Granholm plans to release prisoners to save $$

A bipartisan plan in the Michigan Legislature seems to be trying to release inmates to try to save around a hundred million dollars from the budget. I'm all in favor of saving money, but the fact remains that if a criminal is locked up in prison, that criminal isn't out committing more crimes. With the ricitivism rate as high as it is, does cutting sentences really mean we're going to save money when the vast majority of those released will wind up back in the system once again after an expensive trial?

No end for jammed prisons
Gov's inmate release plan won't solve budget and space crisis
Norman Sinclair / The Detroit News

DETROIT - Despite Gov. Jennifer Granholm's plan to release up to 5,500 inmates to shave $92 million of the state's $686 million deficit, experts say the money and bed space crisis will continue as long as some 30 percent of the inmate population -- or 16,000 prisoners -- remains locked up even though they are eligible for parole.

"We need fundamental reforms to reduce the prison population that was driven up in the last 20 years -- not by crime but by policy choices the state made," said Barbara Levine, executive director of the Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending, a prison spending policy advocacy group.

Deputy Corrections Director Dennis Schrantz recently predicted that without the release of the 5,500 inmates, the system will run out of beds by September. And a recent Pew Foundation study predicts Michigan's prison population will increase 11 percent by 2011.

Inmate Ross Hayes, for example, has cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars for his upkeep. He was first eligible for parole 23 years ago.

Hayes was 16 in 1974 and high on drugs and alcohol when he stabbed and killed an 89-year-old homeowner who returned home unexpectedly and surprised him during a burglary.

A psychologist said Hayes had the emotional maturity of an adolescent, and a probate judge reluctantly ordered Hayes tried as an adult. His lawyer advised him to plead guilty to second-degree murder in return for a life sentence with a chance for parole after 10 years.

Hayes is now 49 and serving his 32nd year in prison. He has an excellent prison record and has earned a GED and two associate's degrees. He converted to Christianity and got married in 1998.

In 2001, Dale Daverman, great-nephew of the victim, was surprised to discover that Hayes was still in prison and visited him. Since then, Daverman has been an advocate for Hayes' release.

"I am absolutely convinced that Ross Hayes is sincere and has remorse for what he did. My father, brother, and I feel Ross has paid his debt to society," Daverman wrote the parole board's chairman that year.

But Hayes has repeatedly been turned down for parole.

Both parties want reform

In a statement to The Detroit News, Granholm said sweeping reforms she is proposing will reduce prison population while keeping residents safe.

"(The plan) calls for revisions to Michigan's sentencing guidelines, increased use of community-based sanctions for appropriate offenders, reinvestment of funding for local criminal justice services, expansion of the bipartisan prisoner re-entry program and paroling more prisoners into this successful program that has shown a double-digit improvement on recidivism," the governor said.

Legislative changes in sentencing guidelines in the 1990s produced "truth in sentencing" requiring prisoners to serve all their time behind bars. The change also wiped out halfway houses and community facilities used to ease prisoners back into society before parole.

The state's financial crisis is creating a new bipartisan spirit for reform. On March 29, state Rep. Paul Condino, D-Southfield, introduced a bill aimed at strengthening and spelling out parole guidelines.

It would also make the board accountable for following those guidelines to grant parole.

The bill sets guidelines for parole and makes parole decisions transparent and subject to appeal. It would also require the board to account for exceptions it makes when refusing parole.

Condino could not be reached for comment.

State Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, said he, too, has convened a subcommittee to take up prison reform of parole.

"Having practiced law in that area. I have often wondered why we got rid of the appeal process in the parole system, because it does take away the discretion of the court and gives full authority to the parole board, which has become a very political entity. I am all in favor of bringing back discretion to that process," Bishop said.

"Any way we can make the system better, we ought to be looking at it. Instead of just talking about commutation of prisoners, you've got to fix the system before you can just implode it and walk away."

The Corrections Department and the parole board are already seeing positive results by taking a less rigid approach to parole involving a group of 4,153 nonviolent non-sex offenders previously rejected for parole.

Parole board more flexible

In January 2005, the board began taking second looks at the group who would not have been considered for parole again for 12 to 24 months.

That closer look resulted in parole for 2,076, according to a Corrections Department memo dated Jan.8.

CAPPS and a State Bar of Michigan group that deals with prison issues believe other reforms need to go no further than a return to policies abandoned in 1992. At that time, Gov. John Engler pushed legislative changes that abolished a supervisory parole commissions as well as the civil service parole board and replaced it with political appointees.

CAPPS calculates that adoption of Condino's bill and three other reforms could reduce the prison population to pre-1922 levels of 42,000.

The three reforms are:

Capping the time some of the 3,700 technical parole violators are serving in prison for violations that did not involve a new crime.

Reinstate good time credits similar to what inmates earn in federal and other state prisons, which would cut average sentences by 15 percent at a savings of $100 million.

Rescind a board policy that treats parolable life sentences as natural like sentences. Hayes and 800 other inmates fall into this group.

State Rep. Rick Jones, R-Oneida, who was Eaton County sheriff for 33 years and a jail administrator for five years, supports these recommendations.

"We are incarcerating people longer than the states around us at a cost of millions of dollars," Jones said.

It's about time

Marc Corriveay, a Democrat from Northville, has the right idea. He's seeking to end the use of state-owned vehicles by Supreme Court justices and Court of Appeals judges. Sounds like the kind of cost-cutting Michigan needs. The annual $400,000 it saves may not seem like much but enough of these small, baby steps will bridge the budget deficit.

Democrats launch bid to take state-owned vehicles from judges
April 16, 2007
by Chris Christoff
Free Press Lansing Bureau

LANSING - House Democrats plan to announce plans today to end the use of state-owned vehicles by Supreme Court justices and Court of Appeals judges.

