Tag Archives: H.R.4134

Jun 22 2012
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Freedom to Roll in Jeopardy

Today’s Message: @LawmakerXYZ No sellouts! Strip it, forget it. STOP the #BigTobacco bailout in the highway bill http://bit.ly/NewTax

Good morning and Happy Friday, June 22, 2012, and unfortunately, we’re back in the danger zone. As reported in several news publications, comments made yesterday by House and Senate negotiators, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) and Rep. John Mica (R-Florida), indicate there might be progress on getting the big burrito 2012 highway bill in front of lawmakers and approved. With those two lawmakers at the helm of drafting a final bill, I have LOW confidence we won’t be sold down the river. Why so little confidence? Because neither of these two have been vocal AT ALL about where they stand on the Big Tobacco bailout. Sen. Boxer doesn’t exactly have a stellar record of opposing Federal taxes and regulations or standing up for small business, and Rep. Mica is an old school member of Congress, ready to trade his horse, grandmother and best marbles if he can score a deal benefiting his own interests.

Congress will sell us out if they think they can get away with it.

WHAT CAN WE DO: If there’s a bill to come from this “progress” it must still get approval from the House/Senate conference committee of 47, AND then get approval from both the full House and the Senate. Our aim remains to expose the Big Tobacco bailout and get it stripped from the bill. First things first so let’s stay in front of the conferees. Who’s to say the bill written by Mica/Boxer is worth anything more than the paper it’s spilled on? The conference committee will have an opportunity to dissect the agreement and debate and vote on its provisions. STAY TUNED because in these last days and hours before June 30, anything can happen and it can happen quickly.

WHAT IS THE BIG TOBACCO BAILOUT: It’s an anti-competitive, anti-free enterprise provision slipped into what became the Senate-approved highway bill. The language essentially reclassifies small tobacco retail shops as “manufacturers” if they provide customers the ability to roll their own smokes. If that reclassification occurs, “retailers” magically turned into “manufacturers” will suffer huge new taxes and regulations and will likely close shop. The Congressional Budget Office is convinced the provision will result in the closure of more than 1,000 small tobacco shops nationwide. But, Sen. Max Baucus’s staff conned some Democrats and Republicans to introduce the eight line provision as part of a larger amendment to the highway bill and poof! There was a vote and now we’re working to strip it out. A number of House lawmakers led by Rep. Steve LaTourette object to the Big Tobacco bailout. Rep. LaTourette sent word to all of his colleagues asking them to get rid of the bailout language, so we’re cautiously optimistic he’s shed a good deal of light on our cause.

WHERE AM I MOST EFFECTIVE:  Warrior, you are effective when your voice is heard. Pick up your megaphone and get on the Twitter and Facebook and speak your mind. We have made a great deal of progress educating lawmakers, and now is the time to get louder. I’ve included some of the usual suspects below AND added some of the senators, just so they know they’ll pay a penalty for trading our freedom to roll.

EFFECT CHANGE: From the start, we have been all about changing the behavior of those members in Congress who would sell us out for chump change from Big Tobacco. Let your local lawmakers (and a few others) know we are in the danger zone and we require their commitment to help. Ask @RepJustinAmash why he won’t tell us his position on HR4134, ask @DocHastings where he stands on the #BigTobacco bailout, ask @MarshaBlackburn if the botox has worn off and whether she’s ready to strip it and forget it. Ask, ask, ask because we must engage, engage, engage.

YOU ARE THE BEST: You are. Go nuclear on the clowns opposing us. Be good to our supporters. Question those who’ve not weighed in. Recruit a friend. See you online.

- GR

Transportation Committee Republicans / Leadership Members

Democrats

Senate Democrat conferees (and their Twitter handles):

  • Barbara Boxer (CA) @SenatorBoxer
  • Max Baucus (MT) (Not on Twitter)
  • Jay Rockefeller (WV) @SenRockefeller
  • Tim Johnson (SD) @SenJohnsonSD
  • Chuck Schumer (NY) @ChuckSchumer
  • Bill Nelson (FL) @SenBillNelson
  • Bob Menendez (NJ) @SenatorMenendez
  • Dick Durbin (IL) @SenatorDurbin

Senate Republican conferees (and their Twitter handles):

  • James Inhofe (OK) @JimInhofe
  • David Vitter (LA) @DavidVitter
  • Richard Shelby (AL) @SenShelbyPress
  • Orrin Hatch (UT) @OrrinHatch
  • Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX) @KayBaileyHutch
  • John Hoeven (ND) @SenJohnHoeven
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Jun 20 2012
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What’s a Co-Sponsor, and how much do they cost?

