Featured Bloggers - May 2006
Page 1 of 2
| Next
Today, Bush Republicans kicked off their campaign of dividing the country instead of addressing the real priorities of American families. Our country faces great challenges: record high gas prices, skyrocketing health care costs and an intractable war in Iraq. Yet instead of addressing these issues, Senator Frist has chosen to put the politics of division ahead of real progress by pushing for a debate on a divisive amendment that will write discrimination into the constitution.
This is exactly why the American people are looking for a new direction that puts their priorities ahead of partisan politics. Democrats stand ready with real solutions for the country. This Memorial Day, Democrats will be focused on the high cost of gasoline that is squeezing millions of American families who are filling their tanks and hitting the road this weekend. Unfortunately, Bush Republicans would rather focus on purely divisive maneuvers than real solutions that address the growing energy crisis.
This is exactly why the American people are looking for a new direction that puts their priorities ahead of partisan politics. Democrats stand ready with real solutions for the country. This Memorial Day, Democrats will be focused on the high cost of gasoline that is squeezing millions of American families who are filling their tanks and hitting the road this weekend. Unfortunately, Bush Republicans would rather focus on purely divisive maneuvers than real solutions that address the growing energy crisis.
It's time to increase the minimum wage.
This is a moral issue that has been ignored by the Republican Congress and President Bush, like so many of the critical concerns facing the nation. The minimum wage, stuck at $5.15 per hour, hasn't been touched since 1997. Since then, the cost of food, healthcare and childcare, and just about every other conceivable measure that determines the cost of living, has increased. A single parent making the minimum wage today earns $10,700 annually, more than $4,000 below the poverty line. Read More »
This is a moral issue that has been ignored by the Republican Congress and President Bush, like so many of the critical concerns facing the nation. The minimum wage, stuck at $5.15 per hour, hasn't been touched since 1997. Since then, the cost of food, healthcare and childcare, and just about every other conceivable measure that determines the cost of living, has increased. A single parent making the minimum wage today earns $10,700 annually, more than $4,000 below the poverty line. Read More »
In our political system, there is no more outrageous symbol of the power of money and the influence wielded by lobbyists (outside of Jack Abramoff) than the Medicare prescription drug bill.
Seniors were an afterthought in the writing of that legislation, as more than 900 lobbyists from the pharmaceutical industry and the HMO's massaged senators and representatives to produce the kind of legislation that only a corporate board member could love.
It's time to fix the mess. We need to keep the promise we made to America's seniors when the prescription drug bill was first being discussed. Read More »
Seniors were an afterthought in the writing of that legislation, as more than 900 lobbyists from the pharmaceutical industry and the HMO's massaged senators and representatives to produce the kind of legislation that only a corporate board member could love.
It's time to fix the mess. We need to keep the promise we made to America's seniors when the prescription drug bill was first being discussed. Read More »
Since Rick Santorum became the third ranking Republican in the Senate, and since George Bush became President, rising insurance premiums and rising costs for businesses have driven 714,000 Pennsylvanians out of the health insurance system. Those families are one accident, one illness away from financial ruin. The Senate, however, has done nothing to help fix this crisis. Read More »
Since the horrific attacks of 9/11, almost 5 years ago, we've heard a lot of talk about our homeland security. The simple fact is that we're not as prepared as we should be.
Last week I was honored to receive the endorsement of Pennsylvania fire fighters and the IAFF in Scranton, PA. Spending time with these first responders reinforced my resolve to make it my solemn duty, and highest priority, if I am elected to the United States Senate, to protect and defend the citizens of this great nation. Read More »
Last week I was honored to receive the endorsement of Pennsylvania fire fighters and the IAFF in Scranton, PA. Spending time with these first responders reinforced my resolve to make it my solemn duty, and highest priority, if I am elected to the United States Senate, to protect and defend the citizens of this great nation. Read More »
Today's Washington Post Crossword Puzzle
R. James Woolsey, former Director of Central Intelligence
"It is vitally important to our national security for us to move away quickly and decisively from dependence on conventional oil and its products, since two-thirds of the world's proven reserves are in the Middle East. The policies in the Clean EDGE bill that encourage advanced vehicles and transportation fuel choice would take us a substantial distance along the path toward that objective's becoming a commercial reality."
