For six long years, the Republicans have shown us that they have become drunk with power. But now, that time is coming to an end. 2007 will be judgement day. Judgement day will be a time when all of the Bush administration will be forced to give an account for their crimes of the first six years of the Bush administration. George Bush will no longer be relevant, even if he is not impeached and removed from office.
House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers will lead the way. He will not listen to any kind of whining by James Selsenbrenner or any other Republicans. His only priority will be finding the truth. Through investigations and subpoenas, Chairman Conyers will force the Republicans to testify under oath about Dieboldgate, Plamegate, the NSA wiretaps, the leadup to Iraq, Katrina, and whatever other misdeeds Chairman Conyers uncovers.
From enslaving our seniors with unmanageable medical bills...
On Wednesday January 18th, 2006 I held a briefing to discuss the New Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program, its challenges, problems and solutions. Before the new prescription drug program was introduced, many legislators, including myself, other policy makers, senior citizens advocacy organizations and organizations for the disabled expressed major concerns about this very complicated legislation. Since then, many glitches in the legislation and major problems for the seniors and the disabled populations eligible or dually eligible for this program, have been identified.
...to the lies on Iraq...
"In brief, we have found that there is substantial evidence the President, the Vice-President and other high ranking members of the Bush Administration misled Congress and the American people regarding the decision to go to war in Iraq; misstated and manipulated intelligence information regarding the justification for such war; countenanced torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in Iraq; and permitted inappropriate retaliation against critics of their Administration. There is at least a prima facie case that these actions that federal laws have been violated - from false statements to Congress to retaliating against Administration critics.
In response to the Report, I have already taken several initial steps. First, I have introduced a resolution (H. Res. 635) creating a Select Committee with subpoena authority to investigate the misconduct of the Bush Administration with regard to the Iraq war and report on possible impeachable offenses. In addition, I have introduced Resolutions regarding both President Bush (H. Res. 636) and Vice-President Cheney (H. Res. 637) proposing that they be censured by Congress based on indisputable evidence of unaccounted for misstatements and abuse of power in the public record. There are a number of additional recommendations in the Report that I expect to be taking up in the coming weeks and months.
The Report rejects the frequent contention by the Bush Administration that their pre-war conduct has been reviewed and they have been exonerated. No entity has ever considered whether the Administration misled Americans about the decision to go to War, and the Senate Intelligence Committee has not yet conducted a review of pre-war intelligence information, while the Silberman-Robb report specifically cautioned, that intelligence manipulation "was not part of our inquiry." There has also not been any independent inquiry concerning torture and other legal violations in Iraq; nor has there been an independent review of the pattern of cover-ups and political retribution by the Bush Administration against its critics, other than the very narrow and still ongoing inquiry of Special Counsel Fitzgerald."
...to partisan election officials...
The number of days since Election 2004 and the second consecutive presidential election in which the integrity of this nation's democracy was questioned. This past November, this country witnessed a flawed election process in which there were biased election officials, overt voter suppression tactics and improper ballot counts and recounts. We know too well the stories about the illegal demands for voter identification, the voting machine shortages, the voting machine malfunctions and the improperly disqualified provisional ballots. More than six months after the election, now is the time to ensure that our second very sad election in a row does not become a third. There is agreement in America that real election reform is necessary and a consensus and focus is needed to guarantee such election reform.
...to gutting our Social Security...
President Bush's private accounts will destabilize and possibly destroy the current Social Security system. While benefits under the current system are guaranteed, they could be reduced by as much as 50 percent in the coming decades if privatization is passed in Congress. For those who set up private accounts, their retirement funds would be dependent on the "ups" and "downs" of Wall Street. There's only one group of Americans that would surely benefit from such a plan - the financial industry, one of President Bush's biggest donors.
If President Bush had his way, he would replace a proven, reliable and efficient Social Security system with a costly, risky and untesed policy. We as a nation owe it to one other not to gamble the financial security of our future generations on an experiment with no proven track record.
...to wage suppression for working families, George Bush is...
Congressman Conyers continues to fight for America's working families by supporting an increase in the minimum wage. An increase in the minimum wage would positively affect millions of low wage workers: According to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), 11.8 million workers (10.8 percent of the workforce) would directly benefit from an increase in the minimum wage to $6.15 per hour.
An increase in the minimum wage would disproportionately benefit women, minorities, and the nation's poor: A 1998 EPI study found that households in the bottom 20 percent of the income spectrum, who receive only 5 percent of total family income ($15,728 per year, on average), received 35 percent of the total benefits of the last increase in the minimum wage.
An increase in the minimum wage would disproportionately benefit African Americans and Hispanics, and almost 60 percent of the benefits would go to women, thus helping to close the pay gap between women and men.
Mr. Conyers also supports a "living wage" policy. Establishing a "living wage" would help ensure jobs for all, by eliminating unnecessary military programs in favor of civilian activities that would meet human needs. A "living wage" would help to reduce poverty and violence and dilute the concentrated incomes, wealth, and power that afflict our society.
We cannot win unless we put aside our differences and work as a team to get Democrats elected in 2006. A vote for your Democratic Congressman is a vote for John Conyers as House Judiciary Chair. A vote for your Democratic Congressman is a vote for Judgement Day, 2007.