Rep. Marc Corriveau, D-Northville, is to sponsor legislation to end the long-standing perk, detailed in a Free Press report April 8.

The report noted that in addition to nine Supreme Court justices and 28 appeals judges, 10 Supreme Court staff members are also given cars for personal use and official court business, at a total cost to the state of $423,000 last fiscal year.

The practice of giving taxpayer-funded cars to high court judges dates to 1965.

Tim Noah on Robert Novak

Friday, Tim Noah continued his assault on Robert Novak on slate.com.

Noah states that the legal distinction between "undercover" and "covert" in regards to Ms. Plame's classification status, does not matter. What does matter:

1. Of course, the legal definition of Plame's status is critical. Did Richard Armitage commit a crime by mentioning Plame's name to Novak? Did other members of the Executive -- notably Scooter Libby and Karl Rove -- commit a felony by mentioning her name to the press? I may be in the minority here, but I actually care if Armitage, Rove, or Libby broke a law here. If they did, they should go to jail. If they did not, we should move on from the issue.
2. As a result of the leak of her name, Ms. Plame resigned from the CIA. She indicated that public knowledge that she worked at the CIA, even though no one has been very specific ass to exactly what it was that she did, was enough to keep her from being able to continue to work at the CIA. Is this really the case? Was it the reveal of her identity in and of itself that somehow prevented her work at the CIA or was it her association with the hack-job garbage report that her husband produced and the appearance of impropriety of him ostensibly being recommended by her?
3. Was there any threat to national security? Anything like, oh, mentioning that we could tap Osama Bin Ladin's satellite phone, or dissemination of the fact that we don't hang up the phone when a foreign national who is overseas and has a tapped line happens to call someone in the U.S., or the publication of the names of actual foreign-based CIA operatives, or trying to unconstitutionally engage foreign powers in surreptitious diplomacy against the Administration's policies, or exposing covert actions inside of Iran to try to prevent Iran from using nuclear weapons.

The bottom line of what shocks me is that the press seems hell-bent on riding Novak, Rove, and Libby for the reveal of Plame's identity but no one is upset in the least when an AP writer decides on her own to publish the identities of two CIA field operatives who were engaged in interrogation activities while in Afghanistan because she's taken it upon herself to decide what is and is not proper interrogation techniques. (Note -- there's a reason there's no link to this article. Further publication of the identities of these individuals is in no one's best interests.)

What is most frustrating about this situation is that actual undercover agents engaged in actual covert activity are revealed with impunity and no one cares. Valerie Plame , who was probably not actively engaged in undercover activity in the recent past, has her name leaked and the left is up in arms. It is frustrating that the only concern that people seem to have is trying to "get" Karl Rove and other members of the Administration, not trying to safeguard our nation's security.

Quote of the Day

Congress finds the following:

(2) In declaring, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness', the drafters of the Declaration of Independence, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the World, derived the creative cause of nationhood from 'the Laws of Nature' and the entitlements of 'Nature's God', such literal referrals in the Declaration of Independence thereby serving to celebrate the unity of human thought, natural law, and spiritual causation. - HR808 IH

Perhaps it's just me, but the so-called "Department of Peace and Nonviolence" that Reps Kucinich, Kilpatrick, Conyers, Rangle, et at, want to institute is rather frightening. They're looking to institute a new cabinet position under religious pretext and give it power over every other cabinet position, most notably the departments of Treasury, State, Defense, and Education; institute governmental approved propagandist education for all school levels; interfere in local and state government, manage the media and free press; interfere with diplomacy with the U.N. and with foreign powers, and to set policies involving conflict within the home.

Frankly, the idea of having a religious leader with powers in the U.S. that overarch all government at all levels, conflicts within the home, and interaction between the U.S. and foreign powers is rather frightening, particularly when it's Dennis Kucinich and Carolyn Kilpatrick whose religious leader is being foisted upon us.

Hillary Clinton, Sen. D-NY Offical Voting Record

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) Current Office: U.S. SenatorCurrent District: Junior SeatOffice Seeking: U.S. SenatorFirst Elected: 11/07/2000Last Elected: 11/07/2006Next Election: 2012Party: Democrat BiographicalIssue Positions(NPAT)Campaign FinancesInterest Group RatingsVoting RecordSpeeches and Public Statements
Currently, the newly designed and written 104th - 109th (1995-present) Congressional sessions are available. However, the historical portion of the Key Votes program is still under construction.In the meantime, for information concerning Key Votes from 1991-1994, please call our Voter's Research Hotline at 1-888-VOTE-SMART (1-888-868-3762) and one of our researchers can look up any vote you need.

