What Could Shutdown a Government Shutdown?

Government shutdown. The words have been thrown around since the beginning of the 2011 Congress term. The problem is that the budget for 2011 is yet to be established and voted into law. Basically Republicans and Tea Party members of Congress want massive cuts ($61 Billion) to recover the economy and generate job growth. The Democrats of Congress want to cut carefully and be aware of the delicately recovering economy at hand. The continuing resolution currently in place expires on March 4, 2011. In case you don’t have a calendar handy, that’s Friday, as in this Friday. If the budget is not voted into a bill or a continuing resolution filed the government will shutdown, just as it did in 1995/1996 when the Clinton/Gingrich battle ensued. To put some perspective on the shutdown, in 1995/1996 the few month shutdown cost nearly $400 Million. Not only that, but it was a risky move for both Gingrich and Clinton. Some analysts even think that the shutdown helped Clinton’s career, and made Gingrich look like a complainer or even a crybaby. Obviously members of the three major political parties have an opinion in regards to the potential shutdown. I’ll bet you are just dying to find out!

Tea Party

Tea Party and 2012 presidential candidate hopeful Tim Pawlenty has plenty of experience with government shutdowns. While Pawlenty was the governor of Minnesota the state government shutdown for ten days.  He regrets the shutdown not lasting longer and not making more demands for what he wanted.  According to thinkprogress.org Pawlenty feels that shutting down the government is “an option Republicans have to consider.” He has been quoted numerous times stating that this is an opportunity to, “draw a line in the sand.” He feels that this is the opportunity to have a “dramatic week or dramatic month” force politicians to make the “tough decisions” they claim they are going to make, but neglect to do so.  Pawlenty was also quoted saying in regards to the Minnesota shutdown, “it really did not have that big of a traumatic negative impact on the state.” Arguably a Federal shutdown would have a traumatic impact upon veterans without services, Social Security recipients that do not receive checks, law enforcement having reduced forces, and the many people out of work until it all is sorted out. Nonetheless, it would, “draw a line in the sand.”

Republicans

Ohio Republican Representative Bohner is confident that a government shutdown is not eminent. He was quoted saying that, “We have a moral responsibility to address the problems we face. That means working together to cut spending and reign in the government-NOT shutting it down.” On Friday the House proposed more “modest” cuts that will allow the Senate time to consider their own cuts during the two week extension the proposal provides. Boehner does not seem to be drawing any lines in any sand, however, he is clear that entitlement reform is going to happen. “To not address entitlement programs, as is the case with the budget the president put forward, would be an economic and moral failure.” Perhaps the reason that Boehner is tepid to a government shutdown resides in his experience as a young lieutenant to Gingrich during the nasty shutdown of 1995. Certainly he does not want to be branded in the same manner that Gingrich was.  

Democrats

Senate Majority leader, Harry Reid is also against a government shutdown. He believes, however, that both sides need more time, “to find a responsible path forward that cuts government spending while keeping our communities safe and our economy growing.” He also recognizes that “We need to cut government spending, that’s no longer debatable. The debate isn’t about whether we cut-it’s about how we cut.” He is in favor of a thirty day measure to buy time to negotiate. Within this proposal is $41 Billion in cuts to what Obama initially requested. "For the Republicans to say we're not cutting anything, they're being disingenuous and unfair."  Reid criticizes the GOP by saying that “They’re refusing to come to the table at all…They’re saying ‘it’s our way or the highway.’ We cannot afford a shutdown.” Ultimately the president does have veto power which adds an interesting element to this discussion. He has stated that he will veto the House proposal that consists of $61 in cuts. He has also urged lawmakers to resolve this issue quickly, "so we can accelerate, not impede, economic growth."

Time Will Tell

Top news of the week will undoubtedly be the looming shutdown, compromises made, and arguments ensued in regards to the 2011 budget. As they say, history does have a way of repeating itself. Will this be a repeat of 1995-1996 or will all parties be able to come together? USA Today/Gallup Poll says that 60% of Americans want them to reach a deal on a budget plan even if it means passing something they don’t totally agree upon. What are your thoughts? Go to http://thevotereffect.com to comment with your opinions about the budget.

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/27/pawlenty-shutdown/

http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/02/27/boehner-says-government-shutdown-not-needed-curb-washington-spending

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jm2kZaAcaJx4uO29bGuTq6NEKjHw?docId=6088759

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jm2kZaAcaJx4uO29bGuTq6NEKjHw?docId=6088759

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/22/news/la-pn-government-shutdown-20110223

When did Unions Become the Enemy?

