Call your two US Senators and ask them to support the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act

Public Citizen is asking us to call our two US Senators, and ask them to support the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act (S.223). It would require all senate candidates, both challengers and incumbents if office, to file their campaign finance reports electronically (as opposed to paper). Just as important, they need to support the bill without the Ensign Amendment, which is unconstitutional.

In addition to bringing technology up-to-date, it would save the American taxpayer $250,000. per year! Call both of your senators right now; you can reach them at the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Then, if you can, please leave word with Public Citizen on whether they do already support the bill without the amendment. Thank you

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Tell your US Senators YES to the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act

Public Citizen is asking us to contact both of our US Senators to end subsidies to the oil and gas industry and incentivize renewable energy. The House just passed its part of the bill's legislative process-- now it's the Senate's turn to take it up. It's called the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act (H.R.5351). Take action today; if you would like to call them instead, the Capitol Switchboard number is 202-224-3121. Thank you

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Tell your U.S. Senators to unblock vote of Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007

Public Campaign asks us to contact our U.S. Senators concerning S.886-- Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) is blocking a bill that would return the presidential records, including possibly all previous presidents, their family members and vice presidents, to the American people. Take action now to help bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Thank you.

In 2001, President Bush issued an Executive Order that gives current and previous presidents the power to withhold their documents and records INDEFINITELY. What's more, the order extends this extraordinary authority to presidential family members, and even vice presidents.

Bush's order was a direct attack on the Presidential Records Act of 1978, a law passed in the wake of Watergate that makes presidential records the property of the American people. The president should not be allowed to permitted to flout open-government laws and lock away his records with a stroke of a pen.

But this is not just about Bush. It's about the records of ALL presidents.

Right now the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007, a bipartisan bill to undo the Bush order, is close to becoming a law, but it is being blocked by Senator Jeff Sessions.

Take Action NOW: Contact your senators and ask how they can allow a colleague to block this important bill.

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Tell your U.S. Representative to restore intent of 2007 Ethics bill

Public Citizen has an email your representative campaign concerning the recent U.S. House ethics committee's guidelines on convention parties. These lobbyist-paid "honor" parties for lawmakers have given undue influence on those representatives when they return to the Capitol to vote. The 2007 Ethics bill corrected this, but recently the House ethics committee ruled against the intent of this new law. If you agree, please contact your U.S. Representative and tell them to have the House use the Senate ethics committee's correct banning of these convention parties. Thank you.

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Tell your Senators to vote YES for two Farm Bill amendments

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste has an urgent action request. The Senate will soon vote on the 2007 Farm Bill. Tell your Senators to put the interests of taxpayers and consumers first by voting in favor of amendments that would bring about true reform of Depression-era agricultural policies! Below is their request details; if you agree, please take action at this website or send a message on your own:

Dear _,
I urge you as strongly as possible to tell your Senators to support TRUE REFORM in the 2007 Farm Bill. The Senate will begin debating the Farm Bill tomorrow, so it is urgent that you send a message to your Senators right away!
The federal government’s Depression-era web of agricultural subsidies, price and supply controls, and import restrictions long ago outlived their justification. Rather than assisting small family farms, federal agricultural policies overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest farmers and mega-agribusinesses -- to the detriment of those farmers most in need. Today, 60 percent of farms receive either no subsidies or less than $2,000 annually, while the top 10 percent of farm subsidy recipients collected 72 percent of total payments in 2003.
What’s more, this handout to well-heeled, politically influential agribusiness is financed on the backs of American taxpayers and consumers like YOU!
At a time when agricultural income is at record highs and commodity prices are soaring, taxpayers have been paying an average of $20 billion annually for the most expensive farm subsidy payments in history. Sugar price supports alone cost us all $1.9 billion each year in higher prices at the grocery counter, not only for sugar, but also for sugar-containing products, like cereal, baked goods, and candy.
The Farm Bill passed by the House of Representatives in July not only failed to reform existing agricultural policies, it increased subsidy payments. The Senate Agriculture Committee made this bad bill even worse by raising taxes on U.S. businesses in order to pay for yet another disaster assistance program for farmers.
As the full Senate takes up the 2007 Farm Bill, Sens. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) will offer an amendment to replace existing farm subsidies with an insurance program that would enable farmers to mitigate weather and market risks. This would provide a real safety net for farmers, instead of doling out excessive payments to the wealthiest farmers whether they need them or not.
Sens. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) will also offer an amendment to cap annual subsidy payments at $250,000 per farmer and close the loopholes that allow mega-farms to get unlimited payments by creating a complex web of multiple entities. Right now, some farmers receive taxpayer-provided subsidies in excess of $1 million annually!
Please tell you Senators to support taxpayers and consumers and bring TRUE REFORM to federal farm policy by voting in favor of the Lugar-Lautenberg and Grassley-Dorgan amendments!
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Schatz, President
***The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), the nation's largest taxpayer watchdog organization with more than one million members and supporters nationwide.

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Agencys' Inspector General openness to the public now being legislated

There is often tension between government agencies and their Inspector General watchdogs who can be the bearer of bad news about those agencies. POGO (Project on Government Oversight) has been researching the effectiveness and independence of the IG’s. They’ve already found other instances where IGs have had their reports unnecessarily redacted by agencies or where the agency has simply refused to post an IG’s reports on the web.

Inspector General legislation THAT passed by a vote of 404-11 in the House, despite a Presidential veto threat, would require that all IG reports be posted on the web within three days. The Senate will likely take up corresponding legislation in the coming days.

