Seemingly Lost in the battle for President and in defeating Mark Kirk, is the race for Congressional District 6 - Henry Hyde's old stomping grounds. District six is now occupied by Peter "Rubber Stamp" Roskam. I have seen no polls on the current race between Jill Morganthaler and Roskam, but in 2006 Roskam beat Tammy Duckworth by a mere 51%-49% - hardly an unbeatable majority. Now I will be happy to see Dan Seals kick Kirk to the ground, but I'm dismayed at the lack of attention the IL-6 race is getting (as well as Bill Foster battling to keep his seat against xenophobe Jim Oberweis, But I will get to that one later). So let me take you down the list of recent votes by Rubber Stamp Roskam
First a side note: Jill Morganthaler needs all the love we can give her in this heavily republican district. Please donate to the cause Here
Roskam loves to see himself as an outsider; almost a John McCain type Maverick. But his voting record is unbelievable; heavily tilted towards protecting bib business and tax cuts for the wealthy while ignoring the average blue collar worker. Here are some of the most odious ones:
He voted NO on HR 7060 The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Tax Act of 2008
Highlights:
Extends the tax credit for producing electricity from renewable resources: (1) through 2009 for wind facilities; and (2) through FY2011 for closed and open-loop biomass, geothermal, small irrigation power, landfill gas, trash combustion, and hydropower facilities. Includes marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy as a renewable resource for purposes of such tax credit.
Eliminates the limitation on the tax credit for solar electric property. Allows a new tax credit for 30% of expenditures for wind turbines used to generate electricity in a residence and for geothermal heat pumps.
Allows a new tax credit for the production of qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles.
So unless he can "Drill Baby Drill" or stoop to demagoguery in the house rotunda, ol' rubber stamp wants nothing to do with encouraging solid energy reform.
Ok so he must want a bill that supports drilling and building pipelines (got to keep any moose that Sara hasn't shot warm right Peter?). Why then did he vote NO on this legislation:
HR 6899 the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act
After all it contains these goodies for the oil folks:
Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to facilitate construction of pipelines to transport oil and natural gas from or through the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska to existing transportation or processing infrastructure on the North Slope of Alaska.
Authorizes oil and gas leasing, under certain conditions, for any area that: (1) is in any Outer Continental Shelf Planning Area in the Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean that is located farther than 50 miles from the coastline; and (2) was not otherwise available for oil and gas leasing, preleasing, and other related activities as of July 1, 2008.
Oh wait, could this be why:
Provides for: (1) grants to improve public transportation services; (2) vanpool demonstration projects; and (2) a national consumer awareness program on public transportation alternatives.
Gee big business can't make any money that way.
Maybe this is why:
Bans the export of Alaskan oil.
WHAT? Peter, are you telling me we export Alaskan Oil, thus endangering the national security of our country? Does Sara know about this?
Roskam doesn’t even want to help reduce the cost of gas by providing oversight of the oil futures speculators, after all he voted NO on this:
HR 6604 The Commodity Markets Transparency and Accountability Act of 2008 - Amends the Commodity Exchange Act to define "energy commodity."
Which contains draconian and detrimental requirements such as these items:
Directs the Commission to: (1) require regular reporting of fungible over-the-counter agricultural and energy transactions; and (2) determine if such transactions have the potential to disrupt market liquidity or cause market or price disturbances, and if so, to use it's discretion to impose position limits.
Monitoring? Can't have that, right Peter?
Subjects swap transactions, transactions for agricultural and energy commodities, and large traders in over-the-counter contracts to reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Keeping records? I guess that's a bad idea too.
Think ol' Pete is going to try to protect his constituency from predatory lending practices? Think again, he voted NO on:
HR 5244 The Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights Act of 2008
After all his big business donors would never approve of these unreasonable requirements:
Requires advance notice of credit card account rate increases.
Authorizes a consumer who receives such notice to: (1) cancel the credit card without penalty or the imposition of any fee; and (2) pay any outstanding balance that accrued before the effective date of the increase at the APR and in the repayment period in effect before notice was received.
Prohibits a creditor from imposing interest on credit repaid within the interest-free repayment time period. (Thus prohibits double cycle billing).
Requires each periodic statement of account to provide specified information on obtaining the payoff balance.
Restricts the frequency of over-the-limit fees.
Prohibits a creditor from furnishing information to a consumer reporting agency concerning a newly opened credit card account until the consumer has used or activated the credit card.
And so I could go on and on and on and on... but I think you all get the idea. Please help us here in Illinois get rid of Rubber Stamp Roskam
After all we have be very generous and willing to share our Junior Senator with all of America.
Perhaps you have heard of Him? Barak Obama?