Nearly overnight unions became the scapegoat for all of the budget problems in the United States. Ten states are trying to weaken the power of unions and in turn force union members to pay part of their health care and retirement benefits. Naturally union members are fighting back, and making a whole lotta people mad in the mean time. The question arising, is anyone really surprised that the unions are fighting back? After all, isn’t fighting what the unions are all about? In fact weren’t they actually created to fight?

A Brief History of Unions

One might say that unions are as American as apple pie. They have been around since the Civil War during the late 1800’s. The unions were created to promote safe work environments for all employees and a fair wage for everyone. Typically during the Industrial Revolution people who worked for the lowest wages were hired first. Hours were out of control! People often put in 80 hours per week and even children were subjected to the harsh working conditions.  Unions entered the stage as a way to communicate between the wealthy owners of the corporations and the large group of poor workers.  The unions gained more steam during the years when the railroads were being built. The Railroad Brotherhood helped to span unions across the entire United States. Unions were strong during the early 1900’s. The 1930’s, enter here, the Great Depression would have thought to be the killer for the unions. How would unions stay organized when unemployment was around 25%? Unions did stay afloat and even gained strength during the Great Depression. 1935 marked the year when workers were given the right to collectively bargain. Collective bargaining is the way that workers and their employers negotiate working conditions, wages, health care, safe working conditions, and overtime. Collective bargaining is what some states are trying to take away from their public employees.

Can’t We Just All Get Along?

Probably not. Collective bargaining is what unions have fought for since the Civil War Era. For better or for worse they will stand up for their workers. Governors of many tight budget states are calling these union members greedy. When was the last time you heard the term “Greedy Teacher” before the past few weeks? Chances are not often. The truth of the matter is that most union members are teachers or police officers. I ask you governors, do you really want to take on those who care for your children and protect your streets? These people are undoubtedly pretty important members of your society. Important, yes, but revered? Not right now. These public servants, as they are referred to when they are not fighting massive budget cuts are actually very popular within our societies. They are appreciated because they work for relatively low pay, and do a relatively good job. However, many now are asked to give more. Teachers are the primary focus of the cuts in most states. They are being required to pay as much as 30% of their health care, and also pay part of their retirement benefits. Arguably many private sector workers already do this, but they weren’t promised otherwise before. Interestingly it has been sold to police and teachers that they don’t get a lot of pay, but they do receive good benefits. Now they are being asked to give this up.

Opponents of the unions and collective bargaining are feeling frustrated by the inability to fire bad teachers due to union protection. Fewer than 1% of teachers are fired nationwide each year, suggesting that maybe it is difficult to fire a teacher, especially a unionized teacher. Unionized teachers do make significantly more than teachers in states that do not have strong unions.  Angry citizens also point out that higher paid teachers are not achieving higher test scores. Funding education is an interesting beast in this country. It is part Federal, part State funded. Many teachers are represented by unions. In short…it’s complicated, and not about to get any easier. If you google Roosevelt and collective bargaining thousands of hits come up urging that Roosevelt in fact did NOT support collective bargaining for public employees. He only supported it for the private sector jobs. Nonetheless his name is synonymous with unions and collective bargaining. So if he didn’t support collective bargaining for public employees then no one must.

Reactions?

Ultimately I am interested in opinions. I know what my opinion is, but it often wavers. What I know for sure is that eventually Wisconsin will settle this fight. Union members will stop living at the Capitol and teachers will go back to work. The dust will settle and everyone will do their jobs. Society will return to normal…until next year’s budget discussion. The question remains, if you were being asked to give up what the teachers in these ten states are being asked to give up would you fight back or accept that your company is experiencing “budget issues?”

Go to http://thevotereffect.com/ to weigh in on this issue and more. Revolutionizing the way that you interact with your legislators! Check it out now!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collective_bargaining#History

http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/friedman.unions.us

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_unions_in_the_United_States

Enough about 2012 Already!