If it isn’t a Big Tobacco bailout, then why did the Big Tobacco companies spend more than $3 million in just 20 days lobbying Congress to approve H.R.4134? I know, sometimes the obvious is right in front of our noses, but we just can’t see it. Maybe people haven’t yet grasped the sellout occurring here because they want to believe “innocent until proven guilty.” I get it. Some people don’t want to believe that some folks in Congress really are “bought off” by special interests. It’s like that guy who said, “I can’t see the forest through these darn trees.”

Can you see the forest? Or are those trees in the way…

Good morning and welcome to the Wednesday edition of TaxTracker! We’re revved up and ready for another busy mid-week crush toward legislative armageddon, brought to you by the U.S. House and Senate. Today, let’s look at how neatly things line up between Big Tobacco and H.R. 4134 (and the similar provision already stuffed in the Senate’s highway bill).

U.S. Rep. Diane Black (R-Tennessee) introduced H.R. 4134 on March 5, 2012. Her bill “reclassifies” small retail tobacco shops where you can roll your own smokes as tobacco product “manufacturers” and subject to a whole heap of new taxes regulations. The Congressional Budget Office looked at the whole “roll your own” smokes issue and concluded if these retail shops are reclassified as “manufacturers,” they’ll be forced to shut down because they won’t be able to bear the new costs. Rep. Black’s H.R.4134 was such an immediate hit, there were no fewer than 60 lobbyists dispatched to Congress to lobby for its passage. Check it for yourself, it’s in the lobbyist disclosure database. In just 20 days between March 5 and March 31, the Big Tobacco companies ALL disclosed they spent millions urging Congress to act.

Question: What’s a cosponsor? 

Answer: After a bill is introduced in Congress, the author typically wants to show leadership there’s enough support to pass the bill in the House or Senate, so he or she gathers “co-sponsors.” These cosponsors are people who agree enough with the bill to sign their name on to it for all the public to see. Signing on as a cosponsor is easy; you just tell the bill’s author, “put me on!” But, getting off a bill is difficult and exposes ALL SORTS of problems. To remove your name from cosponsoring a bill, you have to go the the House chamber and publicly ask the Speaker controlling debate to remove your name from a bill. Imagine all the questions a reporter wants to ask a member of Congress who changes their mind about something like that!

Question: Who’s a cosponsor of H.R.4134? 

Answer: On H.R.4134, there are a lot of cosponsors. Last time I checked, it was about 74. Who are they? Well, let’s take a look.

Rep. Joe Crowley

The first cosponsor was U.S. Representative Joseph Crowley (D-New York). I took a look at his Federal Elections Commission disclosures and imagine my surprise to find out he’s taken in excess of $30,000 in campaign contributions from the Big Tobacco companies!

Rep. Renee Ellmers

Another cosponsor, U.S. Representative Renee Ellmers (R-North Carolina) joined H.R.4134 on March 8, 2012. Looking at her Federal Elections Commissions reports, she’s taken more than $22,000 from the Big Tobacco companies in the form of campaign contributions. By the way, the first dollar of that >$22,000 rolled into her account WAY BACK in the year 2010.

Rep. Charles Rangel

Another cosponsor, U.S. Representative Charles Rangel (D-New York): More than $54,000 in recent years taken in campaign contributions from Big Tobacco companies.

Rep. Tom Marino

Another cosponsor, U.S. Representative Tom Marino (R-Pennsylvania): He’s a freshman who just got into office. >$5,000 from Big Tobacco (plus some other groups pushing for HR4134).

Rep. Tom Cole

Another cosponsor, U.S. Representative Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma): This former top official at the Republican National Committee has more than $20,000 in Big Tobacco campaign cash.

Rep. Kevin Yoder

Another cosponsor, U.S. Representative Kevin Yoder (R-Kansas): >$15,000 from Big Tobacco

Rep. John Sullivan

Another cosponsor, U.S. Representative John Sullivan (R-Oklahoma): >$30,000 from Big Tobacco

Rep. Bill Shuster

Another cosponsor, U.S. Representative Bill Shuster (R-Pennsylvania): >$55,000 from Big Tobacco and the convenience stores PAC that supports HR4134.

Rep. Marsha (don’t call me Jan) Blackburn

Another cosponsor, U.S. Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee): >$24,000 from ONE Big Tobacco company alone!!

And let’s not forget the original “author” of the Big Tobacco bailout bill, U.S. Representative Diane Black (R-Tennessee).

U.S. Rep. Diane Black

Non-Party Affiliated Water Buffalo

TODAY’S MESSAGE: @LawmakerXYZ The #jobs agenda does NOT include a #BigTobacco bailout in the highway bill! http://bit.ly/NewTax

Comparing the cosponsor sheet for H.R.4134 to who has given to each member’s campaign coffers could go on for DAYS, and maybe it will. I am not contending that just because Big Tobacco and other self-interested groups gave HUGE sums of cash to each individual above that they received any special treatment; I mean, WHY would any office immediately grant a meeting with tobacco company lobbyists to discuss a bill that was barely a few days old, hadn’t had a hearing, smelled like a Big Tobacco bailout, and had nothing to do with job creation or saving small puppies and kittens?

