Citizens of Evansville, Indiana stood out in front of Congressman Ellsworth's office to protest his signing of the bailout bill, saying that the legislation is unethical and robs the taxpayers. Though Ellsworth insists that his vote for the second draft of the legislation was a vote for a necessary evil, voters liberal and conservative alike have united against the $700 billion out-of-pocket charge that Congress has made on their behalf.

Ellsworth says that the act is expected to help struggling businessmen and homeowners and hopes that his constituents will accept it in time, but many are wary of Congressional and Presidential promises made over the past decade that have been broken. Could this vote mean the end of Ellsworth's career?

With Red states turning Blue as the public becomes aware of McCain's economic policy which favors the wealthy and fear for the next steps abroad in Iran with regard to foreign policy, Idahoan Republicans are beginning to take a closer look at Sali and see the failed policies of the current administration reflected in him at home.

His recent confrontations in Washington with his colleagues and iffy spending habits are starting to turn many Republicans off. Five such members have turned to Minnick to make their voices heard, choosing to do what they feel is right for the betterment of the nation instead of following party lines.

Recently, the Republican party both at the congressional and presidential levels has come under fire for negative ads misleading voters with biased information against their opponents.

A recent ad by Sali featuring negative information and false attacks on Minnick was recently pulled by the Sali campaign after the FCC acknowledged it's violation of the regulations. Because the ad made a direct reference to Minnick and did not feature Sali's image for the appropriated four seconds required to make a political ad legitimate, Sali's campaign managers pulled the ad to avoid further reprimands.

The spokesperson for Minnick's campaign released the following statement:

“This is yet another part of the pattern of Bill Sali’s ineffectiveness and incompetence. He is not following the simple laws governing his congressional office and his campaign. He spends almost $4,000 per month in taxpayer dollars to keep a swanky campaign office outside his district, he knowingly files false campaign finance reports and he refuses to pay off more than $125,000 in debt from his last campaign. Bill Sali must be held accountable for his violations of the law.”

Diaz-Balart's smear campaign targeting Garcia released an ad last month which made supposed links between Garcia and Enron's disgraced founder, Ken Lay. Diaz-Balart blatantly said that Garcia went to Lay to gain favors and win himself the position of a federal energy regulator.

However, Garcia has responded to his opponents insinuations, with a simple "do your homework" response. Garcia said that he did indeed answer some calls from Lay and a dozen other energy providers and traders who were interested in his policies and stance on energy policy. Garcia said that at no point was he attempting to gain favors from Lay. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Garcia: "The last thing on earth you want being a regulator is owing this guy [Lay] anything."

Last week, Murphy responded to an outcry from the physically disabled patrons who are disappointed with the dirty inconvenient public transportation system in New Britain, CT. Accepting an invite from one of his constituents, Murphy rode a New Britain Transportation Co. bus from Bank Street to Farmington and concluded that the bus's age and lack of amenities were indeed problems, which require federal amending.

Murphy: “It’s great to have firsthand experience, seeing the problems we have with local buses. This way I can press the case for more federal funding.”

Murphy insists that since the economic stimulus package will not go into effect for another few weeks, emphasis should also be put on transportation renewal. The buses should be replaced every ten years, but the 12 year state mandate freezes funding until the buses are almost completely run down. Murphy has vowed to do what he can in Congress to shorten the cycle to ten years, but is concerned that the limited funds provided by the stimulus package ($38.9 million is available only to “urbanized areas” – those with more than 50,000 people) will keep the seriously underfunded transportation system from receiving adequate attention.

Recently, Himes addressed the issue of expensive health care premiums for the self-employed and the small businessman by citing one example of a mother who was forced to choose between paying for her personal health care and Little League for her child. Christine McCarthy, a PhD in psychiatry with her own practice, recently stood up with Himes to support his campaign and bring down health insurance rates for at-home professionals.

Himes, who is an avid supporter of shifting the health coverage system away from one which provides incentives to curing illness to one that instead strives to prevent health problems in the first place, says that it is Congress's duty to stand up for the health needs of America's private business person.

Himes: "If you have a good plan, you keep it, but somebody like Christy can buy into the government pool. Christy is a professional, she's a psychiatrist with a PhD. It just shows this is a problem that effects everybody."

An advocate for pro-choice, Blythe believes that giving women the right to choose is a basic right. However, he does want to eventually limit the number of abortions in Brevard County and nationwide, not by revoking a woman's right to choose, but by "making every pregnancy a wanted pregnancy."

Blythe: "I feel strongly that we should reduce the number of abortions - and the way to do that is to make every child a wanted child and every pregnancy a wanted pregnancy. For this reason I have worked with other parents in Brevard County to make objective birth control information more accessible to our young women through the Brevard County School District."

Given the grassroots initiative by county residents to revise the sex-ed program in public schools to make them more accurate and detailed, it seems that Blythe is on the right path to pleasing his progressive constituency.

Recently, Diaz-Balart aired an ad featuring Martinez during his 1990 indictment for bribery and real estate development extortion that essentially made Martinez appear to be political convict. The 30-second spot focuses on Martinez's past conviction, but does not portray the trial in an entirely truthful light.

Martinez was indeed tried and convicted, but later filed an appeal, won, and his 1996 acquittal from previous charges. Diaz-Balart is saying the purpose behind the ad is to stir up public opinion regarding where Martinez comes up with the funds to furnish his back pay and legal fees, implying that Martinez illegally used city funds granted to him as Mayor by the city council. So what is Diaz-Balart really trying to do? Is he digging through Martinez's already reconciled past because he's out of attack points?

As a member of four unions himself, Franken is proud to endorse the Employee Free Choice Act which allows Union members to vote without authoritarian pressure from their employers. Coleman openly opposes the Act, saying that the bill is a misnomer and that union employees actually prefer the secret ballot. Franken states the opposite.

Franken: "The National Labor Relations Board is responsible for preventing intimidation of workers whether is be by unions or by employers."

When it comes to a change in transportation methods in Illinois, Roskam and Morgenthaler both agree that a railway merger will play some point in easing congestion for Illinois commuters, but Roskam does not favor property buy-ups in order to expand O'Hare.

If the airport, which is the second busiest airport in the US according to a poll taken by the FAA last year, is to be expanded in order to accommodate all of the extra traffic, then, says Roskam, the face of Basenville will completely change. The expansion may jeopardize local businesses.

At such an uncertain moment for our nation's economy, is it prudent of Morgenthaler to want to further foreclosure risks for homeowners and small businesses?

Instead of Congress "throwing money at the problems" on Wall Street, Bilbray says that Washington should have analyzed the issue in 2004 when the companies were first showing signs of overspending and Wall Street started to look weak to the shareholders.

Bilbray likens the Wall Street bailout to Welfare reform, and says that Congress merely feeds the problem with taxpayer dollars and then wonders why, five years later, there's more poverty.

Bilbray: "After we defeated the item on Monday[9/29], you saw the administration say 'Okay, we'll go change an accounting process called, Mark-to-Market.' They're starting to do that. Before the defeat, they said, 'we can't change anything.' We needed to force the people to the table, do the right thing first, and then justify it to the American people."

According to new statistics presented by the Bureau of Labor this month, the unemployment level continues to grow and in September another 159,000 jobs were lost bringing the grand total in 2008 up beyond three-quarters of a million people previously employed without work.

A frustrated Barnes blames all of the financial on Graves, saying that he should have seen it coming, he voted for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac credit increases and he opposed cracking down on CEO's who had been known to falsify numbers. While these overzealous remarks are not backed up with any hard evidence by Barnes, Graves has made some strange remarks with regard to what he calls "mandatory spending", e.g. medicare, medicaid and social security. Graves says this is the problem in Washington. The reason why the economy is in the pit is because Democrats want to "increase mandatory spending". Priorities?

Barrow introduced the Senate sponsored SHOP Act earlier this year to establish a nationwide health insurance purchasing pool for small-businesses to make health care more affordable and accessible. Thrilled with this initiative, the NFIB has endorsed Barrow for being, "such strong representation championing their issues in the U.S. House."

Barrow: “Small businesses are the engine of our economy. We need to take care of them so that they can continue to take care of us. This year I introduced the SHOP Act to make it easier and cheaper for small businesses to get health insurance. Passing that bill in the next Congress will be one of my highest priorities.”

