The purpose of this thread is to discuss the congressmen up for election--your congressmen. There are plaenty of threads on the presidential race and the positions on the candidates, but no focus here on the races for senate and house seats. In my view, it is IMPERATIVe that we all closely examine the records of our incumbent senators/representatives. No one should just automatically vote for the candidates put forward by the party that they more closely associate with; on this level, the election is as much a referendum on the performance of the incumbent. How does he vote on issues? Is he ethical? Has he been involved in and financial scandals? There are a lot of great resources to help answer these questions that were not available pre-internet. For instance, ontheissues.org. Also, groups like CREW can inform you as to the ethical records of your senators and reps. I believe that EVERYONE on CREW's list of the thirty most unethical congressmen should be voted out of office, regardless of which party they represent. None of my senators are up for election. My rep is a guy named Gus Bilirakis. As I recently moved to this state, I don't know much about him. From what I can gather, he is in his 40s; was a member of the state house of representatives when he was in his 20s, and just recently became a member of the US house of representatives. His father was a politician before him; in fact, Gus was first elected two years ago to replace his father, which gives me pause. He has not been involved in any scandals, as far as I can tell. Here is some of his voting record: Gus Bilirakis on Abortion Voted NO on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Jan 2007) Gus Bilirakis on Budget & Economy Voted NO on regulating the subprime mortgage industry. (Nov 2007) Gus Bilirakis on Civil Rights Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. (Nov 2007) Voted YES on Constitutionally defining marriage as one-man-one-woman. (Jul 2006) Gus Bilirakis on Corporations Voted YES on allowing stockholder voting on executive compensation. (Apr 2007) Gus Bilirakis on Crime Voted YES on expanding services for offendors' re-entry into society. (Nov 2007) Gus Bilirakis on Education Voted YES on additional $10.2B for federal education & HHS projects. (Nov 2007) Voted NO on allowing Courts to decide on "God" in Pledge of Allegiance. (Jul 2006) Gus Bilirakis on Energy & Oil Voted NO on tax incentives for energy production and conservation. (May 2008) Voted NO on tax incentives for renewable energy. (Feb 2008) Voted NO on investing in homegrown biofuel. (Aug 2007) Voted YES on criminalizing oil cartels like OPEC. (May 2007) Voted NO on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jan 2007) Voted NO on keeping moratorium on drilling for oil offshore. (Jun 2006) Gus Bilirakis on Environment Strengthen prohibitions against animal fighting. (Jan 2007) Gus Bilirakis on Foreign Policy Keep sanctions against Syria until WMDs are dismantled. (May 2007) Acknowledge the Armenian Genocide of the early 1900s. (Mar 2007) Let Ukraine & Georgia enter NATO. (Jan 2008) Gus Bilirakis on Free Trade Voted YES on promoting free trade with Peru. (Nov 2007) Voted NO on assisting workers who lose jobs due to globalization. (Oct 2007) Gus Bilirakis on Government Reform Voted YES on requiring lobbyist disclosure of bundled donations. (May 2007) Voted NO on granting Washington DC an Electoral vote & vote in Congress. (Apr 2007) Voted YES on protecting whistleblowers from employer recrimination. (Mar 2007) Voted YES on requiring photo ID for voting in federal elections. (Sep 2006) Gus Bilirakis on Health Care Tax incentives for Health Savings Accounts. (Nov 2006) Voted NO on giving mental health full equity with physical health. (Mar 2008) Voted NO on Veto override: Extend SCHIP to cover 6M more kids. (Jan 2008) Voted NO on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility. (Oct 2007) Voted NO on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D. (Jan 2007) Gus Bilirakis on Homeland Security More funding for Department of Veterans Affairs. (Nov 2006) Voted NO on requiring FISA warrants for wiretaps in US, but not abroad. (Mar 2008) Voted NO on Veto override: Congressional oversight of CIA interrogations. (Mar 2008) Voted YES on removing need for FISA warrant for wiretapping abroad. (Aug 2007) Voted YES on restricting no-bid defense contracts. (Mar 2007) Voted YES on allowing electronic surveillance without a warrant. (Sep 2006) Voted YES on continuing intelligence gathering without civil oversight. (Apr 2006) Extend reserve retirement pay parity back to 9/11. (Dec 2007) Gus Bilirakis on Immigration No amnesty for those that have broken the law. (Nov 2006) Voted YES on building a fence along the Mexican border. (Sep 2006) Government services in English only. (Mar 2008) Declare English as the official language of the US. (Feb 2007) Gus Bilirakis on Jobs Voted YES on overriding presidential veto of Farm Bill. (Jun 2008) Voted NO on restricting employer interference in union organizing. (Mar 2007) Voted YES on increasing minimum wage to $7.25. (Jan 2007) Gus Bilirakis on Tax Reform Make tax cuts permanent; eliminate the Death Tax. (Nov 2006) Voted NO on extending AMT exemptions to avoid hitting middle-income. (Jun 2008) Voted NO on paying for AMT relief by closing offshore business loopholes. (Dec 2007) Gus Bilirakis on Technology Voted YES on retroactive immunity for telecoms' warrantless surveillance. (Jun 2008) Voted YES on $23B instead of $4.9B for waterway infrastructure. (Nov 2007) Facilitate nationwide 2-1-1 phone line for human services. (Jan 2007) Permanent ban on state & local taxation of Internet access. (Oct 2007) Gus Bilirakis on War & Peace Voted NO on investigating Bush impeachment for lying about Iraq. (Jun 2008) Voted NO on redeploying US troops out of Iraq starting in 90 days. (May 2007) Strengthen sanctions on Syria & assist democratic transition. (Apr 2008) There's some positions here I agree with; some I don't agree with.
