Jim Webb is running to replace the Junior Senator from Virginia. Jim said that he supported the Junior Senator at first, until he perceived that this man has not provided any real leadership since gaining office.Our Junior Senator has a reputation as a rubberstamp, voting in accord with the failing policies of the Bush administration nearly all the time. I wanted to see what Junior has offered aside from his rubberstamp voting record. He's sponsored 75 Senate Bills. Not one of them has yet been made into law.
[UPDATE by Rob: This list is for the current Congress only. To access it, go to http://thomas.loc.gov, and choose Allen from the second drop down menu.]
To be fair, many of Junior's bills are commemorative/honorary items, not intended to be legislation, such as S.RES.45 ("A resolution commending the James Madison University Dukes football team for winning the 2004 NCAA Division I-AA National Football Championship").
Some are extremely far reaching, like S.J.RES.31 ("A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to require a balancing of the budget.")
Others are the kind of legislation that the NRA or other special interest groups would like, such as S.3275 ("A bill to amend title 18, United States code, to provide a national standard in accordance with which nonresidents of a State may carry concealed firearms in the State"). In addition, there are bills to temporarily suspend duties on electric can openers, coffee makers, grills, food slicers, sandwich cookers, etc.
I'm looking for some examples of real leadership and internal fortitude in Junior's record, and the pickings are slim. Where's the effort to save my children from a crushing load of federal debt? A consitutional amendment isn't a very practical answer, but that looks like all Junior has come up with. Where's evidence of holding the Executive branch to account? What has he done to preserve Liberty for Virginians?
None of this would matter so much if we lived in a peaceful world. But we're facing crises on three major fronts today: our country is involved in a strange kind of ill-defined war extending around the globe, the debt-laden economy is quite volatile and affecting everything from jobs to gas to healthcare, and one of our greatest resources- the natural resources afforded by our environment- appears to be in trouble. In difficult times, we can't afford to entrust leadership to a poseur.
I want a real leader to represent Virginia in the US Senate. It's time for a change. It's time for Jim Webb.
Last year we dug and dug and dug to get the facts out on Kilgore.
This year we have a much greater wealth of information, which makes it that much harder; and possibly that much more difficult.
I had an idea to do a "COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE CONTEST" whoever digs up the best dirt on Allen and writes it up, um... I dunno, maybe we could get Don Beyer to donate a car.
By virtue of his stature within the Republican Party, I bet that Allen is a leader in this grand distraction scheme. You can get info on his voting record for key items at the Washington Post database (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/a000121/key-votes/). Of course, he voted for the flag amendment, etc.
I can't find much in his record that helps me or the people that I know. I guess he's not really representing our interests. Maybe he's a proponent of the OTHER Golden Rule: "He that's got the gold makes the rules."
Sigh.
He's spends a awful lot of time congratulating sports teams and other completely useless crap. Six Years?
And Josh, maybe we should ask Don before giving away one of his cars :-)
Letters to John Warner always get a response. Letters to Allen NEVER get a response. I started faxing them to Allen's office. Nothing. Zip.
Apparently this is the norm with George Felix Allen. He doesn't respect his constituents enough to reply to their letters.
3.00 lb Alligator tenderloin- tail
-meat wel; l, trimmed and cu
1.00 Milk
1.00 Salted cold water
1.00 Olive oil
20.00 oz Chicken broth; canned
1.00 lg Onion; chopped
5.00 lg Cloves garlic; crushed
0.50 ts Ground white pepper
1.00 ts Ground cumin
1.00 ts Oregano flakes; rubbed
-between the palms
7.00 oz Diced green chiles
1.00 lg Ripe tomato; peeled
2.00 ts Cajun seasoning; (optional)
Trim and cut the alligator into 1 inch cubes. Place in a large pot and
cover with the salted water for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove and
drain well. Put it back in the empty pot and cover with the milk. Let
it stand for another 1 to 1/2 hours. Remove and drain well. In a
large pot over high heat saute the alligator in the olive oil until
all the liquid is gone and the meat is starting to brown lightly.
Remove from the heat and pour off any excess oil. Add the onions and
saute until just crispy tender. Add all the remaining ingredients
except the cornstarch , reduce the heat and simmer covered until the
meat is very tender but not falling apart. About 1 to 2 hours.The
liquid should cook down by about 1/3. Mix the corn starch with a
little water or chicken broth and thicken the sauce if you wish. I
don't like it too thick. Serve 6 to 8.
Warner's staff didn't resolve the problem - there were factors beyond control - but the staff members did do their research, corresponded and became involved.
I never heard back from Allen's office.
So what's his excuse? 911? The War in Iraq? We could give tax cuts to the wealthiest among us, repeal the Estate tax, so there's no room to give ordinary citizens a tax credit to help with their child's education?
The ads also say he is doing something about gangs..hmm, no legislation on that either.
As someone who is an activist for several issues I can also say that although I have written to Senator Allen many times, he has NEVER acknowledged my correspondence. Every time I have sent the same letter to Senator Warner I get a thoughtful response.
George Felix Allen,Jr. doesn't represent my views and it is pretty apparent that he hasn't done much of anything for anyone else either..I guess it's the football background. He's comfortable sitting on the bench and still taking a pay check.
I would also like to thank Kathy Gerber for her research into Allen's 2000 campaign promises which he has broken.
Once we get this out to the voters we need to be prepared to tell them what Jim Webb will do.
As for the "social" issues, I hope that the Campaign doesn't get bogged down with these. This is just playing into the Republican's hand. I love the way that Jarding dealt with the flag burning comment. Strike hard and quick then move back to your message. Don't let them distract you.