In order to assist Rhode Islanders financially trapped by the foreclosure crisis, the HUD and Reed, as a senior member of the Banking Committee, have worked in conjunction to award the state a $19.6 million grant as its share of a $3.92 billion dollar federal program designed to curb foreclosure impacts.

The money comes from the CDBG program and is designed to help communities suffering under the economic weight of mass foreclosures regain their footing and re-stimulate the economy at the state level.

Reed: "Vacant, foreclosed homes can invite crime and drag down neighborhood property values. This federal aid will help protect homeowners and neighborhoods by allowing local communities to purchase and rehabilitate foreclosed homes and abandoned properties across the state."

Kilroy points out that when Bush first came to Congress, gas was $1.45 a gallon, and has now almost tripled in cost nationwide. This sort of energy depletion must be analyzed at the source, and Kilroy has a plan to address that. It is not realistic, she says, to think that America can drill itself out of this problem. Right now car companies such as Mercedes, GM are already working to produce a working, efficient, electric American car to put a permanent damper on every day American petroleum use.

Kilroy also thinks that if the 68 acres owned by oil companies and being held by the government for domestic production uses isn't being used for those purposes, then the government should revoke the companies leases and use said fuel to provide funding for research and production of renewable energy.

Kilroy: Government must focus its resources on helping businesses and universities to develop the technology and commercialize it. Ultimately, government investment in hybrid, biofuel, electric, hydrogen and other technologies will result in the creation of good paying advanced energy manufacturing jobs.

Recently, Judy Baker revealed her new economic plan to keep jobs in America and in Missouri to help stabilize economic distress on her turf. She is seeking a tax credit for smaller companies who work with larger manufacturers and small business owners to help them continue with their business in light of the unstable market.

Her plan, specifically focused on stimulating the American manufacturing sector calls for:

1) Crack down on companies that inflate prices and then write off the losses.

2) Close a loophole for writing off expenses associated with moving jobs overseas.

3) Restrict government research money to companies with at least 50 percent of manufacturing in the U.S.

4) Make permanent the tax credit for research.

5) Pay employers $1,500 for each new American-made job.

She has already received positive feedback from Bill Hoover of B&K;Manufacturing, Inc., who hopes that Baker's new plan will help him continue to do business and keep the large companies, which he services coming back.

Luetkemeyer is skeptical, however, and says that Baker's plan is "irresponsible" when looked at with regard to the state of the economy. However, as he has only given vague answers in response to Baker's solutions for the local businessman, is Luetkemeyer's creating dissent without any counter-proposal evidence of inaction?

Despite his being out fund raised by Guthrie almost 3-1, Boswell's higher rank in public opinion and his name recognition among constituents due to his four years as state agriculture commissioner.

During a debate last month between Boswell and Guthrie, the Republican candidate spoke at length about what he believes is abuse in the earmarks process over the last ten years in Washington, saying that the process is completely out of control. Guthrie cited the $223 million Bridge to Nowhere project in Ketchikan, Alaska as an inappropriate use of federal earmarks and the proposed plan for Hartland Parkway construction as an appropriate use of earmarks. All of this to which Boswell replied, "I'm not a supporter of earmarks."

Amongst other subjects, the two also differed on the subject of troop removal from Iraq. Guthrie stated that Washington must call for a pull-up of generals, while Boswell said that rash actions do our servicemen and women working hard to do their duty a great disservice.

As an advocate for NCLB reform, Esch is committed to finding ways to ensure that children in low-income households get the attention and funding they require instead of being one of the first deemed negligible on the admitted list of federal budget cuts.

To make this a reality, if elected, Esch presents a 4-part plan to improve the educational system at the federal level.

1- invest in early childhood education, i.e. preschool to create a strong basis for a child's education.

2-advocate for the reform of NCLB to restore flexibility at the state level and fully fund federal mandates

3-work with schools to secure an emergency program to guarantee that learning in a safe environment for all students is a key priority.

4-Promote initiatives to make higher education more affordable.

After Latham secured his vote against for the revised bailout bill, Greenwald came forward to express her dismay with her opponent's decision.

Greenwald: “I am disappointed that Tom Latham voted against fixing the financial mess he helped create. Latham’s years of support for George Bush’s failed economic policies and deregulation of the financial markets while taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from Wall Street put America in the economic crisis it faces today. I'm just glad he didn't get his way when he supported George Bush's plan to privatize Social Security and risk America's retirement safety net on Wall Street. And to add insult to injury, this vote was also a vote against providing tax relief to middle income families and disaster victims in Iowa.

Greenwald states that she is pleased that the bill managed to pass despite Latham's protest, because the new stipulations are meant to assuage financial burden for middle-class Americans hit by the unreformed AMT by unfreezing credit. Even though Greenwald says that she does not believe HR 1424 will make all of the changes necessary on Wall Street, disaster has been averted at least for the time being until real changes can be made.

Greenwald: Through no fault of their own, Iowans who have planned and saved for retirement and families trying to send their children to college would have been forced to delay their plans. Something needed to be done, and Tom Latham voted to do nothing.

Although No Child Left Behind has received some significant criticisms, the largest being the pigeonholing of child and teacher potential and severe underfunding, Moore has not given up hope that the program can be fixed.

Moore sponsored a bill, KPAC to provide the missing funding promised by NCLB to require the full funding granted to NCLB through the amended Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Moore also believes that extra help needs to be extended to special needs students that NCLB has not fully stipulated.

Moore: "There are some changes that need to be made in No Child Left Behind. To require special needs and special education children to meet the testing requirements of No Child Left Behind is not reality. There are some children, because of their learning disabilities, who will never be able to compete with so-called regular education children in testing."

Seals supports strengthening the US energy policy through tighter legislation, such as the recent increase in CAFE standards last summer. By influencing energy reform through Washington and focusing on details like fluorescent light bulbs and hybrid technology, Seals hopes to bring America's focus back onto the environment and conservation, not only for green policy's sake, but also for the working American's wallet.

Seals strongly rejects any policy that would include disrupting ANWR and the fragile wildlife life that such a reserve was built to protect. Such suggestions, says Seals, represent the short-sightedness that got America into the energy crisis we face today. Disappearing wetlands, lake communities in jeopardy, especially Lake Michigan and, least of all, the future state of the planet for our children are just a few extremely important reasons why Americans and Washington must focus on Green Energy reform, argues Seals.

If elected, Seals will make renewable energy policy one of his greatest priorities.

Seals: Aside from our energy needs, we also have to acknowledge that our air, water and land are resources even more important to our survival, and even easier to exhaust than oil reserves. Since we use Lake Michigan for so many important activities we have to be very aware of how we are treating this invaluable public resource. Recent studies have shown major areas of concern for the lake, including disappearing wetlands and shorelines, inadequate sewage facilities, invasive species contamination, and increased toxic pollution.

Catching up in the Grassroots game in the third quarter, Seals has broken his own fundraising record in the 10th district, gaining almost $700,000. This puts his total raised at $2.9 million from 6,300 contributors for the 2008 cycle, 1,600 of those are new donors from the third quarter.

Mark Kirk, a representative of the Bush agenda, raised $900,000 in the second quarter, but his earnings since then appear to be stabilizing rather than increasing.

Frustrated by LaTourette's inaction when he voted against the bailout, O'Neill released a statement chastising the incumbent for the apparent disregard he exhibited through his refusal to support any measure that would help save a diving economy. Despite the holes in the current version of HR 1424, O'Neill insists that the increased negative market action since the first bill was rejected is only proof that it is in Congress's best interest to do whatever may be necessary to prevent a crash.

O'Neill: “Inaction is not an option right now. Families are losing their homes, people are watching their life savings disappear overnight, and we’re facing the biggest financial crisis since the great depression. The idea that our congressman would stand in the way of this urgently needed package – especially for callous political posturing – is downright offensive."

Cook recently received the "Speaking Truth to Power" Award at the ASPO-USA (Association for the Study of Peak Oil) Conference in Sacramento. Director of CORE, Randy Udall presented Cook with the honor for her frank and open willingness to discuss energy issues with the public.

In addition to being the Mayor of Huntington Beach, Cook is also a board member for ASPO, and was one of the members responsible for bringing the organization to California.