Date
Bill Title
Vote
03/17/2005
Unintended Pregnancy Amendment
Y
10/21/2003
Prohibit Partial-Birth Abortion bill
N
10/21/2003
Prohibit Partial-Birth Abortion bill
N
06/21/2002
Military Abortion Amendment
Y
Agriculture Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
05/08/2002
Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002
Y
02/13/2002
Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002
Y
Appropriations(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
03/29/2007
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill of 2007
Y
03/27/2007
Iraq Withdrawal Amendment
N
07/12/2006
Transit Security Amendment
Y
06/22/2006
Defense Department FY 2007 Authorization bill
Y
06/15/2006
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2006
Y
05/04/2006
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2006
Y
05/03/2006
Influenza Vaccine Injury Compensation Amendment
Y
05/02/2006
Sugarcane Growers Funding Amendment
N
12/21/2005
Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations bill
Y
12/21/2005
Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations bill
N
11/16/2005
Commerce, Justice, Science, Appropriations Bill FY 2006
Y
11/15/2005
Defense Department FY2006 Authorization bill
Y
11/10/2005
Foreign Operations FY2006 Appropriations Bill
Y
11/03/2005
Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA Appropriations Act
Y
10/27/2005
After School Funding Amendment
Y
10/27/2005
Labor, HHS, Education, FY 2006 Appropriations bill
Y
10/26/2005
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Funding Amendment
N
10/20/2005
Transportation, Treasury, HUD, Judiciary, Appropriation
Y
10/07/2005
Defense Department FY2006 Appropriations bill
Y
10/05/2005
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Amendment
Y
09/22/2005
Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA Appropriations Act
Y
07/29/2005
Interior Department FY 2006 Appropriations Bill
Y
07/29/2005
Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2006
Y
07/20/2005
Foreign Operations FY2006 Appropriations Bill
Y
07/19/2005
US Agency for International Development Amendment
N
07/14/2005
Increase the Number of Detention Beds Amendment
N
07/14/2005
Homeland Security Department FY 2006 Appropriations Act
Y
07/11/2005
Air Cargo Security Programs Implementation Amendment
Y
07/01/2005
Energy and Water Appropriations bill FY 2006
Y
06/29/2005
Interior Department FY 2006 Appropriations Bill
Y
05/10/2005
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2005
Y
04/21/2005
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2005
Y
04/18/2005
Future Military Funding for Iraq Amendment
Y
09/21/2004
Legislative Branch FY2005 Appropriations Bill
Y
07/22/2004
Defense Department FY2005 Appropriations bill
Y
06/24/2004
Defense Department FY2005 Appropriations bill
Y
03/12/2004
Budget Appropriations, FY2005 resolution
N
01/22/2004
Omnibus FY2004 Appropriations Bill
N
11/12/2003
Fiscal 04 Military Construction Appropriation-Adoption
Y
11/06/2003
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004
Y
11/06/2003
Department of Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations,
Y
09/25/2003
Terrorism Information Awareness bill
Y
09/16/2003
Energy and Water Appropriations, FY 2004 bill
Y
07/24/2003
Homeland Security Appropriations, FY 2004 bill
Y
07/17/2003
Terrorism Information Awareness bill
Y
07/11/2003
Emergency Supplemental Appropriation, FY 2003 bill
Y
04/03/2003
Appropriations for Operations in Iraq
Y
02/13/2003
Fiscal 03 Omnibus Appropriations-Adoption
Y
01/23/2003
Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003
N
10/16/2002
Department of Defense Appropriations, FY2003 bill
Y
08/01/2002
Department of Defense Appropriations, FY2003 bill
Y
07/25/2002
Legislative Branch Appropriation, FY2003 bill
Y
07/24/2002
Supplemental Appropriations, FY2002 bill
Y
07/18/2002
Military Construction Appropriations Act FY2003
Y
06/07/2002
Supplemental Appropriations, FY2002 bill
Y
12/07/2001
District of Columbia FY2002 Appropriations bill
Y
12/04/2001
Department of Transportation Appropriations Act FY 2002
Y
11/15/2001
Agriculture FY2002 Appropriations bill
Y
11/15/2001
Appropriations bill FY2002, Commerce, Justice, State
Y
11/08/2001
Veterans Affairs and HUD Appropriations Act of 2002
Y
11/06/2001
Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations Act, 2002
Y
11/01/2001
Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act 2002
Y
11/01/2001
Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2002
Y
10/18/2001
Military Construction FY2002 Appropriations bill
Y
10/17/2001
Interior Department Appropriations for FY 2002
Y
09/26/2001
Military Construction FY2002 Appropriations bill
Y
Budget, Spending and Taxes(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
03/23/2007
Congressional Budget for 2008
Y
08/03/2006
Death/EstateTax and Minimum Wage Bill of 2006
N
05/11/2006
Tax Reconciliation bill
N
03/16/2006
Debt Limit Increase Resolution
N
03/16/2006
Natural Resources and Environment Funding Amendment
Y
03/16/2006
2007 Budget Resolution
N
03/16/2006
Education Funding Amendment
Y
03/14/2006
Reinstate Pay-As-You-Go through 2011 Amendment
Y
02/02/2006
Tax Reconciliation bill
Y
12/21/2005
Budget Reconciliation bill
N
11/18/2005
Tax Reconciliation Bill
Y
11/17/2005
Pay As You Go Amendment
Y
11/17/2005
Tax Rate Amendment
Y
11/17/2005
Earned Income Tax Credit Amendment
Y
11/17/2005
Hurricane Victims Tax Benefit Amendment
Y
11/17/2005
Temporary Tax on Crude Oil Amendment
Y
11/03/2005
Medicare Prescription Drug Amendment
Y
11/03/2005
Pay As You Go Amendment
Y
11/03/2005
Budget Reconciliation bill
N
04/28/2005
Budget FY2006 Appropriations Resolution
N
03/17/2005
Education Amendment
Y
03/17/2005
Perkins Vocational Education Program Amendment
Y
03/17/2005
Budget FY2006 Appropriations Resolution
N
03/17/2005
Tax Subsidy for Domestic Companies Amendment
Y
03/17/2005
Homeland Security Grant Program Amendment
Y
03/17/2005
Native American Funding Amendment
Y
10/11/2004
JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Strength)
Y
09/23/2004
Increased Child Tax Credit bill
Y
05/11/2004
Jumpstart Our Business Strength (JOBS) Act
Y
04/29/2004
Internet Access Tax bill
Y
05/23/2003
Jobs and Economic Growth bill
N
05/15/2003
Jobs and Economic Growth bill
N
04/11/2003
Congressional Budget for fiscal year 2004
N
03/26/2003
Budget Resolution FY2004
N
03/19/2003
ANWR Oil Drilling Amendment
Y
05/26/2001
Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act, 2001
N
05/23/2001
Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act, 2001
