LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of July 1, 2007

The link to this electronic newsletter is being e-mailed to 4,000+

Jefferson County Democrats 

We hope you will forward the link to your own e-mail list.

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CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT LIST OF EVENTS

Updated on a regular basis

The Louisville/Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee meets the 4th Wednesday of every month at 5:00 pm at 901 Barret Avenue .

Notice to our Readers &  2007 General Election Candidates:

This newsletter will carry in this space any Democratic candidates' notice of events or communications (250 words or less) to our readers that the candidate provides to the editor at rcrider@louisvilledem.com

 JOIN CONGRESSMAN JOHN YARMUTH

Kentucky's disconnected youth are a constant reminder that homelessness is a myriad of human stories, not just a collection of sociological and economic data-as it sometimes ends up being viewed in the halls of Congress. I, like you, have a high level of interest in youth who are detached from family, school, work, and any sort of permanency, and I am excited about the opportunity to engage the community in a discussion about homeless youth.

Accordingly, I would like to invite you to participate in a Runaway and Homeless Youth Forum in Louisville, Kentucky on June 30^th at 10:00 a.m. The goal of this forum is to gather input and feedback from the community on ways to improve the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act -- the main source of federal funding for disconnected youth outside of the foster care and juvenile justice system.  I was honored to be asked by the Chairman of House Education and Labor Committee to lead the efforts to reauthorize this legislation, which will take place over the coming months.  I know your commitment to this issue, and hope I can count on the benefit of your guidance and experience as we develop this legislation. 

Over 50 organizations and individuals have been invited including representatives from local and national organizations.  I am excited to begin work on the reauthorization and want to ensure that this legislation is not written in Washington, but is truly crafted by the people who are directly serving our nation's disconnected youth on-the-ground. You are critical in these efforts and I would be thrilled if you could attend this event.

Date:           June 30, 2007

Time:      Registration begins at 10:00 a.m.
                10:30 - 11:30 Presentations
                11:30 - 12:30 Discussion

Location:       YMCA Safe Place Services

                   2400 Crittenden Drive
                        Louisville, KY 40217

Please RSVP to Kiran.bhatraju@mail.house.gov or call 502-582-5129 in advance so we can know how many people to expect and to receive additional materials and information.

Kiran Bhatraju
Legislative Assistant
Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-03)
319 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
http://yarmuth.house.gov

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Yarmuth Unveils Tax Cut for 7.5 Million Workers

Yarmuth's Legislation will Prevent 250,000 Americans from being Taxed into Poverty

Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3) announced legislation that will increase the Earned Income Tax Credit for single, childless workers earning less the than $16,400/year.

Raoul Cunningham, President of the Louisville NAACP hailed the legislation, saying, “In contrast to the Bush Administration, this proposal gives a tax break to those who are most in need- not the wealthiest, and we commend Congressman Yarmuth for its introduction.”

Added Terry Brooks, Executive Director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, “This legislation reveals a Congressman who is transcending politics and active on evidence.   That evidence is clear. An expanded EITC is the best anti-poverty strategy in the last three decades.   It supports individual low-income workers while strengthening the general economy.   Congressman Yarmuth's legislation is the smart thing to do.   Moreover, it is the right thing to do.”

In addition to lifting 250,000 workers out of poverty, the legislation will cut taxes for 7.5 million American workers by as much as 41 percent. 

The text of Yarmuth's prepared remarks is below. 

The last six years, even as the government has slashed taxes for the very wealthy, millions of others have struggled paycheck to paycheck, failing to see income trickle down from the ever increasing wealth above. 

While the government has offered credits to married couples and parents, single, low-income workers without children have been virtually abandoned by their leaders.   Because they are eligible for virtually no tax relief or assistance, they are saddled with a disproportionate tax burden, causing single adults of working age to make up nearly one-third of all Americans classified as poor. 

In a nation built on the premise that we could create better lives for ourselves if we just worked hard enough, we are taxing Americans into a place where the tools to get ahead must be neglected so that bills can be paid, higher education must be sacrificed in order to buy food, and the dream of adequately raising a family is abandoned to pay rent.   Despite all the talk of healthcare being a luxury in this country, it is not so for these hard working Americans; it's an impossibility. 

That is why next week I will offer legislation to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit in both size and scope, lifting a quarter of million workers out of poverty to give millions of our fellow citizens hope for more than merely a day-to-day subsistence.     

I believe that in America we should be rewarding the hard work of these citizens, struggling to make ends meet; not taxing them into poverty.   But that is exactly what we are doing to hundreds of thousands of Americans.   