Navin Nayak, Program Director, Environmental Alliance
"For the past five years, President Bush and this Congress have pushed an energy policy focused on rewarding big oil at the expense of all Americans. This bill sets things straight by securing America's energy future first and putting big oil at the back of the line."
Tom Buis, President, National Farmers Union Read More »
"It is vitally important to our national security for us to move away quickly and decisively from dependence on conventional oil and its products, since two-thirds of the world's proven reserves are in the Middle East. The policies in the Clean EDGE bill that encourage advanced vehicles and transportation fuel choice would take us a substantial distance along the path toward that objective's becoming a commercial reality."
Navin Nayak, Program Director, Environmental Alliance
"For the past five years, President Bush and this Congress have pushed an energy policy focused on rewarding big oil at the expense of all Americans. This bill sets things straight by securing America's energy future first and putting big oil at the back of the line."
Tom Buis, President, National Farmers Union Read More »
Last night the voters of Pennsylvania sent a strong signal across the state and across the nation. Pennsylvania Democrats stand united and they are focused on one thing: sending a new face to the United States Senate.
I want to give my sincere thanks to my supporters, volunteers and my staff for helping us take a big step closer to the goal of changing Washington. Most of all, I want to thank the Pennsylvania voters for choosing to put their support behind me once again. Read More »
I want to give my sincere thanks to my supporters, volunteers and my staff for helping us take a big step closer to the goal of changing Washington. Most of all, I want to thank the Pennsylvania voters for choosing to put their support behind me once again. Read More »
Someone once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." What a perfect quote to describe America's energy crisis.
We need lower prices, energy independence and more security - but we have Republican leaders who keep proposing the same solutions, "Drill, Drill, Drill."
"Drill, Drill, Drill" is never going to deliver the results we need. Look at the last five years. Oil imports have increased from 55% to over 60%, and gasoline prices have doubled since Bush and Cheney came to office. Common sense says if we want different results, we need a different direction.
Today, Democrats are unveiling our plan to bring sanity to America's energy policy. It's called the "Clean EDGE Act." Our legislation will achieve real results - like energy independence and affordable energy - because it will transform America's approach.
Instead of "Drill, Drill, Drill," it calls for a policy that deploys the latest technology and relies on American ingenuity. It's a bold bill that will move America in a new direction. Because the Federal government must do more than watch while OPEC and oil companies make billions and Nevadans pay 33 cents more for their gas this month.
We need lower prices, energy independence and more security - but we have Republican leaders who keep proposing the same solutions, "Drill, Drill, Drill."
"Drill, Drill, Drill" is never going to deliver the results we need. Look at the last five years. Oil imports have increased from 55% to over 60%, and gasoline prices have doubled since Bush and Cheney came to office. Common sense says if we want different results, we need a different direction.
Today, Democrats are unveiling our plan to bring sanity to America's energy policy. It's called the "Clean EDGE Act." Our legislation will achieve real results - like energy independence and affordable energy - because it will transform America's approach.
Instead of "Drill, Drill, Drill," it calls for a policy that deploys the latest technology and relies on American ingenuity. It's a bold bill that will move America in a new direction. Because the Federal government must do more than watch while OPEC and oil companies make billions and Nevadans pay 33 cents more for their gas this month.
We need a long-term strategy to fix our broken immigration system. Congress must pass comprehensive immigration reform to secure our borders, enforce our laws, and bring 12 million undocumented immigrants out of the shadows. The president got off to a good start tonight, but now he must stand up to right-wing members of his own party who are working to block Senate action. He should denounce the misguided approach of House Republicans, and exercise his leadership to get the job done.
