Congressmen ask to sign pledge they will read Health Care Bill

Let Freedom Ring has asked Congress to sign a pledge to do something they should automatically do, read the bill they are going to vote on. This should be a no brainier. All Congressional members if they are doing their job should be reading the bills.

House bill to allow DC abortion funding and medical marijuana

WEST VIRGINIA

Democrats — Mollohan, N; Rahall, N.

Republicans — Capito, Y.

Voting yes were 215 Democrats and 4 Republicans.

Voting no were 38 Democrats and 170 Republicans.

National Energy Tax Bad for West Virginia

Contact your Congressional Representative today! Tell them Al Gore's ideas are bad for West Virginia.

Sen. Robert C. Byrd E-mail: senator@byrd.senate.gov Website: byrd.senate.gov District Offices: Charleston, (304) 342-5855; Martinsburg, (304) 264-4626 Sen. John D. Rockefeller

E-mail: senator@rockefeller.senate.gov

Website: rockefeller.senate.gov

District Offices: Charleston, (304) 347-5372; Beckley, (304) 253-9704; Fairmont, (304) 367-0122; Martinsburg, (304) 262-9285

Alan B. Mollohan

Website: www.house.gov/mollohan

District Offices: Morgantown, (304) 292-3019; Parkersburg, (304) 428-0493; Wheeling, (304) 232-5390 Clarksburg, (304) 623-4422

Shelley Moore Capito

Website: http://capito.house.gov

District Offices: Charleston, (304) 925-5964; Martinsburg, (304) 264-8810

Nick J. Rahall II

Website: www.rahall.house.gov

District Offices: Beckley, (304) 252-5000; Bluefield, (304) 325-6222; Huntington, (304) 522-6425; Logan, (304) 752-4934

Only one West Virginian voted the right way

Obama's budget moving us towards socialism went 233 for and 196 against the House approved a $3.6 trillion budget plan that includes a deficit of $1.2 trillion.

Democrats — Mollohan, Yes; Rahall, Yes

Republicans — Capito, No

Shelley Moore Capito Criticizes Porkulus Package

The Wheeling News-Register recently editorialized on the dangerous amount of government spending in the pork laden stimulus package passed by Obama and Congress. One thing the president and Congress agreed upon in the first month of office was the need for an unpopular Democratic Congress to toss money at temporary or useless projects instead of refurbishing America's infrastructure or putting money back into the hands of taxpayers.

Token tax relief does exist. On average, workers will have $13 more per paycheck than before. This may buy an additional two lunches per month, but it fails to help spur the big ticket purchases that will help the manufacturing sector. Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito stated that the nearly $800 billion package needed "more overall tax relief and less government bloating."

Over 25% of the package goes to the states and most will use it to help balance their budgets. However, typical of liberal Democratic over management, responsible states such as West Virginia find their money has been allotted for specific purposes that our state government does not have. So the money is sent, can only be spent on specific things, and any unused money must be sent back. Republicans tend to prefer block grants allowing states to decide for themselves what to do.

Where were Senators Byrd and Rockefeller when this was all decided? Why didn't Rahall and Mollohan intervene with the Democratic leadership on behalf of their own state? Why did they not confer with Governor Manchin and determine what his priorities were? Surely they are on speaking terms, right? Such powerful senators then could have gotten what we needed. After all, that was the main reason they gave for being reelected. Would that have not made some sense?

At least West Virginia taxpayers have one congressional representative working for them this year.

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For Congresswoman Capito, the stimulus issue hits close to home. Her husband is an executive with troubled Citicorp, a target of stimulus money. Capito voted her principles and for her country's future despite its conflict with teh short term interests of her husband's employer.

Is it any wonder that West Virginians are clamoring for Ms. Capito to take a stronger role in the leadership of this state when the time comes?

Realistic

West Virginia Congressman Nick Joe Rahall spent some time on the political hot seat recently, getting a good "grilling" series of questions from President George W. Bush about energy policy. The two spent quite some time together, but Rahall came away saying the president was "realistic" about the fact that a Democrat controlled Congress will not lift a finger to help America bring down the cost of energy.

Who is more realistic here? House Republicans stayed in session as House Democrats went on vacation. Republicans, including Shelley Moore Capito, remained in Washington to hammer home the point that Americans want action now. Our prosperity has traditionally come from inexpensive transportation. MoveOn.org has predictably protested the GOP determination to continue the debate in the absence of their opponents. Certainly images of this will end up on commercials this fall. Amazingly, Nancy Pelosi has taken a hard stance on the issue while encouraging House Democrats to show independence by publicly disagreeing with her. To Republicans energy is serious business. To Democrats it is yet another political game.