Udall: "We honored her for her courage, for speaking honestly about energy realities and for promoting an energy program that makes sense."

Although Jennings says she understands the value of testing and accountability in schools, she believes that the educational system needs to move away from the pigeonholing tactics of No Child Left Behind, which employs universal methods for very different educational facilities and diverts money from public and state schools to for-profit ones. Nor have any funds been granted for School Improvement grants program as was stipulated under title I, leaving many schools underfunded, teachers underpaid, and classrooms too full.

Instead of stifling progress further by altering and promoting NCLB, Jennings wants to re-energize education at the federal level by allowing states to re-allocate funding from the School Improvements grants program, and put federal tax dollars back to work for American children.

Though Ellsworth did vote to pass the revised bailout bill, he did so after insisting that the bill be completely re-drawn to, among his requests, favor taxpayers and hold Wall Street executives accountable for their debt.

Although not all of the stipulations were accepted, Reps. Ellsworth, Murphy(PA) and Shuler(NC), were able to make clear to Speaker Pelosi their concerns for the middle-class taxpayers in their districts. The congressmen argued that the bailout package agreed to must not be punitive to cover millions in severance for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but rather in the spirit of fairness. If there was any book cooking discovered, Ellsworth et al. insisted that executives be made to turn in their bonus checks to help save the interests of their investors.

Murphy, Ellsworth and Shuler: We are gratified that following the government takeover, the former CEOs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will not be paid millions of dollars in severance owed them under their employment contracts. It is because of your leadership and our strong congressional action that these executives will not receive a taxpayer-funded "golden parachute" worth approximately $25 million. This is a step in the right direction and we encourage you to go further by imposing reasonable limits on executive pay and compensation in the [new] bailout package.

As a supporter for the bailout, Marshall says that he realized that it would be putting his career on the line and turning the heads of his constituency when he voted. So, in order to deter rumors that he was voting for the bill to "score cheap points" with the administration, Marshall immediately gave a press release to CNN to explain his reasons behind voting for the package. America is addicted to credit, says the Congressman. It is impossible for us to quite cold turkey without first addressing some high-yield solutions to help citizens get away from overspending.

Although it isn't easy, says Marshall, his unpopular vote for the bill will hopefully buy some time for Washington and help Americans with outrageous mortgages get back on their feet.

Marshall: Getting clean will not be so easy. When credit is quickly withdrawn, everyone in the business of lending panics. Credit becomes scarce and is not available at a reasonable interest rate. Institutions that need to use credit daily start to fall like dominoes. The financial fallout -- bank failures, risking a stock market crash, worthless retirement and pension funds -- could kill us. We need to reduce our dependence on credit gradually but steadily and with no excuses.

is in americarrent fuel crisis is putting some serious pressure on Young and rural Alaskans in his district. Adak, a small island town, has been effectively shut down since late September by the Aleutian officials in the community after the community found they could no longer afford to pay energy costs.

RCA officials say that they have been extending fuel as long as they could in good faith, but now, with oil prices showing no signs of going down, Adak electric must accept defeat. An Aleutian official says, "We have been putting a little Band Aid on the problem extending them fuel. We are not helping the situation by just giving them fuel; we are throwing good money after bad.”

Berkowitz says he has some answers to offer desperate Alaskan residents. By strengthening the PCE (Power Cost Equalization) and by maximizing LIHEAP, hopefully oil prices will not remain so preciously high for low-income Alaskans. He also points out that if Washington makes every possible effort to promote renewable energy, small towns like Adak will be able to utilize those options to bring down the cost of living and return home.

Berkowitz: Alaska must develop our vast renewable energy resources. That means research and prospecting for resources, and taking advantage of proven technologies. There’s a wind farm in Kotzebue saving roughly 100,000 gallons of diesel a year. We can install wind turbines in 80 villages for only $150 million dollars. We must also embrace geothermal power. Every volcano and hot spring is a potential power source. The country of Iceland gets almost 95 percent of its energy from geothermal. Here in Alaska, Chena Hot Springs already saves nearly 250,000 gallons of diesel a year. Alaska also has 90 percent of America’s tidal energy potential, and we should take the lead in developing this sustainable energy source. An additional 160 Alaska communities could also make use of biomass, creating energy from fish waste, captured methane or wood chips. Solar power, while it isn’t always here when we want it, may also be a part of solution.

After voting to pass the economic bailout bill, HR 1424, Mahoney gave a statement on why he felt so strongly about supporting the controversial legislation.

Mahoney: “America’s economic crisis is real and the global financial markets are faltering. While I was disappointed to find that the Senate version of the Emergency Economic Stabilization package contained several tacked-on unpaid measures that increased the cost of the bill and created even greater confusion about its purpose, failure to take action today would have had serious consequences for all Floridians."

Mahoney voted for the first version of the bill last month and faced an uproar from his constituency. Though he says he is not at all thrilled with the current draft, something must be done. Mahoney says that the two bills differ greatly and he feels more comfortable supporting this one that gives $45 million in tax relief to 50,000 people in the 16th district.

Mahoney:"The bill I supported today is not the handout plan that the Bush Administration originally proposed two weeks ago. This turns the Administration’s plan into one that holds Wall Street accountable. It provides for independent oversight and transparency. It protects taxpayers by requiring the Administration to report back on the program’s progress and allows for corrections to be made if the program doesn’t work as intended. It eliminates excessive CEO compensation and, once we are through this crisis, the legislation ensures that any taxpayer losses are repaid by the financial industry."

In order to help stabilize the 18th district's economy and at the same time improve America's energy policy, Space supports bringing renewable energy resources and/or ideas for green energy to the table. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Space managed to secure $48 million in Federal grants for the Appalachian Regional Committee. HR 799 is the bill passed, which will promote alternative energy to better produce efficient energy and heat for residents, promote jobs and eventually, inspire residents to begin exporting said energy.

Space hopes that, if re-elected, he can continue to assist rural areas of Ohio in becoming leaders in the renewable energy market through broadband funding and technological advancements.

Over the last decade, Space says that the government has been supporting a health care policy, which has been undercutting American families and seniors in favor of Big Pharmaceutical. As an advocate for technological improvements in Ohio's Appalachian counties, in both the medical and education communities, Space insists that Washington must focus more of it's energy on middle and lower-income families of those rural areas.

Space has worked to pass legislation (H.R. 4) that forces Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription prices, and he has secured $25 million in federal grants for telemedicine and hospital emergency systems in rural Ohio

As a supporter of federal funding of schools via the American Competitiveness Initiative, incumbent Space is looking to increase the quality of rural schools, teacher pay and curriculum both in his district and nationwide.

Space believes it's unfair for Washington to hold rural schools to the NCLB mandate without extending to them the proper funding and resources. Last year, to supply said funding, Space voted to give an extra $10.2 billion for federal education and HHS projects. The bill was vetoed by Bush after passing through the House because he in his veto message that, This bill spends too much. It exceeds [by $10.2 billion] the reasonable and responsible levels for discretionary spending that I proposed to balance the budget by 2012. This bill continues to fund 56 programs that I proposed to terminate because they are duplicative, narrowly focused, or not producing results.

Not one to be put down, Space says that, if elected he will continue to vote for legislation that gives education the resources they need to be successful. Space also hopes to further rural education in the field of technology by securing funding for broadband in the classroom.

Perhaps if you cited some examples in your argument, it would be more persuasive. Gen Petreaus has some very good credentials and did the job that he was instated to do well. But given the trials conducted earlier this year to decide if the surge and, indeed, the war in Iraq is in any way justifiable based on the sketchy reasoning given by Petreaus, Bush, Cheney, et al., one would have to say that the battle-hungry judgement of the current administration with regard to American casualties, diplomatic policy and the disregard for the safety of our troops is seriously flawed.

As to the issue of reinstating the draft, perhaps you should read Callahan's clarification of her statement here before giving people the impression that she wants to bring back a policy that hasn't been enacted since the early 1970's. Callahan says that she believes the American military does need restructuring and one way to do this is to require young Americans to do some sort of service to their country. That service, says Callahan, need not be with the armed forces, but it must be done with the betterment of our nation in mind.

