Daily Whackjob

Allen in the Senate and Wolf in the House have put forward a destructive piece of pork called the “Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area Act,” which on its surface is just pork to dump money in the state for a so called corridor of protected historical area.

Since Republicans are supposed to stand for property rights, I find it hard to believe that the Rhinestone Cowboy and Grandpa Wolf would put forward a bill that would so blatantly take away the rights of property owners along this corridor.

From Human Events Online:

The Allen-Wolf initiative seems harmless at first glance, save for the wasteful spending. It appears to only divert federal dollars to a local special-interest group for the stated purpose of promoting heritage tourism, thereby allowing politicians like Allen and Wolf to boast about the project in their stump speeches.

If only it were that simple.

For those who may be unfamilar with them, national heritage areas are federally-designated, heavily-regulated land areas over which special interest groups and federal employees are given special powers and federal resources to help them steer land-use decisions. Property rights frequently are curtailed.

Allen’s bill, which would create a new national heritage area covering large parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, would create a “management entity” for the region comprised of federal employees and preservationist interest groups—many of the latter having a history of anti-property rights agendas. This new management entity would be required to create an “inventory” of all property to be “preserved,” “managed,” or “acquired.” The new management entity would be granted the authority to disburse federal funds to encourage restrictions on local land use and the acquisition of private property.

The article uses an example about Yuma Crossing Heritage Area in Arizona:

When the Yuma Crossing Heritage Area was authorized in 2000, the public in Yuma County did not understand the scope of the project and was surprised by the size of the designation… Concerns were raised by citizens about the size of the designation and the potential for additional Federal oversight. The fear of adverse impacts on private property rights were realized when local government agencies began to use the immense heritage area boundary to determine zoning restrictions.

So, for you who live along 15 in Virginia/Maryland/Pennsylvania, good luck with that. Or you might think about voting for Judy Feder or Jim Webb.

Frank Wolf is against gambling, liquor, cheap women, and dangerously low supplies of Ensure. Why is he against online gambling? “People can do it in their bathrobes.” The Daily Show says it best.

Interestingly, there’s two attack posts on Judy Feder today (BVBL and 2C). Is this is foreshadowing of a Wolf failure to raise enough funds again or is he reacting to polling numbers that show he’s vulnerable? Is Wolf finally afraid of having to work to get re-elected?

The silence has been deafening for a while and all of a sudden, Republican blogs are on the attack (at least BVBL seems to be using Wolf’s oppo research, while Vince can only call her a lesbian).

This e-mail was sent today to Frank Wolf’s Congressional Office:

Congressman Wolf,

Your campaign has recieved over $7,000 from the Livingston Group, one of the top 10 lobbyist firms in Washington, DC. In this time of lobbying corruption and scandal, do you believe it’s ethical for your campaign to accept this money? Do you intend to return these funds to the Livingston Group?

Thank you for your time.

Whackjob
Centreville, VA
10th CD

One of Frank Wolf’s large donors is the Livingston Group, a lobbyist group formed by Former Louisiana Congressman Robert Livingston, considered one of the top 10 lobby groups. Among there claimed successes is “helped to defeat appropriations language that would have been damaging to the business of a large US pharmaceutical company.” Because obviously large pharmaceutical companies are being abused and on the verge of bankruptcy.

One of the “consultants” [Ed Note: lobbyists] for the Livingston Group is none other than Virginia Del. Tim Hugo. One of their clients is the National Milk Producers Federation. Interestingly enough, Frank Wolf voted against HR 4015 (passed as S 2120):

Milk Regulatory Equity Act of 2005 - Amends the the Agricultural Adjustment Act, reenacted with amendments by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, to subject specified Class I milk handlers (including producer-handlers) to federal milk marketing order minimum and uniform price requirements applicable to the county in which the plant of the handler is located, at federal order class prices, if the handler has packaged fluid milk product route dispositions, or sales of packaged fluid milk products to other plants, in a marketing area located in a state that requires handlers to pay minimum prices for raw milk purchases.

Exempts from such provision: (1) a handler operating a nonpool plant; (2) a producer-handler for any month during which packaged fluid milk route dispositions and sales to other plants are less than three million pounds of milk; or (3) specified handlers whose fluid milk products are disposed of as route dispositions or transfers, or whose dispositions or transfers are in states requiring minimum prices for raw milk purchases.