The Republican Party continues to show the American people its commitment to helping boost the economy (which by the way never went into recession as predicted) while bringing down the high cost of energy. Democrats continue to put the unlikely potential of environmental problems ahead of the real world trouble faced by Americans daily.

Nick Casey, chair of the West Virginia Democratic Party, must not be aware of his own party's reluctance to do anything. He criticized Senator John McCain's visit to the Marshall University football team, saying he should talk energy prices instead of football. Casey should explain that to House Democrats who refuse to move on energy and would rather go on vacation than even talk about the issue.

2 West Virginia Congressman vote to keep fuel prices at record levels

While many across the country have canceled vacations due to high fuel cost, Congress decided to take a 5-week vacation of its own. The reason was to avoid solving the high fuel cost problem. The answer is simple; drill for more oil domestically. 71% of the nation now agrees that drilling for our own oil is a good idea.

Many in Congress claim that drilling will not lower the cost of oil. Consider that oil prices in countries that drill for their own oil are the lowest in the world and those that do not are the highest in the world. The laws of Economics are simple. If you increase supply and demand remains the same the price will drop.

Obama made the comment that we all need to inflate our tires to save more fuel. It is true that properly inflated tires will increase fuel mileage, but that is about the equivalent of trying to irrigate the desert with a garden hose. We are dealing with a Congress that doesn’t live like you and I. They do not understand that families are having to make choices on whether or not to go on vacation or buy back to school supplies.

House Vote #566; to leave Washington for a vacation without taking any action to lower fuel prices breaks down like this for the West Virginia delegation.

Aye WV-1 Mollohan, Alan [D]

Nay WV-2 Capito, Shelley [R]

Aye WV-3 Rahall, Nick [D]

Only Representative Capito wanted to stay to vote on a package to lower fuel cost to West Virginians and she had this to say, ““With high energy costs placing such a heavy burden on the lives of West Virginians, it is incredibly frustrating that this Congress has been unwilling to even have open debate on a comprehensive solution.” We must remember when we go to the polls who is with us and who is against us.

West Virginia Congressional Delegation on Wrong Side of Issue

Some of those Representatives that West Virginia sends to Washington are not listening to the people back home. These are starting to pop on the internet and around the state trying to send a message Rockefeller, Rahall, and Mollohan.
The United States is currently worlds number 1 user of oil and only the worlds 3rd largest producer of oil. Each day the US sends $2 billion overseas to purchase oil while over 600 billion barrels of oil are accessible in the US with current technology. The only thing stopping the drilling in the US is our own US Congress.

Capito says taxpayers should not pay to house illegal aliens

If your going to immigrate to the US, then you need to do it legally. Many of our ancestors came to the US for a better life, and most came legally. Apparently until Shelley Capito closed the loop hole illegals were getting housing assistance. The loop hole was located in the Section 8 Program.

Congresswoman Capito stated, "Loopholes in current law, like this housing assistance loophole for illegal immigrants, act as a magnet and invite people to enter our country illegally. We should not be rewarding those who have come here illegally by awarding them taxpayer-funded services intended for law-abiding citizens.”

The congresswoman closed the loop hole by adding an amendment requiring two forms of id to prove the housing assistance applicant was a legal US resident. The problem is not one being faced by West Virginians alone. In the Denver, CO area over 20,000 illegal aliens received FHA home loans. She explained, “We must take this opportunity to strengthen a successful federal program to ensure this benefit is only provided to legal residents.”

Both WV Congressmen Alan Mollohan and Nick Rahall voted to continue to allow illegal aliens to receive US taxpayer assistance. The Capito amendment passed 233-186 blocking future housing benefits to illegal aliens.

Nick Joe Rahall and Alan Mollohan: Environmental Crusaders

Nick Joe Rahall, West Virginia's representative from the Third Congressional District, recently introduced legislation in Congress to severely undermine the future of wind power in the United States. Basically he, like Mollohan who represents the First District, has developed a tender concern for the birds and bats that happen to find their way into the turbines and get themselves killed. The legislation will impose rigorous standards on turbines to presumably prevent animal deaths.

According to opensecrets.org, Congressman Rahall receives a tremendous amount of financial support from mining interests. In West Virginia that of course translates to coal. In the past few elections he has received support from the United Mine Workers and the Norfolk and Southern Railroad which relies on coal to generate a great deal of income. As for Mollohan, mining interests ranked tenth among his contributing industries. On the surface there is nothing wrong with these contributions. As for the coal industry, it not only "keeps the lights on" but tax receipts from it help the state pay to keep its lights from being turned off.

