Rep. John Boozman was honored Monday with the 2007 Gold Mouse Award for having one of the top Internet sites in Congress.
Click here for the press release.
This is the second Gold Mouse Award for Rep. Boozman - the first coming in 2003.
Congratulations to all the winners!
2007 Gold Mouse Award Winners
This week, as Democrats introduce thier budget which includes the largest tax increase in American history, the Republican Study Committee - of which Rep. Boozman is a member - has introduced the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights.
Former Congressman Dick Armey has written about Conservative member’s efforts to protect American’s from the tax code in a recent piece for Human Events.
Earlier this week, I signed on to co-sponsor the Photo Identification Security Act (H.R. 1314), legislation offered by my good friend, Rep. Marsha Blackburn .
In my opinion, and the opinion of many, this legislation is basic, common-sense. H.R. 1314 requires both the federal government and banks to accept secure forms of identification, and would prevent the latter from issuing credit cards to undocumented, illegal immigrants.
I have no problem with banks opening accounts, providing home loans, or issuing credit cards to legal immigrants to the United States. The access to our banking system is a necessary step to documented residents and workers to realize their own American Dream. However, extending the same products to illegal immigrants sends a mixed message that I can not support.
On the one hand, we want immigrants to the United States to honor our laws and our immigration policy. Many have taken years to obtain the proper documentation, due to the backlog of the system. On the other hand, our banks - which we in Congress regulate - are in the position of advocating a complete disregard of our laws by tacitly encouraging illegal immigrants through their policy of granting them access to accounts without so much as a valid identification.
The acceptance of Matricula Consular cards issued by the Mexican Government presents a risk to our financial system as well as our national security. The only thing a Mexican citizen wanting to obtain a card is required to present to a consular office is a birth certificate - which are free to be purchased from willing sellers.
This presents a danger to our financial system as it would allow individuals to open multiple accounts, under different names with no consequences. Additionally, non-Mexicans could purchase a birth certificate, obtain a consular card, and open an account - granting them access to send and receive wire transfers from all over the world.
This is something I can not support. Immigrants who are in the United States legally already have the proper documentation to exist in our financial system. There is no good reason for banks to grant access based on unsecured documents, except to generate revenue by exploiting illegal immigrants living in the United States.
That is the question asked Tuesday morning by the editorial board at the Washington Times. What did happen between last Thursday, and this past Sunday, when the Majority Leader promised to give Republicans a chance to to actually participate in the debate on this week’s Iraq resolution?
We ask because on Thursday Mr. Hoyer pledged that “Republicans will be given either a substitute or a motion to recommit so that they can propose whatever substantive alternative that they choose” in regards to this week’s debate on the Democrats’ nonbinding resolution opposing the administration’s troop surge in Iraq. But on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Mr. Hoyer, seated beside Minority Leader John Boehner, said that allowing Republicans to offer an alternative resolution is “not necessarily our plan at this point in time.”
We could all comment on the point of a non-binding resolution, but maybe a person who is among the leaders for the Democrat nomination for president could sum it up more succinctly:
For now, all the Democrats have the strength for is a nonbinding resolution that opposes the troop surge. That kind of resolve was nicely ridiculed by presidential aspirant John Edwards, who compared it to a child “standing in the corner and stomping his feet.”
Yep, that’ll do it.
110TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. __________
Disapproving of the decision of the President announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Mr. SKELTON (for himself, Mr. LANTOS, and Mr. JONES of North Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on ____________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Disapproving of the decision of the President announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 2 concurring), That—
(1) Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq; and
(2) Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.
Funny thing how Congress promises to “continue to support” the military, but withhold support of the decision the deployment of 20,000 more of those very same troops.
The reason the legislation is written this way is that House Democrats do not want to follow through on the promise to “redeploy” or “unfund” or anything else which may detract of the perception that they “continue to support,” while withholding support of the troops on the way.
Instead of moving forward with promises of inclusion (there will be no opportunity for Republican elements), or promises of ending the Iraq war, the leadership of the House has chosen to offer an resolution which will only serve as a way to weaken the morale of the troops which they allegedly support; give comfort to the enemy of the troops which they “support”; and results in plenty of headlines for this week’s papers and television A-blocks.
Congratulations to the United States Senate, passing an increase of the minimum wage, while protecting the businesses which will have to pay the increased wage.
Senate Republicans praised the measure as a responsible package that would help workers who earn the minimum wage and the businesses that employ them. They implored House leaders to accept the compromise and send it to President Bush, who put out a statement yesterday praising the Senate bill.
“I want to reiterate our hope that the House will not derail this bipartisan approach,” said Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) “Middle-class relief is in their hands.”
This is truly an example of the bipartisan approach which the people want out of Congress. The Senate bill is a winner for those who want to help workers, a winner for those who want to help business, a winner for those who want to help both, and - more importantly - a winner for the American people who do the work and own the small businesses which employ the majority of minimum-wage workers.
You may remember Rep. Boozman (who voted for the House bill) signing-on to a GOP-backed minimum-wage bill which called for the tax relief in order to give employers an opportunity to follow the PAYGO rule followed in the House.
“I believe if you increase costs in one area, you must reduce costs to balance it all out. Instead, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats have ignored their own rhetoric by forcing small businesses to increase costs without providing them a way to balance it out with tax relief,” (Boozman said).
It probably also helped things out in the Senate when you had a fellow Arkansan say the tax relief was needed following the House vote.
“It makes sense that we look for ways to provide relief for our small businesses as we work to pass a minimum wage increase,” said Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark.
Now, it is up to the House to take a lesson from the bipartisanship shown in the Senate and give workers a higher rate of pay.
Rep. Boozman took to the floor of the House this afternoon in support of the House Democracy Assistance Commission, a bipartisan group he helped found.
Last night after the State of the Union, Rep. Boozman joined several other Members in Statuary Hall just outside the House Chamber.
Normally, the statues are the dominant feature - except for the State of the Union.
535 Congressmen and Senators; 535 communications staff; 23 camera positions; 23 network talents; about 100 other radio/TV/print reporters - and a whole lot of cellphones.
Here is a quick sample of the craziness that is the world’s largest cattle call.
Rep. Boozman appeared on First News this morning with Bob Steele on KARN Radio in Little Rock, speaking about the State of the Union.
Click here to listen to the interview.
