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With the Holidays approaching, and Thanksgiving coming up in just a few days, we begin to reflect on the year that is coming to a close. Currently it seems that many of our lives are in flux and our pocketbooks are stretched, yet we must remember that we have many blessings to count. This Thanksgiving, whether your gatherings are large or small, I hope that you will be surrounded by family and friends and that you will take that day to look upon the positives and be truly thankful.
Washington Update
Backing Restructuring Over Bailout for the Big Three - The Senate's decision to not take up legislation on the auto bailout, clearly signals that the corporate leadership of GM, Ford, and Chrysler must move forward with a significant restructuring of their companies and product lines. The three U.S. manufacturers, currently burdened with top heavy management, exorbitant and unrealistic employee salaries and benefits at all levels, and union monopolization, are unable to adjust their product lines to meet the needs of today's consumers and were in financial crisis long before our economy took a turn for the worse.
I do not believe that it is the nation's responsibility to fix them as it was their own bad decision to continue agreeing to the labor unions' demands for exorbitant benefits and retirement packages and to rely on gas guzzlers to make their profit during a time when cost conscious foreign automakers were building cars here in the United States that people want to buy.
Locally, it would be hard for me to go to back to BMW, a company that announced earlier this year that, in a $750 million investment, the volume of cars exported through the Port of Charleston is expected to increase 50 percent to about 150,000 vehicles year, and tell them that I supported giving money to their competitors who made poor business decisions to begin with.
The CEO's of the three manufacturers were sent home on Thursday, after being told that they must come up with an alternate plan, as the original $700 billion bailout money was not allotted for this purpose. The new plans, proposed by the auto manufacturers will go through hearings and new legislation may be discussed in early December.
Introducing Legislation to Safeguard the Region from GITMO Detainees - As talks of closing the prisons on Guantanamo Bay have arisen, the Naval Consolidated Brig in Charleston has been mentioned as one of the options for the relocation of the most dangerous detainee's of GITMO.
While The Naval Consolidated Brig is located on a military base, it is less than a mile away from a highly populated civilian area and is also a short distance several major military facilities and key points of infrastructure in the community. Housing so many of these terrorists and terrorist supporters in Charleston would put an unnecessary strain on the area and would be a horrible mistake.
Facilities such as the maximum security military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, or the existing federal "supermax" prison in Florence, Colorado, would both be locations far better equipped to securely and separately hold these dangerous individuals from civilians.
However, any decision to close the facility housing detainees at Guantanamo should only come after a full evaluation of the alternate location's neighboring civilian and military installations and infrastructures and the possible threat to nearby residential communities, all the while providing ample opportunity for community input and a full disclosure of potential risks.
To ready my original release on this topic got to: http://brown.house.gov/apps/list/press/sc01_brown/11192008ProhibitGitmoDetaineeTransfertoChas.shtml.
To compare satellite images of the brig in Charleston and the "supermax" prison in Colorado go to: http://tinyurl.com/betterplacefordetainees.
Making Veterans a Priority 365 Days a Year – In times of war, one is constantly reminded of the selflessness many of our uniformed men and women have displayed in recent years. It is important that we remember, not only on Veterans day, but every day of the year, that our these brave men and women risked their lives to protect us, and I remain tirelessly committed to working towards ensuring that they receive the health care, benefits and legislative support they have earned in service to this country.
To ready my original release on this topic got to: http://brown.house.gov/apps/list/press/sc01_brown/11102008VeteransDay2008.shtml.
Doings in the District
Bringing the Moving Wall to the District – This past month, I worked with area veterans' service organizations to bring the Moving Wall, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to the District, allowing coastal South Carolina veterans, their families, and average citizens a unique opportunity to pay respects to the heroes of the Vietnam Era. All Vietnam Era veterans and families of those who lost their lives in service to our country during the Vietnam Era living in the First District were invited to visit the wall and attend the recognition ceremony.