On his tour through Mississippi to promote his proposed policy for national energy reform, Musgrove stopped in McComb to talk to citizens about his disappointment in Washington and his distaste for the economic bailout. Musgrove says that Wicker had 14 years to make a difference and all that led to was the fostering of the Republican party's "utter incompetence in Washington, which gave the special interests anything and everything they asked for."

Musgrove went on to link the current state of Wall Street to regulatory laws established in 2002 that altered the rate of debt ratio that banks were required by law to keep.

Musgrove: "Unbridled greed took over. I'm outraged that we're talking about a $700 billion bailout of these institutions when CEOs have run off like bandits. We didn't learn from the savings and loan collapse 10 years earlier ... and that policy was led by Phil Grimm and Roger Wicker and his cronies inside of Washington."

ThePyg:

You refer to a woman's sexuality as being the epitome of her existence? That's sort of what it sounds like. Perhaps one could attempt to justify that when women were still confined to the home or before the sexual revolution, but since then, many of us have made great strides in overcoming our visual worth. Check out that link for some more ideas from Peggy Phalen on dissembling the woman's unconscious image. I do appreciate that now you admit that view to be unacceptable, but just in case you were curious...

I believe in the beginning of your argument that you're attempting to defend sexism in dogma from an archaic POV and if so, I can sort of try to understand your reasoning. But then you go on to employ the "Strict Father" model as a way to justify your saying man watches over the women of his life (mother, daughter, and lover) because that is just the evolutionary and psychological trait that we have. to be protective. we are more afraid over how the woman might get hurt, so try to keep them safe. Which, and you'll forgive me, as a modern woman, for rejecting that idea, is an incredibly misogynistic statement blatantly placing women a step below men.

It isn't a matter of one gender being "better" than another, but rather of one being given more liberties, more opportunities and simply being treated differently than the other. I agree that the sexual inferences and prejudices were probably in step with the times, but I completely disagree with your saying that men are meant to watch over women and keep them safe. Really, what's that about?

A number of House delegates who voted against the first draft of the bailout bill switched their position to "yea" yesterday when the second draft altered by the Senate was put on the floor. Mitchell was among them. Frustrated constituents have already confronted Mitchell about his flip-flop vote and appear to take little comfort in his insisting that HR 1424 has been significantly altered.

Schweikert is still against the legislation as he was from the first and claims that the latest draft of the bill does little to secure taxpayers. The changes made by the Senate provide some extra tax incentives, raise FDC insurance and require insurers to provide coverage for mental health conditions, but still do not do enough to protect Americans losing money to foreclosures and rising mortgages.

True to his plan for US economic revival which refused any golden parachutes for Wall Street and rejected any plan for bailout, Walz voted against the revised proposal for a Wall Street bailout last week. He insists that the bill, which received scrutiny from the beginning for not providing taxpayers with sufficient coverage in exchange for their $700 billion, is still not secure for the American middle-class.

Walz says he refuses to support a bill that sends billions of dollars abroad to foreign banks to cover mistakes made by financial investors and provides little chance of homeowners getting mortgage relief. Strip away all of the little add-ons from the Senate, says Walz, and you have the same piece of legislation.

Walz: “I’m disappointed that instead the Senate sent this bill back to the House with $100 billion in unpaid for additional spending that will be added directly to the national debt. Further, it saddens me that I must vote against this bailout which includes provisions that I’ve long supported such as the Wellstone Mental Health Parity Act and the renewable energy tax incentives. Now that this bill has gone through, we must begin investigating why this crisis happened and what must be done to make sure this never happens again.”

In order to help recovering timber communities cope with federal subsidies on land, Minnick supports the reauthorization of the Craig-Wyden Act which was introduced in 2000. The act is designed to help towns struggling from the economic loss of the timber industry pull-out.

Minnick hopes that by reinstating the act, which in expired in 2006, to pay for schools and roads through a multi-year government contract, the economy will be revived through new industry, not just temporary installments.

In order to help deal with the energy crisis, Buchanan believes that Congress needs to focus on ending subsidies for Big Oil and speculation which continues to drive gas prices through the roof. He also supports drilling in ANWR (but he does not mention off of the Gulf Coast) and ceasing Strategic Petroleum Reserve deposits, citing the immediate need for oil as a reason to begin reserves distribution.

Naturally, Buchanan also supports implementing and funding alternative energy sources, but says that first drilling policies and oil conservation must be enacted by Congress. However, Buchanan, as I mentioned, says nothing to the effect of offshore drilling in Florida. Does Buchanan not mention the territory for fear of an uproar from his coastal constituency?

As the author and leader of the passage of the 2007 SAFERNET legislation designed to enact policies that help keep children safe from internet predators, Bean pledges to keep her focus on children's safety if re-elected. She also voted to extend SCHIP coverage to another 4 million children in the US.

Bean: “Over the next year and in the next Congress, I will push for greater accountability and more resources toward our inspection of consumer goods, particularly toys. As recall after recall is announced, we are learning about the disturbingly high percentage of imported goods that contain dangerous amounts of lead. I back legislation that would require mandatory, third-party testing of all children’s toys and products, and would require clear labeling that tells parents where a toy comes from.”

As mayor of Montgomery, Bright recently met with Mayor Jaxon of Eufaula in the 2nd district to discuss the area's struggling economy. The meeting was held at the former Wellstone Mills Facility, which was shut down in 2007 and left 220 people unemployed. Using the current Wall Street crisis as a working metaphor, Bright discussed how if elected, he plans on turning the economy for the betterment of working Americans like unemployed Eufaulans first, and addressing Big Industry second.

Bright: “Politicians do make a lot of promises. I’m not a politician. ... I’ll be steering economic opportunities to this area; I’ll be working with Eufaula to get federal grants that we’re already taking advantage of in Montgomery.”

Bright hopes that by focusing on re-building small communities (which make up 90% of his district), he will be able to work with his constituents to design budgets to fit the incomes and needs of smaller groups at the federal level.

Though Harper released a statement last week criticizing Biggert for voting against Bush's plan for economic stimulus, Biggert says, after voting to pass the second revision of the bill, that she had very good reasons for rejecting that plan.

Biggert: "The improvements, even in that bill, didn't go far enough and I thought that we could do better...but with the clock ticking and the credit market freezing up, it became clear that the time for seeking better options had run out... But we did get the administrator of the FDC, Chris Cox to put in some Market to Market guidelines ...and included tax relief for all Americans."

Biggert argues further that she didn't ratify the first bill because it would hit those taxpayers who work to keep up with escalating mortgages the hardest. Now that there are some stipulations in the legislation to protect the taxpayers and homeowners, Biggert says that despite the bill's many flaws, she supports it in this time of financial crisis.

An opponent of the Bailout bill, Cappiello confronted Murphy last week about his supporting using taxpayer dollars to pay for the mistakes of private investors. Cappiello rejects the bill saying that it doesn't provide too enough taxpayer protection, and there is too little oversight on the industry that has raised nearly half a million dollars for Murphy’s campaign [financial services industry].

Cappiello argues further that keeping the money with the taxpayers should be Congressman Murphy's priority, but instead soothing Wall Street and large industry interests are what interests him.

Cappiello: “Politicians like Chris Murphy are too interested in raising money to keep their jobs rather than doing their jobs. Murphy’s bailout bill throws money to his political benefactors without providing adequate accountability or taxpayer protections. This financial crisis is a sad commentary on incompetence in Washington, D.C., and proves more than ever that Chris Murphy is not the change that voters deserve.”

Thrilled about the success of the new Patriot Renewable Fuels plant, which is designed to produce new ethanol-based energy over the next decade, Foster extended his thanks to the 200 investors who made the plant's existence possible.

As a scientist and physicist, Foster supports the breakthroughs that the scientific community has made in corn-based ethanol production and says that he can only hope that the economy will follow suit. Until the economy stabilizes again, says Foster, projects like Patriot Renewable will have to go on hold.

Foster: "It would have been impossible for this kind of economic growth to happen today. And until we fix the lockup of the credit system, it's not going to be possible to proceed with other projects like this."

Despite the uproar from his constituency, Souder still maintains that his support of Bush's bailout plan is justifiable as a means to ending the current financial crisis.

The revised version of the plan, which includes a series of budget cuts for struggling businesses already rejected by the House in the previous version of the legislation, is meant to bailout investors who "bought risky mortgages" in an unstable market. Though this may seem like a series of risky financial mistakes for which said investors should pay, Souder insists that the amount lost is too great to be salvaged by individuals and that the government must step in to stop serious financial ruin.

