Republicans United Against Jobs and Against Helping the Unemployed

Ray LaHood passed up the allure of K Street to join President Obama’s Cabinet, but he’s been doing a lot of lobbying this week.

The former Illinois congressman, who is now Obama’s secretary of Transportation, is leaning on his ex-colleagues to back the president’s stimulus package. He has placed calls to a number of Republicans, including Reps. John Mica (Fla.), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), Steven LaTourette (Ohio), Shelley Moore Capito (W. Va.) and Charlie Dent (Pa.). LaHood told ABC News that he has called 11 House Republicans.

LaHood, who used to sit on the Appropriations Committee, has been trying to sell Republicans on the increased infrastructure spending that would go to their states.
Despite LaHood’s outreach, Mica, ranking member on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said that he is likely to vote against the measure.

Wow, the ranking member of Transportation voting against jobs!


And this is coming from a man who inanswer to the question about voters' wish for Congress to stop bickering and creating consensus, said this:

"I think folks who know me that (I) am probably one of the most bipartisan folks you ever met."

You can find that quote at about 14 min and 20 sec into this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ylBIS5x6Q

Back to the Hill article, what's even more distressing:

During an interview on CNN on Sunday, LaHood said he is having little luck
convincing his former House Republican colleagues to back the stimulus package.
“I’m going to do everything I can to help the president find the votes for the conference report once the Senate passes this. I’m going to work the phones, I’m going to talk to my former colleagues and do everything I can to persuade them that this bill really will put people to work.”
Democrats will have the votes to pass a stimulus bill in the House, but they privately
acknowledged that they were surprised that every voting Republican rejected the House-passed measure in late January.

Yeah, you heard that right,.......not one Republican voted for jobs. They want to work the old, tried, and failed formula of more of the same: Substantially just Tax Cuts.


Never mind that tax cuts will do nothing for our economy according to Mark Zandi:

Only $1.02 is generated in economic activity from every $1 in tax cuts.

Japan’s Big-Works Stimulus Is Lesson shows us that from every $1 invested in infrastructure projects in the 1990s, $1.37 in economic activity was created.

As far as helping the unemployed, Republicans would do well to realize that spending heavily to promote social development, is a good investment. Again Japan's experience shows that every dollar spent on spent on social services, like care for the elderly and monthly pension payments, created $1.74 of economic activity.

Many of the excessive additional tax cuts will do little to nothing for our economy, and will not benefit those who already have a reduced incomes or those who have already lost their jobs.

As the title of this blog entry says: Republicans are United Against Jobs and Against Helping the Unemployed. Survival of the fittest may be a quaint idea when the economy is flourishing, but it is outright irresponsible and disastrous during a recession

John Mica Hates Women and Children

Well, Mica started the legislative session of the 111th US Congress exceedingly poor. And he is not alone among Florida Congressmen, who are extremely out of touch with the needs of Floridians. Now more than ever, with 255,000 lay-offs state-wide over the last year, we need to protect our children.

Unfortunately John Mica voted No on extending S-Chip to 2013, as did Cliff Stearns, Ander Crenshaw, Bill Posey and Adam Putnam. H.R. 2 paves the way for up to 4 more million uninsured kids to obtain coverage. From an e-mail message sent by Florida CHAIN ( Community Health Action Information Network):

We greatly appreciate the support of Senators Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez, particularly Senator Martinez' vote in favor of extending coverage to legal immigrant children.
On the House side, 15 of Florida's 25 Representatives also voted in support, including 5 Republicans (Reps. Buchanan, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Diaz-Balart, Ros-Lehtinen and Young)!
Congratulations to all of the advocates who made calls to urge passage of this important legislation!

A few differences between the Hoouse version and the Senate version are being resolved. President Obama is then expected to quickly sign the bill, in contrast with the 2 vetoes issued by former President Bush.

Now you may ask how Mica did on a previous bill that supported women, HR 11, the Fair Pay Act, that recently passed the House, and was the very first bill signed into law by President Obama.
I'm sorry to report that John Mica didn't do any better there either, to assure that women get equal pay. And where is the outrage or even plain reporting by local media on this?