N
05/10/2001
Fiscal Year 2002 Budget Resolution
N
Business and Consumers(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
11/17/2005
Price-Gouging During Emergencies Amendment
Y
11/03/2005
Targeted Case Management Amendment
Y
07/26/2005
Corporate Financing of Terrorism Amendment
Y
03/10/2005
Bankruptcy Reform Bill
NV
03/08/2005
Violent Protestor Amendment
Y
03/07/2005
Minimum Wage Amendment
N
03/07/2005
Minimum Wage Amendment
Y
04/08/2004
Pension Funding Equity Act of 2004
Y
07/15/2002
Accounting Industry Reform bill
Y
06/18/2002
Terrorism Insurance Bill
Y
Campaign Finance and Election Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
10/16/2002
Help America Vote Act of 2002
N
04/11/2002
Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act of 2001
Y
03/20/2002
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001
Y
02/27/2002
Equal Protection of Voting Rights Act of 2001
N
04/02/2001
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001
Y
03/26/2001
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001
Y
03/21/2001
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act - Union Amendment
Y
03/20/2001
Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2001
Y
Civil Liberties(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
06/27/2006
Flag Desecration Constitutional Amendment
N
Congressional Affairs(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
11/10/2005
Investigating Contracts in Iraq Amendment
Y
10/18/2005
Congressional Pay Raise Amendment
Y
09/15/2005
Financial Relief For Hurricane Katrina Victims Amend
Y
09/14/2005
Special Committee on Contracts in Afghanistan and Iraq
Y
09/14/2005
Congressional Commission on Hurricane Katrina
Y
10/23/2003
Congressional Pay Raise Amendment
N
Defense(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
11/15/2005
Status of Detainees Substitute Amendment
Y
11/15/2005
Judicial Review of Detainees Amendment
Y
11/10/2005
Detainees at Guantanamo Bay Amendment
N
11/08/2005
National Commission on Detainees Amendment
Y
07/26/2005
National Defense Authorization Act - Cloture
N
06/23/2004
Military Construction FY2005 Authorization bill
Y
11/12/2003
Fiscal 2004 Defense Authorization - Conference Report
Y
10/17/2003
Emergency Appropriations for Iraq and Afghanistan
Y
05/22/2003
Fiscal 2004 Defense Authorization-Passage
Y
12/13/2001
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002
Y
10/02/2001
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002
Y
Education(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
10/26/2005
Elementary and Secondary Education Act Amendment
Y
10/26/2005
Individuals with Disabilities Education Amendment
Y
10/25/2005
To Increase The Maximum Federal Pell Grant Amendment
Y
05/13/2004
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act
Y
05/13/2004
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act
Y
12/18/2001
No Child Left Behind Act
Y
Employment and Affirmative Action(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
05/11/2004
Unemployment Benefits Amendment
Y
Energy Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
08/01/2006
Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006
Y
03/16/2006
ANWR Revenues Amendment
N
03/16/2006
LIHEAP Funding Amendment
Y
11/03/2005
Alaska Judicial Review Amendment
Y
10/26/2005
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Amendment
Y
07/29/2005
Energy Policy Act of 2005
N
06/28/2005
Energy Policy Act of 2005
Y
06/16/2005
Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Amendment
Y
06/16/2005
Reduction in Dependence on Foreign Oil
Y
06/14/2005
Environmental Effects Caused by Ethanol Amendment
N
03/16/2005
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Drilling Amendment
Y
07/31/2003
Energy Omnibus bill
N
06/10/2003
Reduction of Foreign Oil Dependence Amendment
Y
06/10/2003
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Amendment
Y
04/25/2002
Securing America's Future Energy (SAFE) Act of 2001
N
Environmental Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
12/21/2005
Removal of ANWR Provision from HR 2863
Y
11/03/2005
ANWR Amendment
Y
09/13/2005
EPA's Clean Air Mercury Rule
Y
10/30/2003
Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003
N
Executive Branch(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
03/20/2007
United States Attorneys Act of 2007
Y
12/07/2006
Andrew von Eschenbach, Commissioner of Food and Drugs
Y
12/06/2006
Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense
Y
05/26/2006
Michael Hayden Confirmation
N
01/31/2006
Samuel Alito, Associate Justice
N
09/27/2005
John Roberts, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
N
06/20/2005
Second cloture motion on John Bolton, Ambassador to UN
N
06/14/2005
Thomas B. Griffith, US Circuit Judge
N
06/09/2005
Richard A Griffin, US Circuit Judge
Y
06/09/2005
Janice R Brown, US Circuit Court
N
06/09/2005
William H. Pryor, Jr., US Circuit Judge
N
06/09/2005
David W. McKeague, US Circuit Judge
Y
05/26/2005
First cloture motion on John Bolton, Ambassador to UN
N
05/25/2005
Priscilla R. Owen, US Circuit Judge
N
05/24/2005
Motion to invoke cloture on Priscilla R. Owen
Y
04/21/2005
John Negroponte, Director of National Intelligence
Y
02/15/2005
Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security
Y
02/03/2005
Alberto R. Gonzales, for Attorney General
N
01/26/2005
Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State
Y
01/06/2005
Objection to Presidential Electoral Vote Certificate
N
10/28/2003
Michael Leavitt, Adiminstrator of the EPA
Y
01/22/2003
Thomas Ridge, Secretary of Homeland Security
Y
02/01/2001
John Ashcroft for Attorney General
N
01/30/2001
Christine Todd Whitman for Administrator of the EPA
Y
01/30/2001
Gale Ann Norton for Secretary of the Interior
N
01/24/2001
Norman Y. Mineta for Secretary of Transportation
Y
01/24/2001
Thompson for Secretary of Health and Human Services
Y
01/23/2001
Martinez for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Y
01/23/2001
Anthony Principi for Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Y
Family and Children Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
07/25/2006
Teen Pregnancy Education Amendment
Y
07/25/2006
Child Custody Protection Act
N
07/14/2004
Federal Marriage Amendment
N
04/10/2003
Enhance AMBER Alert bill
Y
02/24/2003
Enhance AMBER Alert bill
Y
Foreign Aid and Policy Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
09/07/2006
Media in the Middle East Amendment
N
03/16/2006
National Defense Funding Amendment
N
11/15/2005
Iraq Progress Reports Amendment
Y
11/15/2005