Does this seem fair? If, as Souder says, those investors who make their money through taking risks and business speculation are indeed responsible for increasing the economic plight of the US, should middle-income Americans have to foot their bill for $700 billion?

Considering that Bush's plan is being scrutinized by both parties and calls for putting yet another $700 billion in tax payer dollars towards government buy-outs instead of focusing on serious long-range ideas, it's no wonder that Chambliss, with his record as a Bush voter, supports the bill.

Martin, on the other hand, says that he will not support such an act that will only extend further debt to middle-income families. Until consumer protection can be offered in the housing market, Martin says that Wall Street's issues must be addressed with a plan that works in conjunction with the interests of middle-class Americans and their immediate financial concerns.

Martin: "I am disappointed, but not surprised, to see that Saxby Chambliss voted for another typical Washington solution to a very real problem. It's classic Saxby Economics - $700 billion for Wall Street, while Georgia families get stuck with the bill. That's just wrong. This updated package still fails to address the fundamental problems created by the deregulation of Wall Street, which Chambliss went to Washington and voted for every step of the way. And it lacks consumer protections to stem the abusive lending practices that are at the root of this crisis - practices that I sounded the alarm on two years ago, long before the mortgage crisis began.

Focused on helping America become energy independent, Kagen says that first the exact issue must be pinpointed before absolute progress can be made. He has four goals for Congress to reach with regard to renewable energy:

(1) emit less carbon dioxide, pollutants and greenhouse gases

(2) invest heavily in renewable energy

(3) enable existing utilities to become sources of renewable energy

(4) begin to decrease the effects of human activities on our environment.

As a green candidate, Kagen has the environmental and fiscal future of American in mind. He understands that new plans, such as geothermal and solar energies, which are expected to yield high results require adequate funding and research.

In an adress to women and voters in Michigan's 9th district, Colleen Peters stands up next to her husband as a supporter of a Roe v. Wade and children's health care. Peters hmself is an advocate for equal pay and women's rights and has received recognition and endorsements from NOW PAC to help him in November.

The recent bailout proposal from Bush has received a good deal of scrutiny from both sides of Congress, but with Senate's approval in the the bag, attention now turns to the House.

The current 4th District Rep, John Doolittle(R) spoke out against the plan this week, saying that it doesn't focus on underlying problems with the Housing Market. Doolittle also said that he doesn't see how spending $700 billion taxpayer dollars will "supersede a process that could have drafted and examined legislation."

Brown, however, believes that the proposed bailout could be effective and only wants to work out some kinks to prevent golden parachutes for finance executives. Details, he says, can be worked out, but a plan to save the economy is indeed necessary.

Brown:"I’m still concerned about the details, but doing nothing is not an option during this meltdown. It’s a situation where we don’t want to save Wall Street. We want to save Main Street.”

In the times following a decade in which extremely poor decision making has put the US in a current Housing Market and financial crisis, do we really need another candidate in the House who will "just settle" for spotty legislation, or is Brown simply being pragmatic?

As the Co-chair of the budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee, Schrader has managed to wade through the financially lean years to find new ways to preserve and protect senior services and still establish permanent funding for the Oregon Project Independence to provide funding for seniors in need of home assistance.

By sending state plans like this to Congress and obtaining funding at the state level, Schrader points out that state funded programs will save Americans money on federal taxes and provide more help to groups who need it.

"This was not a lifelong dream for me, but I decided to run because...I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines and watching our government, country and economy go down the tank...there's nobody in the middle."

Carmouche recently gave an interview with the Shreveport Times about his reasons for running. His centrism and focus on bringing both sides of Congress together is, Carmouche believes, key to reformation of Congressional ethics and decision-making.

If elected, Posey says that he will hit Congress with ABTA (Activity Based Total Accountability) to make certain that the American people get the service that they pay for in Washington.

ABTA, according to Posey, will not only require that Congress account for it's expenditure, but also what it accomplished in detail. In this way, Americans can measure what activities are being done, what they do to benefit society, and what it cost to complete.

Posey:"...We're gonna do it[ABTA] on one page so that you can't get that fast-foot shuffle, and say, 'well, this is a pass-through to this agency and we're not responsible.' No. It's one page."

"Within a next decade, we will break through with enough solar technology to gain all of the power for this country from the sun."-Bill Posey

But before that can happen, says Posey, Americans must first look to domestic drilling to satisfy our current need for petroleum. There is no good reason, he argues further, why Americans have not turned to domestic reserves in the past, but many environmentalists and economists see no savior in ANWR drilling.

As for drilling offshore, Posey offers no answer to the problem of marine life and oceanic destruction. Until pro-oil Republicans like Posey and conservative Democrats can find an environmentally safe way to unlock these "great reserves" of which they speak, is the moratorium on domestic drilling justified?

In order to secure US borders, Posey says that we must continue to fund Border Patrol and give them greater resources to get the job done. He avidly supports finishing the border fence project and securing out airways, but how he would like to get this done in Congress is still a little unclear. The focal point of Posey's argument appears to be for the support of the Mexico-US border fence.

Posey: We must build the fence that Congress has already authorized along the Mexican border to halt the majority of the influx. Then, and only then, will we be able to begin to address the problem of illegals currently within the United States.

A supporter of free-trade agreements, Rogers voted to implement CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement to eliminate customs duties and expand outsourcing progress in the labor sector. The problem is that rural Alabamans are in need of work now more than ever since the fall in the economy, and Segall says that Rogers focus should be on them, not abroad.

Segall says that Rogers should be here supporting Alabama agriculture and labor to help feed Alabamans and Americans.

Segall: In 2007, 88% of our corn crop, 85% of our soybeans and 74% of our cotton was classified as poor to very poor because of a terrible drought. But the drought wasn’t a problem of nature. It was actually a problem of infrastructure. Alabama has more water than almost any state in the country—nearly 20 percent of the country’s water flows through Alabama.

By supporting the local farmer and keeping funding for food production at home instead of giving those jobs to Central America, says Segall, Congress can begin to build a new Alabama to help contribute to a rebounding American economy.

A rather dubious award, last month, Jon Porter received MSNBC's Keith Olberman's "Worst Person in the World" award for supporting Bush's troop surge and saying that, should the US withdraw from Iraq, gas prices would rocket to $9 a gallon. Livid, Olberman addressed the Congressman's statements by citing pre-war concerns.

Olberman: "Does it bother anybody else that when we went into Iraq and protesters said that this was really going to be a war about gas prices and right-wing fringe branded them all as lunatics and traitors. Now right-wing fringe, Bush and this guy Porter are using gas prices as a perfectly legitimate reason to get Americans killed in Iraq?"

Porter's support of Big Oil and the Bush administration keeps the troops in Iraq and the gas prices here up. Regardless of whether or not troops remain there, oil prices are going to rise because supply is dropping. Green energy is what we need to focus on, and having strict party voters like Porter in the House is not going to force policy change.

Everyone is talking about the problems with Bush's proposed Wall Street Bailout that was released this month, and Titus is no exception. There are too many holes in it, argues Titus, and says that until improvements are made to take care of working families hit hard by the mortgage crisis.

Titus: “While the bill in Congress was significantly improved from what the Administration proposed, it still lacks critical provisions to provide needed regulation of the mortgage market or help for families facing foreclosure. If Washington is going to bail out Wall Street, there has to be some relief for families who played by the rules yet are faced with losing their home."

She urges a bipartisan motion in the House to pass a bill that protects taxpayers and provides regulation within the housing market to ensure that such a crisis does not happen again.

A recent poll conducted by Anzalone research and presented by the Titus campaign shows Titus ahead of Jon Porter by 9 points, 46 to 37 percent. Despite the fact that many new comers to a race oftentimes have problems catching the public's attention since they are familiar with the incumbent, Titus has managed to slowly gain footing in her district.

The negative campaign against Titus doesn't make Porter seem very favorable to moderate constituents looking for a change in energy policy on the hill, and Titus supports solar energy that could bring a wave of new jobs to the state.

In response to the 11 million illegal immigrants who have entered the US over the last two decades, Barrow says that Congress must focus on increasing the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program by $10 million to reimburse police officers for the out of pocket expenses incurred for jailing illegal aliens.

