Bailout
Posted by: Dan Burton (11-25-2008, 09:08 AM)

Because of the overwhelming amount of correspondence my offices have received, I thought it might be helpful to recap some of the “bailout” events of the last few months: I think all of us in Washington – Republicans and Democrats – understand that our financial markets are under enormous pressure as a result of the collapse of the subprime housing market and that Congress needed to do something to prevent our financial system from completely collapsing. However, the initial proposal offered by the Bush Administration – all 3 pages – was unacceptable to both sides of the aisle as it amounted to nothing more than handing the Treasury Secretary a blank check for $700 billion with no Congressional oversight. The second proposal, which was entirely authored by my Democrat colleagues, was perhaps even worse. Regrettably, instead of starting over and crafting a better bill, the Senate simply passed the flawed bailout bill loaded up with earmarks and sweeteners, and then the House followed suit on October 3rd. Although I voted against the bailout both times it was brought before the house, the second bill was approved, and it was quickly signed into law by President Bush. I am still convinced the bailout was not a good idea – and so far it hasn’t done much to calm the turmoil in our financial markets – but I do believe one of the best things we can do now is to engage in diligent oversight of the Treasury Department’s Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) to ensure that the American people get some kind of return on this investment; and work to comprehensively reform Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Securities and Exchange Commission to prevent this crisis from ever happening again. I expect Congress to reconvene in December to discuss the bailout packages for the “Big 3” automakers. My staff and I have not received any specific details of what the package will contain.

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A Visual Guide to the Financial Crisis
Posted by: Kerry Byrne (11-18-2008, 08:56 AM)

http://blog.mint.com/blog/finance-core/a-visual-guide-to-the-financial-crisis/

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Rep. Burton receives Spirit of Enterprise Award
Posted by: Kerry Byrne (11-14-2008, 10:02 AM)

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has also presented Congressman Burton with the Spirit of Enterprise Award for supporting the American business community through his votes in the 110th Congress. The Chamber's prestigious Spirit of Enterprise award is given annually to Members of Congress who positively impacted American businesses through their votes, which are outlined in the Chamber’s yearly publication, How They Voted. This is the twentieth year that the U.S. Chamber has formally honored the accomplishments of pro-business Members of Congress.

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Rep. Burton receives Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence from NAM
Posted by: Kerry Byrne (11-13-2008, 03:39 PM)

Congressman Burton's voting record in the 110th Congress has earned him the National Association of Manufactures (NAM) Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence. Manufacturers present the NAM Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence to legislators who consistently support a pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda and achieve a rating of 70 percent or better on key manufacturing votes. Mr. Burton received an outstanding 85 percent!

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Energy Jolt
Posted by: Dan Burton (11-04-2008, 10:29 AM)

Electricity is a basic part of nature and it is one of our most widely used forms of energy. Electricity itself is neither renewable nor non-renewable, but the energy sources we use to make electricity can be renewable or non-renewable. Every day, we use electricity to do many jobs for us and, just like air and water, we must not take energy for granted. That is why I have encouraged my family to do a very important thing each time they leave a room; turn out the lights! If you're interested in detailed information about how electricity is generated, delivered and priced, I recommend visting the Energy Information Administration's website.

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