CONGRESSMAN HANK JOHNSON
Georgia's Fourth Congressional District

>>Hank's Blog

All Postings for February 2007:

Speaking Out Against Escalation

Posted by: Hank Johnson (February 20, 2007, 06:31 PM)

FRIENDS: I DELIVERED THIS SPEECH on the floor of the House late last week.  I strongly believe that President Bush's plan to escalate the war in Iraq is misguided, and I am committed to speaking out against it.  I look forward to your feedback and input.

Posted in Foreign Affairs, Iraq | 8 Comments | Permalink

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Charlie Norwood, 1941-2007

Posted by: Hank Johnson (February 13, 2007, 08:08 PM)

Today we mourn the loss of a great Georgian, Congressman Charlie Norwood, who has passed away after a long and brave battle with cancer.

Charlie was a native son of Georgia, a scholar, a decorated combat veteran, a dentist and a public servant. 

We disagreed on many issues, but by all accounts he served the 10th district well.

He and his family are in my prayers.  I hope you will join me in attending his memorial service this Thursday in Augusta.

Posted in Unspecified | 0 Comments | Permalink

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A Cartoon

Posted by: Hank Johnson (February 13, 2007, 07:18 PM)

Perusing today's Washington Post opinion page, I stumbled upon this cartoon by Tom Toles:

Nobody wants a nuclear Iran. 

But the similarities between what we're hearing from the Bush Administration about Iran today and what we heard about Iraq in the build up to that war are striking. 

I have no problem with aggressive diplomacy or brinksmanship, conducted responsibly; I just wish I could be confident that President Bush will protect American interests prudently and carefully. 

Recent history doesn't speak to his capacity for measured, well-conceived foreign policy.

Posted in Foreign Affairs, Iran, Iraq | 4 Comments | Permalink

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PeachCare Needs a Policy, not a Partisan, Solution

Posted by: Hank Johnson (February 12, 2007, 05:25 PM)

AS I SAID ON THE FLOOR OF CONGRESS last week, fourteen states, including Georgia, continue to face  serious funding shortfalls for their S-CHIP Programs.  Hundreds of thousands of children stand to lose their health care coverage if Congress does not come up with an immediate solution.

Georgians: without courageous political action at the state and federal levels, we are on the brink of losing PeachCare.

It is precisely because PeachCare affects the lives of so many young Americans that those involved in the policy process must rise above politics.  No solution can be achieved if one party blames another.  No improved policy will come out of partisan attacks.

Not all federally funded social programs are effective.  They are by nature experimental, and we should not hesitate to re-evaluate those whose performance disappoints.  But -- and I cannot emphasize this enough -- PeachCare works.  It has been an overwhelming success.  It has improved and in some cases saved the lives of thousands of Georgia's children.

We must not allow such a wonderful program to die.  That's why I, and many others in the Georgia delegation, am doing all I can in Washington to secure the funding necessary for PeachCare's survival.

But I can't do it alone.

I am hopeful Governor Perdue and the Georgia General Assembly will join with me, the Georgia Congressional Delegation, and the Democratic Leadership to achieve a policy victory, not a partisan one.

Posted in Health, PeachCare | 2 Comments | Permalink

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A More Nuanced Approach to Resolving the Iraq Quagmire

Posted by: Hank Johnson (February 08, 2007, 05:05 PM)

It is now common knowledge that Iraq has become an unfortunate quagmire. We all tend to agree on this point; we just disagree on how to rectify this situation. Poor planning has brought us here so it only makes sense to ensure poor planning does not keep us on this path. 

It is also becoming common knowledge that we need to focus more on enabling the political process in Iraq and less on enabling a burgeoning civil war. I desire victory in Iraq as much as the President but, in my humble view, his plan will not bring us to that goal. As a result, I would find it difficult to support a continuation of this flawed thinking. I believe we need a new strategy based on the needs of a constantly evolving situation.

At this point in Iraq’s troubled history, there are two major issues that need to be addressed: lessening the presence of U.S. troops on Iraqi streets to stem violence resulting from the perception of provocation and ensuring the Iraqi government has some semblance of stability to function properly and establish an adequate foundation. As a result of the lack of focus on these tenets, we have the current unsustainable situation to contend with. So what must we do now?

In keeping with the proper role of Congress in the prosecution of this war, first and foremost, we must seriously consider withholding funding to execute a flawed plan – as long as our troops won’t be endangered by such an action. Second, we must take the opportunity to speak for our constituents and make recommendations to the Administration based on their concerns. Therefore, I have introduced a resolution that officially recommends the Administration effectively take the targets off of the backs of our brave troops and pull them off of street patrol duty. Over four years into this war, this should be the sole function of those Iraqi troops ready to take on the task. Even if they are not fully ready, a credible argument can be and has been made that the violence will be significantly reduced with the reduction of U.S. troop presence. These troops should, in turn, be used to fortify the Iraqi government, allowing it to function more efficiently and provide the country with the strong central government it needs.

Maybe more importantly, we need to pay a debt we owe to innocent Iraqi civilians. We owe them what they have yet to receive since the beginning of American intervention – the ability to purchase food at the local market for their families without the fear of being blown up. Any unbiased observer of the Iraq situation would be hard pressed to legitimately argue that our current plan is truly making the streets of Iraq safer.

The instability of that region does not allow me to guarantee victory under any circumstances, but I am comfortable guaranteeing that the enactment of this plan would ensure less American flag-draped coffins and provide the mechanisms for an eventual resolution to this conflict – if an acceptable one is indeed possible.

Let’s continue to work together to bring new ideas to the table and make them heard.  Your comments are welcome.

Posted in Iraq | 21 Comments | Permalink

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We Must Fund PeachCare!

Posted by: Hank Johnson (February 06, 2007, 05:02 PM)

YESTERDAY I SPOKE on the House floor to urge my colleagues to adequately fund PeachCare, Georgia's fantastic but severely underfunded children's health insurance program.

In 1997, Congress created the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) to help states provide health coverage to a growing number of uninsured children.  Ten years later, more than six million children have been enrolled in this program.  They are getting the check-ups, medicine, and treatment they need and deserve.

Unfortunately, S-CHIP is threatened by severely inadequate funding.  The budget that the president has introduced neglects to address the huge shortfalls threatening S-CHIP's future and the health of our children.  Hundreds of thousands of children are at risk of losing vital health coverage.

Without Congress' help, Georgia will be unable to provide healthcare for the three-hundred thousand kids currently enrolled in PeachCare.  Increased federal funding is absolutely imperative.  Many massive federal programs are inefficient and ineffective.  S-CHIP is a wonderful exception.  PeachCare has been praised by parents, doctors, and government officials alike.  We must save it and, in doing so, save the futures of hundreds of thousands of children.

 

Please watch my speech and then click "Share" to send it to your friends.  And please keep urging your elected representatives to save S-CHIP.  Keep the letters coming!

Posted in Health | 1 Comments | Permalink

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Welcome.

Posted by: Hank Johnson (February 02, 2007, 01:27 PM)

This is Congressman Hank Johnson -- welcome to my blog.

Here I'll be post updates from Capitol Hill and comment on the day's news.  Thanks for reading  --  please stop by often!

--Hank

Posted in Unspecified | 4 Comments | Permalink

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Welcome to Hank’s Blog

Welcome to my blog. Here you’ll find informal commentary, updates, and announcements written by me and my staff.

Add this page to your bookmarks so you can get the inside scoop from Washington. Leave your comments and I will do my best to respond to some of them.
--Hank

Hank

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