[referring to chart]   Currently, a worker earning $11,350 a year is taxed at a rate of more than 12 percent, pushing wages below the poverty line.   But my legislation will double her Earned Income Tax Credit, and cut her taxes by 41 percent, keeping her out of poverty.   To a low wage worker, that additional $600 for could mean two to three months rent, 6 months of groceries, or nearly a year's worth of TARC transportation to and from work.   More importantly, it can help liberate the worker to reset her sights on living out the American dream. 

I am proud to say that by expanding the EITC for all eligible workers earning less than $16,400, not only will this legislation instantly lift these workers out of poverty, it will dramatically lower the taxes of more than seven million Americans, 100,000 Kentuckians, and more than 20,000 hard working people right here in Louisville. 

Any economist will tell you, more money in workers' pockets increases buying power and benefits the economy.   Here, unlike the failed supply side model, we will not hope for trickle down from the wealthy.   We will help those struggling at the bottom and, by upgrading their economic status, create a springboard effect that enhances the economy as a whole. 

To the seven million Americans who will see their post-tax income rise, this legislation provides a necessary boost as they work to build careers, start families, and improve their lives.   It rewards work rather than wealth and represents the priorities to change the direction of our country and right her course.

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Protect Senator Bunning (Letter to CJ editor, not published)

I was dismayed and frightened today when I read “Notes from Washington.”   Our Junior Senator, Jim Bunning, has been “threatened” by a Democratic Senator.  Senator Bunning is one of the 100 most powerful persons in the world and must be protected while he is in Washington. 

Back here in Kentucky, Senator Bunning requested and received protection from the Kentucky State Police while he campaigned for re-election.  We must protect this powerful Senator even though he said, “after facing Ted Williams, do you think I’m afraid ….” 

If the Federal Government will not provide protection, than perhaps Bunning, who earned $12,000 from private autograph signings towards the $50,500 earned by his Foundation, could hire a private contractor, like Halliburton, to protect him with the $20,000 salary the Foundation paid him. . 

Please do not let him wander the streets alone without protection.

Ray Crider

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The Lying Senator McConnell - And Who Pays His Freight

When you cover the United States Senate and go through the Congressional Record every day, you become accustomed to reading a lot of nauseating, hypocritical and untrue things coming from the Republican side of the aisle. As Senate Minority Leader, it's apparently Mitch McConnell's job to lead the pack in pushing a right-wing agenda based mostly on lies and distortions.
And he was in top -- gutter-level? -- form on Monday when he gave one of his speeches against the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which died in the Senate on Tuesday under the weight of a Republican filibuster that kept the legislation from getting the "up or down vote" the GOP crowed about so much when they controlled the Senate.
Here's Lyin' Mitch on the floor of the Senate, actually speaking this garbage for the record, and likening a bill that would allow workers to unionize easier -- by skipping a full vote if they chose to -- to the tyranny that the Founding Fathers fled.
No, I'm not kidding. And be warned: If you've eaten in the last hour or so, you may not want to read this:More than three centuries ago, settlers in the New World began to put into practice the political ideals that brought them here and for which many of their descendants would later fight and die.
One of the most important of these was the ideal of political freedom, and one the most concrete expressions of it was the right to vote in secret, without harassment and without coercion. Rejecting the English Parliamentary tradition, several colonies, including all the New England colonies, established secret elections as the norm.
The secret ballot has been standard everywhere else in this country for more than a century. It simply hasn't been questioned. Americans have come to assume that in everything from electing their high school yearbook editor to their President, their vote is sacred and it is secret.
That is, until now. The so-called "Employee Free Choice Act" is an assault on the centuries-old practice of secret voting, and the fact that we are here in this Chamber discussing it at all is a scandal.

See, I wasn't kidding. And don’t you just love the part where a leader in the party that tried to hide Representative Mark Foley chasing teenaged Congressional pages around the capitol can refer to this as a scandal?

But is he lying? Well, yeah, he is because beneath the bluster and the coating of slime, McConnell knows damn good and well that the EFCA would not have kept any group of workers from having a secret ballot unless they expressly chose to forego that method of unionizing in favor of the easier petitioning that the bill would have allowed.

"I listened again to what the Republican leader said about secret ballots, and I know there is a disconnect here, because, again, this legislation doesn't get rid of that," said Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) in response to McConnell's flight from truth.

