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FrankRep
02-22-2012, 12:12 AM
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March 2012 - Action Agenda - Important Legislation


Support Repeal of Indefinite Detention Measure (http://www.votervoice.net/core.aspx?AID=972&Screen=alert&IssueId=26757&APP=GAC&SiteID=-1&VV_CULTURE=en-us)



Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) introduced a bill (H.R. 3785) in the House of Representatives to repeal Section 1021 of the recently signed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in order to prevent the indefinite detention of Americans without due process. On December 31, 2011, with the President’s signing of the National Defense Authorization Act, the writ of habeas corpus — a civil right so fundamental to Anglo-American common law history that it predates the Magna Carta — can be voided by the wish of the President. The Sixth Amendment right to counsel is also revocable at his will.

Who would have thought that in America in 2012, legislation that authorizes indefinite military detention without trial of citizens deemed hostile or belligerent would have been passed by a House and Senate made up of elected members sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution? Contact them immediately and get them to promote, support, and pass H.R. 3785.


Oppose Enemy Expatriation Act That Strips Citizenship (http://www.votervoice.net/core.aspx?AID=972&Screen=alert&IssueId=27171&APP=GAC&SiteID=-1&VV_CULTURE=en-us)



The Enemy Expatriation Act conjures up new authority that would grant the President the ability to arbitrarily strip citizenship from Americans for “engaging in or supporting hostilities against the United States.” The term “hostilities” is broadly defined, and therefore subject to overly broad interpretation. There is no mention of a trial or conviction, so on a whim or a false accusation, American citizens could be stripped of citizenship. It dovetails perfectly with the nefarious Section 1021 of the NDAA wherein the President can decide to turn over American citizens to the military to be kept indefinitely, without regard for the Bill of Rights that guarantees a right to legal counsel and a right to trial.

Sworn to uphold the Constitution, how could any member of Congress entertain the thought that such Nazi-esque legislation should be introduced, contemplated, or voted on? How could any member of Congress dismiss habeas corpus and civil liberties, founding principles of our original form of government, so lightly?

Be sure to alert your Congressmen to the dangers of S.1698 and H.R. 3166 and urge them to keep this legislation from coming up for a vote, and if it does come up, vote no! Anything less is completely un-American, and unconstitutional.


Support Ending Eminent Domain Abuses (http://www.votervoice.net/core.aspx?AID=972&Screen=alert&IssueId=27195&APP=GAC&SiteID=-1&VV_CULTURE=en-us)



The Fifth Amendment protection that “No person shall ... be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation” has been and continues to be sorely abused and corrupted under Eminent Domain. The Private Property Rights Protection Act, H.R. 1433, would end unconstitutional private property grabs by local, state, and federal officials and entities. It would also prohibit immunity for those officials who violate the act.

Private ownership is a fundamental right and has always been the sound underpinning for security in ownership, and prosperity. Why should home or small business owners be put through an expensive and stressful legal battle to keep what is rightfully theirs? To secure what was once the almost sacred principle of private ownership, and to protect citizens from having their property stripped from them due to abuse of eminent domain by officials, urge your Representative and Senators to support, promote, and pass H.R. 1433, a truly bipartisan measure.


Oppose Extensive Federal Land Grab, H.R. 1505 (http://www.votervoice.net/core.aspx?AID=972&Screen=alert&IssueId=26680&APP=GAC&SiteID=-1&VV_CULTURE=en-us)



The National Security and Federal Lands Protection Act, H.R. 1505, is an extensive land-grabbing bill by the federal government in the name of “national security.” The proposal gives the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and specifically the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency, which is under the DHS, authority over a 100-mile inland swath of land along the northern and southern borders of the United States “for purposes that assist in securing the border (including access to maintain and construct roads, construct a fence, use vehicles to patrol, and set up monitoring equipment).”

A 2006 mutual agreement between the USDA and the Department of the Interior already gives the Border Patrol access to all the lands in question if they are in pursuit of suspected terrorists, drug smugglers, illegals, or for search and rescue missions. The CBP can and already does use surveillance equipment, sensors, cameras, and other equipment, besides the use of existing trails or carving new ones, for the purposes of protecting the borders. A GAO study found that land management laws do not affect the CBP’s operational control efforts.