If we can get along, why can’t Congress stop the Big Tobacco bailout?

OUR MISSION: Spread the word! The Big Tobacco bailout is alive and it won’t be dead until it is. Like those pouty vampires from that Twilight series that won’t go away, the Big Tobacco companies are swarming Capitol Hill, telling members of Congress they HAVE to do this. Well, we’re the people. WE the people of these United States demand Congress protect free enterprise and REJECT any attempts to use the Federal government to unfairly heap taxes and regulations on small businesses. Let’s STAY LOUD on the Twitter-verse, in the Facebook, on that sign-in sheet at the town hall meeting, phone, telepathy, and stick marks in the sand. Go be heard! See you online.

-GR

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Jun 18 2012
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Draft Campaign Script

It’s a tight deal. You have an objective, a goal and you see your path to getting there. You have some friends or coworkers who share your vision and so you all band together to support each other’s desire to achieve your goal. So you start down the path knowing there are consequences for straying from your objective. All of a sudden, along comes huge Big Tobacco gust of wind and…

Today’s Message: Stay on creating #jobs, not killing them with a #BigTobacco bailout in the highway bill http://bit.ly/NewTax

Good Morning! It’s Monday, June 18, 2012 and Sir Paul McCartney turns 70 today. The U.S. House of Representatives is back in session and both the House and the Senate are scheduled to stay in session until the July 4 break. In that time period, they have a lot of legislation on their agenda including some expiring student loan interest rate provisions, the farm bill, Food and Drug Administration reform, and the notorious, Big-Tobacco infiltrated, small-business, job-killing-if-they-approve-the-Senate-version, highway bill.

If you think Congress can get to agreement on ALL of those issues before July 4, God bless your optimism. From what I’ve seen, these jokers have a hard time approving bathroom breaks. Each member of each party has their own custom objective in their sights, but they also perceive a great deal to lose if they stray from the path that got them this far. Some members of Congress are walking the line on reducing taxes, regulations and government spending; others are walking the line of creating new government programs to help folks who might be in crisis; still other folks are calling for an investigation and then dismantling of the Federal Reserve. They all have their goals, and all along their paths little gusts of wind come along in the form of legislation.

That’s why it is SO aggravating when I hear members of Congress get on the television and TALK about the dire need to reduce Federal taxes and regulations, but then go around and support a Big Tobacco bailout, H.R.4134 and the version that’s been stuffed into the Senate’s version of the 2012 highway bill. If we’re going to keep our form of representative government, there is no more treacherous breach of trust than telling voters you’re going to fight for small business, but then you take a dive when Big Tobacco throws the first punch.

Can you imagine a campaign ad where U.S. Rep. Diane Black (R-Tennessee) stands up and tells people what she’s really about and what she does in Congress?

I can. Here’s a sample script for Rep. Diane Black’s consideration. This is only a draft script; we anxiously await Ms. Black’s edits:

TV SCRIPT

Time: 60 SECONDS

Title: “Black for Congress: Elect Me and I will…”

Diane Black: “I was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, the birthplace of bureaucracy and self-preserving government jobs. After 34 years, I moved to Tennessee to follow my wealthy inventor husband. In my spare time I made a goal of getting back to the nation’s capital city and, working with tons of campaign cash from the Big Tobacco companies and other special interests, I did. [voice continues after banjo riff]

“Once in Washington, I started telling Tennesseans I was working hard for them. I made speeches, sent out news releases, held town halls, and even met one-on-one with voters to promise them I will fight for lower taxes and fewer regulations. But on March 5 of this year, I introduced a bill that will heap a lot of new taxes and regulations on small retail tobacco shops. [voice continues after trombones start loud marching-style melody]

“My legislation will shut down more than 1,000 U.S. small businesses and force thousands more out of work. The Big Tobacco companies like my legislation so much they spent more than THREE MILLION dollars in 20 days lobbying my colleagues for it’s approval. If you re-elect me, I won’t talk about this bill or why I introduced it, but I will keep working for those interests that contribute to my campaign, no matter how many jobs are lost or how many promises I have to make and break. I’m Diane Black and I approved this message.” [voice ends; music trails off]

Photo: At Taste of the Country in Springfield this morning. Come down and visit our booth!

