Blog Postings
Posted by: Congressman Zach Wamp (TN - 03) (December 14, 2007, 11:09 AM)
Congress returned to Washington this month to close out the first session of the 110th Congress in an unusually sloppy and incomplete manner. Congressional leadership still has plenty of unfinished business to take care of, which could mean that Congress will remain in session right up until Christmas.
I urge my party and our nation to begin thinking and planning beyond Iraq and, in fact, beyond the next election. Clearly, our success in Iraq is critical and we must maintain 100 percent commitment to our troops and their mission. And the "mission" is still not "accomplished." However, the so-called "surge" is clearly demonstrating results and we now hope to begin serious redeployments that may lead to a reduced combat force on the ground of 60 percent of the current level by this time next year. Soon after that a new President of the United States will be sworn into office.
The world will still be very unstable and dangerous so we must think and plan on how to confront danger and, hopefully, do as French President Nicolas Sarkozy challenged us to "risk peace." The United States needs to improve its standing in the international community so that we can engage the world from a position of strength.
We must quit talking about bombing Iran. The military option should always be on the table as a last resort, but we must adapt to the situation as we know it. We need a surge in diplomacy and foreign policy like we have not seen in years. In October, 138 Muslim scholars from every sect wrote the Pope and other religious leaders and warned that if "Christians and Muslims do not resolve their differences, the future of the world is at stake." All three "great Abrahamic religions" must resolve their differences. As we approach Christmas, there are two reasons for hope on the foreign policy front:
First, the Annapolis Conference meetings are a start, and dialogue between political leaders is a good thing. This international conference focused on supporting efforts to realize the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security. Because earlier negotiations did not include religious leaders, religious groups often did not support the deals being considered. In November, I met with the Council of Religious Institutions in the Holy Land, also known as the Jerusalem Council, made up of five Christian leaders, five Muslim leaders and five Jewish leaders, while they were in Washington, D.C., and was greatly encouraged that religious leaders and political leaders are "risking peace."
Second, the latest National Intelligence Estimate reveals that we may be able to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions with sanctions and regional cooperation after all. Indeed, all this talk of bombing them may not help our own cause and in fact, we need to enter bilateral talks with them. With continued success in Iraq, we could really make long-term contributions to world peace with a more stable Iran. In October, along with 62 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, I signed a letter to Iran’s Parliament offering to enter into inter-parliamentary meetings designed at establishing a dialogue at this critical moment in world history. While there is no guarantee that this strategy will work, we should exhaust all other means before considering a military option, and the whole world needs to see us working for peace as we prepare for the environment ahead.
Of the 1.4 billion Muslims in the world, consensus data shows that some 130 million believe that terrorism is an acceptable means to an end. We should not have to kill millions of people to protect our way of life. Therefore, we must enlist and empower the 1.27 billion moderate Muslims to stand with us against the radicals to persuade the extremists that their position is wrong, and this will require dialogue, negotiations, pressure and encouragement. A tall order, but a noble task! And one worthy of U.S. resolve and dedication.
Posted in HRPC Member |
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Posted by: Congressman Scott Garrett (NJ - 05) (December 12, 2007, 03:46 PM)
Today, I was able to score a win for small business. SEC Chairman Christopher Cox announced that he would extend the deadline for small businesses to file required reports under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley law. This fight is something I’ve been very active on because I know that small business is the engine of the American economy and that the current Sarbanes Oxley regulations are choking them with red tape and paperwork.
This year I offered an amendment to HR 2829, the FY 2008 Financial Services Appropriations, with Rep. Tom Feeney. Our amendment passed with broad bipartisan support of 267- 154, making it the first successful effort to protect American markets and good faith efforts by American businesses from the excessive SOX regulations. I commend my colleague, Spencer Bachus, Ranking Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, for his efforts to seek a delay in these onerous requirements, as well. Like me, he recognizes that it is essential we not heap burdensome new costs on our nation’s small businesses.
By delaying this SOX requirement we are giving our small businesses more time to ensure that they are not unfairly hurt without jeopardizing the accountability goals of the initial SOX legislation.