Today being President’s Day I sort of have presidents on the brain. Which is appropriate because listen to the mainstream media and you would have no clue that the year is actually 2011. Without a doubt 2012 is on the minds of many. The Sunday morning shows were buzzing with names of potential candidates, offices being set up in Iowa, and polls being taken in New Hampshire. Candidates, particularly from the GOP are forming exploratory committees to see if they would be a viable candidate.  Understandably someone wanting to run for president will need to plan ahead, however, isn’t this focus on an election nearly a year and a half away taking the American people’s attention away from the important matters at hand? In many ways the far off election seems to grab focus that should be held by our current elected officials. We,  after all, did just have an election a mere four months ago. The budget for 2011 still has not been established; ESEA is up for reauthorization, state budgets are falling apart, and with a Republican House and a Democrat Senate the American people will have plenty to focus upon for the next year and a half without giving a second thought to the next election.

The problem

Currently it is obvious that entitlements, such as social security, need to be reformed. Right now both parties are at a certain standstill. Both sides are afraid to suggest specific reform due to the fact that often during election years people who “pick” on social security are “picked” on during campaign commercials. Neither side will argue that reform of some sort needs to happen, but who throws the first punch is still yet to be determined.  Legislators need to keep in mind that they need to be reelected, but at the same time someone needs to have the courage to make the tough decisions. Not all decisions that politicians have to make are going to be popular. American people can determine how they feel about how their legislator has done AFTER they have done their job. I admire a politician who takes a firm stand and does what they whole-hearted believe rather than sitting on the sidelines watching and waiting for their next election.

Plus, when the American people are always looking ahead to the next election, let’s admit it, they are fun and exciting, we fail to really hold our politicians’ feet to the fire. Rather than discussing 2012 everyone should be talking about the issues of right now. We elect our politicians to work for us. We don’t elect them so that they can get elected again.

The Business of Elections

The facts about elections are that they cost A TON. Elections have become a biyearly business in the billions. No wonder everyone works relentlessly to hype them. Not only the dollars side of it, but Americans have the most amazing opportunity to elect their officials biyearly or even more locally. Additionally they have the freedom to choose who they want to win.  It is rather romantic and nearly impossible to not get caught up in. Plus early primaries start in less than a year. So ready or not here it comes. Just don’t lose sight on the matters at hand. To help keep your officials accountable check out http://thevotereffect.com . Check out bills, raise issues, and essentially go to Washington, every, single, day.  

Oh, and by the way...Who do you think are going to be the candidates for 2012? Better yet, who do you predict will win?

If you would like to become presient yourself, go ahead and check this out! http://www.squidoo.com/presidentusa

Why Wisconsin Matters

A recent issue raised on http://thevotereffect.com : Is Wisconsin’s approach towards unions/collective bargaining a good (thumbs up) or a bad (thumbs down) solution towards state budget problems?

Agree or disagree with Scott Walker’s tough talkin’ union bustin’ hard line drawin’ attitude or not what is happening in Wisconsin is actually happening anywhere in the USA. If it isn’t happening there yet, it is coming to a city and state near you. Massive budget cuts are inevitable at the Federal level. The only question right now being by how much? Most states are also feeling the budget crunch, with Wisconsin being the most high profile. With newly elected GOP leaders and campaign promises to keep the cuts are deep and drastic. The question remaining, why does it matter?

Education

Who does not or has not benefited from the work of a teacher or someone in the education field. Teachers are historically low paid professionals yet, because they are public employees come budget time they are mercilessly attacked.  Interestingly, our educators are the first line to our children, which are our future. (Thanks for that one Whitney Houston) We are making cuts in the areas where we need them the least. Wisconsin among other states are having difficulties funding education and providing services to their citizens. Isn’t it in the USA that we are guaranteed a right to a free public education?  If we are not able to fund it are we really able to deliver on this promise? Teachers massively showed up to protest. So many protesters showed up that Governor Walker even called to mobilize the National Guard in case of an emergency. Such a vast number of teachers called in sick that school was cancelled in many districts.  

TEA Party Factor

The Taxed Enough Already Party is starting to flex their muscles in many areas including Wisconsin. The TEA Party is applauding Scott Walker’s decision to bust the unions. The party’s argument being that it is time to reign in government spending. The only problem with that statement being that are they really reigning in government spending or are they simply cutting necessary services (such as education) that are needed to sustain our society. The TEA Party in a most uniquely American way has stormed onto the scene and elected numerous legislators nationwide. As Americans we should be happy that organizations like the TEA Party can exist. They have been able to freely express their dissent with the US Government and actually do something about it.