With regard to illegal immigration, Barrow also:

-Supported the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act

-Voted to add five years to any sentence for violent crime or drug-trafficking when the offender is an illegal alien

-Voted to authorize more than $28 billion to hire over 2,000 new Border Security agents

-Voted to authorize the Defense Department to assign Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force service members to assist the Homeland Security Department with border protection.

Though Barrow supports the men and women battling abroad in Iraq, he openly rejects Bush's proposed military budgets and plan for Iraq in 2007 and 2008.

"Congress cannot manage a war, and it shouldn't try. Instead, Congress's job is to demand accountability from those charged with the conduct of the war effort and so far, Congress has failed to do that job."

Barrow says that although he does and will continue to provide support for troop funding in Congress, he expects the Federal government to pick up the bill using set funding and not dip deeper into taxpayer wallets and state governments for petty cash.

Last year, 125 women were killed in Arizona due to domestic violence. In response to such a number, Bee put into effect SB 1227 to provide more shelter and resources to battered women and their children leaving abusive households.

He has taken the following steps with this legislation since it's enactment to insure women's safety:

-Rental Relief to Allow Victims to Live in a Safe Environment

-Funding for New Shelter Beds

-Increased Penalties

-Prohibited Diversion, Requiring Incarceration for First-Time Offenders

-Extended Time Period for Aggravated Domestic Violence

According to the CBO, twenty years ago, senior citizens were receiving social security checks equal to over 50% of their pay before retiring. Now, senior citizens get 40%. Who knows what will happen after the baby boomer generation?

It's an illusion, says Grayson, there's money aplenty in the social security coffers, Americans just don't push for it. Social Security is adjusted based on inflation, but since wages have been rising faster than inflation, social security hasn't caught up to wages earned yet. Grayson says that there are more than $2 trillion in the social security fund, more than enough for our current senior citizens. The threshold amount for SS of $34,000 has never been adjusted for inflation, and Grayson feels it's high time that Congress look into it.

Also, Medicare doesn't cover many basic necessities for the elderly, such as hearing aids, glasses, eye exams, dental, and the cost of hospital stays. Grayson believes that it's time Washington make some overdue updates to help the senior citizens who gave their youth to the construction of our nation.

After reviewing Shadegg's poor voting performance this year, supporting Big Oil by refusing to vote for an energy conservation tax credit HR 5351 and refusing to crack down on gas price gougers by voting against HR 5253, to help the economy get back on it's feet financially and focus on more green energy methods, Lord says that the American people are sick of having Representatives like Shadegg who make voting with their partya priority.

Lord: "Investment in solar energy has Arizona's future at its heart: investing in our innovation economy, creating new green collar jobs, and helping reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It's hard to imagine anyone disagreeing with those priorities, but somehow Congressman Shadegg does."

The recent flooding in Illinois has left many without homes and destroyed property. Four people died due to the flooding earlier this month. Morgenthaler was not left untouched by the floods. In fact, as her house was being flooded, Morgenthaler gave a press release chastising Roskam and other Illinois politicians for not giving 6th district residents a comprehensive evacuation plan or community shelter.

Roskam: ""As I was standing in my living room with flood waters rising, it would have been great to get some direction from the responders. Did they want us to evacuate, did they want us to stay put, go to a community shelter or what? It would be very helpful for responders to be able to communicate to citizens emergency instructions through automated text and telephone calls during disasters like these floods, tornados or other emergencies."

The U.S. environmental policy, Morgenthaler believes, needs to be amended to better support green energy at home and abroad. Global warming is a reality, she says, and must be considered with every decision Congress makes concerning America's relationship with Big Oil.

Morgenthaler: The current administration’s blind support of oil companies not only hurts consumers, who are paying record high prices at the gas pump, but pollutes our atmosphere while ignoring global warning which threatens our world today.

If elected, Morgenthaler pledges to work towards green energy solutions and more environmentally friendly methods of business, but to work to protect the environmental health and well-being of American citizens both at the domestic and economic level.

As someone named the "Defender of Economic Freedom" by the Club for Growth this year, one would think that Bill Sali would be supportive of, or at least attentive to, any and all House meetings regarding possibilities to end said crisis.

However, Sali's 2008 voting record would suggest otherwise. Recently, Sali voted against HR 5818 which requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make loans to states attempting to end skyrocketing mortgage rates by buying up foreclosed housing to prevent further economic decline.

Sali also missed an important meeting last week with the Housing Oversight Committee of which he is a member, to discuss "CEO pay and the mortgage crisis". Is Sali avoiding discussing his views on the issue of economic stability, or could it be that his political allegiance doesn't mix with progress?

Kelleher released a statement last week regarding Bush's recent motion to issue a Wall street bailout to prevent the country from entering a period of severe inflation. The act stipulates some special measures for foreign banks carrying US currency as well, and moves that the bailout should cover their debts.

To this, Kelleher throws up his hands at the audacious moves Bush suggests the government make with the taxpayer's money.

Kelleher: If the Swiss government, with banking experience that predates the American Revolution, wants to bailout their banks, they should do it with their own money, not the money of the American taxpayer. Under no circumstances should any of the funds being considered for this financial sector welfare plan be used for foreign financial companies.

Boswell's popularity with moderate and conservative Democrats was solidified last week when he received the open endorsement of fifty congressional Democrats for his bid for 2nd district representative. The group drew Boswell out of a tight financial predicament and threw him back into the race $840,000 richer.

The DCCC(Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) ran an ad applauding Boswell's efforts and condemning Guthrie's business for allegedly outsourcing work to Mexico "that could be done right here [Kentucky]."

Guthrie has responded with some outrage, calling the statements false and libel, but the DCCC doesn't seem to care much for his response and is only focused on making sure that pro-gun, pro-life Boswell has enough in his coffers to see him through to November.

Recently, Kanjorski made a statement at a political roundtable that the Democrats statements and promises to end the war in Iraq and bring the troops the home were a bit exaggerated.

Kanjorski: "I think we [democrats] pushed it as far as we can to the end of the fleet, didn't say it, but we implied it. That if we won the Congressional elections, we could stop the war. Now anybody was a good student of Government would know that wasn't true."

What exactly is Kanjorski saying? That he doesn't have faith in his own parties promises, or is he completely disregarding any truth in statements made by democratic elected officials with regard to Iraq and improving foreign policy?

Over the past ten years, one could say that Bush's policies have given powers to the military, arms providers and war profiteers that have allowed military operations to become overzealous in threat evaluation.

Pingree believes that it is time to focus on peace rather than making further war and adopt a more fiscally sound method of budgeting defense operstions.

Pingree: "Under our current system, the Pentagon spends tens of billions of dollars on a missile defense system of questionable value while the Department of Homeland Security struggles to find the necessary funds to adequately secure our ports. By unifying the national security budgets we can take a rational approach toward setting our priorities."

In order to begin military spending reform, Pingree says that we must first pull out of Iraq and stop pumping the war full with $25 million a year that doesn't even get to troop support or field needs.

As a advocate for free speech and free media, Pingree stood up with former Rage Against the Machinist, Tom Morello to support the "Tell the Truth" tour which was organized to stop media consolidation and keep the free press free.

Pingree supports and promoted the Bill of Media Rights to keep idea integrity, circulation and promotion free.

Pingree supports the passage of the Non-Descrimination Act which would make it illegal for companies to descriminate against would-be employees based on race, gender or sexual orientation. Currently, the bill is being considered in it's revised version, stipulating equal rights for transgendered individuals by the House, and Pingree supports it all of the way.

Pingree has stood up in the past against the 1993 Defense of Marriage Act. Pingree:I also support the rights of same-sex couples to obtain all the rights and benefits of marriage -- there should not be a two-tiered system of marriage in our country.

As a Mainer in support of energy independence via domestic drilling, Summers calls for drilling to begin immediately, saying Congress should leave politics at the door to deal with this "American issue".

His first step is unearthing the almost 900 billion barrels of oil located in Utah, Wyoming, ANWR and the Gulf Coast to help Maine natives and American families out from under skyrocketing gas prices. Summers also believes that Americans must use their "American ingenuity and tools", with the help of federal funding, to create more renewable energy sources and focus on a green future. But for now, says Summers, the focus must be on the people.