From a Press Release by NOW:

"This is an important first step in our efforts to undo years of backsliding on the right to be paid a fair and equitable wage," said National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy. "The Ledbetter bill will allow redress for workers with the energy and willpower to seek redress in the courts, but we have a long way to go before we have fair pay for women, and laws with real teeth."
While it is too late for her to receive the compensation she deserved from Goodyear and was denied by the Supreme Court, Lilly's determined quest for equal rights for women in the workplace led to today's Senate passage of the legislation introduced in her name.

The Ledbetter (Fair Pay) Act, which was blocked in the Republican-led Senate last year, will essentially reverse the 2007 Supreme Court decision that required workers to file charges on a pay discrimination claim within six months after receiving their first discriminatory paycheck.

So lets see how our Florida Republican Congressmen did on this one: NONE voted Yes for H.R. 11, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which was the very first bill Obama signed into law on Jan. 29th.

Before putting his pen to the paper, Obama said:

"Lilly Ledbetter did not set out to be a trailblazer or a household name. She
was just a good hard worker who did her job -- and she did it well -- for nearly
two decades before discovering that for years, she was paid less than her male
colleagues for doing the very same work. Over the course of her career, she lost
more than $200,000 in salary, and even more in pension and Social Security
benefits -- losses that she still feels today.
"Now, Lilly could have accepted her lot and moved on. She could have decided that it wasn't worth the hassle and the harassment that would inevitably come with speaking up for what she deserved. But instead, she decided that there was a principle at stake, something worth fighting for. So she set out on a journey that would take more than 10 years, take her all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States, and lead to this day and this bill which will help others get the justice she was denied. ...
"I intend to send a clear message: That making our economy work means making sure it works for everyone. That there are no second class citizens in our workplaces, and that it's not just unfair and illegal --
it's bad for business -- to pay someone less because of their gender, or their age, race, ethnicity, religion or disability."

I guess discrimination is ok for John Mica, Cliff Stearns, Ander Crenshaw, Bill Posey and Adam Putnam, and other Florida Republican Congressmen as long as the women finds out about it six months after her first discriminatory check. Good thing Adam Putnam is not running for re-election.

Here is my hope that the voters dump these out-of-touch Republican Congressmen who are hurting our women and children and elect Faye Armitage, Tim Cunha, Steven Blythe, Doug Tudor, and Jay McGovern if they decide to run again.

Un-Masking John Mica

Failure to Regulate and Lead

John Mica is a Hard-Core Conservative Anti-Regulation, Crony-Capitalism Career Politician. Click here for explanation of political philosophy.

3,500 Aviation Fatalities since John Mica's post on Aviation

Rep. Mica was named Chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation in 2001 and served through 2006. As the current minority leader of the House Transportation Committee, Mica serves on all six Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittees including the Aviation Subcommittee, and is thus resposnible for the proper functioning of the FAA.

The Subcommittee on Aviation has jurisdiction over all aspects of civil aviation, including safety, infrastructure, labor, and international issues. This jurisdiction includes all aspects of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) except for research activities, which are within the jurisdiction of the Science Committee.
Prior to the September 11th terrorist attacks, the number of air travelers in the United States had reached record levels and had begun to strain the existing infrastructure capacity. For several years after the attacks, the demand for air travel decreased and the impending capacity crunch was delayed while officials in the
Federal government, at the airlines and at airports dealt with many new security
issues.
Demand has returned to pre-9/11 levels, however, and the Subcommittee
will continue to contend with existing capacity and security concerns, as well
as an aging air traffic control system.
The Aviation Subcommittee is also traditionally the lead subcommittee with jurisdiction over the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal agency responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents and other transportation accidents.
The essential air service program, which ensures commercial air service to
smaller communities, the war risk insurance program, which provides insurance
coverage for commercial flights to high-risk parts of the world, and passenger
and cargo commercial space transportation also fall within the purview of the
Aviation Subcommittee.
The Subcommittee continues to exercise oversight jurisdiction over the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and continues to have jurisdiction over the impacts of transportation security on the aviation industry and aviation safety.
Issues and agencies under the jurisdiction of the Aviation Subcommittee include:
Federal Aviation Administration
Air traffic control modernization
Airport capacity
Airport Improvement Program grants
Aviation antitrust issues
Aviation labor, as governed by
the Railway Labor Act
Aviation safety
Aviation security, including the Transportation Security Administration
Commercial aviation
Essential air service for small communities
General aviation
International aviation
National Transportation Safety Board
War risk insurance
Commercial space transportation and tourism
Air carrier operations
Use of the navigable airspace