“Those who do not support the Employee Free Choice Act have tried to mislead people by claiming that this bill takes away employee rights to a 'secret ballot.' This is simply not true," said Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), one of the chief proponents of the legislation. "This bill does not establish a new election process; it merely requires employers to honor employees’ choices on whether or not they want to unionize."

Ah, but you see, that's not what folks say at the National Restaurant Association, who published as their "National Restaurant Talking Points" on the EFCA that "America’s political system is based on respect for individual liberty and democracy. Abolishing secret ballots for American workers goes against what America stands for. If Congress passes this proposal, they will be stripping away all the protections that federally protected secret ballots provide for American workers."

That's heartwarming concern for workers from an organization that fights every minimum-wage increase tooth and nail and that, if they could have their way, would see to it that every restaurant worker in America gets $1.00 per hour and has to shop at a company store.

The people at the Food Marketing Association are equally aghast, telling member companies to call their Senators because "This proposal would take away secret ballot voting rights of American workers on the critical question of deciding whether or not they want to be represented by a union."

And I'll bet anything that you can guess who donates a boatload of money to keep Mitch McConnell in office -- yes, it's the National Restaurant Association and the Food Marketing Association. Oh, and McConnell also pays a lot of his campaign expenses via generous donations from OSI Restaurants, of Outback Steakhouse fame, and Darden Restaurants, which owns such outlets as Red Lobster and Olive Garden.
 

McConnell has accepted almost $50,000 from just those four organizations over the last several years.

So there you have it… The most powerful Republican in the U.S. Senate battles every single Democratic proposal that would help working Americans and also has the nerve to lie about the consequences of the latest of those bills in such a slimy way.

But then, look at the company his wallet keeps.

Sorry to shock you like that.

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  Nothing this week.

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DAILY GRILL        

"There has not been any serious disagreement about the program that the president has confirmed."
-- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, 2/6/06

VERSUS

"Former Attorney General John Ashcroft told the [House Intelligence Committee] in a closed session that the Bush administration was sharply split over the legality of the domestic eavesdropping program." -- New York Times, 6/22/07

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"I thought it would work, but then after a month or two I realized the idea that I was possibly going to run for president would be inconsistent with that."  -- Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, 6/21/07, explaining that presidential politics was the reason he dropped out of the Iraq Study Group

VERSUS

"Several commission members said to me that presidential politics never entered the discussion, it was all about Giuliani's schedule and commitments versus showing up for the Iraq Study Group."  -- NBC News's Tim Russert, 6/24/07

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"In a sense, 9/11 changed everything for us." -- Vice President Cheney, 12/23/03

VERSUS

"[Cheney] has not changed his views very much over the years. What has changed is he has a greater opportunity to put them into action." -- Washington Post reporter Barton Gellman, 6/25/07

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"The President and the Vice President are complying with all the rules and regulations regarding the handling of classified material and making sure that it is safeguarded and protected." -- White House spokesperson Dana Perino, 6/22/07

VERSUS

"The security officers described repeated instances in which security breaches were reported to the White House Security Office by Secret Service or CIA agents, but were never investigated. In one case, the White House Security Office took no action after receiving a report that a White House official left classified materials unattended in a hotel room." -- Letter from House oversight chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) to White House counsel Fred Fielding, 6/26/07

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"The time has come to end this practice [of congressional earmarking]. So let us work together to reform the budget process...expose every earmark to the light of day and to a vote in Congress."  -- President Bush, 1/23/07

VERSUS

"A House Appropriations Committee report accompanying legislation funding the Department of the Interior shows that Bush requested 93 of the 321 earmarks in the bill."  -- The Hill, 6/28/07

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Quotes of the Day    

The 5 Craziest Things Ann Coulter Has Ever Said

5. "My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building."

4. "We need to execute people like (John Walker Lindh) in order to physically intimidate liberals."

3. "I was going to have a few comments about John Edwards but you have to go into rehab if you use the word faggot."

2. "If I'm going to say anything about John Edwards in the future, I'll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot."

1. "These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by griefparrazies. I have never seen people enjoying their husband's deaths so much." -on 9/11 widows who have been critical of the Bush administration

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Recent Senate Votes 

 

CLEAN Energy Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (65-27, 7 Not Voting)

The Senate passed the first energy bill under the new Democratic majority.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted NO

Sen. Jim Bunning voted NO

 

Recent House Votes 

 

State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations, FY 2008 - Vote Passed (241-178, 13 Not Voting)

The House passed this $34.2 billion bill that would fund State Department operations and foreign aid for the 2008 fiscal year.