Reporting Matters in Iraq Amendment
Y
12/07/2001
International Courts Amendment
Y
Government Reform(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
11/19/2002
Homeland Security Act of 2002
Y
Gun Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
07/13/2006
Firearm Confiscation Prohibition Amendment
N
07/29/2005
Firearms Manufacturers Protection bill
N
07/28/2005
Child Safety Lock Amendment
Y
03/02/2004
Firearms Manufacturers Protection bill
N
Health Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
11/03/2005
Medical Assistance and Prescription Drug Amendment
Y
11/03/2005
Hurricane Health Care for Survivors Amendment
Y
11/03/2005
Medicaid Generic Drug Amendment
Y
10/27/2005
AIDS Drug Assistance Program Amendment
Y
03/17/2005
Medicaid Amendment
N
06/27/2003
Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit bill
N
07/31/2002
Greater Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals Act
Y
06/29/2001
Patients' Bill of Rights bill
Y
Immigration(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
10/31/2006
Secure Fence Act of 2006
Y
07/13/2006
Double-Layered Fencing Amendment
N
06/20/2006
Triple-Layered Fencing Amendment
Y
05/25/2006
Confidentiality Requirement Amendment
N
05/25/2006
Immigration Reform Bill
Y
05/24/2006
H-2C Visa Program Ammendment
Y
05/23/2006
Employer Verification Amendment
Y
05/23/2006
Orange Card Program Amendment
Y
05/18/2006
"State Criminal Alien Assistance Program" Amendment
Y
05/18/2006
English as Unifying Language Amendment
Y
05/18/2006
English As National Language Amendment
N
05/17/2006
Employment-based Immigrant Visa Amendment
N
Labor(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
06/21/2006
Minimum Wage Adjustment Amendment
Y
06/21/2006
Increasing Minimum Wage Amendment
N
03/06/2001
Ergonomics Regulations resolution
N
Legal Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
02/10/2005
Class Action Fairness Act of 2005
N
04/22/2004
Victims' Rights bill
Y
03/25/2004
Unborn Victims of Violence Act 2004
N
Military Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
03/15/2007
United States Policy in Iraq Resolution of 2007
Y
09/28/2006
Military Commissions Act of 2006
N
09/28/2006
Habeas Review Amendment
Y
09/28/2006
Oversight of CIA Interrogation and Detention Amendment
Y
09/28/2006
Military Commissions Amendment
Y
09/06/2006
Cluster Munitions Amendment
N
06/22/2006
Troop Redeployment Amendment
N
02/02/2006
Military Funding and Tax Cuts Amendment
Y
05/21/2004
Condemning Iraq Abuse of Prisoners resolution
Y
10/11/2002
Use of Military Force Against Iraq
Y
National Security Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
09/13/2006
Security of Cargo Containers Amendment
Y
09/12/2006
National Security Amendment
Y
07/12/2006
Rail and Transit Security Amendment
Y
07/11/2006
FEMA Amendment
Y
07/11/2006
USEMA Amendment
N
03/02/2006
USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization
Y
12/16/2005
USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization
N
07/14/2005
Disclosure of Classified Information Amendment
Y
10/06/2004
National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004
Y
10/25/2001
USA Patriot Act of 2001
Y
09/14/2001
Military Force Authorization resolution
Y
Science and Medical Research(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
07/18/2006
Stem Cell Research Bill
Y
Senior and Social Security Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
02/02/2006
Medicare Part D Amendment
Y
11/17/2005
Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Amendment
Y
11/03/2005
Medicare Premiums Amendment
Y
11/03/2005
Prescription Drug Plan Amendment
Y
03/17/2005
Prescription Drugs Amendment
Y
Social Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
06/07/2006
Same Sex Marriage Resolution
N
06/11/2002
Hate Crimes Bill
Y
Technology and Communication(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
10/22/2003
Reduction of SPAM bill
Y
09/25/2003
Do-Not-Call Registry bill
Y
09/16/2003
FCC Media Ownership bill
Y
Trade Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
09/19/2006
U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation
Y
06/29/2006
U.S. -Oman Free Trade Agreement
Y
07/28/2005
CAFTA Implementation Bill
N
06/30/2005
CAFTA Implementation Bill
N
07/07/2003
U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
Y
07/07/2003
U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
Y
08/01/2002
Trade Act of 2002
N
Transportation Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
07/29/2005
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users
Y
05/17/2005
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users
Y
02/12/2004
Highway Trust Fund bill
Y
06/12/2003
Aviation Administration FY2004-2006 Authorization bill
Y
09/21/2001
Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act
Y
Veterans Issues(Back to top)
Date
Bill Title
Vote
02/02/2006
Tax Rate Extension Amendment
Y
11/17/2005
Additional Funding For Veterans Amendment
Y
10/05/2005
Health Care for Veterans Amendment
Y
Vote Key
YNNVPYPN
YeaNayNot Voting, Excused, Absent, or PresentPair YeaPair NaySelection and Descriptions of Key Votes Program
Project Vote Smart provides easy access to Congressional and State voting records and maintains a collection of key votes grouped by issue. Key votes typically include the initial passage of legislation and final conference report votes versions (the compromised versions of bills passed in separate House and Senate version). PVS uses a criteria to select key votes:1. The vote should be helpful in portraying how a member stands on a particular issue2. The vote should be clear for any person to understand3. The vote has received media attention4. The vote was passed or defeated by a very close margin5. Occasionally, a specific bill is consistently inquired about on the PVS Hotline; the vote is added to the web site
Descriptions of the votes are written by PVS staff and based on information included in the Congressional Record and or State House and Senate Journals, with additional background information from newspapers, magazines, etc. PVS provides summaries for each selected key vote. The summary does not necessarily reflect the final version of the bill.
Key votes selected by PVS staff go through an approval process before web site posting, with political scientists and journalists of opposing viewpoints reviewing both the selection and the content. This is to ensure clarity, relevance, nonpartisanship and accuracy. After the approval process is completed, the votes are ready to go into the database and subsequently on-line.