For a more complete description of the Subcommittee's jurisdiction, click here to link to the official Jurisdiction and Activities document for the Subcommittee on Aviation, as approved by the full Committee at the beginning of the 110th Congress.

While Mica sat on the Aviation Subcommittee and being a former Chair of the Aviation Suncommittee, where was his responsible oversight of the FAA?
FAA ignored Southwest Airlines violations

Regulators overseeing Southwest Airlines repeatedly allowed the airline to
escape punishment for safety violations because of a close relationship between
the airline and federal officials, according to a federal watchdog
investigation.

The inspector general's report found that Southwest violated more
federally required safety regulations than previously known. It also discovered
that FAA managers in North Texas didn't act on questions – raised as early as
September 2005 – about whether decisions to let Southwest off the hook violated
the FAA's own guidance about how its amnesty programs should be used.

And more recently:

FAA faulted for laxness on repair outsourcing

Nine U.S. airlines outsourced more than 70 percent of their major aircraft maintenance last year, and federal aviation officials' oversight of repair
facilities is lagging, according to a government report.
One-fourth of the outsourced maintenance is being handled by contractors overseas.
The Transportation Department's inspector general said the outsourcing, which has
more than doubled in four years, was of concern because the Federal Aviation
Administration has failed to closely track how much maintenance is farmed out
and where it is performed.

Now that's some kind of oversight!?! Just like our government had its eye on oversight of the financial industry. I just don't understand why voters continue to re-elect this bozo.

Like on so many of his votes he scores a failing grade in the Aviation Subcommittee.

How important is this?

Airline Industry. U.S. commercial aviation helps contribute to $1.2
trillion in output and approximately 11.4 million U.S. jobs. Between 2001 and
2005, the aviation industry posted $35 billion in cumulative net losses,
including a $5.7 billion net loss in 2005. Contributing to these losses are the
economic slowdown, a decline in business travel, the aftermath of the September
11th terrorist attacks, the SARS epidemic, increased competition within the
industry and, record fuel prices.

Several airlines declared bankruptcy and some
continue to restructure through that process. Recently, U.S. Airways withdrew
their bid to take over Delta Airlines, which is still in bankruptcy. Such a
merger could have had an adverse impact on fares, competition, and service to
small communities, and also might have sparked other mergers between large
network carriers.

We couldn't trust him when he promised to retire in 2004 ( as he reminded those in attendance at a Casselberry townhall meeting in 2002), and then lied about it only days before the 2008 election: "I have never signed any pledge to support term limits for members of Congress."


In 1994 Mica signed the Contract with America, which promised to restore the bounds of trust between the people and their elected representatives and included in its 10 point plan for America: Term limits on Congress

By supporting the Contract with America, he pledged to support term limits for members of Congress, and in fact he voted YES on H.J. 73:

The Citizen Legislature Act
An amendment to the Constitution that would have imposed 12-year term limits on members of the US Congress (i.e. six terms for Representatives, two terms for Senators). H.J.Res.73[7] rejected by the U.S. House 227-204 (a constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority, not a simple majority), 3/29/95;

RC #277.
If you look at the roll call vote, Mica voted Yes to the 12-year term limit. Mica has exceeded that “pledge” by 4 years…....


And now also considering the fact that John Mica head butted an ABC camera man, why the heck is he representing Distict 7?

Bottom-line: John Mica is an absolute embarrassment, and irresponsible with our safety and tax-payer monies!


