Roll Call ~ Oregon and New Jersey

Welcome to another Roll Call. All information comes from each senator's website.

Gordon Smith (R) Oregon

Smith's foray into politics began in 1992, when he was elected to the Oregon State Senate. Upon his election to the United States Senate, Smith became the first U.S. Senator from eastern Oregon since 1938.

Health Care

Ensuring the health and well-being of our citizenry is one of the greatest responsibilities of our government. I believe that the foundation of a healthy nation begins with a strong health care safety net and affordable health care coverage for all Americans. As a member of the Senate Finance Committee, I have worked to develop policies that ensure Medicare and programs such as Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provide health care coverage for low-income individuals, remain strong and financially sustainable for years to come. I also have sponsored a number of initiatives that will benefit the State of Oregon, like increasing flexibility for the Oregon Health Plan and making coverage more affordable and accessible for small businesses and the uninsured.

Another important step to improving the health of our nation is to focus on mental health. As a founding member of the Senate Mental Health Caucus, I am working on legislation to improve access to vital mental health care services and to break down the stigma associated with mental illness. In the 108th Congress, we took a monumental step toward this goal with the passage of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, which augments suicide prevention efforts at the state and local level and on college/university campuses. This Congress, I am working to ensure passage of federal Mental Health Parity legislation that would help alleviate some of the burden placed on individuals and the public mental health system due to lack of access to treatment through many private health insurance plans.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, I have had the opportunity to lead discussions on ways to strengthen Medicare, Medicaid, and public/private retirement programs, and to expose companies that prey on seniors with marketing scams. During my tenure as Chairman in the 109th Congress, I also highlighted issues such as long-term care, retirement security, disaster preparedness, America’s guardianship system and conducted stringent oversight over federal programs such as implementation of the Medicare prescription drug program. In the 110th Congress, I will continue to work on enact policies that protect seniors and ensure the long term sustainability of our entitlement programs for generations to come. (Blogger Comment: So many Americans are confused as to the role of government -- apparently this includes U.S. Senators. It is NOT the role or responsibility of government to take care of the health of its citizens. That is the responsibility of the citizens. Government-sponsored health care is socialism. Socialism was one of the greatest fears of the founding fathers. The role of the U.S. government is to ensure the safety of its citizens, not the health, not the prosperity, or anything else that requires the government to forcibly extract money from its citizens. While it sounds nice for everyone to pitch in and take care of each other, it's only charitable when we do it voluntarily and when it's done outside of the government's mandates. Certainly communities are welcome to come together and form health care co-ops to help each other, and we would encourage that kind of solution. But we do not believe in or encourage any type of socialism, no matter how great it sounds. The government has never been able to oversee any type of social program in an equitable manner, nor should we encourage them to keep trying to implement social programs that are destined to fail. The big question in health care is why aren't we demanding insurance reform so that we all can have affordable health care? Is it because Washington is corrupt and rely on lobbyists for support and money? We're just wondering how much money Washington receives from insurance and pharmaceutical lobbyists.)

Education

Making quality education affordable and more accessible to every American is one of my top priorities as a U.S. Senator (Blogger Comment: not the role of government).

While it is of the utmost importance that we hold our schools and our teachers to the highest standards, the federal government must also support schools’ efforts to improve. (Blogger Comment: On the contrary, the federal government needs to get out of education. It has been a mess since they became involved.) For this reason, I have consistently voted to support more federal government spending on education. (Blogger Comment: This guy must be a moderate Republican. More federal government spending sounds like a liberal ideal.)

During my years in the Senate, I have been a constant advocate for Head Start and Early Head Start. I have long supported increased funding for both programs, and I appreciate the relationships I have developed with the early education community. These programs have a tremendous impact on the lives of the children and families they serve.

I have also worked with my Senate colleagues to launch an initiative that will help parents and children save and pay for their education needs (Blogger Comment: let's cut to the chase. He wants more taxes.). The proposals build on the various tax cuts and education reforms that Congress passed as part of the No Child Left Behind Act. I also introduced a bill aimed at helping people save money for college and have voted to increase the maximum Pell grant award (Blogger Comment: this is getting tiring, but we'll continue to repeat it until Washington gets it. This is not the role of government. College is voluntary and citizens are responsible for their own education. Why do people continue to believe that Washington politicians are professional educators?)

Education should be a priority for all Americans and requires no less than the support of both the federal government and state governments to improve academic performance (Blogger Comment: Oh boy! See all previous blogger comments).