Right now, Americans need oil, says Summers, and he will work very hard to make sure that they get it domestically.

Summers: Like it or not, oil as a base form of power is here to stay for long time - it should be our goal to increase our domestic supplies of oil in an environmentally safe way and improve the efficiency with which we use that oil, while at the same time tap into American ingenuity to develop alternative energy sources -wind, solar, nuclear and clean coal technologies.

As progressive Americans look forward to a change in educational policy from NCLB to any new system based on individual potential, Garcia steps up to accept the challenge to implement new tactics from K-12 to teachers and curriculum rigor.

He cites the following problems with the current educational system:

-Budget cuts

-Rewarding testing rather than teaching

-Students falling behind in Florida

-Low teacher retention and pay

-Soaring costs for college

As an answer to these problems, Garcia suggests that Washington begin by building from the ground up, starting in childcare school where vocabulary usage, math and the basics in education can first be introduced. From there, Garcia calls for higher teacher pay in K-12, and more teacher education to create complex curricula that rewards teaching, not testing. He also insists that college students be eligible for the Tuition Tax Credit to help students and parents prepare financially for the next step in higher education, and a federal credit given to small business to give students career opportunities to consider before graduation.

Concerned about rising health care premiums for middle class families and expensive coverage for children living in poverty, Moore is at present an advocate for the reauthorization for SCHIP which is a federally funded health insurance program for low-income families with children who cannot afford proper health care coverage.

Moore also advocates better technology in hospitals to provide better service to individuals and help medical professionals keep track of their patient's history with greater ease and less cost. Electronic medical records will help reduce bureaucratic waste in hospitals and make the doctor-patient relationship more fluid.

Though Moore admits that domestic drilling is part of the answer, drilling is not the answer. As a supporter of the Energy Independence and Security Act and H.R. 2361 to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to refuse credit for renewable energy in the case of coal, gas and petroleum, Moore clearly wants the US to take renewable energy progress very seriously.

The Energy Independence and Security Act stipulates that cuts must be made in energy consumption by 4 million barrels daily by 2030 to achieve 24% greenhouse gas reduction. Moore also believes that the primary goal for Americans must break our dependency on foreign oil because, "as long as our nation depends on politically unstable nations for oil, particularly those in the Middle East, we will likely be entangled in future protracted and costly foreign conflicts. Therefore, it is a critical matter of economic and national security importance for our nation to commit to the goal of reducing our dependence on oil from undemocratic and politically volatile nations."

The former Chase Brass Manufacturing Company stationed in Waterbury, CT is responsible for water and soil pollution in Waterbury Connectucut that has yet to be sufficiently dealt with by the state or federal government.

The House just recently passed an appropriations bill pushed by Murphy that provides funding to clean up contamination at Waterbury Industrial Commons in the 5th district, including $15 million to clean up the polluted site on Thomaston Avenue.

Should the bill manage to pass through the Senate and by the President, it will be one of the largest sums ever federally given to Waterbury and help to clean about 20-acres of polluted property.

Murphy has been pushing the bill for the last two years and is verry excited to see it finally take it's first steps. Murphy: “I’ve asked for a lot of things in my district and this is an unprecedented grant for brownfield remediation because, in the end, Waterbury can only survive if it grows its tax base."

Bush released a bailout plan this month to prevent the economy from slipping into a major recession by using $700 billion in taxpayer dollars to buy up weakened business mortgaged to the hilt and hold them until the economy has stabilized.

The plan has been rejected by a majority of Congress and of public polled because of it's unsound economic thinking and lack of planning. Murphy is one of those Representatives who refuses to accept such a hasty plan. The sale of companies at the federal level would show no profit for shareholders during the holding period, including the employees with investments. Also, Murphy does not warm to the idea of the American taxpayers being saddled with another $700 billion of George W. Bush debt.

Murphy: “...taxpayers must be assured that not one dime of their money will go to failed CEO’s or executives in the process of this market rescue. Any solution passed by Congress must be a clean piece of legislation and not used as an opportunity to further any objective other than the stabilization of our financial markets.”

Earlier this month, Marshall co-authored an op-Ed piece on energy policy and domestic drilling for the Washington Post to discuss why opening up ANWR is so necessary and a moratorium is so impractical. He thanks environmentalists for keeping up with Washington by preserving the ANWR reserves for the public and salutes them for their hard work.

However, says Marshall, a strategic plan is needed to lift the ban and lower gas a few more cents in order to help Americans get on with daily life while Congress puts dollars earned by domestic drilling to work to find permanent sources of renewable energy.

Marshall: "We hope this price crisis prompts the adoption of a strategic plan to use the remaining value of our federally owned oil and natural gas reserves to fund a clean, affordable and independent energy future for America, a goal worthy of short-term environmental concessions and risks. Virtually all general drilling bans should be lifted. We should permit drilling offshore and in the ANWR and require that it be done with appropriate care."

This move may seem hypocritical to some, however, who remember his 'nay' votes on several occasions to open up ANWR and his focus on supporting green and renewable energy tax cuts. Are moves like this by Progressives, including Obama's recent change of heart proof of how limited options really are for Americans?

Although he is not an advocate for "socialized health care", Goddard believes that the self-employed American should have the right to the same health care tax breaks as businesses. He also believes that in order to reduce the demand and stabilize supply, the American government has to create a market-based system that will drive down costs, increase accessibility and put patients in charge of the limitations of their care.

Keeping in step with capitalist ethics and pushing the American family away from large government, Goddard wants the individual to be in charge of his own health care plan.

Goddard: The quality of America's health care is the envy of the world, but the surest way to destroy this is to create a central government bureaucracy to control and ration medical care.

Donnelly endorses the SAVE Act, a rather conservative piece of legislation headed by Brian Bilbray (R-California) aimed at cracking down illegal immigration by keeping track of immigrants who pass through the criminal justice system via databases kept by Homeland Security.

The Act also stipulates record keeping and logging of all companies that have employed illegal immigrants and been indicted. Though Donnelly agrees that the "system[of immigration] is broken", he is mostly interested in the Act's stipulation for 8,000 patrolmen, E-verification for employers with past offenses and providing more funding to increase the level of border patrol technology. This proves that in order to get things done, Donnelly is willing to employ bipartisanship to reach a house consensus and fix America's immigration problems.

Donnelly: “Illegal immigration has become nothing short of a crisis in this country. The SAVE Act offers an immigration policy that strengthens our borders and enforces our employment laws. I will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get the bill to the floor.”

Last month, Donnelly sponsored a bill which amended the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to treat certain income and gains relating to fuels as qualifying income for publicly traded partnerships, which, in effect means that businessmen wishing to establish ethanol pipelines domestically will be granted the same tax breaks as those who now own and operate pipelines that transport petroleum products.

The bill, entitled, Biofuels Pipeline Act of 2008 will hopefully provide another step in derailing oil speculation and behooving car companies to produce E85 vehicles by providing the alternative fuel in more places.

Donnelly: Only when we work together and take an “all-in” approach that utilizes America’s resources, labor, and ingenuity will we end our dependence on foreign oil, reduce energy prices, and make our country more secure.

Wolfe's conservative views on federal spending include dismembering the entire Department of Education and dispersing it's power back to state governments in order to save the government $68 billion a year.

Although one could see how making such a drastic cut in federal programming would present a surplus of funds for Congress to dedicate to other projects, e.g. green energy and children's health care, Wolfe's interest in promoting either of those options seems limited. He supports Bush's permanent tax cuts which many argue would do nothing to fix problems within the current health care and educational systems, but rather just inspire Americans to shop. Wolfe also says that the government shouldn't help with health care, and that rather people, with the help of a Health Insurance Savings Account, should be "empowered with the ownership of their health. The way to do this is to encourage people to purchase health insurance that pays catastrophic health expenses only and puts the first dollar responsibilities in the hands of people who are the end users of the product." Essentially, Wolfe says that the reason why people suffer under medical costs is because they cannot choose which insurance plan is right for them.

So, by eliminating federal funding and programming for public education and telling people that they have high medical bills because they don't know the difference between insurance plans, Wolfe thinks that the federal budget can be stabilized. But does that really solve problems, or just cut program funding to aid middle class Americans who need it most?