But that's not all, despite his reasonable facade in his own district, he is known to be THE most partisan Bush apologist in Washington DC, with his theatrical performance on C-Span, blaming the financial meltdown with sub-prime mortgage crisis on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,........and John Mica even indirectly puts blame on our President Elect Barack Obama, before he was even elected!!!


Almost 150,000 people voted for Faye Armitage, John Mica's opponent in 2008,........so I guess they don't need to be reminded of what a Hard-Core conservative he is:
See Image above.

John Mica's Voting Record Revealed

I wonder if the voters in District 7 know about this:

• An F score with The Middle Class!!
• A 0% with the Disabled American Veterans in 2003, 2004 and 2005
• A 5% with the League of Conservation Voters

Watch Faye Armitage debate John Mica on Orlando's Local PBS station.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ylBIS5x6Q&NR=1

He takes a lot of credit for things, but never gets called on his voting record. Let him take responsibility.

It is time for Change: Vote Faye Armitage!

John Mica's Voting Record Exposed

And it doesn't look good.

Imagine an F score with The Middle Class!!

Sounds too weird to be true, right?

Well, that's what Faye Armitage said during a debate with him on Orlando's Local PBS station.

Check for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5ylBIS5x6Q&NR=1

John Mica, a National Embarrassment

Electing to U.S. Congress Faye Armitage of Fruit Cove -- an economist, mother of five, grandmother of three, she raised a disabled son (her son-in-law is in Iraq).
Eight-term incumbent John Mica is way too big for his britches, a national embarrassment. Mica's voted against raising the minimum wage and granting (unpaid) family and medical leave. Mica never apologized for taking money from the likes of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff or head-butting an ABC News cameraman upon leaving Tom DeLay's lobbyist party.
Mica's spends special-interest campaign contributions on travel/hotels/casinos/restaurants/bars/private clubs. See www.cleanupcityofstaugustine.blogspot.com. Ungracious Mica's guilty of goading "liberals," President Clinton ("a little booger") and social welfare recipients ("don't feed the alligators"). But as Record Senior Writer Peter Guinta reported, Mica's given earmarks to campaign contributors (that's corporate welfare). Mica wrote that he flew to Tibet to sell airplanes to China for Boeing (whose PAC contributed thousands to Mica's campaigns).
Economist Armitage will represent all of us and we can be proud to say that we finally have a Congressman who works to help people like us. No ninth term for Mica.

http://staugustine.com/stories/102608/opinions_1026_058.shtml

John Mica Turns $15,000 into $1 Million (or two)

No it wasn't hard work, ...........it was taking advantage of a government give-away.

The giveaway
The man who said those words was former
Federal Communications Commission chairman Mark S. Fowler, who was in charge of
the giveaway. The date was March 30, 1985. Fowler was addressing a Senate
subcommittee on communications, trying to get Congress to help him turn off the
spigot of public money.
It was a frustrating time for Fowler; nothing was
done, and the result was a five-year opportunity for a few thousand sharpies in
and out of government. Fowler’s welfare program was John Mica’s ticket
to easy millions.

It was called the cellular telephone service
lottery.
On announced occasions, beginning in 1984, in a windowless
room on the eighth floor of the FCC building, three big air-blown tanks full of
pingpong balls were activated as groups of 30 to 50 anxious players looked on.
Like Meyer Lansky or a Wisconsin tribe, the federal government was in the
gambling business. But players of FCC Cellular Bingo, unlike the naive pigeons
of Vegas, placed their bets for free or nearly free. And payoffs ranged from a
few million dollars to hundreds of millions.

http://www.orlandoweekly.com/util/printready.asp?id=957

Faye Armitage Signs Wounded Warrior Workplace Initiative

Bi-Partisan Group of Congressional Candidates Support Wounded Warrior Workplace Initiative