Economy

I have always believed the best economic policies are those that foster the entrepreneurial spirit that has made our country great. And like most Americans, I believe families are best able to decide how to spend their hard earned paychecks (Blogger Comment: Really? Because you just took away all our money for your education and health care programs). I strongly supported President Bush’s tax cuts because I believe they helped provide Americans the additional tools and freedom they need to better fulfill their dreams (Blogger Comment: We have a dream - We have a dream that some day we'll be able to keep most of our money to take care of our own education and health care. We have a dream that some day Washington will stop trying to micro manage our lives and stop lining their pockets with our taxes.).

Through smaller government (Blogger Comment: Can you say headache? Because that's what this guy is giving us. Didn't we just read that he believes the federal government needs to get more involved in health care and education, but now he wants us to believe that he's for smaller government? Can you say stupid? Because that's what he believes we are.), disciplined spending and continued tax reform, I believe that our economy will continue to expand, enabling us to reduce the deficit and pay down the federal debt, while at the same time lessening the tax burden for American families.

As a member of the Senate Finance committee I have had the unique privilege to be closely involved in formulating economic policies aimed at growing the American job market, and increasing the vibrancy of our economy. Recent trends suggest that equipping Americans’ natural ingenuity with a favorable tax code has helped revive our economy, and I am proud to continue my commitment to that end (Blogger Comment: That would be great, but he hasn't said anything that makes us believe that he's actually going to vote to reduce taxes. He has too many programs to fund at our expense.).

Frank Lautenberg (D) New Jersey

Working to improve the quality of life for all New Jersey families, Senator Lautenberg has fought to provide opportunities for every citizen (Blogger Comment: not the role of government. Americans have freedom to pursue their own opportunities.).

As the top Democratic member of the Senate Budget Committee, Senator Lautenberg helped negotiate the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which restored fiscal discipline to the Federal government, ended years of deficits and raids on Social Security, and actually created large budget surpluses. This helped keep interest rates low, increased business investment, and contributed to the greatest period of economic growth in our nation's history.

Senator Lautenberg has also been a strong proponent of keeping taxes low, especially for middle class families. The 1997 budget law, for example, included significant tax cuts for families with children. Senator Lautenberg also supported tax deductions to offset college costs, and abolishment of the so-called "marriage penalty." And he voted against the two largest tax increases in American history, in 1990 and 1993 (Blogger Comment: We have double checked and, yes, this guy's a Democrat. Does the Democrat party know that he's for low taxes?).

Beyond restoring fiscal discipline and supporting middle class tax relief, Senator Lautenberg has focused on promoting economic development in New Jersey. He's done it town-by-town, rolling up his sleeves to secure federal help for renewing local business districts like Pennsgrove and Paterson, or upgrading critical local transportation links from Cape May to Paramus.

Senator Lautenberg has fought to preserve or expand federal installations like McGuire Air Force Base, and win federal projects that create jobs from Moorestown to Princeton. Nationally, he's promoted technology and investment by backing tax credits for research and for investments in new businesses; by writing tough laws that punish foreign companies that steal American inventions; and by promoting federal defense conversion programs that put defense technology to work creating non-defense jobs.

He's fought for trade laws that are fair, protecting jobs at home and opening markets abroad. To prepare workers, he's backed programs for apprentices to smooth the transition from school to work.

Senator Lautenberg also has made it a priority to support programs critical to the economic security of average New Jerseyans. He has always strongly supported Social Security and Medicare, and opposed privatization plans that would lead to deep cuts in guaranteed benefits. He also has supported efforts to increase the minimum wage and provide workers with the job training they need to succeed in an ever more complex and technological economy (Blogger Comment: Now he's starting to sound like a Democrat. Any "program" from the government means more taxes and it's not the government's job to help private citizens "succeed".).

As a member of the Intelligence Committee and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, he worked to keep our military strong, while improving pay and living conditions for our troops.

Senator Lautenberg has also been a leader against terrorism. He wrote the law banning foreign aid to states that sponsor terrorism (Blogger Comment: That just seems like common sense. At least someone in Washington, D.C., has some left.). He authored legislation to deny tax breaks to companies that operate in states that actively support terrorism. He led efforts to increase US opposition to Hamas and other violent fundamentalist organizations in the Middle East. And he wrote the law that allows victims of terrorism to collect damages from countries that sponsor terrorist acts (Blogger Comment: Good luck collecting that.).

