sweeping year-end budget package after adding $70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the objections of Democrats who have been stymied all year in their efforts to change the course of the conflict in Iraq.

By an overwhelming 70-to-25 vote, senators moved to provide the money sought by President Bush after the defeat of two Democratic-led efforts to tie the money to troop withdrawals.

Senate Democrats Compromise On Energy Bill

Joshua Rosenstock — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:10:40 +0000

Instead of raising taxes on the oil companies, why not provide them with a targeted tax credit that financially incentivizes them to aside a small portion of their profits for developing alternative energies domestically? Reducing our dependency on Middle East oil is crucial to our national security. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats could help their own cause by doing more outside the box thinking while simultaneously avoiding being correctly labeled as tax raisers.

Senate Republicans blocked a broad energy bill Thursday because it included billions of dollars in new taxes on the biggest oil companies.

Supporters say the bill would move the country away from gas-guzzling cars and toward nonfossil fuels.

Democratic leaders fell one vote short, 59-40, in getting the 60 votes needed to overcome a GOP filibuster. Democrats said they would strip the taxes from the legislation to move the bill forward.

Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said he hoped to get the revised energy package approved later in the day, including the first increase in automobile fuel efficiency in three decades and massive increases in the use of ethanol as a motor fuel.

He said we will “eliminate the tax title.”

Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky predicted the revised bill would be approved with wide bipartisan support.

One vote short on big tax increases. I wonder which Senate Republican recently received a large donation to his re-election campaign from the energy lobbyists.