Staten Island, NY - former Assemblyman Bob Straniere, the conservative Republican candidate for Congress in New York’s 13th District, announced the initial list of congressional candidates joining The Wounded Warrior Workplace Initiative today. The program aims to have Congress hire more wounded military veterans and their families to their congressional staffs.
The Straniere Pledge is to hire at least one-third of his congressional staff from the ranks of American’s wounded military veterans or members of their immediate families. The Wounded Warriors Workplace Initiative is open to all wounded military veteran families regardless of where or when they served. Bob Straniere asked other congressional candidates to make the same pledge when he announced the initiative last week.
Bob Straniere said, “We have received an amazing amount of support from all over our nation for The Wounded Warrior Workplace Initiative. Democrats, Republicans and Independents have made The Straniere Pledge. This is a non-partisan effort and the nationwide movement continues to spread every day.”
Below are comments from some of the congressional candidates who have made The Straniere Pledge:
Democratic congressional candidate, Joel Gill from the 3rd District of Mississippi said when making the pledge, “These brave men and women gave their best and now it is our time to return what we can to them and their families.” For more information abut Joel Gill, please visit his website http://www.gillforcongress.org/.
Republican congressional candidate, Dan Mansell from the 2nd District of North Carolina said when making the pledge, “being a veteran myself, I feel we need to do everything we can to support our wounded soldiers.” For more information about Dan Mansell, please visit his website http://www.danmansell.com/.
Steve Beren, the Republican congressional candidate for the 7th District of Washington said when making the pledge, “Support for our nation’s veterans and active duty troops has been a paramount issue in my campaign, so I salute Bob Straniere’s initiative, and gladly commit to implementing the pledge with regard to my congressional staff if the voters send me to D.C.” For more information about Steve Beren, please visit his website http://www.berenforcongress.com/.
Republican congressional candidate, Delia Lopez from the 3rd District of Oregon said when making the pledge, “Being someone who has had family in the military, I support this initiative because the veterans are the ones who keep us being free.” For more information about Delia Lopez, please visit her website http://www.dlopezforcongress.com/.
Democratic congressional candidate, Paul Renneisen from the 22nd District of Florida said when making the pledge, “without question I support this great initiative and I have already hired a veteran on my staff.” For more information about Pual Renneisen, please visit his website http://www.renneisen2008.com/.
Bert Copple, Republican congressional candidate for Michigan’s 12th District said when making the pledge, “Employers often find it difficult understanding how military experience translates into real world experience. Things like leadership, loyalty, perseverance and duty are often overlooked. This pledge means more than just hiring wounded heroes - it’s an initiative to educate employers about the benefits of hiring veterans.” Copple continued, “I understand what our veterans go through, because I am a decorated Iraq War veteran living and working with a disability. That’s why I’m proud to make this pledge.” For more information about Bert Copple, please visit his website http://www.bertcopple.com/.
Texas Republican, John Faulk, who is a congressional candidate in the 18th District said when making the pledge, “As a veteran, I believe we should do everything possible to support all of our veterans.” For more information about John Faulk, please visit his website http://www.faulkforcongress.org/.
Lee Ferrell, who is a Republican congressional candidate in the 2nd District of Georgia said when making the pledge, “We can sleep safely at night thanks to what these brave men and women have done for our country.” For more information about Lee Ferrell, please visit his website http://www.leeferrell.com/.
Republican candidate for the 11th District of North Carolina, Carl Mumpower, said when making the pledge, “This initiative is a commendable effort to bring attention to veterans and their families.” For more information about Carl Mumpower, please visit his website http://www.mumpower08.com/.
Albert Spencer, the Republican candidate for the 5th District of South Carolina said when making the pledge, “I greatly support the initiative and I have already employed veterans for my staff.” For more information about Albert Spencer, please visit his website http://www.spencer4congress.com/.
Republican candidate for the 2nd District of Nevada, James Smack said when making the pledge, “I think this is an awesome idea and a great plan. I fully support the initiative.” For more information about James Smack please visit his website http://www.jamessmack.com/
Even two congressional candidates who recently lost the Republican primary in the 4th District of Tennessee made the pledge. Kent Greenough said, “Bob Straniere shows both leadership and compassion in his outspoken support of The Wounded Warrior Workplace Initiative. This demonstrates his willingness to take action and not just issue ‘feel good’ press releases. Bravo for Bob!” Greenough continued, “I can only hope the Members of our Congress will follow his lead.” Donald Strong stated, “As a Vietnam-era veteran, I take great pride in the actions taken by Bob Straniere. Bob’s Wounded Warrior Workplace Initiative is exactly what I would expect from a fellow veteran and patriot. Our Nation needs leaders like Bob Straniere, leader that are willing to stand up for those who would sacrifice life and limb so that others can continue to enjoy the freedom and privileges our great nation provides.” For more information about Kent Greenough and Donald Strong please visit their websites, http://www.kentgreenough.com/ and http://www.donaldstrong.com/.
United States Senate Candidate, Dr. Steve Sauerberg, has also joined The Wounded Warriors Workplace Initiative as the first U.S. Senate candidate to make The Straniere Pledge. Dr. Sauerberg is running for Senate in Illinois. For more information about Dr. Sauerberg, please visit his website http://www.sauerberg2008.com/.
In addition, the following congressional candidates have also made The Straniere Pledge:Charles Hargrave - California’s 9th District (Republican)David Crowlely - California’s 33rd District: http://www.crowley08.com/ (Republican)
Christopher Balding - California’s 34th District: http://www.baldingforcongress.com/ (Republican)
John Roberts - California’s 43rd District: http://www.johnbroberts.com/ (Republican)
David Lee Joy - California’s 51st District: http://www.davidleejoy.com/ (Republican)
Mark Mulligan - Florida’s 2nd District http://www.markmulliganforcongress.com/ (Republican)
Faye Armitage - Florida’s 7th District: www.FayeForCongress.com (Democrat)
Kevin Lehoullier - Florida’s 15th District (Republican)
Allen West - Florida’s 22nd District: http://www.allenwestforcongress.com/ (Republican)
Marion Thorpe - Florida’s 23rd District: http://www.marionthorpe.com/ (Republican)
Thomas E. “Pinkston” Harris - Maryland’s 3rd District: (Republican)David Dillon - Minnesota’s 3rd District: http://www.dillonforcongress.org/ (Independent)
Greg Gloeckner - Missouri’s 7th District: http://www.gloecknerforcongress.com/ (Democrat)
Roland Straten - New Jersey’s 8th District: http://www.rolandstraten.com/ (Republican)
Lee Zeldin - New York’s 1st District: http://www.zeldin08.com/ (Republican)Duane Grassell - Ohio’s 17th District: http://www.grassellforcongress.info/ (Republican)