Here it comes?

The one thing most proven by the Iraq invasion is how ridiculously powerful the U.S. is when they're fighting a symmetrical war. The U.S. could easily wipe out the entire Iranian military in a matter of a few weeks with a very small incidence of harm to civilians in comparison to the damage done to the Iranian military. The big problem comes in holding a country they've invaded.

The solution? Don't invade Iran.

Bomb the hell out of their military infrastructure so they won't be a problem again, leave the civilian infrastructure unscathed (including dual-use sites, such as power plants and bridges) and prove the power and restraint the U.S. possesses.


Russian intelligence sees U.S. military buildup on Iran border

Moscow, March 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russian military intelligence services are reporting a flurry of activity by U.S. Armed Forces near Iran's borders, a high-ranking security source said Tuesday.

"The latest military intelligence data point to hightened U.S. military preparations for both an air and ground operation against Iran," the official said, adding that the Pentagon has probably not yet made a final decision as to when an attack will be launched.

He said the Pentagon is looking for a way to deliver a strike against Iran "that would enable the Americans to bring the country to its knees at minimal cost."

He also said the U.S. Naval presence in the Persian Gulf has for the first time in the past four years reached the level that existed shortly before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

Col-Gen. Leonid Ivashov, vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Sciences, said last week that the Pentagon is planning to deliver a massive air strike on Iran's military infrastructure in the near future.

A new U.S. carrier battle group has just been dispated to the Gulf.

THe USS John C. Stennis, with a crew of 3,200 and around 80 fixed wing aircraft, including F/A-18 Hornet and Superhornet fighter-bombers, eight support ships, and four nuclear submarines are heading to the Gulf, where a similar group led by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has been deployed since December 2006.

The U.S. is also sending Patriot anti-missile systems to the region.

"Put Michigan First"

Below is an editorial on the FRONT PAGE of the Detroit Free Press yesterday.

It may just seem to be a naive, simplistic, "let's just get ANYTHING" done statement which completely ignores the entire differences between the two sides - it does lead me to wonder why the two sides can't at least work together to bridge part of the gap. Why can't the two sides get together and piece together a set of spending cuts which will at least get the government part of the way to their goals? If they can chop between one-third and one-half of the budget, then it will at least shore up how drastic the cuts have to be later. There has to be SOMETHING the two sides can agree on. Getting a partial package in place immediately is a critical first step.

Put Michigan first - now
April 1, 2007

Two crises grip Michigan: economic and leadership.

The forces behind the first are, in part, global and national. There are no such excuses for lack of leadership. Governor Jennifer Granholm and her political counterweight, state Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, have done next to nothing to resolve a budget mess that creates a great uncertainty in business, schools, and local governments.

This stalemate threatens to wreck Michigan's credit rating, saddle the state with a reputation for fiscal buffoonery and suck away more tax dollars to higher interest payments.

Granholm and Bishop have thrown competing plans on the table and declared the other's dead. That's not leadership. That's gamesmanship, and the situation in Michigan is too critical for games.

Now the governor is running around to her constituent groups telling them to send letters and e-mails to the Legislature backing her position. She's imposing small, overdue spending controls and announcing plans to shut down state government next month. House Republicans are leading a petition drive against tax increases, and the Senate is taking the next two weeks off.

For whom are these people working? Not the taxpayers of Michigan, that's for sure.

The Detroit Free Press rarely in the last century has given front-page space to its editorial opinions. But when people ask us, "What on earth is going on in Lansing?" we feel compelled to say in this prominent way "nothing much" except partisan hissing.

It's shameful.

After some small-change cuts and accounting gimmicks, the state still has a $686-million budget shortfall for a fiscal year with only six months to go. The longer it takes to fix that, the more drastic the solutions and the more damage done to the state's already deteriorating reputation among investors.

Whether it's the spending cuts Republicans demand or combined cuts and tax increases as the governor proposes, it has to be something. Right now, folks, we have nothing.

A basic negotiating tactic: Find one common principle and build on it with hard give-and-take that's considered successful if everybody leaves the table a little unhappy. Why isn't this happening in the Capitol?

How bad must things get before this state's so-called leaders realize whom they signed on to work for -- and lead?

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may have committed a felony in traveling to Damascus this week, against the wishes of the President, to communicate on foreign policy issues with Syrian President Bashar Assad. The Logan Act makes it a felony and provides for a prison sentence of up to three years for any American, "without the authority of the United States" to communicate with a foreign government in an effort to influence that government's behavior on any "disputes or controversies with the United States."

- Robert F. Turner, former Assistant Secretary of State, in The Wall Street Journal

Three words...

...ethanol, diesel, & biodiesel.

Strong Possibility Gas Will Rise to $4
Oil Prices Ease as Iran Hostages Are Freed, But Analysts Say High Demand to Keep Prices High

April 4, 2007 - For the past two weeks, Iran has not just been holding 15 British soldiers captive, it's been holding the world's oil markets hostage, too.