One of Harper's pet issues that he hopes to work on if elected to the House is environmental protection and awareness through federal funding and programs. Harper wants to work in conjunction with the EPA to strengthen the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts to increase tax benefits for Americans operating green cars with lower emissions and businessmen using green alternatives in their offices and homes.

Harper also wants to work in Congress towards energy independence through primarily renewable energy and increasing fuel efficiency standards. Not only, says Harper, will turning to green energy production and alternatives improve the environment for the next generation of Americans, but it will also strengthen the economy by stopping outsourcing and bringing jobs back home.

Recently Biggert managed to get her legislation, the Housing Counseling Bill, passed by the House. The Bill is focused on preventing foreclosure through mortgage-related counseling services for middle-class families suffering to make their mortgage payments in this weakened economy.

As the ranking member of the House Financial Services Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittee, Biggert has been very concerned with helping families find ways to maintain their homes. The bill authorizes $180 million over four years to the new Office of Housing Counseling within HUD which will fund local counseling and bring about a national effort to raise awareness about mortgage counseling.

Biggert: "Given the right refinancing options, these are people that can and would be able to make their monthly payments. But they need someone to help them evaluate their options, guide them through the process, and facilitate discussions with their bank."

With the endorsement of 6,500 police officers and the Border Patrol Supervisors Association, Schweikert hopes to put an end to illegal immigration by implementing some rather pricey methods.

Apart from holding companies and businessmen who employ illegal immigrants accountable for their actions and finishing the fence, which officials estimate would cost between 4 and 8 billion dollars, Schwiekert also wants to increase the level of technology currently used by border patrol by employing UAVs such as the MQ-9 Reaper and Predator RQ-1 to patrol for illegal immigrants attempting to breach his new wall.

Are Schweikert's suggestions, which involve billions of taxpayer dollars really necessary, or would a focus on policy be adequate enough? Does Schweikert just like the idea of new military toys being used unnecessarily at the expense of the taxpayer?

Dicks makes the argument that Florida's 9th district needs to be fed labor via legal immigration methods in order to keep farms in migrant labor during the harvest season. He also says that he believes in respecting America's history as a nation of immigrants and does not want to deter those who would become legal citizens, paying taxes and observing laws.

However, says Dicks, the rampant infiltration of illegal immigrants must cease in order to stabilize wages for the middle class and help Americans secure well-paying work.

Dicks: "The point of the matter is the people that are here, we need to develop a system where they can become citizens, but that doesn't mean that they get to jump to the front of the line."

The recent signing of the new GI bill into a law by President Bush marks the beginning for many vets returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan who are looking to continue their education.

Dicks cites the fact that Gus Bilirakis voted against the bill in Congress as proof of Bilirakis lack of commitment to veteran aid.

Dicks: "We just had a new GI Bill that passed in Congress, my opponent voted against it. I'm amazed at that...The new GI bill will provide educational opportunities for the 21st century to make certain that they will be able to continue their studies."

Griffith: We cannot continue to be competitive in a global economy if we continue to have a second rate education system. There is no more pressing issue facing America today, and it will become a security and economic threat if we do not address it now.

In order to change the face of American education, Griffith proposes that America's education programs be extended nationwide to include pre-kindergarten instruction in order to help children enter the first grade already prepared to absorb the primary curriculum. He also pushes for putting the highest rated teachers in primary schools to give students the best possible beginning.

By improving math and science via improved funding for programs such as the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative, students in secondary school will be better prepared for college and be able to compete with other students at the international level. Griffith hopes to be able to provide scholarship incentives for higher education in the fields of math and science with help in funding and instruction from NASA.

Parker recently opened up a campaign office in the Shoals in Northwest Alabama to promote his ideas for economic increase and support for the middle class workforce.

While touring, Parker stopped at the University of Alabama to discuss the students concerns about the economy and to answer questions that they might have. Parker believes that the recent growth Huntsville, Al has experienced with the new missile development industry, the Shoals can benefit from such developments.

Parker:"[The aerospace industry] would provide a wonderful platform to use that area right in the middle of these communities, which are strategically located. I think it could be marvelous."

Callahan believes that the troops in Iraq have done their duty superbly and should now be able to return home. It is not our place, she says, to force our methods on Iraq. America should now leave the country to "develop their own democracy."

Callahan traveled to Iraq in 2003 at the invitation of Anne Veneman, USDA Secretary to experience the goings-on between America and the Middle East herself. The experience, she says, was "life changing". She believes that the billions and billions of dollars being absorbed abroad need to be brought back to the states and put into schools, health care and infrastructure.

Though Callahan considers any form of extremism and terrorism to be very serious, she says that our time in the Middle East has expired and now wants to put those funds back in the hands of the middle class to address their needs and concerns.

As a supporter of the 25x25 Recommendations for a Clean and Secure U.S. Energy Future, which is designed to implement 25% renewable energy by 2025, Callahan is pro-incentives for ethanol reduction, greenhouse gas emission reduction nationwide and investment in energy initiatives including the capture and geologic storage of CO2, which, she believes will "help the American coal industry and biofuel industry become competitive in a low-carbon economy."

Callahan's supported measures say nothing of increased drilling or exploratory drilling off of the coast, but rather focus on future measures and green alternatives that Congress should focus on over the next two decades.

Callahan: "The time has come to construct and pass a comprehensive, long-term energy plan that will accelerate the production of all forms of renewable energy, create new renewable energy markets and deepen our commitment to conservation of natural resources, sustainability and protection of the environment.”

Former VP Al Gore recently stepped forward to help Leibham strengthen his campaign coffers and give him a financial push. Last Saturday, he raised "a lot" of money by giving private speeches at $500 a head in two homes in Rancho Sante Fe.

Gore spoke about the need for environmental policy reform and climate change. The 2007 Academy Award winner and Nobel Peace Prize recipient brought some serious star power to Leibham's campaign and his association definitely helped to solidify Leibham's name in the minds of green constituents who heard of and/or attended Gore's speech.

As a congressman focused on ending illegal immigration, Bilbray believes that one of the primary steps that needs to be taken is to revoke the privilege of sanctuary. San Diego recently ended their don't ask, don't tell policy in order to begin deporting illegal immigrants who were recently imprisoned.

As chairman of the immigration reform caucus, Bilbray believes that districts must revoke sanctuary privileges from illegal immigrants if they wish to apply for immigrant removal funding from the department of Homeland Security.

Bilbray: "The cities that are claiming and playing to the politics of this so-called sanctuary, like San Francisco[Los Angeles, Dallas, Austin,Chicago, New York and Cambridge]... are [they] going to pander to the illegal immigration caucus, or do the right thing now?"

Offshore tax evasion in Florida by the extremely wealthy via loopholes puts extra tax burdens on the middle class and is causing an uproar on Florida's mainland. Vern Buchanan has exploited said loopholes by owning offshore reinsurance companies that allow his car dealership to pay fewer taxes than other businesses who pay their way, oblivious to the offshore corruption.

Jennings recently spoke with Rep. Brad Sherman(D-Ca) regarding such tax evasion which is also a problem in Florida and expressed her disappointment in Buchanan's shady dealings. Sherman supports two pieces of legislation designed to deter illegal deductibles taken on offshore property.

H.R. 2136, the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act, restricts the use of offshore havens, and H.R. 2345, the Abuse of Tax Shelter Shutdown and Taxpayer Accountability Act of 2007 disallows tax benefits for those who fail to disclose the true nature of tax-sheltered transactions relating to business or leisure property.

Jennings: “Restoring fiscal discipline to Washington is of my top priorities. Making sure everyone pays their fair share of taxes is an important step toward balancing the budget and paying down the debt, especially as our government faces so many other economic challenges. I couldn’t agree more with Rep. Sherman’s recommendations for closing these off-shore tax loopholes that allow too many people to escape paying their fair share.”

As an active member of Congress interested in securing health care for children, Yarmuth has cosponsored SCHIP legislation to provide health insurance to 10 million children nationwide, including 50,000 in Kentucky.

To thank him for his dedication to children and affordable medical care, the Children's Defense Fund Action Council named Yarmuth the "Best Representative for Kids".

Yarmuth also has worked to stop Bush's proposed cuts to Medicaid which would affect medical rehabilitation, transportation, and case management services for millions and cost Kentucky taxpayers billions of dollars.