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CAGW Names U.S. Senator Shelby Porker of the Month

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has named Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) Porker of the Month for October 2007 for an $11 million Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) earmark for his alma mater.

Laurels of garland should adorn the esteemed Senators navel for this distinguishable recognition; salute!

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Call U.S. Senators Ensign and McConnell to remove bill amendment

The Sunshine Foundation is asking the netroots reform community to call U.S. Senators Ensign and McConnell and have them remove an unrelated amendment to the Senate electronic filing bill. Here's their story:

Ensign Refuses to Yield, Admits Working With McConnell
Sen. John Ensign continues to transparently block the electronic filing bill by refusing to back down from a ridiculous amendment requiring outside groups filing ethics complaints to reveal their funding sources. In stating his refusal to yield Ensign also admitted that he is working with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the author of this absurd amendment, to block passage of the electronic filing bill. The Hill reports, "Ensign added that he consulted with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) before deciding on his strategy, deeming the push for the amendment 'something we did together … we discussed it. I felt it was a good idea for me to do it.'" (Emphasis added.) McConnell has stated previously, including in the last few days, that he supports the electronic filing bill. It appears that he is being far less than honest.
Ensign and McConnell should do the senatorial thing and step out of the way as Sen. Bob Bennett did when he tried to offer a poison pill amendment. Rules Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein has offered Ensign a fair hearing in her committee on his amendment in exchange for dropping his objection to electronic filing. It's time for Ensign and McConnell to stop blocking transparency legislation.
In regards to the Ensign/McConnell amendment itself there are serious legal questions that appear to make it and illegal attempt to infringe on certain groups' privacy. Adam Bonin summarized the legal issues yesterday in a post at Daily Kos:
What can we say about this proposal? Of course it's not germane to this innocuous, bipartisan legislation, but what's more is that it's pretty blatantly unconstitutional. In a series of cases from the civil rights era including NAACP v Alabama and Bates v. City of Little Rock, the Supreme Court has made clear that such compelled disclosure – or "outing" – of supporters of a political organization is anathema to democracy, as it subjects members to potential harassment or retaliation and infringes on their constitutional rights of association, and must be supported by a compelling state interest.
Tell Ensign and McConnell to stop blocking transparency.
Sen. John Ensign: (202) 224-6244
Sen. Mitch McConnell: (202) 224-2541
Paul Blumenthal's blog Written by Paul Blumenthal on September 28, 2007 - 11:17am.

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Help restore habeas corpus today

Public Citizen is running a grassroots email campaign in order to restore habeas corpus. I can't think of too many more important reforms about we, the people, than this! Here is their message:

You know the saying, "If at first you don't succeed..."?
We have another opportunity to restore the right to habeas corpus now. The Senate is debating the defense authorization bill again this week, and Senators Leahy and Dodd have re-introduced the bill to restore habeas corpus as an amendment. Meanwhile, many continue to languish without due process to review the lawfulness of their detainment, and still more of us remain vulnerable.
Your help is urgently needed again. Please call your senators now.
As the Founders understood, in denying someone else's freedom, we ultimately surrender our own.
Thank you for all you've done and for not backing down. Take a few moments today to restore habeas corpus!
Sincerely,
Daniel De Bonis, Online Organizer, Public Citizen's Congress Watch Division action@citizen.org

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The Senator Larry Craig vs. Senator Ted Stevens admonishment question

There has been some considerations, and perhaps a few comments, about why U.S. Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) was relieved of his committee posts and fellow U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) was not. You remember that Craig was alleged to commit immoral public sexual behavior, while Senator Stevens was alleged to unethically steer taxpayer monies to a business in exchange for personal benefit.

As both congressmen are Republicans, a true double-standard in party leadership response is the question at hand. May I submit to you that the predominant philosophy of today's Republican leadership in Congress is conservative; therefore, it's actions would favor questions of personal morals more than that of ethical values.

Given the professed political philosophies in the Senate Republican Party leadership, it should have come as no surprise that Craig was admonished for his alleged immoral behavior, while Stevens unethical actions were considered much less.

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Ask your U.S. Senators to support the Fair Elections Now Act - S1285

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Senator Dick Durbin, D-IL, has introduced the Fair Elections Now Act, S 1285; it is the first time public financing of congressional campaigns has received such high-level support. Rep. John Tierney, D-MA, has introduced similar legislation in the House that will cover House races.

The Fair Elections Now Act will restore public confidence in the election process by allowing qualified candidates to receive campaign funds from the Senate Fair Elections Fund instead of asking for money from private or special interests. In return, participating candidates would voluntarily agree to limit their campaign spending to the amount allocated to them.

This voluntary alternative to privately financed campaigns will free candidates from the all-consuming money chase. Candidates could instead devote their time and energy to talking with their district's constituents about the issues that are important to them.

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The Senate must show leadership on immigration reform

Immigration reform legislation will resume within the next several days in the U.S. Senate. Just recently, it had suffered a quick death after a very hasty legislative process involving a small group of senators. This issue is very critical to the security of this nation; we have not enforced our current immigration laws adequately, to the point that we now have about 12 million illegal immigrants in our country.

Immigration, especially in this post 9/11 world, is ultimately a national security issue, and if we can't defend our borders from millions of illegal immigrants each year-- most of which cross our southern border-- we question our very sovereignty.

Let us open up our legislative process on such a complex national bill-- many considerations go into immigration-- economics, social services, crime, culture, agriculture. By seriously employing the full resources of our congress, can we as a nation take control of this national security issue.

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