Good for Rep Louise Slaughter being the only House Rep get out into the netroots today. I would also like to add that MyDD poster Adam Conner is joining the Slaughter team on Monday, as the director of online communications for the rules committee. Jerome

Friends,

In light of the passionate comments I've read on MyDD today, I wanted to give you my direct thoughts about what is occurring today in the House concerning the Iraq supplemental funding.

Let me say up front that what happened today was the result of a Presidential veto and a Republican minority that doesn't care that the American people want to end this war. That's the context, as I see it. Now, let's talk about the specifics.  

We have cross posted this over at the Daily Kos.

I know many of you have been following the issue of "net neutrality" very closely. The House of Representatives is scheduled this week to take up a bill (H.R. 5252) that would allow telephone companies like Verizon and AT&T to get national cable franchises.  A huge point of disagreement in this bill has been the "net neutrality" issue---whether Verizon, AT&T, and the other huge "telco" and cable companies should have the power to play favorites with the content that travels over their networks.    

Hello friends. Like everyone in the greater netroots community we are closely following the developments concerning the explosive Duke Cunningham bribery and prostitution scandals and the recent outrageous comments by Bush cabinet member Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). My colleagues Reps. Frank and Waxman have already sent their letters to Mr. Jackson. Senator Lautenberg has called for his resignation.  

This afternoon I sent a letter to Secretary Jackson (text posted below), calling on him to immediately release all records and documents pertaining to a $519,823 contract awarded to Shirlington Limousine and Transportation, Inc., the company which is the middle of the Duke Cunningham bribery and prostitution scandal.

Hi folks. I wanted to come here and follow-up on the story of possible insider-trading in Congress. Remember a few weeks ago I mentioned that I was hearing stories about possible insider trading by Tom DeLay's top leadership aide in Congress? Well today I am going to introduce legislation with my colleague Rep. Brian Baird of Washington that will block Members of Congress and their aides from engaging in insider trading.  We can't let Members and their staffers making profits through day-trading using  non public, sensitive information they become privy to because of their special access.

From the diaries--Chris

Hi folks.  I wanted to come on here and responds directly to some recent baseless and desperate attacks on our report America for Sale, from our friends on the far right.

Instead of challenging the fundamental truth of the America for Sale Report; my Republican colleagues have resorted to what they seem to do best: attempt to smear anyone who dares question them.  They are suggesting that the report was a political document, and are now engaging petty and desperate attacks on how the report was posted online. By the way it is still available online, and you can read it by clicking here  

Why are the Republicans so afraid (of the truth)?

Good morning folks. Last week I came here and shared with you the release of our new report, "America for Sale: The Costs of Republican Corruption" exposing how the Republican leadership is selling out interests of American taxpayers by allowing their friends from drug companies and oil and mining industries to write our legislation.

Well the selling out of America continues in Congress.  This week, lobbyists representing giant food producers are having their Republican friends in Congress ram through the House a bill that will undermine the efforts of states like California's to improve the safety and quality of the food consumed in their communities. The legislation, just like other recent GOP legislation (Clear Skies Initiative anyone?), is cynically titled, the "National Uniformity for Food Act." (H.R. 4167).  This legislation would eliminate almost every state and local law that provides greater consumer protection than our limited federal food safety laws.

Good morning folks.  So here is our report, America for Sale: The Cost of Republican Corruption, which we released today to explain how the corruption in Republican-controlled Washington has harmed our country.  It shows how the harmful policies Republicans have passed into law over the past few years are the result of a corrupt process that gives "K Street Project" lobbyists more power to shape legislation than the legislators the people have elected to represent them in Washington.

Our report clearly demonstrates that when the GOP Congressional leaders allow Republican lobbyists to set the agenda and write the bills, the American people suffer the consequences. While the special interests walk away with billions of dollars in tax breaks, subsidies, and federal contracts, Americans must live with the bad laws this system produces. The political corruption we associate with now-notorious figures such as Duke Cunningham and Jack Abramoff comes at a very real cost to each and every one of us. - LMS

Right before the Holidays I submitted a resolution (H. Res. 644) of inquiry in the House requesting the President and directing the Attorney General to turn over to the House of Representatives documents relating to the authorization of this secret spying program on American citizens. Well today the House Judiciary Committee rejected that resolution and once again abdicated its responsibility to oversee the Bush Administration's potentially illegal domestic spying on American citizens.

Congress is rejecting its Constitutionally mandated responsibility to oversee the actions of the President, and is choosing instead to make itself irrelevant. The Bush Administration has provided us with a false choice. The notion that we have to choose between our national security and our civil liberties is an indefensible and dangerous precedent to set for this nation. We can, and must, have both.