Admiration

One thing that I admire about this great country is both the Wisconsin factor and the TEA Party Factor. We have the right in this country to protest and show dissent with our government. Not only do we have the right to elect our officials, but we also have the right to disagree with them. Without a doubt disagreement is on the way. Everywhere. The GOP is adamant that the way to generate job growth and recover the economy is to cut government spending. The Democrats are adamant that we need to cut carefully and be sure that jobs are kept in mind when cuts are made. Obama has already sided with the unions in Wisconsin and Boehner with Governor Walker. The budget issue is  partisan and it is starting to become personal. Speculation says that the budget fight is just begging and it is going to get ugly. The short answer is that Wisconsin matters because they are just the first in this battle. Not the last.

Join http://thevotereffect.com to discuss this issue now.

What do YOU know about the Patriot Act?

I suspect not much if you are anything about the average American. The Patriot Act was passed in reaction to 9/11 in October of 2001. The title itself exudes seriousness and security. The acronym USA PATRIOT Act actually stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. Now, that’s a title! The ultimate goal of the Patriot Act was to be an antiterrorism bill. Recently, as in the past month, the Patriot Act was up for reauthorization. During that time an extension failed the House. (Mostly because it was jammed through with only 45 minutes of discussion and a quick vote.) Then it passed the House with a 10 month extension, went to the Senate and a 3 month extension passed. Today it went back to the House and a 3 month extension it is! The news is buzzing with Patriot Act, but surprisingly its passage is just for three short months. During this time Congress will review the controversial parts of the bill to determine if all of it will stay, or if parts of the Patriot Act will go.  This 10 year old bill most definitely has not passed each time without controversy, discussion, and questions of its constitutionality, and potential violations of privacy.  

The Patriot Act:  Very, Very, Condensed Version

Comprised of 10 titles with numerous sections and explanations within each, condensing the Patriot Act was no easy task.

·         Title I: Enhancing Domestic Security Against Terrorism- This part has to do with the enhancement and development of the FBI and other counter-terrorism agencies. It also calls for the military to be used during times of crisis and gives the president ultimate authority.  

·         Title II: Enhanced Surveillance Procedures-This is the section that makes people a little jumpy. It is within this section that all of the wire-tapping, roving, searches, warrants, seizures of emails, voicemails and any communications comes in.

·         Title III: International Money Laundering Abatement and Anti-Terrorist Financing-This section includes a whole bunch of information about what is and is not allowed with money, laundering, banks, etc.

·         Title IV: Border Security-This is a self-explanatory title. This entire section is devoted to our boarder security.

·         Title V: Removing Obstacles to Investigating Terrorism- Want to become rich? Thanks to this section you could hunt down terrorists and do just that. This section outlines the right for the Attorney General and the Secretary of State to pay rewards to combat terrorism. Along with that DNA identification of terrorists, coordination with law enforcement, and disclosure of education records.

·         Title VI: Providing for victims of Terrorism, Public Safety Officers, and their Families- In short, pay victims of crime quickly and take care of public safety officers who are victims of terrorism.

·         Title VII: Increased Information Sharing for Critical Infrastructure Protection- Basically our information in regards to terrorists needs to span our Federal, State, and local law enforcement.

·         Title VIII: Strengthening the Criminal Laws Against Terrorism-Ever wondered how the word terrorism is defined many different ways? Try this section of the Patriot Act and you will find just that. Many, many definitions, penalties, and in-depth information about terrorism can be found here.

·         Title IX: Improved Intelligence- This can be broken down to training, translation, and tracking. This section discusses training government officials, having a National Translation Center, and having a foreign terrorist asset tracking center.

·         Title X: Miscellaneous-My oh my, what a mysterious title! This section is loaded with different sections that are both vague and so specific that they are confusing. Some topics include definitions of electronic surveillance, venues for money laundering, first responders’ assistance act, authorization of funds for dea police in south and central Asia. This is where many grants were found for state and local preparedness, and expansion and reauthorization of the crime identification technology act for antiterrorism grants to state and local governments.

WHEW! What a TON of Information!

What does it all mean?

The Senate has agreed to a 3 month extension of the Patriot Act. One part under scrutiny is the authority to initiate roving wiretaps. Wondering what a roving wiretap is? Me too! It is a wiretap specific to the USA that follows the surveillance target, meaning, if the target uses different technology or moves to another location the roving wiretap follows the target rather than having to apply for a new surveillance order. The second is the authority to obtain court-approved access to business records considered relevant to terrorist investigations. The third has my favorite title of the, “lone wolf” provision. This allows secret intelligence surveillance of non-US individuals not known to be linked to a specific terrorism activity. After reading that I can’t help but ask myself why we would want to spend time and money watching someone not known to be linked to specific terrorism activity.

The Patriot Act will not soon leave the news. Undoubtedly people and legislators will continue to debate the odds and end of the Patriot Act. What do you, a citizen of the USA think of the Patriot Act? Give your opinion at http://thevotereffect.com Find it under the issues section. Let your voice be heard!

Thank you to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act
http://www.msnbc.nsn.com/id/41610513/ns/politics-capitol_hill
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h107-3162&version=enr



 

More Money for Nothin'

This morning on “Meet The Press” the most pertinent quote of the entire program was, “Fighting over the budget is going to be like fighting over sheets on the Titanic.” Interesting and possibly true.  Right now we are dealing with a crossroads of two  budgets. The 2011 budget is still in continuing resolution and the 2012 budget proposal will be rolled out by Barack Obama February 14^th. The Congress will either approve or deny this budget. They will mostly likely reject much of it due to the lack of considerable cuts that they promised constituents.

Budget cuts  are the theme of the day. With huge cuts proposed by the GOP budget and Obama even jumping on the cut wagon the question arises: Is now the time to be shaving down the spending? Many will argue that now is the time considering our fragile economy that the government MUST continue to invest in. However, Boehner and Schilling both made it clear today on Meet the Press that spending is not the answer, in fact, we must cut spending.  So, let’s take a look at the cuts in-depth. They fall into three categories: Obama cuts, GOP cuts, and not mentioned…Here we go.

Obama cuts for 2012: 2/3 cuts, 1/3 tax increases

·         Placing limitations on Pell Grants, and requiring that interest accrue on student loans while the student is still in school.

·         Heating and energy assistance to low-income families.

·         Corporate tax reform.

·         New taxes on the wealthy.

·         Airport grants.

·         Water treatment grants.

·         Community service block grants.

·         Defense savings as outlined by Robert Gibbs.

GOP Cuts 2011: Keep in mind they want to cut 60 programs so only the biggest are listed here. 

·         Department of Education

·         Environmental Protection Agency

·         Job training programs

·         Rental assistance programs and Section 8 Housing.

·         Law enforcement

·         Energy

·         Health Care

·         Americorps

·         Public Broadcasting

·         Contraceptives to low-income families

·         National Institutes of Health

·         The CDC

Not Mentioned

Not much is being said about the elephants in the room.

·         Medicare

·         Medicaid

·         Social Security

Hmmm…

Undoubtedly the House cuts will reach resistance when they hit the Democratic dominated Senate. Undoubtedly Obama’s 2012 proposed tax increases and cuts not deep enough will reach resistance when they go to the Republican dominated House. Thus, I still appreciate the quote, “Fighting over the budget is going to be like fighting over sheets on the Titanic.” It does seem that either way the ship is going down. It’ll be interesting to see what Barack Obama actually proposes and what actually happens with the House and the Senate do with all of it. Most definitely it’ll be interesting to hear about the beasts that are Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Stay tuned for sure!

Weigh in with your opinions about everything that is the federal government at http://thevotereffect.com . Let your voice be heard!

Money for Nothin’

Maybe you haven’t noticed, but we don’t exactly have a budget right now…At least a budget that has been approved by Congress. Essentially the government has been living on a string of continuing resolutions keeping it going while Congress and the President battle out budget concerns.

Continuing what?

A continuing resolution sounds like a New Year’s Resolution that never ends. (enter hysterical laughing here) Actually a continuing resolution comes when Congress has not signed an appropriations (spending) bill to fund the federal government agencies. Each government agency has to have a specific amount of money appropriated.  The President must sign the appropriations (spending) bill into law. If and when Congress or the President can’t see things eye to eye and come up with a budget they both agree on a continuing resolution is issued. That keeps the government agencies going at current spending levels or less until the resolution expires or a bill is passed. A continuing resolution must be passed by Congress and signed into law by the President. The most recent continuing resolution passed September 30, 2010, then again on December 3, 2010, and yet again on December 22, 2010. The continuing resolution ends on March 4, 2011. In case you don’t have a calendar handy, that’s soon. Pair that with the fact that the House is not in session the last week of February and that makes it next week to get this squared away. What if it does not get squared away?

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN!!

During the fall of 2010 a string of continuing resolutions made it so the government agencies could keep going without a spending bill. Currently the Tea Party freshmen and GOP are in a scuffle over $26 billion. The GOP wanted to slash the budget by $74 billion, but the Tea Party is hoping to make good on campaign promises and demanding more cuts to the tune of $100 million. During a shutdown nonessential government agencies would no longer be able to operate.  A shutdown makes it all sound so permanent.  

Has this ever happened before?

Yes! Most famously in 1995. Gingrich vs. Clinton. Clinton refused to accept the cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, education, and environmental controls. Gingrich refused to raise the debt limits. The Congress passed the funding bill. The President vetoed the bill. The government shutdown from November 14-November 19 until a temporary spending bill temporarily saved the day. However, once again the Clinton/Gingrich fight reared its ugly head and shut the government down again from December 16, 1995 until January 6, 1996. This budget drama cost an estimated $400 million. Spendy, spendy!

The Massively Condensed Version

Typically the President goes to Congress and says, “Here is my budget request. I hope you like it.”

Congress replies with either a, “Yes! Your budget request is terrific. We can’t wait to turn all of your awesome ideas into a spending bill! Let’s pass it fast.” Or “ummm…Not so hip on your budget. Let’s get rid of this, this, and this. Let’s add this, that, or that. Now, here is our new spending bill. Will you sign it into a spending law?”

If the Congress (House and Senate) cannot agree on a spending resolution or the President refuses to sign a spending bill  then they can pass a continuing resolution until they get it all sorted out. Once Congress gets it together then the President signs the bill and everyone is happy! J Well sort of…

 Stay tuned for more fantastic budget information. Check out http://thevotereffect.com/ for all of the information you need to be an informed voter.

Thanks to

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/federalbudgetprocess/a/budget_process.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_United_States_federal_budget

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/10/republican-says-government-shutdown-possible-as-gop-tensions-grow/

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/02/10/republican-says-government-shutdown-possible-as-gop-tensions-

Earmarks Shmearmarks!

Unless you have been living in a political cave for the past ten years you know that there is a proverbial problem with earmarks. Battle cries against earmarks are not uncommon during election years. Politicians seem to hate them. Everyone complains about them. In fact, President Obama took earmarks head on during his most recent State of the Union Address stating that he will VETO any bill with earmarks. Okay. We get it. Earmarks=bad. So what exactly are they?

What in the world?

Google “earmark” and a series of hits with political jargon combined with animal identification splashes across the screen. Here is the political earmark breakdown.

·        Merriam-Webster defines an earmark as a “provision in Congressional legislation that allocates a specific amount of money for a specific project, program, or organization.

·        Hard earmarks or hardmarks are law binding.

·        Soft earmarks or softmarks are not law binding.

·        Legislators use it as a way to get money back to their home state.

Why the bad rap?

Earmarks are passed without discussion, public hearing, transparency or accountability.  In short the legislator can “sneak” in their earmark and provide funds to pay off bribes made by campaign donors or lobbyists. Earmarks may be used to persuade other reluctant legislators to support bills. In short the more power a congressperson has the more earmarks they can acquire. Not only that, but with current budget issues and the concern to be frugal transparency should be required and demanded by the American people. In short, can I get a, “No fair!”

Wild, Wild West!

The way legislators talk about earmarks one might speculate that earmarks are an out of control practice, hence the wild, wild, west. Actually, that is not completely true. Since the 110^th Congress significant regulation practices are in place:

·        Earmark requests must be posted on the legislator’s website.

·        Legislators must also sign a certification letter stating that they (or their spouses) have nothing to gain from the earmark.

·        Many constituents can apply for earmarks.

·        Earmarks consist of <2% of the federal budget.

Worst Earmarks Eva!

Trying to find a comprehensive list of earmarks proves to be a difficult task. Finding a current list of earmark programs or money allocation is even more difficult. Either they are kept under pretty good wraps or they are not as common as one might speculate. Courtesy of the website http://www.akdart.com/pork3.html  here are some examples of the more colorful.

·        $1.8 Million to study why pigs smell.

·        $1.9 Million for a water taxi in Connecticut

·        $3.8 Million to preserve a baseball stadium in Detroit

·        $380,000 for a fairground in Kotzebue, Alaska (near the arctic circle)

·        $5 Million for tropical fish breeders and transporters for losses from a virus last year.

·        $283 Million for the Milk Income Loss Contract Program.

Any good?