Doesn't it seem strange that Rahall and Mollohan feel such compassion for the little birds when you think about who gives them their support? Think about the miniscule amount of wildlife affected by wind farms. Now consider how many animals are killed when hollows are filled in by mountaintop removal waste. For that matter would the building unions and construction outfits that support both congressmen agree to never build tall structures again? After all more birds are killed by running into buildings. I doubt that they would ever oppose the outright hunting of birds.

The point here is NOT to oppose coal mining, hunting, construction, or any other worthwhile human endeavor that might kill a bird. We have to face the fact that human activities will sometimes kill animals directly or indirectly. Civilization will grind to a halt if we do not accept that our needs create some "collateral damage" in the natural world. These men's opposition may come less from their compassion for wildlife and more from some other source. Does someone fear that wind farms on the Allegheny Front might someday compete with coal? Do they just want to shore themselves up among their environutty constituents?

In any event the result of this proposed legislation will be to kill the prospect for a few good paying jobs, a decrease in the reliance on foreign energy, and increased local tax income to support our schools and other needs.

If Puerto Rico becomes a state WV loses a Congressman

The US House of Representatives is limited to 435 members by US Public Law 62-5 of 1911. A US population of 300,000,000 means one member of the house represents about 680,000 persons. West Virginia's population is 1.8 million, which means we should have 2.64 representatives. You round off and that equals 3 representatives for WV. If that number drops to 2.49, then we round off to 2.

Current 2010 census estimates show West Virginia keeping 3 house seats at least until 2020, but that could all change of Congressman Nick Rahall (D) has his way. Nick Rahall is supporting US House Bill HR 900, which could lead the way for Puerto Rico to become the 51st State. According to an article in CQ Politics Puerto Rico will have 6 House Members, and 2 Senators.

In 1957 when Hawaii and Alaska were made states the US House was increased to 437 members temporarily until the 1960 census. Each had a population that gave them 1 House member each. After the 1960 census, Alaska and Hawaii kept there one representative in the house and two were taken away from the other 48 states when the house returned to 435 members.

If Puerto Rico is made a state, then the house would temporarily go to 441 members until the next census. The US population in 2010 is estimated to be around 310 million. Puerto Rico will add an additional 4 million persons for a total of 314 million. After the 2010 census, with Puerto Rico a state, each house member will represent 721,000 persons when the house drops back to 435 members. That would mean West Virginia would require 2.496 Congressmen, and that rounds down to 2.

A West Virginia Congressman is leading a charge that could cost West Virginia its 3rd Congressional seat, reducing our power in Washington.

Grant and Mineral could fuel jobs with coal

For many years I have advocated turning coal into motor fuels. During the last election cycle I started working on the idea of what it would take to get a group together to make that happen on top the Allegheny Front. The coal located on top the mountain is the closest in West Virginia to the east coast markets, and it is the type that lends itself well to being converted in to liquid fuel. This makes the Potomac Highlands a natural for a location of a conversion plant. The Fischer-Tropsch process has been around for over 100 years and Germany used it during World War II to run the last few years of the war when her oil supplies were cut off. There is very little new science involved, and with oil remaining above $35 per barrel for the foreseeable future it is economically desirable because coal based gasoline would be cheaper.

In mid-August the Coal-to-Liquid Coalition is planning a summit in Beckley, WV. Congressman Nick Rahall (D) WV-3rd wants the Defense Department to get involved since they are the single largest purchaser of fuel in the US. 2.5 billion gallons annually. Rahall wants the Defense Department to purchase coal based fuels. I understand the reasoning for wanting to get the government involved, and that is basically to take the uncertainty out of the market place. When the private sector builds a plant it wants to know that it will make a profit, and with a government contract from the Defense Department that uncertainty is gone. Now normally I like the idea of government staying out of things, but I like the idea of our government buying domestic instead of foreign.

I think the Economic Development directors of Grant and Mineral should attend this meeting. It would be a good opportunity to see what can and needs to be done. Nobody ever got anything sitting there waiting for it to be handed to them, and if the Potomac Highlands is not aggressive in marketing itself to the world, then the world will pass us by. Armed with knowledge you start marketing your idea.

There are many large consumers that could be approached to purchase coal based fuels. Some of the largest private consumers of fuel in the US are the rail roads. CSX alone purchased in excess of two billion dollars worth of fuel last year. This would be a excellent place to start putting together a group of a possible project. You need a diverse group from coal mining companies, to the ones that own the nozzle you put in the end users tank and everybody in between. Together you can have an integrated approach that benefits everybody in the chain, and you take out much of the uncertainty. The Potomac Highlands have an opportunity knocking, but we need to answer the door.