Bob Straniere announced he will be meeting with leaders of Staten Island and Brooklyn’s Veterans Group to discuss implementing The Wounded Warriors Workplace Initiative on Wednesday, August 13, 2008. At 2 p.m. Bob will be meeting in Staten Island at 885 Annadale Road and at 4 p.m. he will be meeting in Brooklyn at The VFW Hall located at 9312 4th Avenue.
To learn more about Bob Straniere’s campaign please visit his website http://www.bobstraniere.com/.

FAYE ARMITAGE, The People's Voice in Congress!

........For Economic Justice
........For Energy Independence
........For Healthcare Security

I attended a fundraising dinner at Amici's in St Augustine for her and was very impressed with her speech. Faye Armitage is the ONLY candidate in the race against John Mica who has already worked on the issues that matter most to the people in Congressional District 7. Check out her website at: www.FayeforCongress.com

FAYE ARMITAGE: The People's Voice in Congress

........For Economic Justice
........For Energy Independence
........For Healthcare Security

I attended a fundraising dinner at Amici's in St Augustine for her and was very impressed with her speech. Faye Armitage is the ONLY candidate in the race against John Mica who has already worked on the issues that matter most to the people in Congressional District 7.

Check out her website at: http://www.fayeforcongress.com/

STOP Medicare Cuts of 10% in Dr. Payments

Veterans and Vet orgs lobbied long & hard to get this passed..the President vetoed it. But the House & Senate were able to override his veto, no thanks to John Mica.

the US Senate overrode the President's Veto of HR 6331 which would
replace the 10.6% cut in Medicare/Tricare cuts in physician reimbursements with a
modest increase of 1.1%.

Raise Hell with John Mica! Or better yet: VOTE HIM OUT OF OFFICE!!!

