Latest Answers

Latest Answers http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/latest/%2A/7/%2A/%2A a view of answers sorted by date en I’m pro-life. I think that women deserve better than abortion. I actually have come up with a new bill that’s called Care for life, because even people who might disagree with me on the issue, I think what we can do is to mitigate the circumstances in which someone who may feel abandoned without financial or emotional support seeks abortion. So to provide a community-based response that helps people make what is, in my view, a prudential choice. It is a new initiative that we’ve undertaken to address the issue a little bit differently. But again, I’m pro-life. I think women deserve better than abortion. http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/i%E2%80%99m-pro-life.-i-think-women-deserve-better-abortion.-i-actually-have-come-new-bill-%E2%80%99s-called Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:02:15 -0600 Whitney J 1817 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org   Well people are being squeezed economically all over this country.  You see rising gas prices.  Rising food costs, the cost of going to college are higher and higher, which is why it is essential that we provide a student loan program and extend Pell Grant program, but some of these basic costs we need to work hard to try to drive them down over time, which is one of the reasons its so important in the area of energy for example.  To reduce our dependence on oil and diversify our energy sources by going to renewable energy and energy efficiency so that we’re not entirely dependent on one source of energy. And over time, if you can get more sources of energy into the market place and create that competition you can drive down the costs.  That’s not necessarily an immediate solution, but it’s something we should have done many years ago.  Many of us are pressing to take that direction for a long time and finally we’ve had a wakeup call to get moving in the area of healthcare.  My view is we need to significantly reshape our healthcare approach.  We have a big fight in the Congress over the children’s health program to expand access to healthcare for millions more American children.  It passed the Congress, unfortunately, President Bush vetoed that. I hope that will be one of the early orders of business in January 2009 with the new Congress, but the caller is absolutely right, that we need to find ways to reduce the costs of essential goods and services to the American people. http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/%2526lt%3Bp%2526gt%3B%2526amp%3Bnbsp%3B%2526lt%3B/p%2526gt%3B%2526lt%3Bp%2526gt%3B%2526lt%3Bb-style%3D%2526quot%3B%2526quot%3B%2526gt%3B%2526lt%3Bspan-style%3D%2526quot%3B%2526quot Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:02:18 -0500 Whitney J 1699 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org Well, term limits was part of the ‘Contract With America’, we had a vote on the floor that would have made federal term limits to 12 years, 6 terms, because there was a court case out in California that indicated that the state referendums like in Ohio were unconstitutional. It failed and as a result we don’t have federal term limits. And now that I’ve been here for a little bit I see that my opinion, two opinions, I think term limits has ruined the state legislature in Ohio and given us a lot of bad government. And B- when you have members that have been here 30-40 years and you say well, okay, I’m going to be here 12, you put your district at competitive disadvantage because this place runs on seniority, the longer you’ve been here -and in terms of committee assignments- the more you can get done for your district and I can do probably 100 times more than I could in 1994. Maybe it shouldn’t be that way, but as long as, what you don’t want to do is unilaterally disarm. And I mean if we all term limits, that’s why I supported it, that’s why I voted for it- but for somebody in Ohio to say ‘well, I’m going to leave’, then the guys in Michigan are just going to take it all up. http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/%2526lt%3Bp%2526gt%3Bwell%2C-term-limits-was-part-%2526amp%3Blsquo%3Bcontract-america%2526amp%3Brsquo%3B%2C-we-had-vote-floo http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/%2526lt%3Bp%2526gt%3Bwell%2C-term-limits-was-part-%2526amp%3Blsquo%3Bcontract-america%2526amp%3Brsquo%3B%2C-we-had-vote-floo#comments Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:41:30 -0500 Jodi Breisler 1505 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org Well that’s one of those questions “whether have you stopped beating your wife yet?” type of questions. I think most people that I serve with in Congress are fairly straightforward and try to answer things as honestly and straightforward way as they can. Obviously, people have their own political opinions and biases that shapes the kinds of answers that they give. You know there are all kinds of people in the world. Some of them that really want to be smartest – just kills them to say “I don’t know” and there are other ones like me who were never good in school. I don’t mind saying I don’t know if I don’t know something. So just a variety of different personalities. But Congressmen are not very much different than most people you meet on the street. Most of them have a good heart and try to do the best they