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

Rep. Ron Lewis voted NO

 

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HUMOR    

  Elizabeth Edwards called Ann Coulter on Chris Matthews' 'Hardball' yesterday to complain about the attacks on her husband. See, it's a good thing Coulter hadn't attacked Rudy Giuliani, or she would have had three angry wives calling" --Jay Leno

"A new poll says that 40% of Americans still believe that Iraq was responsible for 9/11. Unfortunately, two of those people -- Cheney and Bush " --Jay Leno

"Ralph Nader talking about running for president again. He's been accused of being a spoiler. You know what that is? A spoiler is a politician who ruins the chances of another candidate. For example, Al Gore's spoiler was Ralph Nader. George Bush Sr.'s spoiler was H. Ross Perot. John Kerry's spoiler was John Kerry." --Jay Leno

"In a 5-4 decision the court found against the student's speech rights, as the court felt that 'Bong Hits 4 Jesus' constituted an implied pro-drug message. Said the student whose actions five years ago started the whole case quote, 'I did what, now?'" --Jon Stewart

"This week they had the annual congressional baseball game. The House Republicans beat the House Democrats 5-2. Typical of both parties -- the Republicans kept stealing, and then after the game, the Democrats demanded a recount." --Jay Leno

Jon Stewart, to Samantha Bee: "Now Justice Kennedy he voted with the conservatives all four times this time, but he's still seen as a swing vote, if he were to side with the liberals on a case then." Bee: "Yeah it would be five to five, that's correct." Stewart: "Uhhh, five to five, no that would be ten judges." Bee: "Yes but if Kennedy were to rule on the liberal, then Justice Cheney would cast the tie-breaking vote." Stewart: "You mean Justice Dick Cheney?" Bee: "Yes, the VP is not only in both and neither of the executive and legislative branches, he's also a member of the Supreme Court. Have you read the Constitution?"

"You remember Dick Cheney, he's the vice president of the United States. He shot an old man in the face and didn't tell anybody. Eventually, the news got out. Turned out the old man was fine. It was a hilarious story, and the old man ended up doing the right thing [on screen: atty Harry Whittington apologizing to Cheney's family for the amount of media coverage]. At the time we all thought, 'My God, how do you shoot an old man in the face ... and get him to apologize? Ohh, Cheney. He must be evil. What's he hiding? What are his secrets?' Well, as it turns out, what he was hiding is everything." --Jon Stewart "According to a new Gallup poll, the new Democratically-controlled Congress has the lowest approval rating in the history of Gallup poll-taking. Only 14% of Americans have confidence in Congress. 14%! Even HMOs are at 15%. At least with the HMO, they put a rubber glove on first." --Jay Leno

"Have you seen that campaign commercial for Hillary Clinton? It's a spoof on 'The Sopranos' finale. Bill Clinton appears in the ad too, along with the actor who played 'Johnny Sack.' Johnny Sack, which, coincidentally, was also Clinton's Secret Service codename." --Jay Leno

"Hillary Clinton has picked 'You and I' by Celine Dion as her campaign theme song. In a related story, John McCain's campaign song also by Celine Dion. It's the theme from 'Titantic.'" --Jay Leno

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 HEALTH CARE -- INSURANCE AND PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES LAUNCH SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST MICHAEL MOORE: In his new documentary SiCKO, filmmaker Michael Moore exposes the deplorable tactics practiced by some health insurance and pharmaceutical companies who deny coverage to individuals who are insured. Moore is now facing "a multifaceted counteroffensive" from front groups supported and funded by the insurance and pharmaceutical industries. FreedomWorks, for example, recently launched a new campaign claiming that under policies favored by Moore, "healthy individuals" would "wind up subsidizing people like Moore, who are overweight and and/or live decidedly unhealthy lifestyles by frequenting fast-food restaurants, smoke, or use drugs." Several health care industry members serve on the FreedomWorks board of directors, and the group is run by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, whose PAC has received significant contributions from the health care industry. The CatoInstitute, which has written numerous pieces attacking Moore's film that argue that he "ignores the positive side of American health care," receives funding from multiple insurance and pharmaceutical companies, including Amerisure Insurance, Pfizer, and Merck. Additionally, a senior fellow at The Manhattan Institute, which receives funding from multiple pharmaceutical giants such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, started a site called Free Market Cure, which argues SiCKO is "set to inject a large dose of misinformation and propaganda into our national dialog about health care policy." Other health care industry front groups -- such as the Galen Institute, Pacific Research Institute, and the Heritage Foundation -- have also recently launched their own attacks on Moore's film. The health insurance and pharmaceutical industries clearly view Moore's film exposing some of their misdeeds as a serious threat, and they have no shortage of funds to try to attack it.