Subjects a Class I milk handler in the Arizona-Las Vegas marketing area (Order 131) to minimum milk price requirements for any month in which the handler distributes in such area at least three million pounds of Class I products from his or her own production.

States that minimum milk price and exemption provisions under this Act shall not be construed as affecting, expanding, or contracting the treatment of producer-handlers except as provided for by such provisions.

Excludes Nevada from federal milk marketing orders.

House Republicans voted for the bill (285-128).

The Livingston group is very proud of it’s unfettered access into the White House. From their site:

Looking for Influence in All the Right Places
“So great is Mr. Livingston’s sway inside Republican circles that he did not have to pick up the phone to contact Mr. Lewis (Chairman of House Appropriations Committee). Instead, Mr. Lewis has phoned him several times to talk about how Congress might best help the Gulf Coast, said John Scofield, a spokesman for the committee, ‘because the chairman sees him as someone who has a wealth of information and the institutional memory.’”

“In mid-September, Mr. Livingston sent an e-mail message on Mr. McDonald’s behalf to a presidential aide, and by day’s end Mr. McDonald was talking to a White House assistant.”

Gavin Rivlin
New York Times
October 18, 2005

And don’t forget the gas and oil industry:

“Energy Firm Taps Washington Power for Offshore Project
“…thanks to a well-oiled and politically seasoned lobbying machine and a White House friendly to energy exploration, (ChevronTexaco Corp.) now is on the verge of scoring a legislative victory that could expedite the process.

“Once the Bush administration’s pro-exploration report was issued, the company’s lobbying operation kicked into gear with the help of one of the capital’s most prominent insiders – former House Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert L. Livingston, Jr. R-La. (1977-99).”

By Peter Cohn, Staff Writer
Congressional Quarterly
March 29, 2002

Frank Wolf is taking money from one of the top 10 lobbyist groups, which has help Texaco/Chevron get drilling rights for offshore drilling, the same drilling that they don’t have to pay royalties on right now. I wonder what $7,650 buys you in Congress.

Frank Wolf feels that he knows what’s good for women better than women do. He feels that women do not get the right to chose what happens to their bodies. Wolf sends a clear message on this issue:

HR 748 - To amend title 18, United States Code, to prevent the transportation of minors in circumvention of certain laws relating to abortion, and for other purposes. Wolf Votes YES.

Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit transporting a minor across a State line to obtain an abortion and thereby abridging the right of a parent under a law in force in the State where the minor resides requiring parental involvement in a minor’s abortion decision. Makes an exception if the abortion was necessary to save the life of the minor.

Specifies that neither the minor transported nor her parent may be prosecuted or sued for a violation of this Act.

HR 4691 - To prohibit certain abortion-related discrimination in governmental activities. Wolf Votes YES. [Ed Note: Though this seems like a good bill from the title, it basically says that if your HMO/Hospital/Doctor refuses to pay for or assist in an abortion (even if the mother's health is in danger), the government can still fund or subsidize the organization/person]:

Abortion Non-Discrimination Act of 2002 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to prohibit the Federal Government, and any State or local government that receives Federal financial assistance, from discriminating against any health care entity because (in addition to current prohibited reasons) the entity refuses to provide coverage of, or pay for, induced abortions. Expands the definition of “health care entity” to include (in addition to physicians) other health professionals, a hospital, a provider sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, a health insurance plan, and any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan.

HR 3660 - To amend title 18, United States Code, to ban partial birth abortions. Wolf Votes YES. [Ed Note: Three interesting areas of this: (1) if this mother's life is in danger only, not if her health is in danger; (2) the woman's husband (or parents if under 18) can sure the doctor or clinic; (3) Woman has to go before a medical review board to defend the abortion as life threatening].

Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2000 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit any physician from knowingly performing a partial-birth abortion in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, unless it is necessary to save the mother’s life that is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, or injury. Prescribes penalties.

Defines a “partial birth abortion” as an abortion in which the person performing the abortion deliberately and intentionally: (1) vaginally delivers some portion of an intact living fetus until the fetus is partially outside the body of the mother, for the purpose of performing an overt act that the person knows will kill the fetus while the fetus is partially outside the mother’s body; and (2) performs the overt act that kills the fetus while the intact living fetus is partially outside the mother’s body.