Posted in HRPC Member |
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Posted by: Congressman Stevan Pearce (NM - 02) (December 05, 2007, 02:09 PM)
Born in back rooms behind locked doors and without debate, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Harry Reid have concocted an Energy Bill that dangerously increases our reliance on foreign sources of energy, eliminates progress toward renewable fuels and puts jobs and our economy at risk.
They have cut both Democrats and Republicans out of the process from the beginning and, even though we are to begin debate on this Frankenstein legislation today, as of this morning, we have still not been presented with an official version of the bill.
According to news reports, the bill will include provisions that drive up gas prices and home heating costs, reduce domestic production, eliminate investments in renewable fuels and enact huge tax increases.
The House deserves a chance to amend and change the bill, but so far they haven’t even let us read it. These are not the rules we lived by when we were in the majority. The American people deserve better.
Listen to Congressman Steve Pearce views on the Energy bill
:
http://pearce.house.gov/newscenter/actualities/
Posted in HRPC Member |
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Posted by: Vice-Chairman Michael Burgess (TX - 26) (December 05, 2007, 12:23 PM)
A checkup of the American health care system reveals a troubling trend: 48 million Americans lack health insurance. And the side effects are worrisome for everyone as costs rise, care is compromised and confusion reigns in doctors’ offices and operating rooms.
In many ways reducing the number of uninsured Americans is like armchair quarterbacking Dallas Cowboys football. We’re all authorities on the subject, but expertise is just talk when you aren’t calling the game firsthand.
In Washington, D.C., both sides share sad statistics and tell heart-wrenching tales of families coping without coverage. Rhetoric about reform is rampant in our marble hallways. Unfortunately, common ground is rarely sought to find a prescription to remedy the problem.
Here’s an interesting idea. What if Members of Congress were to get out of the armchair and actually walk their talk in health care? In other words, what if all 535 Members actually joined the ranks of the uninsured and called the proverbial insurance game firsthand? My guess is our attention would be focused like a laser beam on the problem, partisan politics aside.
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) is famous for saying “real change requires real change.” Well, what if real change in health care begins with Members of Congress losing the health insurance provided to them?
On Nov. 15, I introduced H.R. 4190, a bill to end health care coverage for Members of Congress. A little unconventional? Sure. But, thought-provoking nonetheless. After all, if you really want to arrive at an answer, walking a mile in someone else’s shoes can help get you there.
Taking ownership of the health insurance issue actually may lead to some new and innovative solutions, which for too long have been overshadowed by the speeches and sound bites. In fact, if you drill down into the statistics, you would see that some of the solutions don’t have to be all that radical.
We rarely look beyond the headlines to see a breakdown of the 48 million people who are uninsured. We all cite the overall number, but few of us have investigated who really makes up this population.
One-fifth of the uninsured earn more than $75,000 a year and could afford insurance if we incentivized coverage. We could do that by simply changing some tax policy and mandate reform. That translates into nearly 10 million people dropping from the ranks of the uninsured.
Combine these folks with a similar number who are eligible for existing programs to help low-income individuals, such as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program or Medicaid, but for whatever reason have not applied. If we could find the courage to help the states get this population enrolled and covered, we could add another 10 million to the country’s coverage rolls.
Additionally, by crafting sensible policies that focus on more reasonable pricing, we could pick up some of the 2 million to 5 million uninsured who currently are university students or very recent graduates. This should be a pretty easy lift as this population is one of the healthiest and least expensive to cover.
If you add these numbers up so far, you will realize we’ve quickly reduced the number of uninsured by half, to around 25 million. Then consider that at least 10 million of the remaining uninsured are likely here without the benefit of citizenship and the figure is far more manageable. And all we needed to do to write the prescription for real change is to give Members of Congress the clarity of thought that results from finding themselves without their own health insurance.
The results of these kinds of reforms would be popular and profound as they greatly would improve affordability and access, while keeping medical advancements alive and well at the same time.
If more people are covered, more people will have access to the care they need and the system will be healthier for everyone. Health care also will be more affordable. Some of the country’s leading insurance executives estimate a 9 percent savings across the board in health care costs if more people had access to affordable insurance coverage.
Additionally, reform could help generate more competition in the insurance market itself when it comes to individuals, which would help drive down cost by increasing choice. In fact, maybe, just maybe, we would see health insurance available on an individual basis over the Internet, where it would be easier to find and select a policy that fits your particular needs and budget. And finally, we can make sure that advancements in medicine remain the hallmark of health care in America.
