Most of us know that Henry Cuellar supported the Medicare Part D "reform", a ruse to protect drug
price gouging,
defraud Medigap purchasers for their insurance companies, and
penalize non-psychic seniors who cannot forecast their drug needs for the rest of their lives. We also know he cast a
deciding vote for CAFTA
without labor protections.
But what else has he done? He is the 8th least Democratic Democrat according to Vote View and is the absolutely least liberal Democrat according to the Patrick Henry club. Why is this? I took a look at some - just some! of his votes this year - just this year! - and I was shocked. Even libertarian-leaning centrist me! More after the flip.
Oil companies have been trying to drill in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, the largest protected area in the US for one of the most fragile environnments on earth, the tundra. Even now, they can't get it passed in a straight vote, so they stuck a rider on the omnibus energy bill. Democrats tried to get the rider removed. Cuellar's position?
Drill Away!
MTBE is a gasoline additive, intended to reduce smog, but turning out to be a nasty groundwater pollutant, foul-tasting and potentially carcinogenic. Not a problem if gasoline is disposed of correctly, but many oil businesses don't take proper care of their storage facilities. The Republican party wanted to protect MTBE manufacturers from liability for destroying groundwater supplies, but, again, had to put in on as rider because American's would stand for a straightup vote. The Democrats tried to take that rider off. Cuellar's position? Pollute!
As yet another rider, the Republicans used Katrina and Rita as an excuse to eliminate refinery pollution regulations. Democrats tried to protect our air and water (I lived near a refinery once). Cuellar's position? Pollute!
Some people lie awake at night worrying about how people with more than 3 million dollars to bequethe can leave even more. To protect victims like Paris Hilton from the agonies of life with only a few tens of millions, the Republicans proposed abolishing the inheritance tax for the wealthy. Cueller's postion? The rich get richer!
Lawsuits have always been a fundamental and necessary defense against wrongdoing. Some people - mostly Republicans - want to defend powerful corporate interests from the best tool common people have. HR420 makes it nearly impossible to sue companies with presences in multiple states and imposes huge financial penalties on plaintiffs who trip over various technicalities. Cuellar's vote? Yes!
HR 5 bans punitive damages for medical malpractice - no matter how outrageous, and effectively eliminates contingency fees for malpractice suits, amongst many other outrages. Cuellar's vote? Yes!
A lot of poor, disabled, and elderly people have trouble getting to the polls. These groups have trouble getting to the polls, so the Republicans introduced a rider to the Housing act that prohibits non-profits that get money from the FHA from helping people get to the polls. Cullar's position? Disenfranchise!
S5 prohibited class-action lawsuits in state courts barring special circumstances. The federal bench is being packed and is also known to be very slow - plaintiffs frequently die before their case is heard. Cuellar's position? Tough! Actually, he wasn't even willing to soften the bill.
Guns are one of the leading causes of disability and premature death in the US. This horror is made worse by irresponsible marketing on the part of gun manufacturers, who sell their product to anybody they can. The Republican leadership passed a law to protect manufacturers from all liability. Cuellar's postion? Shoot `em dead!
HR 3824 guttted the EPA by eliminating central decisionmaking, allows unrestricted use of pesticides vis-a-vis endangered species, and restricting use of valid scientific evidence for endangerment. Cuellar's postion? Put `em in a zoo!
Do you think American money and lives shouldn't be wasted on quixotic support of a budding Islamic theocracy in Iraq, to Iran? A lot of American think not. So the Republican leadership supported an amendment to make us stay in Iraq effectively forever. Cuellar's position? War without end!
Overseas US military personel sometimes get pregnant in places where abortion is either illegal or unsafe - like Iraq. The Republican leadership opposed a Democratic limited choice amendment to the omnibus Defense bill, thereby forbidding overseas US military from getting an abortion in military hospitals even with their own money when they have no alternative. Cuellar's position? Barefoot and pregnant!
Bush has already started a wrongful war against Iraq and wants to start more against Iran or Syria. Do you think he should be subject to Constitution restrictions on starting wars? Cuellar doesn't!
In the last emergency appropriations bill for Iraq, the Democrats attempted to insert a provision prohibiting diversion of Iraq funds to the government of Saudi Arabia. Democrats think that money for US soldiers should go to US soldiers, not the country that provides most of Al Qaida's money and 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers. Cuellar's position? Divert!
So if you think a Democrat should defraud seniors of drug benefits, subvert labor laws, allow drilling in ANWR, protect groundwater polluters, let refineries pollute more, reduce taxes for the wealthiest, eliminate inheritance tax for those leaving more than 3 million, prohibit lawsuits to protect victims of gun violence, bankrupt plaintiffs for technical filing errors, prohibit state class-action lawsuits, prohibit non-profits from helping people get to the polls to vote, support staying in Iraq indefinitely, allow foreign wars without Congressional permission, gut environment protections, prohibit all abortions for overseas military personnel, and divert funds from the Iraq war to the government of Saudi Arabia-
Henry Cuellar's your man!
On the other hand, if you support fair drug pricing, protection against sweatshops , protection of Alaska's largest tundra, fair taxes, protection from gun violence, filing lawsuits without unreasonable fees, class action lawsuits, voting rights for the poor, elderly, or disabled, withdrawal from Iraq when appropriate, the Constitutional separation of powers, preventing extinction of endangered species, choice for overseas soldiers, and spending money taxed for the US military on, well, the US military -
Support Ciro Rodriguez, a real Democrat, with contributions or by volunteering.