To see pictures from the event, visit the following link: http://brown.house.gov/list/hearing/sc01_brown/101608movingwall.shtml.
Medicare Part D Open Enrollment – The official open enrollment period for Medicare Part D began this month on November 15th and runs until December 31st. Now you can enroll in a Part D plan, drop your Part D coverage or switch to a different part D plan. It's important that people with Medicare take advantage of the enhanced tools available to review the coverage and costs of their health or drug plans for next year. For detailed information about the 2009 plans, call 1-800-MEDICARE, visit www.medicare.gov or call my Charleston office at 843-7474175.
Congratulating USC's New President, Dr. Harris Pastides – As Dr. Harris Pastides, a former vice president of research for the University of South Carolina, officially assumes his new position in the USC family as President, I would like to officially congratulate him. I commend him for remaining at Carolina as the University will surely benefit from his previous expertise in research. I am confident that he will follow in the long line of the esteemed Presidents that have come before him and will move the Gamecock community towards an elevated standard of academic excellence and maintained integrity not only in South Carolina but abroad.
DTV is Coming - America’s full power television stations will end all analog broadcasts and begin broadcasting exclusively in a digital format starting February 17, 2009. Television sets connected to cable, satellite or a pay television service will not be affected and will continue to receive broadcast programming after that date. However, viewers with TV sets that are not connected to a pay television service provider or do not have a built-in digital tuner will need to take action to continue receiving broadcast television signals after the transition occurs. The federal government is offering coupons to help defray the cost of converter boxes for those who will require this equipment. To learn how this transition may impact you and what resources are available, contact one of my offices or go to www.dtv.gov
We are Here for You!
Website Offers Information, Assistance – A visit to most Congressional websites has a listing of recent press releases and maybe some information about how to get a tour of the White House, but over the past year, my website (http://brown.house.gov) has grown to include a number of important features that not only provide constituents with information on policy issues and legislation in Washington, but also on-line assistance in a number of areas. Frequently asked questions about problems with federal agencies, such as “how do I renew my passport?” to an online form where security information can be provided for White House tours can be found under “Constituent Services.” Profiles and tourism information for every county in the 1st District is available under “Discover SC.” Issue pages, including a comprehensive energy page (http://brown.house.gov/Issues/energy.html) as well as a newly added “blog” (http://brown.house.gov/blog) gives Congressman Brown the opportunity to discuss issues and legislation, as well as highlight visitors to Washington and late-breaking news that will impact his constituents. Finally, 1st District residents can both email their thoughts to me and sign up for my online newsletter. Bookmark http://brown.house.gov and come back often.
Assistance with Federal Agencies – If you need help with a federal agency, the resources of my office are available to you as a resident of the First Congressional District. Should you be seeking assistance, please do not hesitate to contact either my Myrtle Beach or Charleston offices. My hard-working staff of dedicated professionals is committed to provide the best constituent service. You can also find information on my website at http://brown.house.gov/ConstituentServices/Casework
DC Tours –If your family is considering a visit to our nation’s capitol, check out my website for things you’ll need to know before visiting Washington, DC. Go to http://brown.house.gov/dctours/ for information about White House, Capitol, and Supreme Court tours, as well as DC museums. For White House Tours, you now have the OPTION of submitting security information online through a secure webform.
I Want to Hear from You!
I hope you find this E-Newsletter to be helpful and informative. I encourage you to forward it to friends and family. If someone you know is interested in receiving my Newsletter via e-mail, they need only visit my site and enter their zip code in the “E-Mail Updates” block found on the home page. Likewise, if you would like to contact me, I hope you will visit my website and send an e-mail message by clicking on the “Contact Me” block. Due to security concerns with mail received at the Capitol, postal letters can take several weeks to reach the Washington, DC office.
Thank you for the honor and privilege of representing the citizens of the First Congressional District. I pledge to do my best in upholding the trust that you have placed in me.
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