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Week of November 17th
111th CONGRESS PREVIEW: This week, the U.S. Senate will welcome for an orientation session the men and women who will be sworn in this January, having been elected earlier this month to represent their states. As we look forward to the next session of Congress and a new President, I intend to embrace the mandate delivered by the American people for new priorities and a new direction for our country. It was a long election, but now is the time to put partisanship behind us and come together as one nation. We must continue our work to stabilize our economy and move us closer to energy security. We must invest in policies that protect Middle-Class America while protecting our environment. We must find a sensible way to provide all Americans with quality, affordable healthcare. And we must restore America's leadership position across the globe.
FIGHTING HATE ONLINE: Also this week, as Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), I will join the International Network Against Cyber-Hate and the Anti-Defamation League for a global summit on Internet Hate Speech. If the diversity of the Internet's content and its accessibility is one of its greatest strengths, then hate propaganda may be one of its greatest weaknesses. I have worked tirelessly to raise awareness of this issue and combating all forms of discrimination, be it anti-Semitism, racism or anti-Muslim activities. Clearly, the Internet has increasingly become a platform for the purveyors of hate to increase their ranks, plan their assaults on innocent victims, and foment violence, prejudice, and discriminatory behavior. While I believe that we are making headway, we still face an uphill battle. I applaud all efforts to explore what more we can be doing in this country and abroad to address that weakness and stem the spread of hate and develop action plans against all forms of discrimination. I continue to support passage of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Moving this forward will remain a top priority.
HOUSING MARKET: As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Wednesday, I will participate in a hearing entitled, "Helping Families Save Their Homes: The Role of Bankruptcy Law." Repeatedly this year, we have attempted to amend our nation's bankruptcy laws, so that judges would be permitted to restructure mortgages on primary residences to help keep Americans in their homes. We were blocked by a minority of senators every time. I continue to be amazed that judges have more leeway in adjusting loan terms for a vacation home or yacht, but not a primary residence. As our nation faces one of the most severe economic crises of our lifetime, rooted in the troubled housing market, we must do everything possible to revive the system and, especially, keep families and individuals in their homes.
THIS WEEK'S MEDIA: If you live in or around the Eastern Shore, listen this Sunday 11/23) to my interview with Bill Reddish on 1320AM - WICO (Delmarva Broadcasting).We take a look forward at the 111th Congress and the incoming administration and what issues will be foremost on the mind of Marylanders as we head into 2009. Earlier in the week, Wednesday (11/19) I'll be live at 10:00AM on WCBC Radio in the Cumberland area for a live interview with The Dave Norman Show.
INAUGURATION TICKETS: The upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States and Joseph Biden as Vice President will be a historic event. Millions of Americans will descend on the Nation's Capital to bear witness. Marylanders are particularly enthusiastic and have flooded my office and other members of our Congressional delegation with tens of thousands of requests for free tickets to the swearing-in ceremony. As you can imagine, the requests for tickets far exceed the availability. A word of caution: We all have seen recent media reports about people selling tickets over the Internet. I want to remind everyone that tickets to the swearing-in ceremony are free and will primarily be distributed by congressional offices. No tickets to the swearing-in ceremony are available yet and they will not be distributed before January. Anyone who claims to have tickets to the swearing-in for sale is not being truthful. In addition, eBay has banned the sale of swearing-in ceremony tickets on its websites, including eBay, StubHub and Kijiji. So be ready to enjoy the moment, but use caution and common sense when determining how and where you will be on January 20.
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