To improve the security of Americans here at home, Senator Lautenberg has worked hard to reduce crime and fight the scourge of gun violence. Over the strong opposition of the National Rifle Association, he won enactment of the law banning wife beaters and child abusers from owning guns. He was the leader in efforts to close the gun show loophole. He successfully blocked a program that gave guns back to convicted felons. He also supported a variety of other measures, such as the assault weapons ban and the Brady Law, to reduce gun violence. In addition, he cosponsored legislation to abolish parole and toughen penalties for violent criminals (Full Disclosure of the Bloggers: We are members of the NRA. We fully support gun rights. However, we also believe that convicted felons forfeit their gun rights when they commit crimes. As long as Senator Lautenberg doesn't support taking gun rights away from regular citizens, we don't have a problem with penalties being imposed on convicted felons. But if we find out that Senator Lautenberg supports gun bans on law abiding citizens, we will have a huge problem with that.)

As the grandfather of 10 children, Senator Lautenberg believes that a healthy environment is one of the most important legacies we can bequeath to future generations. He worked to pass the Safe Drinking Water Act and fought for extra treatment of drinking water to prevent vulnerable children from being poisoned by contaminants. He has also worked to preserve open spaces and keep our beaches and oceans clean and swimmable.

Clean beaches are crucial to New Jersey, which depends on the billions of dollars that Shore tourism pumps into our economy. To protect this resource, Senator Lautenberg wrote laws to require testing of beach water so our children don't get sick, to ban ocean dumping of sewage, to get garbage off our beaches, to control medical waste, to prevent oil spills and to stop oil drilling off our Shore.

The Senator has also worked to renew and improve the cleanup of Superfund toxic waste sites. He wrote the federal law to give citizens the right to know about the toxic emissions that companies spew into the air, water and ground. He drafted "brownfields" legislation, now law, to clean up abandoned industrial sites and promote economic development. He established a program to prevent pollution before it becomes a problem. And he helped create and expand federal parks and refuges, like the Sterling Forest, the Forsythe and Cape May refuges, and the Coastal Heritage Trail in South Jersey. He currently serves as the ranking Democratic member of the subcommittee on global warming (Blogger Comment: Seriously? We have a committee on global warming? How do we get our tax money back for this waste of time?).

Senator Lautenberg firmly believes that the key to his success was a quality public education that allowed him to take advantage of the GI Bill and succeed in college. He is committed to ensuring that today's children have the same opportunity (Blogger Comment: We have said this in previous blogs and will continue to say it. Why does the federal government think they know what constitutes a "quality" education?).

Unfortunately, too many schools are in poor condition and lack sufficient access to modern technology. To help our local school districts pay for crucial school building modernization, Sen. Lautenberg sponsored the Public School Modernization Act, to provide $25-billion in zero-interest bonding authority. New Jersey's share, estimated at $545 million, could have translated into about four million square feet of school renovation and construction (Blogger Comment: $25-billion??? See all previous blogger comments on government spending and the role of government.).

But Senator Lautenberg knows that some of our at-risk children need special one-on-one help. That's why he sponsored the Juvenile Mentoring Program Act -- or JUMP -- in 1992. One study showed mentoring produced dramatic results at a cost of just $1,000 a match (Blogger Comment: Obviously, kids make bad choices regardless of their parents best efforts. However, programs need to be community based, not paid for by the federal government.). Compare that to the roughly $25,000 a year we're forced to spend to put someone in jail once they've dropped out of school and turned to crime or drugs.

Senator Lautenberg also led the fight to authorize and fund a national Intelligent Transportation Systems program because he believes we are going to need smarter roads and vehicles to move both commuters and commerce efficiently in the next century. These types of initiatives can help reduce traffic and eliminate gridlock.

Besides building new transportation systems, Senator Lautenberg believes we must make our roads, rails and skies safer. Besides cutting into teen drunk driving by encouraging states to make 21 the national drinking age, Senator Lautenberg wrote the law establishing a national .08 blood alcohol standard. Senator Lautenberg also successfully fought attempts to expand the use of dangerous triple trailer trucks and other longer combination vehicles.

Roll Call, Part Deux

Another Roll Call. The below senator information was taken directly from each senator's website. Please remember your hard-won freedoms when selecting a candidate in the voting booth.