CIVIL LIBERTIES -- FISA JUDGE REBUKES BUSH ON DOMESTIC SPYING: Judge Royce Lamberth, the former chief judge on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court "criticized President Bush's decision to order warrantless surveillance after the Sept. 11 attacks" in a speech this weekend. Lamberth, who was appointed to the court by President Reagan and became its chief justice in 1995, criticized Bush's warrantless domestic spying program, saying "he has 'never seen a better way' to conduct domestic spying than under the national security court created by the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act." Lamberth characterized the President's approach as a "a worse way" of conducting surveillance and suggested that the program contributed to bureaucratic mistakes and civil liberty violations. "If FBI Director Robert Mueller had required that a supervisor at bureau headquarters approve each of those National Security Letters, he said, uniform standards could have been applied and mistakes eliminated." The FBI has recently found that its agents violated the law in sending National Security Letters -- subpoenas that do not require the approval of a judge -- when "agents sought information to which the bureau was not entitled." Lamberth argued that "a more centralized procedure" would have prevented such mistakes and suggested that the court should "approve all National Security Letters sent by the FBI requesting phone, email or financial records" to prevent further mishaps. Lambert emphasized the importance of the FISA court in preserving civil liberties during a time of war. "We still have to preserve our civil liberties," he said. "Judges are the kinds of people you want to entrust that kind of judgment to more than the executive."

CONGRESS -- CONGRESS MOVES TO HOLD WHITE HOUSE ACCOUNTABLE FOR CHENEY EXEMPTION: Last week, House investigators revealed that beginning in 2003, Vice President Dick Cheney exempted his office from a presidential executive order designed to safeguard classified national security information. Defending the move, the Office of the Vice President has asserted that it is not an "entity within the executive branch" and hence is not subject to presidential executive orders." "I question both the legality and the wisdom of your actions," wrote House oversight chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) in a letter to Cheney requesting information about the exemption. The Information Security Oversight Office, whose watchdog duties Cheney is attempting to avoid, asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in January to investigate the legality of Cheney's claims, but no documents have been produced by the Justice Department on the matter, implying that Gonzales has not actually began a review. Waxman is now investigating Gonzales's handling of the issue as well. Though the White House has tried to dismiss Cheney's extraordinary claims as "a little bit of a non-issue," members of Congress are taking the apparent attempt to circumvent the law quite seriously. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) has said that he will propose an amendment this week to a spending bill for executive operations that will "place a hold on funds for Cheney's office and official home until he clarifies to which branch of the government he belongs." "The Vice President has a choice to make," said Emanuel in a statement. "If he believes his legal case, his office has no business being funded as part of the executive branch. However, if he demands executive branch funding he cannot ignore executive branch rules." More on Cheney's extraordinary views on the power of his office can be found HERE and HERE.

ACCOUNTABLE TO NO ONE: Last week, House investigators revealed that over the objections of the National Archives, Cheney has exempted his office since 2003 from a presidential executive order designed to safeguard national security information. Claiming that the Office of the Vice President is not an "entity within the executive branch," and thus not subject to presidential executive orders, "Cheney's office has failed to provide data on its classification and declassification activities as required." In 2004, his office "specifically intervened to block an on-site inspection by the Information Security Oversight Office," an office that he later tried to have abolished. His counsel has further claimed that "the vice presidency is a unique office that is neither a part of executive branch nor a part of the legislative branch." Despite Cheney's claim in 2001 that a congressional probe into his energy task force "would unconstitutionally interfere with the functioning of the executive branch," he has had no qualms denying his place in the executive when it suits his purposes. The Center for Public Integrity revealed in 2005 that Cheney "unilaterally" exempted his office "from long-standing travel disclosure rules followed by the rest of the executive branch" by claiming that he was not part of the executive branch. Despite White House claims that Cheney's unaccountability is "a little bit of a non-issue," Congress is taking it seriously. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) will introduce an amendment this week that will "place a hold on funds for Cheney's office and official home until he clarifies to which branch of government he belongs." "If he's going to be funded in the executive branch, he complies with the rules that apply to everybody," said Emanuel. "He is not above the rules of the executive branch." 