First and foremost, I want to take this opportunity to thank Senator Reid for allowing me to have a seat at the Candidate's Table on his blog and share some of my thoughts and ideas with you, his online community. Senator Reid has shown unparalleled leadership as Minority Leader in the Senate and I can assure you that I am doing everything I can to make him the Majority Leader in 2007.
As some of you may already be aware, tomorrow is the Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania and, as I'm sure you can imagine, I'm extremely busy aggressively campaigning all over the state, gathering support. It still amazes me that I can make this post while driving in the car.
The Pennsylvania primary election tomorrow mirrors the opportunities we have as Democrats all across the country. 2006 gives us the opportunity to send out a strong message: the values that unite us as Democrats are stronger than anything that might divide us and it's time for a change. Read More »
As some of you may already be aware, tomorrow is the Democratic primary election in Pennsylvania and, as I'm sure you can imagine, I'm extremely busy aggressively campaigning all over the state, gathering support. It still amazes me that I can make this post while driving in the car.
The Pennsylvania primary election tomorrow mirrors the opportunities we have as Democrats all across the country. 2006 gives us the opportunity to send out a strong message: the values that unite us as Democrats are stronger than anything that might divide us and it's time for a change. Read More »
Summer is a time for Hollywood blockbusters. Those big budget movies
that attract large audiences and the biggest movie stars.
This third week of May, we have a blockbuster of our own in the Senate. It's a
sequel. Immigration Part II.
We know how the first installment went, and we know there was not a happy ending.
The Senate's first attempt at immigration reform was flawed from the beginning.
This is a complex, emotional issue, but the Judiciary Committee was given only a few
days to consider a bill that was hundreds of pages long. Why? Because they were
working under an arbitrary deadline set by the Majority to get a bill to the floor. Read More »
that attract large audiences and the biggest movie stars.
This third week of May, we have a blockbuster of our own in the Senate. It's a
sequel. Immigration Part II.
We know how the first installment went, and we know there was not a happy ending.
The Senate's first attempt at immigration reform was flawed from the beginning.
This is a complex, emotional issue, but the Judiciary Committee was given only a few
days to consider a bill that was hundreds of pages long. Why? Because they were
working under an arbitrary deadline set by the Majority to get a bill to the floor. Read More »
On 9/11, Osama Bin Laden and his cohorts struck at symbols of American strength - business through the World Trade Towers, military might at the Pentagon, and our government with the foiled attempt aimed at the Capitol Building.
But the true target of these attacks was the wellspring of our strength, the values upon which our Nation stands: individual freedom, the separation of power among the three branches of government, the rule of law, and the fierce pride these values arouse in all Americans who rise to defend them at every threat. Read More »
But the true target of these attacks was the wellspring of our strength, the values upon which our Nation stands: individual freedom, the separation of power among the three branches of government, the rule of law, and the fierce pride these values arouse in all Americans who rise to defend them at every threat. Read More »
People ask how Elizabeth and I came to settle in Nevada, and I say that I had little to do with it. We were living in Bermuda in the spring of 2001, and I was watching a ball game on TV when E called me over to the computer. She had a virtual tour of a condo on the internet. When asked what I thought, I responded, "It looks like a condo." She said that it was: "Do you mind if I buy it?" Read More »
Today I joined with House and Senate leaders and hundreds of seniors from around the country to call on President Bush and Congressional Republicans to extend the enrollment deadline for the Medicare prescription drug plan.
Here is some of what I told the crowd: Read More »
Here is some of what I told the crowd: Read More »
I told a group of Young Democrats at the State Democratic Convention that this election in 2006 is the most significant I have ever witnessed. The early 1970s found our country dealing with Vietnam and Watergate, but there was also a feeling that our government was, however gradually, moving in the right direction. In 1968 President Nixon was elected on a promise to get us out of the war, something he ultimately did. In 1973-4 the Watergate scandal stimulated the Congress to take action. In its oversight capacity the Senate began an investigation into actions taken by the Executive Branch which led to a House vote to initiate impeachment hearings.