Saxby Chambliss (R) Georgia

Education – As the husband of a teacher who worked for more than 30 years in the classroom, Senator Chambliss knows there is no more important job than educating America’s young people. A supporter of the landmark education reform law, No Child Left Behind, which seeks to ensure America’s children are reaching their learning potential, Senator Chambliss has held a series of listening sessions across Georgia. Chambliss’ events are designed to bring federal education officials together with Georgia educators so that Georgia education professionals can have their voices heard about how to improve the program and how the program is being implemented in Georgia.

Housing - Owning a home is part of the American dream, but unfortunately, the downturn in the housing industry has had a ripple effect across all sectors of the financial market and the economy as a whole. Georgians have certainly felt the impact of this crisis. In an effort to reinvigorate the housing market, I am an original co-sponsor of S. 2566, legislation sponsored by Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) to provide a federal income tax credit for the purchase of certain new and foreclosed upon homes. This legislation passed as an amendment to the Foreclosure Prevention Act, which will help prevent declining property values for homeowners=2 0and hopefully bring the market back to an even keel. A similar tax credit was invoked by Congress in the mid-1970s, when the housing market was in a similar crisis. I will also continue to work to ensure that the free-flow of information between the borrower, broker, and lender is open and fair.

Border Security - In 2007, during the immigration bill debate, we listened and heard overwhelmingly from Georgians that they do not trust the federal government to enforce our immigration laws. Taking immediate action to secure our borders is what Georgians demand and deserve, and it is the best way to restore credibility with the American people. We must secure the borders first and foremost, because that is where the problem originates and where it must be stopped. I voted against the final immigration reform bill because it was not good enough for Georgia and Senators were not given ample time to debate amendments to strengthen the bill. I have rejected proposals to provide amnesty for illegal immigrants and I have called for the creation of a tamper-proof biometric ID card for foreign workers.

This year I also joined a group of Republican Senators in forming the Senate Border Security and Enforcement First Caucus. The Caucus is a platform to let Americans know that some members of the Senate are continuing to push for enforcement of immigration laws that are already on the books, to act as the voice of those concerned citizens who have expressed their opinions time and time again for better interior enforcement and border security, to push for stronger border security and interior enforcement legislation and to work together in the Senate to defeat possible future legislation that offers amnesty.

Taxes - Throughout Senator Chambliss’ career in Congress, he has worked hard to deliver tax relief. In the spring of 2003, Senator Chambliss supported, Congress passed, and President Bush signed into law the “Economic Jobs and Growth Package,” one of the most historic economic growth and tax relief measures in a generation. By putting money back into the pockets of working American families, there will be more money to spend on school supplies, school clothes, needed home improvements, or other important family necessities. Allowing working men and women to keep more of their hard-earned money means families will buy more products—hopefully Georgia products – that will in turn help create jobs and boost the economy. Congress must also continue working to eliminate the marriage penalty, the capital gains tax on investments, the death tax, and further lower marginal tax rates across the board for working men and women.

Health Care - Americans need greater access to health insurance, and we must ensure that families are able to choose the best plan suited for them. I do not believe a Washington-run, big government health care system is the answer. I am an original cosponsor of S. 1019, the “Universal Health Care Choice and Access Act,” legislation to provide individuals and families with tax incentives to allow them to afford to purchase their own health insurance. This tax break would put people on the same playing field as corporations, and employees would no longer have to pay more for the same coverage provided through work and could take their coverage with them if they decided to change jobs. Private insurance companies would have to cater to individuals’ needs, and individuals will have the power to choose the plan best suited for them. As the Senate debates this issue further, I will continue to work to see that Americans are provided with quality, affordable health care. This is a critical issue that faces every single American family and we must get it right.

Second Amendment Rights - As an avid sportsman, Senator Chambliss has been and will always be a staunch supporter of 2nd Amendment rights. Throughout his career in Congress, he always defended the rights of law abiding Americans to bear arms for not only recreation, but also protection.

Tom Harkin (D) Iowa

Education - Ensuring that every person in Iowa and America has a quality education requires federal leadership at three levels. (Blogger comment: Why?) We must properly fund the No Child Left Behind law so that we have a realistic chance to close the achievement gap and modernize our schools, and make changes to the law to give states the flexibility they need to properly educate our children. We must do more to make a college degree and the greater skills, higher salary and better employment opportunities that it brings, more affordable. (Blogger comment: Good goal. That can only be achieved if the government gets out of our way.) And we must make new investments in maintaining and improving our edge in math and science education and other initiatives that will help keep the American economy strong.

