Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic congressional leadership have engaged in an all-out strategy to ram through Congress legislation designed to remake America without time for public debate or even for members of Congress to read the legislation they are voting on.
From the failed “economic stimulus” bill to the cap-and-trade energy tax to bailouts of the auto and financial industries to government-run healthcare legislation, Speaker Pelosi is refusing to give members of Congress and the public time to read the final versions of legislation – let alone debate it.
This “trust me, vote now and read it later” approach effectively turns Congress into a rubber stamp for President Obama’s policies and gives Speaker Pelosi and her fellow liberal lawmakers almost unlimited power.
That is why CCAGW has joined 182 members of Congress in fighting for vote on H. Res. 554, which would change the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives to require Speaker Pelosi to post, without exception, all final versions of legislation on the Internet at least 72 hours before holding a vote.
Here is just one example of why this 72-hour review period is so important.
At approximately 2:45 a.m. on the day the House passed the wildly expensive cap-and-trade energy tax, the liberal leadership of the House mysteriously added a whopping 300-page amendment to the legislation. Congress had spent weeks crafting the bill, and this massive amendment contained new and radical provisions.
One of the worst of the wee-hours-of-the-morning provisions requires you to receive permission from the Environmental Protection Agency in order to sell your home.
Unbelievable, but true! The EPA will review the energy efficiency of your appliances, windows, roof, furnace, air conditioning, and walls to determine if you meet their standards for private homes. If they do not approve of your home, you will be required to make changes, regardless of the cost, before you can sell.
CCAGW is fighting tooth-and-nail to keep this outrageous, authoritarian provision out of the Senate version of cap-and-trade legislation, which is not expected to come up for a vote until next year.
However, we can prevent more radical policies like this EPA home-sale approval requirement RIGHT NOW by stopping Speaker Pelosi and her left-wing minions from being able to call for votes on legislation without time for members of Congress, the public, and policy experts like CCAGW to review the details of a bill.
Not surprisingly, Speaker Pelosi and the ultra-liberal House leadership are blocking vote on H. Res. 554 by bottling it up in the Rules Committee and refusing to let it come to the House floor.
The only way to force a vote on H. Res. 554 is for 218 members of Congress to sign what is known as a Discharge Petition requiring that the 72-hour rule change come to the House floor.
Concerned Taxpayer, as someone who has counted votes in Washington for decades, I can tell you that if this rule change is put to a vote on the House floor an overwhelming number of members of Congress will vote for it – because more than 80 percent of the American people support having all legislation posted on the Internet for 72 hours before a final vote.
Speaker Pelosi’s only chance to block the public and members of Congress from reading and discussing legislation before it becomes law is if she can stop the Discharge Petition from gaining 218 signatures.
As I send you this e-mail, 182 members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, have stepped forward to sign the Discharge Petition.
We need just 36 more.
And we have more than enough top targets whom we are heavily lobbying. For example, 24 Representatives co-sponsored vote on H. Res. 554 but have yet to sign the Discharge Petition due to pressure from Speaker Pelosi.
Concerned Taxpayer, we can win these 24 signatures and reach the 218 required, but we urgently need your help.
We must demonstrate in the most concrete manner possible that not only are Americans solidly behind the posting of all legislation on the Internet for at least 72 hours, but that taxpayers are willing to fight for this new rule.
That is why I need you to sign on to the very same Discharge Petition that we are urging members of Congress to sign. We will tabulate your signature, along with the tens of thousands of others, and publicize the results to the members of Congress whose support we are lobbying to secure.
Please, before you do anything else today, take a moment to sign on to the Discharge Petition for H. Res. 554.
Related Reading:
The Economic Stimulus Bill: A "HITECH HIT"This Health Industry Insights report analyzes the major health IT-related terms of the economic stimulus package that President Barack Obama signed into law on Tuesday, February 17, 2009, and posits the likely short-term impact on the U.S. healthcare industry and the health IT (HIT) marketplace, as well as the long-term outlook.
"The approximately $20 billion in ARRA funding allocated to healthcare IT investment will have a positive impact and will begin the transformational process the U.S. healthcare industry so desperately needs to remain viable and competitive. That said, even if implementation proceeds as intended, a number of issues still loom," report Lynne A. Dunbrack and Marc Holland, Health Industry Insights program directors for Healthcare Provider IT Research.
Carnitine Synergy™ 500 mg 120 capsFuels the mitrochondria for fat burning.
Without Carnitine fats cannot be burned for energy. Without energy, cells become weak or die. Because of this, optimizing Carnitine levels has been found to have dramatic benefits for low energy, obesity, chronic fatigue, immune deficiency conditions, and elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. Controlled trials have demonstrated that Carnitine increases weight loss by promoting optimal fat burning by the mitochondria. Carnitine also helps promote heart health, cholesterol lowering, sports endurance, and helps relieve chronic fatigue. Acetyl-L-Carnitine is also contained in Carnitine Synergy and has unique brain health enhancing properties. Carnitine Synergy is the only product of its kind combining both of these valuable forms of Carnitine into one capsule.
ContourROAM Hands-free HD Camcorder (Newest Model)HD VIDEO: 3 resolution modes. LIGHTWEIGHT: 5.1oz, sleek, and simple to use. LOW PROFILE: Slim design conforms to your equipment or body. BUILT TOUGH: Impact resistant aluminum body, waterproof to 1 meter. INSTANT RECORD SWITCH: Simple slide switch with audible feedback. LASER ALIGNMENT: Precision laser level to line up your shot. Imported.
How Congress Works and Why You Should CareHow Congress Works and Why You Should Care is a concise introduction to the functions and vital role of the U.S. Congress by eminent former Congressman Lee H. Hamilton. Drawing on 34 years as a U.S. Representative, Hamilton explains how Congress reflects the diversity of the American people, serves as a forum for finding consensus, and provides balance within the federal government. Addressing widespread public misperceptions, he outlines areas where Congress can work better and ways for citizens to become more engaged in public affairs through their representatives in Washington. How Congress Works and Why You Should Care is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the inner workings of Congress, and how all citizens can participate in its unique mission.
Citation Details
Title: The economic stimulus bill: accessing the resources.(News & Numbers)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Government Finance Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2009
Publisher: Government Finance Officers Association
Volume: 25 Issue: 2 Page: 4(2)
Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning
