Sen. Sherrod Brown's work to help Ohio's farmers is getting positive comments.
Dispatch:
Last Monday, Republican Senate candidate Josh Mandel flew to Washington for a series of
fundraisers. The same week, his Democratic opponent, Sen. Sherrod Brown, was helping guide the farm
bill through the Senate....
..But his (Brown's) work on the farm bill clearly has helped him. After he was first elected to the Senate
in 2006, he lobbied for a seat on the Senate Agriculture Committee, the first Ohio senator on that
panel in four decades....
“I’ll just say as far as agriculture goes, Sherrod Brown has been a champion,’’ said Anthony
Bush, a Morrow County farmer and chairman of the Public Policy Action Team for the National Corn
Growers. “I am going to vote for Sherrod Brown this fall. This will be the first time I have ever
voted for a Democratic senator from Ohio.’’
When it comes down to it, Sen. Sherrod Brown has worked to listen to and help Ohio's farmers.
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Have you ever heard that claim that Republicans in the House of Representatives have passed 30 jobs bills under Boeher? Karoli at
Crooks and Liars break down the lie:
...To make sure they back up their public claims with what might appear
to be "fact", they've built a page on the House of Representatives site
with a list of their so-called jobs bills,
which number 27 and not 30 as the Speaker claims. What follows is a
list and a brief explanation of why they are not jobs bills. Feel free
to share it widely with your friends who might be inclined to believe
Mr. Tobacco Lobbyist Check Distributor without questioning it.
HR 3630 - The Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act of 2011 - This bill does indeed extend the "docfix" and unemployment insurance for a year, but with a hefty price.
- In addition to freezing federal workers' pay for three years, it
requires issuance of a permit for the Keystone XL Pipeline in advance of
the proposed routing by Nebraska, suspends the newly-issued mercury
regulations and extends 100% expensing of business equipment (including
private jets). Another so-called "jobs bill", HR 1938, was passed giving a November 1, 2011 deadline for the Keystone pipeline.
- With regard to unemployment insurance benefits, it cuts the 99-week
maximum down to a 59-week maximum by mid-2012, allow states to drug-test
UI recipients, and allow states to reduce state unemployment benefits
and substitute federal funds. It also cuts funding for key provisions of
the Affordable Care Act coming online, and adds the requirement to
welfare payments that EBT cards cannot work in strip clubs, liquor
stores and casinos.
- Provisions were included to auction more broadband spectrum and
reclassify the 700mhz D Block as public safety broadband use only, which
would be a huge payoff to Verizon Wireless lobbyists, who won that block with requirements that it remain open, after Google challenged the auction process.
- It would force Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to pay increased guarantee
fees similar in scope to those due from large banks as a part of the
Dodd-Frank Act, means-tests unemployment insurance benefits and food
stamp programs and increases Federal employees' contributions to their
retirement system by 1.5% while freezing pay, so their pensions take a
double-whammy.
- Finally, it repeals the new timing rules for estimated corporate tax
payments for companies with assets of $1 billion or more so that they
can use payments of estimated taxes as a timing tool for fourth quarter
profit declarations.
None of the provisions outlined above create jobs. They called it a jobs act, but it was really just an act.
HR 1633 - Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011
This bill prevents
the EPA from issuing or finalizing regulations revising air quality
standards under the Clean Air Act, and excepts farm dust from all
references to "particulate matter."
No jobs there, but if anyone has ever suffered from Valley Fever, they might object to exempting dust, particularly farm dust, from the definition of particulate matter.
HR 10 - Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2011
Guts the regulation process by mandating that every regulation
promulgated by approved by Congress after an onerous submission process,
while exempting any Congressional finding from judicial review. Call
this one the Carte Blanche For Congress To Kill All Regulatory Authority Bill.
What it is not: A jobs bill.
HR 3010 - Regulatory Accountability Act of 2011
HR 3010 is a
modified, somewhat less onerous version of HR 10, setting guidelines for
whether any regulations are warranted at all even if called for under a
statute. Calling an anti-regulatory statute a jobs bill is a little
like calling a half-built bridge infrastructure. So again, not a jobs
bill.
HR 527 - Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2011
Ostensibly, HR 527
would reduce regulatory requirements on small businesses by forcing an
impact study with specific focus on small business before regulation is
adopted. It would limit EPA, OSHA and CFPB regulations while presumably
protecting "small" closely-held Subchapter S corporations like Koch
Industries. Not a jobs bill.
HR 3012 - Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act of 2011
HR 3012 would
expand job immigration beyond current limits by eliminating
employment-based immigrant visa caps and raising the percentage of total
visas granted to 15% from 7%. For this one, I'll say it IS a jobs bill,
but not a jobs bill for American workers. It is the "Elite Immigration
Jobs Bill of 2011".
HR 3094 - Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act
HR 3094 redefines collective bargaining units and makes significant changes to election procedures,
including one intended to intimidate employees: an employer-supplied
list of eligible voters with contact information provided by the
employee.
Not a jobs bill. A union-buster bill.
HR 2930 - Entrepreneur Access to Capital Act
HR 2930 exempts startups raising less than $1 million in venture capital from small investors from SEC registraiton and oversight.
Not a jobs bill. An anti-regulatory bill.
HR 2940 - Access to Capital for Job Creators Act
HR 2940 repeals
prohibitions on solicitation or advertising of a securities offering.
It's a companion to HR 2930, and is intended to allow people with no
relationship to a startup company to invest in it without any oversight
by the SEC. Let's call this and its evil twins HR 2930 and HR 1965 the
"Ponzi Scheme Coverup Acts of 2011"
HR 1965 - Securities Laws Amendment
HR 1965 changes
the shareholder threshhold for SEC registration from 500 to 2000
shareholders. It's not a jobs bill. It's a "hide from the SEC" bill. Its
companion, HR 1970, would exempt SEC registration of public offerings under $50 million rather than the current $5 million threshold.
Many More EPA Acts
So many they don't deserve to be broken down individually. HR 2273 removes coal ash regulation from the EPA and hands it to the states. HR 2681 would put a legislative stay on cement manufacturing emission standards. HR 2250 would put a legislative stay on EPA boiler MACT rules. HR 2401 would require analysis of all EPA regulations relating to air, waste, water and climate change. HR 2018
would restrict EPA from issuing any revisions to existing water
standards or issuing a new standard for a pollutant if the state has
already adopted one or there is an existing standard in place. In other
words, ignore any new scientific research after an initial standard has
been set. HR 2021 amends the Clean Air Act to open oil and gas exploration off the Alaska coast. HR 910
strips the EPA of authority to regulate greenhouse gases under the
Clean Air Act, a direct assault on efforts to limit man-made
contributions to climate change. HR 872 expands the use of pesticides, fungicides and rodent without EPA approval.
Many More Oil and Gas Drilling Acts
There is HR 1231,
which would require the Administration to allow offshore oil and gas
drilling and exploration in order to meet set domestic production goals,
effectively forcing the moratorium on offshore drilling to be lifted to
meet goals. HR 1229
requires the Energy Secretary to consider any offshore drilling permits
within 30 days of receiving it and provide application denials in
writing within 60 days of the application. Another "forced moratorium
lift" bill. HR 1230
forces sales of oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico and Outer Continental
Shelf of Virginia. It also lifts requirements for environmental impact
statements and grandfathers in a 2007 document as authority for
environmental impact.
Special Interest Legislation, or Pandering to Corporate Interests
- HR 1904 proposes an exchange of land so that Resolution Copper, LLC can mine copper on what is now part of the Tonto National Forest.
- HJ Res 37 is a resolution of disapproval on net neutrality.
- HR 2587 prohibits the NLRB from restricting where an employer can locate. This is in response to the NLRB's objection to the Boeing plant relocation to South Carolina, a right-to-work state.
These would fall under the anti-labor, anti-environment categories,
but not particularly effective job creators. In fact, in Boeing's case,
the jobs lost would hurt the economy more than jobs created in a
right-to-work state where employers are not obligated to adhere to
industry standards on contracts, safety or other issues.
Thank you, Karoli, for allowing us to share this important information! You can pass this information to those supporting former bank lobbyist, Steve Stivers. Stivers claims that he has participated in these "jobs" bills. Where are the jobs, Republicans? Why have the Republicans refused to pass legislation put forth by President Obama that repairs our bridges/roads/schools and creates hundreds of thousands of jobs?
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The
Other Paper has noticed Josh Mandel's exuberance to go after anonymous campaign donations and his reversals on his views of the past:
"....Mandel has already disavowed the principles of his college years when he supported domestic partner benefits and liked Al Gore...."
Just which special interest groups are funding Josh Mandel's campaign? Citizens United has enabled super secret groups to hide behind the curtain and push their own bizarre agendas. How do we know if Josh Mandel has agreed to carry their wishes and agendas into the U.S. Senate? We know that Mandel, if elected, has agreed to champion the Paul Ryan budget which would give vouchers to those on Medicare. What kind of disaster would that create?
If you've had any experience helping a parent work through the maze of Medicare and Medicare Part D, you can only imagine the disaster that vouchers would bring. If your elderly parent had difficulty with medical treatments and pharmacies, you know that looking for an insurance company that would take their voucher could create migraine headaches for everyone involved. How many times have you had to go to bat for your elderly parents because they did not get a reasonable response to their question? If you hate disasters, Paul Ryan's voucher plan is one to avoid.
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* In case you missed it---- According to various reports, toe aficionado and right wing pundit, Dick Morris, has endorsed Josh Mandel. Dick Morris does not live in Ohio. This is another example of someone from out of state trying to influence our elections.