Authorizes the father, if married to the mother at the time of the abortion, and the maternal grandparents of the fetus, if the mother is under 18 years of age, to obtain specified relief in a civil action, unless the pregnancy resulted from the plaintiff’s criminal conduct or the plaintiff consented to the abortion.

Authorizes a defendant accused of an offense under this Act to seek a hearing before the State Medical Board on whether the physician’s conduct was necessary to save the life of the mother.

Prohibits the prosecution of a woman upon whom a partial-birth abortion is performed for conspiracy to violate this Act or under provisions regarding punishment as a principal or an accessory or for concealment of a felony.

HR 810 - To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for human embryonic stem cell research. Wolf Votes NO. [Ed Note: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Reeves, Ronald Reagan, my own father.]

Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo, provided such embryos: (1) have been donated from in vitro fertilization clinics; (2) were created for the purposes of fertility treatment; (3) were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment and would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded (as determined in consultation with the individuals seeking fertility treatment); and (4) were donated by such individuals with written informed consent and without any financial or other inducements.

Should the Drug Enforcement Agency get to decide what drugs can be approved by the Food and Drug Administration? Frank Wolf thinks so.

Section 112 of HR 2862 - Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 (this is basically the budget from Frank Wolf’s appropriations committee):

SEC. 112. Within the funds provided for the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Attorney General shall establish a Methamphetamine Task Force within the Drug Enforcement Administration which shall be responsible for improving and targeting the Federal Government’s policies with respect to the production and trafficking of methamphetamine: Provided, That within 90 days of enactment of this Act, the Drug Enforcement Administration shall submit a plan that outlines the governance structure and membership of the task force: Provided further, That within 120 days the Drug Enforcement Administration shall submit to the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives the membership of the task force and powers established for the task force.

Frank Wolf specifically added an amendment to the appropriations bill, funding his Meth Task Force’s budget by 34 mil:

Amendment increases funding for Community Oriented Policing Services.
Proposed: Jun 15, 2005. Passed: Jun 15, 2005. (Vote conducted by voice vote.)

An amendment to increase funding for the Community Oriented Policing Services account by $34,000,000 and to increase
funding for policing initiatives to combat methamphetamine production and trafficking by $34,000,000.

It should also be noted that Frank Wolf Sponsored HR2862 because he’s the chairman on that committee, so he has to be the sponsor.

Note: While reading through these bills, I found something funny in the congressional record. Posted after the jump.

Continue Reading »

After cutting 12 billion in student aid, Congress went back and gutted our country’s education system even further by passing HR 609 - the College Access and Opportunity Act of 2005. An analysis of the problems with the bill can be found here. The remark that struck me the most on the house floor during debate was by Frank Wolf:

There is a critical shortage of math, science and engineering students in the United States. Unfortunately, there has been little public awareness of this downward trend and its implications for jobs, industry or national security in America’s future. With the president’s American Competitiveness Initiative announced at the State of the Union earlier this year, public awareness is increasing, but we still need to do everything we can to help attract more students to these fields.

But Frank Wolf is chair of the Appropriations Sub-committee for Science-State-Justice-Commerce, which also includes Tom Delay and Virgil Goode as members. Frank Wolf oversees budgeting for science in our country (both for education as well as programs like NASA and the NSF). So, if we’ve fallen behind, isn’t Wolf one of those we should hold responsible? Isn’t his job to ensure public awareness of failures in Science? Wasn’t Frank Wolf the one we depended on to help us stay competitve, while instead he watched us outsource science and technology jobs to other countries?

Wolf has introduced another bill (probably nothing to worry about, since the majority of his bills die in committee, a la Bob Marshall. HR 1547 - The Math and Science Incentive Act of 2005, basically forgives $10,000 in student loan interest to:

• (1) teachers of science, technology, engineering or mathematics at an elementary or secondary school;
• (2) mathematics, science or engineering professionals.

So, while Frank voted for HR 609, which would not give interest breaks to students that just had 12 billion stolen from them, he was willing to give interest breaks in HR 1547, to math, science, or engineering students. This is all simply a distraction from the fact that Frank Wolf failed in his duties to properly fund and advance science, and sat idly by while math, science, and engineering jobs were outsourced or American workers in those positions were replaced by foriegn H1B visa workers.