If you have lived in the United States for any amount of times chances are you have benefitted from earmarks. Also, some argue the money is there, why not spend it? Plus, if Congress does not spend the money the allocation responsibility actually falls to the Executive Branch. Arguments could be made that the president would not be much fairer in the distribution of funds.  Plus some earmarks do bring good. Those include animal research projects, hiking paths, road improvements, and historical centers. One earmark that struck me was an appropriation for a bathroom at Mt. McKinley. I’ve never been to Mt. McKinley, but it is my guess that I would be quite grateful to have a bathroom during a visit.

Will it Last?

Congress appears to be quitting earmarks cold turkey. Currently it is doubtful if this fast from cash can last. Already rumblings among prominent congressmen include the new saying of earmarks are OKAY, it’s the pork barrel legislation that’s bad…Interesting.

Thanks to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earmark_(politics) for teaching me something.

Week 1 of the Voter Effect

Week One of the Voter Effect!

http://thevotereffect.com is rounding out its first week being available on the web.  This interactive social networking+politics site allows users to give opinions and vote on bills that are currently in legislation. Their opinions are conveyed to representatives in Congress. Presto! the voter becomes more empowered and  more civically responsible. More information is available at http://thevotereffect.com/. For the coming week this blog will highlight activity within each section of the website. This will give you a little bit more information of the happenings at the site. The first section highlighted is the raise an issue section.

Raise an Issue:

The most unique feature of thevotereffect.com  is the ability to raise an issue. This section allows for users to raise an issue. Once the issue is posted other users have the ability to give a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” opinion on the issue and then can give a comment. Some topics being discussed right now are:

·         Are party politics still relevant in 2010?

·         Should lesbian and gay couples be given the same rights as heterosexual couples?

·         Does welfare need to be reformed?

·         Should the death penalty be abolished?

·         Do you support or oppose the repeal of universal health care?

·         Is the Tea Party a help or a hindrance to American politics?  

·         Will Sartup America work?

Want to see what people are saying? Have an issue you want to raise? Check out http://thevotereffect.com. Post any of these issues into other social media sites and “friends” may alienate you and even become offended by the question being raised. Not this social media site.

Although it seemed as though a bipartisan discussion on such issues would prove to be a disaster this inaugural week of http://thevotereffect.com has proven to be educational and surprisingly civil. Is this the beginning of a discussion across party lines? Maybe through this site both parties can gain an understanding and respect for other opinions while informing their representatives of what they want from them while they are in office. Time will tell. Until next time, a quote from votereffect user Dawn Elkjier, “ I’m actually having fun on here! Can politics and fun actually be used in the same sentence? Who knew?” Exactly! Social networking + politics + Fun= http://thevotereffect.com. Join the effect today and change the way your voice is heard.

Social Networking Meets Politics

It is no surprise to anyone that media is skewed. Just say the names, MSNBC or FOX News and your mind immediately goes to the thought of liberal media or conservative rhetoric. For decades the media has been dominating our thoughts, opinions, and view of politics. Many reporters make a living covering Capitol Hill. When it comes right down to it, what do these reporters tell us? Not enough, really. We walk through our daily life paying very little attention to what is happening in Washington DC until we have an election year. Then voting records are dredged up in hate campaigns and the voter is really given little independent information to make an informed decision…until now.

Meet The Voter Effect. http://thevotereffect.com One look at the site and the voter who longs to be informed is in heaven.  

The Good:                                                      

The site features all representatives, their contact information, party affiliation, bio, and sponsored bills. Yes, all of this is available on the senate.gov or house.gov site, but everything here is in a one stop shop. Plus, the user can track a representative and make comments on them.

The Better

Users can raise issues that are really a discussion board on the site. All politics all the time. Users can discuss an issue or they can bring up an issue on their own. Through this you can comment or give support or disagree with the issue.

The Best

Bills. Most Americans have NO CLUE what happens daily on Capitol Hill. Day to day government is left up to the imagination of the voters. Through the voter effect the user can see each bill that is introduced daily, a bill summary, or the full text of a bill. Also available are the sponsors, committees, and related bills. Users on the site can also vote on the bill, track the bill, and comment on the bill. Tracking bills makes it simple to keep tabs on the bills most important to the user.

Bonus Points

Social networking is available on the site as well. Friends can be easily added and information can be shared with friends which includes issues raised, opinions on bills, and information about officials. Another fun feature is the activity rating. The more active a user is the higher their activity rating.

Go to http://thevotereffect.com/ now to join and become a part of the effect. No ads and no bias.