Creating a Wellness Society - My aim is to recreate America as a "wellness society" focused on fitness, good nutrition, and disease prevention - keeping people out of the hospital in the first place. (Blogger comment: Another good goal. As long as the federal government stays out of it and encourages private enterprises, who actually know what they are doing in this area, to take the lead and be involved. Also, a "wellness society" cannot be mandated; it has to be voluntary.) At the same time, I am working to maintain America’s standing as the world leader in biomedical research. This means generously funding (Blogger comment: Sure hope that "generously funding" means his own personal money and not taxpayers money.) the search for cures at the National Institutes of Health, and removing arbitrary restrictions on embryonic stem cell research at the federal level.

The Healthier Lifestyles and Prevention (HeLP) America Act - The journey to a wellness society begins with a giant step forward, and that is why I have introduced the Healthier Lifestyles and Prevention America Act, also known as the HeLP America Act (Blogger comment: Seriously? This is what our Congress spends their time working on? Sounds like they need a cut in pay and more time at home with their families). This legislation takes a truly comprehensive approach to wellness and disease prevention. It provides tools and incentives to schools, employers, and communities. It aims to create better nutrition, physical activity and mental health opportunities for kids in schools. It gives the Federal Trade Commission authority to regulate unfair marketing to children (Blogger comment: Certainly we agree that there are some poor marketing choices being channeled to children. However, parents have to be responsible for teaching their children healthy choices and limiting TV watching. It doesn't matter how well-intentioned the program, it's not the government's role). It provides incentives to build bike paths and safe sidewalks. And it requires nutrition labeling on menus in chain restaurants.

Addressing the Home Foreclosure Crisis - While individual buyers should be held accountable for buying a home they simply could not afford, financial institutions also need to be held accountable for questionable lending practices and risky packaging of sub-prime mortgages into untested financial products (Blogger comment: the accountability for financial institutions comes when they have customers who can't pay their loans. Running out of money and negative word-of-mouth comments from disgruntled customers is the consequence for risky lending. Consumers need to be responsible with their buying.)

To prevent these abuses in the future, I have cosponsored the Foreclosure Prevention Act. This legislation seeks to help struggling families remain in their homes by expanding refinancing opportunities and allowing for the modification of mortgages on primary residences in bankruptcy in some cases. Of the two million homeowners facing foreclosure, an estimated 600,000 would receive relief under this bill.

The bill would also provide funding for agencies like the Iowa Finance Authority so they can provide direct assistance to people who need to refinance their mortgages (Blogger comment: as long as the taxpayers aren't picking up the tab. This is a community problem, not the federal government's. We are not opposed to helping others -and we do help whenever we can-, even those who made bad choices and brought the consequences on themselves. We are opposed to the government being involved in any way. It's not their role and when they do get involved, they make a complete mess of it. Anyone remember Hurricane Katrina and FEMA?) It allows distressed borrowers to renegotiate the mortgages on their homes during bankruptcy proceedings - an option that is currently allowable on vacation homes and family farms.

Universal "Health Care"

The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government. - Thomas Jefferson

The paragraph below is from Laura Ingraham (July 2008).

"THINK GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE IS A GOOD IDEA? Think again. Closing out today's show, Shona Holmes, a Canadian brain-tumor survivor, recounted her personal health-care horror story. Fortunately, she managed to flee to the States for a life-saving operation. Joining her was Peter Pitts, president of the new website, BigGovHealth.org. Republicans are already struggling to counter Obama's message of free health care, and that's what makes this site so useful. Where else will you read stories about the likes of one Christine Preuth?:

"Christine Preuth, 72, of Keywood Avenue, a Sunbury pensioner, was told she was too old to receive treatment for a head injury at Ashford 24 Hour Walk-In Centre. While making her daily trip to the shops on Beechwood Avenue she tripped and fell on the pavement. Bleeding from the head and concerned she may be suffering from concussion, she went to the centre for a check up. But the check up was cut short when another nurse said she was not able to receive full treatment because she was over 65 and her complaint was a head injury."

See link below for another case of the Canadian "health care" system.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4u5x9XAsAs

Scary bridge segment: These are pictures of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Is it just us or does the thought of driving on this bridge make everybody want to lose their lunches?

Founding America: A Timeline

1775 - On April 19, military conflict begins with skirmishes at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. On July 3, George Washington takes command of the newly formed Continental Army outside Boston. In July, Benjamin Franklin proposes a Plan of Confederation to the Second Continental Congress.