Has anyone else noticed that Rep. Hastings did not vote on the MLK Jr. resolution even though he was in Washington and managed to vote for an appropriations measure that same day? Both party caucuses supported the resolution honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and encouraging us to make his holiday a national day of service. If the local newspaper were to simply publish Congressional votes once a week; we, the public, would have factual information and then we might wonder what’s up with Doc.
Blogroll
Archives
- February 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
other than protecting Tom DeLay just what has Hastings accomplished in the U.S. House for all of his terms of service? Hastings embodies the meaning of “as useful as teats on a boar” .
Since they don’t put their voting record in the paper, this is a good website to use… http://www.govtrack.us/ it has a lot of very good information, for example Doc Hastings missed 272 (3%) of 10035 votes since Jan 4, 1995. and Brian Baird missed 272 (4%) of 7512 votes since Jan 6, 1999. It gives you all the information you can imagine…I highly recommend it. When you get on the home page, scroll down to the link that says Members of Congress, then from there just select the state, and you can look up any statistics and voting records you want.
Hastings doesn’t have a very good record at all when it comes to voting on civil rights issues and protecting minorities. He is however a specialist when it comes to protecting corporations from the citizenry.
During the time of this particular vote, he may have been off listening to Limbaugh, to appreciate his perspective on how to treat people of color.
Apparently he was packing to fly home. Hastings was in Yakima Friday to visit with US Forest Service tenants. He is about to introduce a bill that will cap the annual leases on cabin owners. The current system which was introduced in 2000 is unworkable because appraisal practices that rely on private land sales have almost no comparables to work with and, as a result, have overstated leasehold values. It is a problem that deserves a solution.
For the Congressman, this is mostly politics. If he can get credit for reducing forest service cabin leases he might stay in favor with outdoorsmen who would otherwise question him about his other friends: Peabody Coal among many mining and coal PACs, Exxon-Mobile among many oil and energy PACs. The minority chair of the natural resources committee has some very big dirty energy friends.
Eleanor
As a minority chair of the natural resources committee, wouldn’t it stand to reason that he WOULD have friends in the very companies that he deals with and has to communicate with?
…and takes fat donations from, so they can make sure they always have a friend in Congress? Peabody isn’t mining any coal around these parts. ExxonMobil has never drilled for oil in the 4th LD. Of course, they sure know how to drill the consumers at the pump, and Hastings helped make that happen.
Do you think the congressman will attend any of the MLK Jr. events held anywhere tomorrow?
This morning I watched a bit of TV with my three year-old grandson. Part way into a biopic on Harrison Ford and just after watching a snatch of President Obama’s Boston speech, he broke in to announce, “Obama has a friend who likes to fight.” I asked, “What does he fight over?” He answered, “He fights for peace.” I leaped for it, “Oh, the friend is Martin Luther King Jr.” With a delighted smile my grandson told me that his teacher had shown the class a photograph and told them about King’s message of peace. There is a legacy and we trust that it will endure.
This is not lost on the rest of the world either, Eleanor. My friends in England have kids in their equivalent of the 11th grade, and their ethics class (a graduation requirement) watched the Inauguration in January, and then freely commented on it’s importance to the world. The teacher’s thoughts were that somewhere up above, King was looking down on the world and smiling that morning.
Im glad Baird will be gone. That district needs a real democrat instead of a DINO.
Lots of libs will be “retiring”…
Well, I guess we’ll just have to replace them with more liberals and progressives. There’s no way we can allow the Bush/Gingrich wannabe cons to come in and continue to screw the economy, deregulate big business at the expense of small business and communities, and hurt working families, the poor, and seniors like the GOP has already.
No, I think we will replace them with people like Scott Brown!!
For the first time in almost 50 yrs. MA (a democrat stronghold) has elected a republican to the Senate!
How long does before Brown has to run again, Jason?
Two years, mainstreeter. He will finish Kennedy’s term, and he will face re-election in 2012.