Now, there is a risk to this type of approach. Thinking of Members of Congress as part of the uninsured population could lead to unintended consequences like socialized medicine and rationed care because they appear to be a quick and easy fix.
Don’t be fooled. Band-Aid solutions to health care eventually shrivel and expose the chronic condition beneath. We need long-term solutions for what ails us in health care, and the sooner the better.
Now, I don’t see a line forming outside my door to sign up as co-sponsors for this unusual legislation. After all, next year is an election year and we’ve got other things to think about.
But, as a doctor with nearly three decades of in-the-trenches experience, I know the system is broken and needs to be fixed. I’m ready and willing to make meaningful changes, and I hope my colleagues will get out of the armchairs and help me do just that. As we say in medicine, take two of these reform pills and call me in the morning.
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Originally published in Roll Call: http://www.rollcall.com/issues/1_1/agenda_ahead08/21147-1.html
Posted in Vice-Chairman Burgess |
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Posted by: Chairman Thaddeus McCotter (MI - 11) (December 04, 2007, 04:39 PM)
The poster-child of failed hopes, today’s United Nations (UN) is a global Tammany Hall lethal to the liberty and dignity of our human family.
First, the UN’s membership is stacked against free people. According to Freedom House, of 192 UN member states, 89 are "fully free" and 103 are not. Thus, a solid majority (54of member states know liberty directly threatens their survival, which requires the suppression of their own peoples and, through their UN membership, the entire human community.
Yet, since 1945, the U.S. has been the UN’s largest annual contributor. In 2006, American taxpayers forked over $423.5 million in dues (or 22f the UN’s regular budget) and over $5.3 billion in total to the UN. Still, we and all free people remain the UN’s tyrants’ favorite targets.
Two statistics gauge this dysfunction: Only 46f the UN’s members are free nations; but the UN’s top ten financial contributors are all free nations.
In our global age, wherein a world condensed by an internet cannot endure half-slave and half-free, we can no longer rely on a debased UN for collective security. With our survival at stake, all free nations must prudently diminish their participation in the UN; and unite in the cause of human dignity and liberty.
We must create a Liberty Alliance.
Transcending the "Community of Democracies," the Liberty Alliance must be founded upon the self-evident truth all human beings are endowed by their Creator with the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and it must be steeped in the wisdom of how extending liberty to the enslaved will ensure liberty for ourselves.
The Liberty Alliance’s members shall be free nations. Observer nations must domestically expand their people’s liberty before admission as members. Importantly, member nations diminishing their people’s liberty must be demoted to Observer status and, when necessary, expelled from the Alliance.
The governing structure of the Liberty Alliance shall be determined by its member nations with the objective being the maximization of transparency, equity, and democracy in accordance with the effective expansion of human liberty and dignity. As in Truman’s doctrine, the Alliance "must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way." Thus, through diplomatic, political, economic, and cultural initiatives, the Alliance will empower and emancipate individuals, communities, and emerging free governments from dictatorial rule. Further, the Alliance must not have a military component; and must never infringe upon a member nation’s rights.
The Liberty Alliance’s headquarters shall be sited on the free soil once scarred by colonialism, communism, fascism, world wars, and the Holocaust - Eastern Europe, where, cradled in the intrepid human sprit, liberty’s lamp triumphantly pierced these benighted recesses of evil.
Finally, the Liberty Alliance would not invite the Free World to exit the UN. The U.S. and all free nations should remain in the UN to keep a wary eye on liberty’s enemies. But we must stop paying through the nose to get kicked in our assets. Instead, we and other free nations will pay no more to the UN than a free-loading tyrant. Free nations’ monies and personnel spared from the UN shall be dedicated to the Liberty Alliance.
Discombobulated global sophisticates will decry the Liberty Alliance as undesirable and impossible. They are overwrought and wrong. Within the Alliance, Americans and all free peoples will remain cemented and steeled by the harmonic bonds of liberty, comity, and duty; and, like our greatest generation, we will not bend, we will not break in our reasoned faith in a future graced by free nations.
Posted in Chairman McCotter |
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