Yesterday, I was startled to read here at DailyKos about the various issues surrounding the proposed $1 trillion bailout which the Bush Administration wants to fast-track -- literally.
Yesterday (Saturday) I saw here at dKos -- not at any so-called traditional media outlet, either newspapers, magazines, or TV -- that the proposed language of this $1 trillion bailout would essentially transform the Treasury Secretary into a UNITARY EXECUTIVE, whose powers would be basically unactionable by either Congress or the Courts.
Today (Sunday) I read that the Bush Administration is going to pressure Congress to pass this bill tomorrow (Monday). Essentially Congress -- led in both houses by Democrats -- is being asked to cut itself off at the knees.
This is the economic version of PATRIOT ACT 2.0. Senators and Representatives passed the PATRIOT act 7 years ago this month without any real review or debate. Many didn't even read the bill.
One (1) Senator -- from my state -- voted against the bill.
Today, I took less than 15 minutes out of my day to craft a brief message, which I then sent to both my Senators, my House Representative, and -- because of their positions and the power they (supposedly) hold -- the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader.
Will you join me? Republicans have raised holy hell in the past and Harriet Miers' nomination was killed, in large part, due to outraged Republicans contacting Republicans in power to quash the whole deal.
It's time Democrats take it to the Democratic powers-that-be in Washington. The crux of my message was that this $1 trillion bailout of the financial industry can't be pushed through a blindsided Congress. This economic Patriot Act must not exclude tough regulation, severe consequences, action on behalf of American homeowners who face foreclosure, or oversight by Congress and the Courts. Companies that make a comeback must PAY BACK the taxpayer for this bailout.
The time to contact these people is TODAY, not tomorrow. Tomorrow there will be a full-court press to try to push this through. Raise hell today!
Find out how to e-mail your House representative here:
http://www.house.gov
Find out how to e-mail your two US Senators here:
http://www.senate.gov
Contact Speaker Pelosi here:
http://speaker.house.gov
Contact Senate Majority Leader Reid here:
http://reid.senate.gov
UPDATE : I prefaced my remarks to the House Speaker and Senate Majority Leader by saying that I was contacting them due to their respective positions of power. I consider myself to be constituents of theirs, in addition to my 2 Senators and my House Rep.
UPDATES # 2 & # 3: I e-mailed Senator Obama and also decided to contact Senator Biden because he's our Veep candidate as well as still a Senator and therefore I consider myself a constituent of his, AND Senator Dodd mainly for his overly-acquiesent comments a couple days ago. We have to speak out - NOW !
Contact Obama here:
http://my.barackobama.com/...
Contact Biden here:
http://biden.senate.gov
Contact Dodd: - only if you're in CT
http://dodd.senate.gov (NOTE: Dodd ONLY accepts contacts from Connecticut residents)