How is Frank Wolf getting away with this? His own House.gov bio says:

The 10th District is extremely diverse. In addition to being the home of some of the world’s leading Internet and high-tech companies…

If you want to make a change, and remove a guy who watched the world go by and decided to act once it was too late, vote for Judy Feder this November. She’s brilliant, and she’s the Dean of Georgetown Public Policy Institute. Judy has the right ideas to save education.

I’m starting a new program called Wolf Watch, where I monitor the comings, goings, and inaction of Frank “Getting My Ass Kicked By Judy Feder” Wolf. If anyone would like to contribute (or have any Frank Wolf news), please let me know. (Props to my sister Howling Latina for nailing Wolf a few days ago).

From GovTrack (all data since 1999) we find that Wolf has sponsered 45 bills in almost 7 years (6.4 bills / year), but that he’s cosponsored 1118 bills (159.7 bills / year). Maybe he’s got better things to do then propose legislation. Maybe like making speeches, of which he made 24 since 2003 (8 speeches / year) for an average of 2178 words.

Now as we all know, Judy Feder is brilliant, and especially in the area of health care. Well, did you know, Frank Wolf put forward his idea of a health care bill. In typical Frank Wolf fashion, HR 3614 is Frank Wolf’s idea of promoting a National Health Care System.

The official title is: “To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow physicians a credit against income tax for providing charity care.”

So, Frank Wolf will establish a national health care system by giving tax breaks to physicians who give their time to help those in need? No thought of paying these doctors, providing some kind of health coverage where everyone can go to the doctor’s office and get the same care as his regular paying patients (face it, he’s going to have better tools in his office than at a public clinic).

What’s the worst part? Frank couldn’t get it out of committee. A republican couldn’t get a tax credit bill out of committee. I wonder if Frank Wolf gets his has slapped with a wet towel everytime he goes to the capital gym?

We all know that Frank Wolf really hasn’t done anything during his tenure in the US House. He keeps his head down, does what he has to, and doesn’t rock the boat by voting against the Bush Administration. Frankly, because being a Congressman is a good gig. As we have seen recently, agreeing with the Bush Administration has become a bit of an albatross for people like Sentorum and Kilgore. You’d think that Wolf would be smarter than this:

I was phonebanking tonight for an upcoming Judy Feder event (more details later). Anyway, we called people and recorded if they said yes, no, maybe, no answer, wrong number, or left message. I stayed to help Lester Feder (who was running the phone banking) and he asks himself outloud, what group does dead go under? It was placed under wrong number.

I talked to several interesting people (not a good phonebanker, I talk with people too much). One woman was going off on George Allen, and she told me I should investigate his first wife. Interesting. I wonder if there’s a scandal we could find there. I’m going to do some digging.

Folk, please give a few bucks to Judy Feder. She’s got a challenge unseating Frank “I haven’t rocked the boat” Wolf. There’s a donation link in the top right of my site there. She’s a brilliant person, and I think she has a real chance.

Frank Wolf has two things going for him, he’s the incumbent and the 10th CD seems to be pretty apathetic to change. Judy Feder has stepped up into the race, and stepped up hard. Last quarter, she out-raised Frank Wolf more than 2:1. She doesn’t even have a website up yet. That’s pretty badass.

750volts has some good low-down on all the district filings. My favorite part:

These numbers should be at least raise eyebrows, if not a red flag or two, in the Wolf camp. In addition to cleaning Wolf’s clock in terms of fundraising, Feder spent barely a fifth of Wolf’s total. Wolf barely has a 2 to 1 advantage in cash on hand, which is not the cushy position his fellow incumbents have. With Feder poised to raise even more, and no primary challenger to burn it on, Wolf could be facing the toughest fight he’s seen in a long time.

Honestly, I think Frank Wolf has gotten complacent and his team lazy. I bet right now, there’s some yelling and screaming going on over at Wolf HQ.

Judy Feder now rates as 10 on the Frank Wolf pucker factor. Please donate to Judy, she’s brilliant, a decent person (need more of those around here) and her kung foo is stronger than Frank Wolf’s.

Frank Wolf (R, VA-10) wants to forgive interest on student loans for students who major in math, engineering, and physical science. Wolf stuck a Mathmatics and Science Incentive program into HR609 - The College Access and Opportunity Act. What about teachers, law enforcement, legal, medicine? This is just another bandwagon for failing Republicans to jump on, taking their orders from the White House and the SOTU speech.