From: Veterans Helping Veterans Support Group Forum

John Mica = The Past

John Mica does not look to the future. His voting record shows that he is clearly stuck in the past and intends on staying there.

Voted NO on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies.

Creating Long-term Energy Alternatives for the Nation (CLEAN) Act

• Title I: Ending Subsidies for Big Oil Act--denying a deduction for income attributable to domestic production of oil, natural gas, or their related primary products.
• Title II: Royalty Relief for American Consumers Act--to incorporate specified price thresholds for royalties on oil & gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Title III: Strategic Energy Efficiency And Renewables Reserve--makes the Reserve available to accelerate the use of clean domestic renewable energy resources and alternative fuels.

Voted NO on investing in homegrown biofuel.

H.R.3221: New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security, and Consumer Protection Act: Moving toward greater energy independence and security, developing innovative new technologies, reducing carbon emissions, creating green jobs, protecting consumers, increasing clean renewable energy production, modernizing our energy infrastructure, and providing tax incentives for the production of renewable energy and energy conservation.

Voted NO on regulating the subprime mortgage industry.

H.R.3915: To reform consumer mortgage practices and provide accountability for such practices, to establish licensing and registration requirements for residential mortgage originators. Prohibits certain creditor practices with respect to high-cost mortgages, including:

• recommending default on an existing loan in connection with closing of a high-cost mortgage
• steering incentives to mortgage originators
• exercising sole discretion to accelerate indebtedness
• single premium credit insurance and
• negative amortization mortgages.

Voted NO on raising CAFE standards; incentives for alternative fuels.

Require a combined corporate average fuel efficiency [CAFE] standard for passenger automobiles and light trucks, including sport utility vehicles, of 26 mpg in 2005 and of 27.5 mpg in 2007. It also would offer incentives for alternative fuel vehicles.

Bill HR 4 ; vote number 2001-311 on Aug 1, 2001

Voted NO on starting implementation of Kyoto Protocol.

Vote on an amendment that would allow the implementation of the portions of the Kyoto climate change treaty that are already allowed under law. The Kyoto protocol of 1997, which aims to reduce emissions of certain greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, has not been ratified by the United States. The amendment would allow federal agencies, particularly the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] to implement procedures already allowed under law that are also part of the Kyoto accord before the treaty is ratified by Congress.

Reference: Amendment sponsored by Olver, D-MA; Bill HR 4690 ; vote number 2000-323 on Jun 26, 2000

Voted NO on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility.

Allows State Children's Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP), that require state legislation to meet additional requirements imposed by this Act, additional time to make required plan changes. Pres. Bush vetoed this bill on Dec. 12, 2007, as well as a version (HR976) from Feb. 2007.

Voted NO on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D.

Would require negotiating with pharmaceutical manufacturers the prices that may be charged to prescription drug plan sponsors for covered Medicare part D drugs.

These are just a few of John Mica's rubber stamp votes with the Bush administration.

Mica Votes NO to Relief for Homeowners

Florida is one of the states worst hit by the foreclosure crisis, . . . so many of our state residents have been devastated by losing their homes.

Many Republicans, particularly those from areas hit hardest by housing woes, were eager to get behind a housing rescue as they looked ahead to tough re-election contests. But NOT John Mica who decided to vote NO to the Homeowner Rescue Bill!

As always we can count on John Mica to be the rubberstamp for Bush, since Bush had long threatened to veto the bill:

The bill would let hundreds of thousands of homeowners trapped in mortgages they can't afford on homes that have plummeted in value try to escape foreclosure by refinancing into more affordable, fixed-rate loans backed by the Federal Housing
Administration. Lenders would have to agree to take a substantial loss on the existing loans, and in return, they would walk away with at least some payoff and avoid the often-costly foreclosure process.

In a rare Saturday session, the Senate voted 72-13 to send the bill to the President; the House had passed it Wednesday on a vote of 272-152 to provide mortgage relief for some 400,000 struggling homeowners.

Though Bush dropped his opposition to the measure just hours before the House vote, Mica was unrelenting. Adding yet another reason why Mica scores an F with http://www.themiddleclass.org/