Those times were turbulent but largely hopeful. The checks and balances in our government were intact. Read More »
Those times were turbulent but largely hopeful. The checks and balances in our government were intact. Read More »
George Bush's tax plan offers next to nothing to average Americans while giving away the store to multi-millionaires. The tax reconciliation bill giveaway on capital gains and dividends will do much more for ExxonMobil board members than it will do for ExxonMobil customers. Their tax plan takes the country in the wrong direction.
Our national deficits arise because we spend more than we collect. We borrow the difference largely from China and Japan. And if we don't pay back these debts, our children or their children will have to.
The Republican-controlled Congress in conjunction with the Bush Administration has proven that our childrens' money is not safe in their hands. They have added $3 Trillion to the debt since 2001, taking it from $6 Trillion to $9 Trillion. The shortfall in 2005 alone according to the U.S. Treasury's financial report was $760 Billion.
Between 1991 and 2002 there was a "pay as you go" policy in place for our government. That policy simply said if you want to spend more money, cut somewhere else or raise taxes. It worked. It was responsible. The Republicans tossed it out. And when the pay-go policy ended, the door opened to a flood of lobbyists in Washington who all wanted their not-so-fair share. Read More »
The Republican-controlled Congress in conjunction with the Bush Administration has proven that our childrens' money is not safe in their hands. They have added $3 Trillion to the debt since 2001, taking it from $6 Trillion to $9 Trillion. The shortfall in 2005 alone according to the U.S. Treasury's financial report was $760 Billion.
Between 1991 and 2002 there was a "pay as you go" policy in place for our government. That policy simply said if you want to spend more money, cut somewhere else or raise taxes. It worked. It was responsible. The Republicans tossed it out. And when the pay-go policy ended, the door opened to a flood of lobbyists in Washington who all wanted their not-so-fair share. Read More »
The Republican medical malpractice bills before the Senate today do not represent a serious attempt to improve health care or civil justice in the United States. Moving to these bills is a tired political exercise, and the Senate should reject it out of hand.
To think with American consumers paying over 3 dollars for gas, with college tuition moving beyond the reach of many in the middle-class, with the Iraq war dead approaching 2,500, with immigration a security crisis unresolved, with our country's deficit standing at 9 trillion dollars, with 46 million Americans lacking health care coverage, we are moving to bills that are unnecessary and go nowhere. It is wrong. Read More »
To think with American consumers paying over 3 dollars for gas, with college tuition moving beyond the reach of many in the middle-class, with the Iraq war dead approaching 2,500, with immigration a security crisis unresolved, with our country's deficit standing at 9 trillion dollars, with 46 million Americans lacking health care coverage, we are moving to bills that are unnecessary and go nowhere. It is wrong. Read More »
First, I'd like to thank Senator Reid for the opportunity to write at his "Candidates Table" here at Give 'Em Hell, Harry. I look forward to working with him as part of the Nevada delegation.
For the next week, I'll be posting about the problems facing our country, some ideas for solutions, and a little more about myself so that you can get to know me. I'd also like for these posts to be more of a discussion, so I encourage you to leave comments so that we can start a dialog.
I am very concerned that the Republicans currently in charge of our government are leading our country down the wrong track. A departure from our core American Values has led us down this path. Read More »
For the next week, I'll be posting about the problems facing our country, some ideas for solutions, and a little more about myself so that you can get to know me. I'd also like for these posts to be more of a discussion, so I encourage you to leave comments so that we can start a dialog.
I am very concerned that the Republicans currently in charge of our government are leading our country down the wrong track. A departure from our core American Values has led us down this path. Read More »
Page 1 of 2
| Next
Posts by Month
Posts