Liberty Maven

Forty-nine new bills introduced in Congress yesterday.  Consider some of the ways that your representatives have been wasting time and money lately:

• HR248 – Honoring Glenn “Jeep” Davis for being one of the greatest Olympic hurdlers, an active member of his community, and life-long teacher.  [Are you kidding me?  Congress needs to adjourn and go home!]
• HR247 – Expressing support for designation of March 22, 2009, as “National Rehabilitation Counselors Appreciation Day”.
• HR246 – Expressing support for a National Week of Reflection and Tolerance.   [Pardon me while I vomit.]
• HR245 – Congratulating Miss Katie Stam for being crowned Miss America 2009 and thanking the participants in and supporters of the Miss America Competition for their contributions to young women’s lives and communities.
• HR1520 – To improve Federal land management, resource conservation, environmental protection, and use of Federal real property, by requiring the Secretary of the Interior to develop a multipurpose cadastre of Federal real property and identifying inaccurate, duplicate, and out-of-date Federal land inventories, and for other purposes.  [Yeah, I guess it's a good idea to take care and organize your land better, but let's not forget that the Federal Government has no right to own all the land that it does.  Did you know that the Federal government owns nearly 1/3 of all U.S. land?  I find that preposterous!]
• HR1510 – To amend the lead prohibition provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 to provide an exemption for certain all-terrain vehicles, and for other purposes.  [Typically, when the government intrudes into the marketplace with regulations, there are many unintended consequences.  Then supplemental bills like this have to be passed in an attempt to "fix" the problem.  But the tangled mess of regulation becomes so unwieldy and unmanageable that nobody can figure it out, and compliance and enforcement become impossible.  It would be better if we would remember that the Constitution grants no power to the Federal government to provide "consumer safety".]
• HR1525 – To amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to consider reconstruction and improvement of flood protection systems when establishing flood insurance rates.
• HR1524 – To allow flood insurance coverage under the national flood insurance program for new structures designed to protect public safety that are located in special flood hazard zones.
• HR1523 (also S-593) – To ban the use of bisphenol A in food containers, and for other purposes.  [See my comments on this yesterday].
• HR1521 – To restrict any State or local jurisdiction from imposing a new discriminatory tax on cell phone services, providers, or property.  [Uhhmmm, this may sound good at first, but I think they have it backwards.  Have you looked at your phone bill lately?  Most of the taxes and fees on it are imposed by the federal government.  And, the federal government has no jurisdiction over what the states can and cannot charge.]
• HR1516 – To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 37926 Church Street in Dade City, Florida, as the “Sergeant Marcus Mathes Post Office”.

• HR1515 – To assist courts in the States and territories with improving the administration of justice.  [Is the Legislative branch interfering with the Judicial branch?]
• HR1514 – To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize the juvenile accountability block grants program through fiscal year 2014.
• HR1512 – To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the funding and expenditure authority of the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, to amend title 49, United States Code, to extend authorizations for the airport improvement program, and for other purposes.  [More expansion of government.]
• HCR74 – Supporting the goals and ideals of a decade of action for road safety with a global target to reduce by 50 percent the predicted increase in global road deaths between 2010 and 2020.
• HCR73 – Recognizing the 1807 Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, which banned the slave trade in the British Empire, allowed for the search and seizure of ships suspected of transporting enslaved people, and provided compensation for the freedom of slaves.
• S-605 – A bill to require the Securities and Exchange Commission to reinstate the uptick rule and effectively regulate abusive short selling activities.  [An unconstitutional feel-good measure that will accomplish exactly nothing.]
• S-602 – A bill to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a survey to determine the level of compliance with national voluntary consensus standards and any barriers to achieving compliance with such standards, and for other purposes.  [Why would the DHS get involved with the census?]
• S-601 – A bill to establish the Weather Mitigation Research Office, and for other purposes.
• S-598 – A bill to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to improve appliance standards, and for other purposes.
• S-596 – A bill to require the Secretary of Commerce to establish an award program to honor achievements in nanotechnology, and for other purposes.
• S-595 – A bill to authorize funds to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation to carry out its Community Safety Initiative.
• HR1540 – For the relief of Kadiatou Diallo, Sankerala Diallo, Ibrahima Diallo, Abdoul Diallo, Mamadou Bobo Diallo, and Mamadou Pathe Diallo.
• HR1536 – To authorize the Secretary of Defense to establish a fellowship program regarding neuroscience.
• HR1535 – To direct the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study evaluating and comparing the effectiveness of programs designed to diagnose, treat, and prevent post-traumatic stress disorder.  [As I've mentioned in the past, I'm all for supporting the health and well-being of our Veterans, but things like this would be much better handled by the private sector.  The government never does things well, and has no business studying treatment programs.  Leave such things to the experts!]
• HR1526 – To aid and support pediatric involvement in reading and education.  [More unconstitutional meddling for the children.]

While most of the bills introduced never make it to a full vote, time and money are being spent on these items.  It could certainly be argued that some of these items are worthwhile causes, but how can they be considered legitimate functions of the federal government?

Since the Constitution of the United States specifically enumerates the powers of the federal government and leaves everything else up to the discretion of the states, these items are clearly not legal (opposing findings of the Supreme Court notwithstanding, since the Constitution is the “Supreme Law of the Land”, not the Supreme Court).

Still, now only are they spending your money on things like this, it costs a lot of money to take time to write up these bills and discuss them too.  Have you contacted your representatives lately?  Here is how to contact your Senators.  And here is how to contact your Representatives.

Don’t email them. It’s much quicker and easier to contact them via telephone. They usually answer right away, and you can simply state that you are calling to voice your strong opposition (or support) for a particular bill. No need to lauch into a diatribe, since the ones answering the phones will only mark down a “Yea” or “Nay” in a column for each bill.

Give it a try. You may find it an exhilarating experience to have taken part of the process by giving your input.

Operators are standing by, literally (during business hours, anyway).

I must admit that the first time I called, I was a little intimidated.  But you must remember that the office of each senator or representative is staffed with people answering the phones.  They expect you, their constituent, to call in to let them know how you feel.  They are waiting for your call.  Really!  Nearly every time I call, someone answers right away, and I’m treated with courtesy and respect.  When they answer, simply tell them what bill you support or oppose, and they will pass along your message to your representative.  Some may as for your name and address, and some may not.  It’s really as simply as that.  Expect your phone call to last no more than a couple of minute.

If you don’t know who your Senators are, or how to contact them, click here to found out.

If you don’t know who your Representatives are, or how to contact them, click here to find out.

Be a part of the process.  Let your elected representatives know how you feel.  Your comments may or may not make a difference, but if you do nothing you are guaranteed not to have a say.