IMMIGRATION -- RIGHT-WING RADIO HOSTS ADVISE SENATORS ON IMMIGRATION BILL: "Talk radio is running America," Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) recently told the New York Times. "We have to deal with that problem." Since Lott uttered his comment about right-wing talk radio's disproportionate influence on the Senate immigration debate, he has become a pariah on talk radio and in the conservative blogosphere. Unfortunately, the radio talkers have become more influential as well, with some even helping to craft legislation. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), the key conservative negotiator behind the compromise bill, told reporters Friday "that California-based radio host Hugh Hewitt 'had several ideas' that 'we are trying to include' in amendments to be offered in an upcoming series of crucial votes. Hewitt, a conservative who has criticized many aspects of the bill, had Kyl as a guest on Thursday and asked: 'Does the bill provide for any separate treatment of aliens, illegal aliens from countries of special concern?' Kyl replied: 'It's going to, as a result of your lobbying efforts to me.'" Hewitt isn't the only right-wing talker to directly influence a senator. After Atlanta-based host Neal Boortz "popped" Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) over his "qualified support" of the immigration bill, Boortz was brought in to consult with Chambliss, "even though the senator was not an on-air guest during the debate." Chambliss now opposes the bill. Both Hewitt and Boortz hold positions that are well out of the mainstream. On his blog, Hewitt has suggested that former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) would be an ideal Supreme Court justice. Regarding immigrants, Boortz has said, "Give 'em all a little nuclear waste and let 'em take it on down there to Mexico." Though conservatives may take up 91 percent of the talk radio airwaves, talk radio is not representative of the American people, who broadly support the key components of the legislation. 

ADMINISTRATION -- CHENEY'S OFFICE DISMISSES CRITICISM WITH 'LEGALISTIC' NON-RESPONSE: Last week, House investigators revealed that Vice President Dick Cheney had exempted his office from a presidential executive order designed to safeguard classified national security information, arguing that the Office of the Vice President is not an "entity within the executive branch" and thus not subject to presidential executive orders. Members of Congress have strongly objected to Cheney's argument, saying that he is attempting to skirt accountability and hold himself above the rule of law. In a letter to Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), Cheney's chief of staff and former general counsel, David Addington, dismissed the complaints: "Constitutional issues in government are generally best left for discussion when unavoidable disputes arise in a specific context instead of in theoretical discussions." Kerry found Addington's "legalistic" response unacceptable, saying it "raises more questions than it purports to answer." "[I] ask again for the Vice President's office to plainly answer the question of whether he considers himself outside the realm of agency scrutiny," Kerry added. In his letter to Kerry, Addington also altered the Vice President's argument, saying Cheney was exempt because the executive order in question "makes clear that the Vice President is treated like the President and distinguishes the two of them from 'agencies.'" This claim has previously been debunked by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, who pointed out that the executive order explicitly includes "any other entity within the executive branch that comes into the possession of classified information." Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) will offer an amendment this week to "place a hold on funds for Cheney's office and official home until he clarifies to which branch of government he belongs."

LABOR -- CONSERVATIVES BLOCK EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT IN SENATE: In a vote on the Senate floor yesterday, the Employee Free Choice Act of 2007 (EFCA) failed to garner the "60 [votes] needed to permit a full debate and floor vote." Despite easily passing the House in a 241-185 vote and gaining 47 co-sponsors in the Senate, "President Bush had vowed to veto the bill if it ever reached him." The proposed law would have given "employees at a workplace the right to unionize as soon as a majority signed cards saying they wanted to do so." "Under current law, an employer can insist on a secret-ballot election," even after a majority of employees express their desire to organize. Further, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service found that even when unions win representation elections, 45 percent of the time they fail to secure contracts from employers. The EFCA would shift the balance of the playing field -- from one that is currently tilted overwhelmingly in favor of employers who dictate whether employees can organize, to a process that is instead employee-driven. Opponents of the proposed law charge that the EFCA "takes away the right to a secret ballot." Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said of the bill, "This is an assault on the culture's old tradition of secret elections." In reality, the EFCA does not abolish elections, but allows workers to "choose the union formation process -- elections or majority sign-up." "What the Employee Free Choice Act does prevent is an employer manipulating the flawed system to influence the election outcome." Rep. George Miller (D-CA) said of yesterday's vote: conservative "senators have shown once again that they do not understand the very real economic concerns of America's middle-class families. They continue to vote for the special interests and against American workers." You can voice your support for the EFCA in an online petition to the Senate HERE.

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NEED COMPUTER ASSISTANCE?? 

Democrat Activist Mike Bailey is now providing “Professional Computer Support.”  He can be contacted at 502-558-4026, or mikebailey2000@usa.net. 

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