"There's been a $5 or $6 premium that's been built into the price of oil over this," said Phil Flynn, vice president and energy analyst at Alaron Trading. "Even though this crisis has ended, the oil market is still on guard that the tensions in the Middle East are going to continue."

But by the end of Ahmadinejad's television appearance it was apparent that the soldiers were heading home, and the price of a barrel of oil started to retreat from recent highs, giving up more than $1 to drop to about $64.

Analysts say that the price reduction should hold during the coming days but won't translate into lower prices at the pump.

"Things are looking pretty bad for the upcoming summer driving season," said Flynn, citing a new government report showing that the U.S. stockpiles of gasoline fell by 5 million barrels in the past week, much more than analysts were expecting.

Flynn said he believes gasoline prices will head into record territory - currently a nationwide average of $3.07 - by the height of the summer season.

"This is the time of year when we're supposed to be building supplies, but it seems like the refiners just can't get ahead of what has been very, very strong demand," he said.

Today's report shows that the national supply of gas is at the low end of its average range for this time of year, meaning the United States will have less gas in the tank before the peak summer driving season in the coming months.

Analysts said that puts the country on the edge, making any disruption in supply - such as a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico refining regions or an expansion of the crisis in the Middle East - that much more dangerous.

"Everyone asks me, will we see $4 a gallon? And the answer is, there is a strong possibility that we may see $4 a gallon," said Flynn.

Quote of the Day

Drew Lane, WRIF -

Why is it that the person who raises the most money is automatically the front-runner, even if they're not a good candidate?

How the surge can work

In dilbertblog today, Scott Adams asks how the surge can work:

How the surge can work:

1. Various leaders of Al Qaeda and insurgent groups are captured or killed. This has already happened in at least one situation, in the case of Ahmed Farhan Hassan, who was captured last week.
2. Allowing diplomacy an opportunity to work. Having a peaceful Baghdad and Anbar allow the Iraqi government and U.S. diplomats to work with local leaders to sway their support from insurgents and Al Qaeda to the Iraqi government. This has already happened in Anbar province, where many local tribal leaders have repudiated Al Qaeda and have persuaded many of their people to join the Iraqi military or police forces.
3. Imposing a cease-fire between the Sunni and Shiia militias which have been engaging in revenge killings with each other. There's a hope that an imposed cease-fire will allow the individuals and opportunity to honorably allow the Iraqi government and U.S. forces to protect their populations which they felt were threatened by the other side.
4. Give the local economy a chance to rebuild. As people see that having the Iraqi government and U.S. forces a peace that allows them to go to work, open their shops, and try to find a normal way of life in a freer Iraq they will see a strong difference between what the Iraqis and U.S. are trying to impose - safe, normal life - and what Al Qaeda and the militias are trying to impose - violence and lawlessness. This will sap local support from the militias and Al Qaeda.
5. Give the Iraqis a chance to build up. The entire U.S. strategy to this point has been "Stand down as the Iraqis stand up." This has been difficult, to say the least, as untrained, green Iraqis and recruits are killed by insurgents an Al Qaeda. giving the Iraqis time to fully train and equip their military and police forces without having their recruits and raw forces killed by terrorist attacks will put them in position to maintain the peace.

Since when is that a protest?

1) When you're throwing objects at people, that's not a protest. That's a riot.
2) When you're throwing objects at people, that's not peaceful. That's assault.

If you want to protest, get a sign and shout some slogans. Don't engage in violence.

Students Pelt Karl Rove In Protest

WASHINGTON - White House Advisor Karl Rove was the target of a protest on the American University campus Tuesday night, News4 reported Rove was on the campus to talk to the College Republicans, but when he got outside more than a dozen students began throwing things at him and at his car, an American University spokesperson said.

The students then got on the ground and laid down in front of his car as a protest. The students said security officials picked them up and carried them away, so Rove could leave. Police said they have dealt with a lot of protests on campus and this one was handled peacefully. No one was arrested.

Seriously...?

What? You mean that when they said that , "The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration," they mean that Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes? Note: This is the FULL text of the amendment, not an excerpt. I honestly don't know what these "tax protesters" are thinking.

Tax protester gets more than 2 years

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A man who contended that he was not required to pay income tax, and whose case led to an indictment against actor Westley Snipes, was sentenced Tuesday to 27 months in prison.

Arthur L. Farnsworth, 43, of Sellersville, was also fined $500 and ordered to cooperate with Internal Revenue Service investigators in documenting his finances and beginning to pay his tax debt of almost $83,000, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on its Web site.

He told the jury that his own research had convinced him that federal tax payments were voluntary. Prosecutors argued that his research was created to cover his political beliefs.

Prosecutors said Farnsworth transferred his money to overseas bank accounts and put it into bogus trusts to try to hide his income. A raid on his home in 2002 found documents detailing some of the trust funds, leading to a nationwide probe of fraudulent trusts. That led to charges against other people, including Snipes, the star of the "Blade" movies.

Snipes, who is awaiting trial, has said he is a scapegoat and was unfairly targeted by prosecutors, and he has suggested he was taken advantage of.

Quote of the Day

John Bolton, Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations on CNN -

"If I were sitting in Tehran, I would say, 'I played this card against the Brits and they did everything but plead with me to give these people back.' I think that tells the Iranians quite a bit about European resolve."

I will reiterate my position:

1) State vociferously that the seizure was an invasion of Iraqi territory and an act of war against the U.K. I would give them 48 hours to hand over the captives unconditionally.

2) If this does not happen, order the seizure by SAS / SBS of the Iranian oil refinery port and institute a naval embargo on the nation. I would give them 48 hours to hand over the captives unconditionally. I would invoke the NATO treaty at this point, indicating that the initial seizure of U.K. marines and sailors is a military strike against a NATO member and, thus, a strike against all NATO nations.