There are some other bills that may be substituted for the already notorious H.R. 1505. Now S. 1546, the Senate Homeland Security Authorization Act and companion House bill, H.R. 3116, also known as the “See Something, Say Something Act,” are being promoted. Both are comprehensive security bills that also give the DHS authority over federal land managers and agencies within 100 miles of U.S. borders. Oppose H.R. 1505, H.R. 3116, and S. 1546.


Oppose Stop Online Piracy Act, H.R. 3261 (http://www.votervoice.net/core.aspx?AID=972&Screen=alert&IssueId=26733&APP=GAC&SiteID=-1&VV_CULTURE=en-us)



SOPA, as it is known, is a danger to Internet freedom. The bill has devastating penalties that are rather disconnected from alleged violations of the bill, could certainly kill any new e-commerce or normal Internet usage, would issue rather vague requirements to Internet Service Providers, and has the potential for international consequences that could result in court challenges by foreign countries, all because the measure is so completely at odds with the current Internet structure and how it operates.

Government estimates for implementing the bill are near $453 million of taxpayer money, not to mention the legal costs for prosecution of so-called infringements.

Help protect free speech and the economic boon to commerce that the Internet has become by stopping this legislation. And help preserve freedom of the Internet; let those who hold copyrights be the guardians of their own works by keeping the government out of policing the Internet.


Oppose Any Bailout for the U.S. Post Office (http://www.votervoice.net/core.aspx?AID=972&Screen=alert&IssueId=27084&APP=GAC&SiteID=-1&VV_CULTURE=en-us)



It’s no secret that people are using email more than snail mail (named that for a reason) for general correspondence, along with online bill-paying, a trend that’s likely to continue. The lucrative letter monopoly once held by the U.S. Postal Service was broken by technological developments. The Post Office is now feeling the effects of bad management, expensive employee contracts, overly benevolent retirement benefits, and decreasing revenue.

The USPS enjoys implicit federal subsidies in the form of exemptions from property taxes, income taxes, and vehicle registration fees. Yet it still managed an $8 billion loss last year, likely to increase in 2012. It says it can’t meet its required $5.5 billion in prepaid health retirement benefits either. (Labor accounts for 80 percent of the agency’s expenses, while only accounting for 53 percent for UPS and 32 percent for FedEx.)

New legislation — H.R. 2309 and S. 1789 — would help the USPS balance their books and ensure that taxpayers do not foot the bill for long-term mismanagement. However, the Postal Workers Union and Post Masters Union have collected a million signatures to present to Congress to protect their higher-than-average salaries and retirement benefits.

While neither of these bills allows the Post Office to default, going completely out of business and letting private enterprise fill the gap, at least a taxpayers’ money infusion would be averted.


Support Limiting Federal Control of American Waters (http://www.votervoice.net/core.aspx?AID=972&Screen=alert&IssueId=26840&APP=GAC&SiteID=-1&VV_CULTURE=en-us)



The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012, H.R. 2354, containing the EPA’s Waters of the United States Guidance proposal radically expands the scope of the Clean Water Act by re-interpreting it, and is a danger to private property rights and a barrier to economic growth.

The Guidance would increase the number of isolated wetlands and streams subject to federal pollution regulations and permitting. The Guidance reverses two Supreme Court decisions that limited the federal government’s authority to regulate inland waters, isolated wetlands, small streams, etc, on private and public lands. Homebuilding, agriculture, mining, oil exploration, etc., are just a few of the industries that would be adversely affected if the Army Corps of Engineers is allowed to greatly expand its current jurisdiction.

The Guidance places the burden on the individual’s shoulders, or the community being regulated, to demonstrate to the government that a particular water feature does not come under the government’s control; innocent homeowners can be fined or lose their property rights for infringements of the broadly written and broadly interpreted proposal, similar to cases like Mike and Chantell Sackett of Idaho, now before the Supreme Court.