can. http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/well-%E2%80%99s-one-those-questions-%E2%80%9Cwhether-have-you-stopped-beating-your-wife-yet%3F%E2%80%9D-type-questions http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/well-%E2%80%99s-one-those-questions-%E2%80%9Cwhether-have-you-stopped-beating-your-wife-yet%3F%E2%80%9D-type-questions#comments Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:31:54 -0500 Robin Wright 1503 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org The discussion about whether we hit peak oil I think drives some of the discussion about whether or how quickly we move away from oil as the major use of our energy. It’s kind of like global warming was a few years ago. People talk about peak oil, but there’s no evidence that we’ve hit peak oil, some people think it’s right now. So it’s part of their discussions. I think we’re going to hit peak oil soon and I’d rather have our plan in place to move away from fossil fuels to energize our economy and transportation, as opposed to waiting until you hit peak oil and then all the sudden your back’s against the wall. http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/discussion-about-whether-we-hit-peak-oil-i-think-drives-some-discussion-about-whether-or-how Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:13:08 -0500 Todd Zwillich 1249 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org First of all, I’m opposed to public funding of political campaigns – first and foremost because most of the public is as well. It’s not a very popular system. Second, it doesn’t remove money from campaigns; it just removes it from candidates. And you see it spent through all sorts of special interest groups and organizations with every point of view. So I would much prefer that my tax dollars go to fund government, and that I contribute to candidates I support as opposed to a portion of the money that I pay to the government being diverted to people I may or may not support. http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/first-all%2C-i%E2%80%99m-opposed-public-funding-political-campaigns-%E2%80%93-first-and-foremost-because-most- Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:49:40 -0500 EW Johnson 1225 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org I completely agree. I think we should pass all twelve of these appropriations bills. That’s been my constant message to our leadership—let’s pass our bills and get our work done. I want to bring up mine first. I want to go first with the interior and environment appropriations bill. Those are fine. They don’t take much time. We have resolutions on all kinds of resolutions on various things, you know, appreciation of our troops in the field. You know, these are nice things that show that the United States Congress cares about…and, and, and, you know, naming post offices is a long tradition in that. So I, I, I do agree, we do need to get the appropriations bills done. I’m going to fight for that. http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/i-completely-agree.-i-think-we-should-pass-all-twelve-these-appropriations-bills.-%E2%80%99s-been-my Fri, 04 Apr 2008 13:45:01 -0500 1200 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org I used to be for six years the chairman of the subcommittee on the Constitution, so it’s something that I take very seriously. Probably one particular area that Congress should always focus attention on is that the presidency, the executive branch, doesn’t overstep its bounds. The War Power Act is something that was passed some years ago to make sure that when a president is going to commit our troops militarily, overseas, that Congress has a role to play. It’s never actually been taken up to the Supreme Court but many have argued that presidents, whether it’s this one now or ones in the past, have overstepped their bounds and haven’t included Congress appropriately in decisions as to whether this country ought to go to war or not. Because it clearly says in our Constitution that it is Congress that is to declare war, and how does that apply in Iraq or Afghanistan? What I’m essentially saying is it is Congress’s responsibility to uphold its powers under the Constitution and one of those powers is whether we have a war or not, whether it’s declared or not. Most Congresses in the past really haven’t been willing to push that as far as it needs to go to get a determination, so it may very well need to go to the Supreme Court. REPORTER: One other part of this is signing statements. The expanded use of signing statements in some people’s view to get around the letter of the bills that Congress sends him and that he signs. Do you have a concern about them? CHABOT: I have a concern to the extent that if a president either this one or one in thefuture might abuse that technique than I think it is up to Congress to dispute this and take it to the courts and have a determination made. I have not really seen evidence that President Bush has abused the process, although there are some Members of Congress who would argue he has. And if they believe that there is a process for them to take that up. Thus far they haven’t really been able to go to the mat on that issue. http://www.askyourlawmaker.org/answers/i-used-be-six-years-chairman-subcommittee-constitution%2C-so-it%E2%80%99s-something-i-take-very-seriou Thu, 13 Mar 2008 10:21:57 -0500 1154 at http://www.askyourlawmaker.org