3) If this does not work, bomb strategic military assets, including the nuclear material centrifuge, military air bases, anti-aircraft positions, and army barracks. Also, I would patrol the Iraqi-Iranian border and annihilate any military unit which comes even remotely close to the border.

That's just me, though. The world is probably better off that I am not in charge of the U.K.

Quote of the Day

Don Luskin, National Review Online -

"Global warming 'deniers' are attacked, not because they stand against a scientific consensus, but because they stand against a powerful liberal special interest group: the environmental lobby. Meanwhile, free-trade 'deniers' are lionized, despite the fact that they stand against a scientific consensus and because they stand with a powerful liberal special-interest groups: unions."

Put Michigan First

Below is an editorial on the FRONT PAGE of the Detroit Free Press yesterday.

It may just seem to be a naive, simplistic, "let's just get ANYTHING done" statement which completely ignores the differences between the two sides - it does lead me to wonder why the two sides can't at least work together to bridge part of the gap. Why can't the two sides get together and piece together a set of spending cuts which will at least get the government part of the way to their goals? If they can chop between 1/3 and 1/2 of the deficit off the whole then it will at least shore up how drastic the cuts have to be later. There has to be SOMETHING the two sides can agree on. Getting a partial package in place immediately is a critical first step.

Put Michigan first - now
April 1, 2007

Two crises grip Michigan: economic and leadership.

The forces behind the first are, in part, global and national. There are no such excuses for lack of leadership. Gov. Jenifer Granholm and her political counterweight, state Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, have done next to nothing to resolve a budget mess that creates great uncertainty in business, schools and local government.

This stalemate threatens to wreck Michigan's credit rating, saddle the state with a reputation for fiscal buffoonery and suck away more tax dollars to higher interest payments.

Granholm and Bishop have thrown competing plans on the table and declared the other's dead. That's not leadership. That's gamesmanship, and the situation in Michigan is too critical for games.

Now the governor is running around t her constituent groups telling them to send letters and e-mails to the Legislature backing her position. She's imposing small, overdue spending controls and announcing plans to shut down state government next month. House Republicans are leading a petition drive against tax increases, and the Senate is taking the next two weeks off.

For whom are these people working? Not the taxpayers of Michigan, that's for sure.

The Detroit Free Press rarely in the last century has given front-page space to its editorial opinions. But when people ask us, "What on earth is going on in Lansing?" we feel compelled to say in this prominent way "nothing much" except for partisan hissing.

It's shameful.

After some small-change cuts and accounting gimmicks, the state still has a $686-million budget shortfall for a fiscal year with only six months to go. The longer it takes to fix that, the more drastic the solutions and the more damage done to the state's already deteriorating reputation among investors.

Whether it's the spending cuts Republicans demand or combined cuts and tax increases as the governor proposes, it has to be something. Right now, folks, we have nothing.

A basic negotiating tactic: Find one common principle and build on it with a hard give-and-take that's considered successful if everybody leaves the table a little unhappy. Why isn't this happening in the Capitol?

How bad must things get before this state's so-called leaders realize whom they signed on to work for -- and lead?

Quote of the Day

From kf on slate.com:

"Kabuki Watch? Here's the question: If it's

a) in the Congressional Democrats' interest to try but fail to use their
funding power force a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq (it shows the antiwar left Pelosi is trying without giving Dems responsibility for a messy Iraq outcome),

and it's

b) in the Bush administration's interest to have Congressional Dems' try but fail to use their funding power to force a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq (it lets Bush continue the "surge" while giving him the threat of a Dem-forced pullout with which to pressure the Maliki government),

then

c) isn't it true that what probably will happen in that the Congressional Dems try to fail to use their funding power to force a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq?

Just asking!

I hope it's just an elaborate political dance. Even if it is, though, I know how demoralized it made me to know that the House of Reps had sold out the troops. I can't imagine how demoralizing it was for the troops in the field. The surge was just starting to show results - based on statistical evidence (troop deaths were down), first-hand Iraqi accounts (such as through Iraq the Model), and reports from the military commanders in charge - and just as things were finally getting better, here they have an Unconstitutional surrender order come from Congress. It had even been couched in the same sort of "Peace with honor" garbage that precipitated the retreat from Vietnam in the face of the Khamer Rouges massacres. I just hope that this provision gets stripped out or the President vetoes it and we get a legitimate bill through rapidly so we can make sure that the troops have sufficient quantities of armor, ammunition, equipment, and supplies.

On a tangential note: why is it that the Democrats are so quick to want to implement the 9/11 study group's recommendations but are anathema to the Iraqi study group's recommendations?

Quote of the Day

Editorial in the Daily Telegraph -

"There may be neither political will nor public support for an invasion of Iran, but we do have the power to hurt that country grievously without committing our forces to another long haul, and the threat must be made explicit: release these prisoners, or else."

Quote of the Day

Lorne Gunter, National Post (Canada) -

Mars's ice caps are melting, and Jupiter is developing a second giant red spot, an enormous hurricane-like storm. Neptune's moon, Triton, studied in 1989 after the unmanned Voyageur probe flew past, seems to have heated up significantly since then. Even Pluto has warmed slightly in recent years. And I swear, I haven't left my SUV idling on any of those planets or moons.

Quote of the Day

Christopher Hitchens, in today's Slate.com article "Mesopotamia Split?"

"At present, it seems that some Democrats are interpreting public disillusionment with Iraq as a mandate for isolationism and for treating a country that occupies a keystone position between Iran and Saudi Arabia as if it were negligible or irritating or an obstacle to plans for universal health care or the arrest of global warming. That this is a huge historical mistake is the least offensive way of putting it."