Ask your Senators to strike the Guidance measure from H.R. 2354 and support the Barrasso/Heller Amendment No. 939. H.R. 2354 has already been passed in the House.


Support The REINS Act: Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2011 (http://www.votervoice.net/core.aspx?AID=972&Screen=alert&IssueId=26097&APP=GAC&SiteID=-1&VV_CULTURE=en-us)



The EPA’s latest consideration to revise regulations limiting ozone, mercury, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide; coal ash waste; and water used in cooling the processes at coal-fired power plants would have a negative impact on both the economy and jobs, and on the availability of electric power. Many see the new scheme as one that will unduly burden the power industry, even forcing shutdowns of numerous coalfired plants altogether. Estimated costs of compliance for utility companies are up to $129 billion, with a reduction of up to 81,000 megawatts of electricity generation. Then there’s the jobs at stake. A Commerce Department analysis predicts a loss of 60,000 jobs due to the EPA’s rulings.

It’s time the out-of-control and draconian-style EPA was reined in. The House of Representatives has already passed two bills that would do just that: H.R. 910 and H.R. 2018. The Senate now needs to take action on either or both of these bills.

There is another bill that would affect all federal agencies, the REINS Act, Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2011, S. 299 (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s112-299). This bill would require Congressional approval of any interim or final regulation from the Executive Branch bureaucracy that costs more than $100 million per year, or that excessively increases costs or prices or has “significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or U.S. competitiveness.” This measure already has 28 sponsors and hearings are completed. There is a companion bill in the House, H.R. 10, that has garnered 159 cosponsors. Help keep these bills moving in both chambers.


Support The North American-Made Energy Security Act (http://www.votervoice.net/core.aspx?AID=972&Screen=alert&IssueId=26076&APP=GAC&SiteID=-1&VV_CULTURE=en-us)



Please contact your Senators and Representative about the Keystone XL oil pipeline project that would bring a reliable crude oil source into the United States safely, greatly reducing our dependency on oil from dictatorships and hostile countries, and that would create over 13,000 new jobs and over 118,000 spin-off jobs. The individual states the high-tech pipeline would run through would see increased tax revenues and property tax collections. The Gulf Coast refineries would have lower transport costs, saving them approximately $473 million annually, which in turn would lead to lower gas prices.

The North American-Made Energy Security Act, H.R. 1938, is a directive aimed at the President of the United States to encourage him to “expedite the consideration and approval of the construction and operation of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, and for other purposes” in order to bring Canadian oil to American refiners. The State Department’s own recently published study indicates that the Keystone XL project meets industry standards and does not significantly affect the environment.

The privately funded $13 billion project from TransCanada Corporation would be a boon to America’s crude oil imports, as the plan is to send 700,000 bpd, and up to 830,000 bpd if pumping capacity is increased, south to Texas refineries. However, it’s going to be up to the President to grant a permit, as the pipeline crosses the border between Canada and the United States. The project will either be approved or denied by him via an executive order.

A small segment of rabid and very vocal environmental extremists are against the project and are staging protests at the White House to get the President’s attention in this matter. Our economy relies on affordable transportation for goods and services, and commuters. Help keep American cars and trucks on the road and manufacturing possible by making sure the President knows both the people’s will in this matter and the sense of Congress in favor of this economically beneficial, “shovel-ready,” stable and affordable oil supply pipeline project that would create more jobs.

On July 26 the House passed H.R. 1938 by a vote of 279 to 147. On July 28, H.R. 1938 was read for the second time in the Senate and placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders.

NidStyles
02-22-2012, 01:38 AM
I was with you up until the Keystone part. I can't agree with anything that would ship the fuel off-shore. There's no reason to force Americans to deal with the environmental impact while no allowing them the benefit of having access to the results of said impact.

FrankRep
02-22-2012, 06:55 AM
I was with you up until the Keystone part. I can't agree with anything that would ship the fuel off-shore. There's no reason to force Americans to deal with the environmental impact while no allowing them the benefit of having access to the results of said impact.

You're not required to support all the bills, just support the ones you agree with.

FrankRep
02-23-2012, 07:52 PM
bump