Can you imagine? I’ll bet you a shiny new penny Congresswoman Black will have at least a couple of edits to the script. We understand. First of all, what’s the bumper sticker line? Every campaign needs a bumper sticker slogan… You know, something like, “Vote Black, because she’ll sell out” or “Black is back, with Big Tobacco” or maybe “Diane Black for Congress: I’m Listening 2 Big Tobacco”

Oddly enough, Ms. Black is a member of the U.S. House Republican Policy Committee. This is a committee formed back in 1949 and the current charter is to, “work diligently on common sense solutions that speak for the American people remove barriers to economic growth, balance the budget, reduce the size and scope of government, implement patient-centered health care reforms, and keep the country safe.” We think it’s only a matter of time before Ms. Black is excoriated at the Policy Committee’s meetings for introducing the tax hikes and regulation increases contained in H.R.4134. If she’s developing these kind of ideas for the rest of the Republican members of the House, it doesn’t seem she’s going to keep her membership card to this particular club.

OUR MISSION: After we receive Ms. Black’s edits to her campaign commercial, we’ll be very busy in production. Until then, let’s get on the Twitter and Facebook and send some messages to the folks who can make a difference. Here are the Twitter handles of some of the Republican Policy Committee members. Then should hear our message about the highway bill and the Big Tobacco bailout. They have to understand we are watching their tightrope walk, and we’re here to support them as long as they stick to their words. What member of Congress wants to conduct bad public policy or use the power of the government to pick winners or losers. Members need our help to stay on course and stay out of the water.

  • Rick Berg (ND) @RepRickBerg
  • Judy Biggert (IL) @JudyBiggert
  • Gus Bilirakis (FL) @RepGusBilirakis
  • Rob Bishop (UT) @RepRobBishop
  • Diane Black (TN) @RepDianeBlack
  • Paul Broun (GA) @RepPaulBrounMD
  • John Fleming (LA) @RepFleming
  • Cory Gardner (CO) @RepCoryGardener
  • Chris Gibson (NY) @RepChrisGibson
  • Phil Gingrey (GA) @RepPhilGingrey
  • Tom Graves (GA) @RepTomGraves
  • Morgan Griffith (VA) @RepMGriffith
  • Alan Nunnelee (MS) @RepAlanNunnelee
  • Mike Pompeo (KS) @MikePompeo
  • Tom Price (GA) @RepTomPrice
  • Tom Reed (NY) @RepTomReed
  • Jim Renacci (OH) @RepJimRenacci
  • Mike Rogers (AL) @RepMikeRogersAL

Be good! See you online.

-GR

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Jun 17 2012
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When they tell you it’s “nothing” you know it’s something…

U.S. CONGRESS: 1,000 small business owners, their employees, their customers, and their communities are counting on you to STOP the Big Tobacco bailout.

TODAY’S MESSAGE: @LawmakerXYZ Our economy needs #jobs, not a #BigTobacco bailout in the highway bill closing 1,000 #smallbiz! http://bit.ly/NewTax

Happy Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17, 2012!  According to the newspaper, this is the 102nd Father’s Day in the U.S. Yessir, 102 years of bad ties, strong cologne, and jealous mothers when dad opens a brand new set of wrenches specially fit to his motorcycle! Like everything in life, there’s a little disagreement on who came up with the idea of Father’s Day, but the warm tubes of the Internet tell me it was Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington back in 1910. She was one of six children being raised by a single dad and she thought it’d be nice if in addition to Mother’s Day, there was a day to honor dads like hers. To all dads out there, happy Father’s Day and have a great one!

Happy Father’s Day! Except for you Big Tobacco. You sit down.

CONGRESSIONAL UPDATE: More news reports are in this morning predicting nothing is getting done to push a big burrito 2012 transportation bill forward. As reported in The Hill newspaper, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-California) doesn’t think House negotiators have the “urgency” or “leadership” required to get anything done, and Rep. John Mica (R-Florida) says the Senate appears “unwilling to compromise at all.” I have to be candid; I like where this is going.

Don’t get me wrong. Fixing up roads and bridges is important and the nation’s transportation infrastructure is vital to maintaining clear paths for commerce, but not so important that a Federal highway bill can be used as a hammer to flatten more than 1,000 small businesses. Putting a Big Tobacco bailout provision in the Senate’s version of a highway bill was wrong, anti-competitive, and poor governing.

For the uninitiated, the Big Tobacco bailout seeks to “reclassify” small retail tobacco shops as “manufacturers” and subjecting them to new taxes and regulations. The Congressional Budget Office believes if that provision becomes law, more than 1,000 small business owners plus their employees will be out of work.

If the Big Tobacco bailout was such a good idea so desperately necessary, why hasn’t Congress talked about it before? Not one congressional hearing. Not one minute of public debate. Not anything except a middle of the night favor for some guys flying in corporate jets who work for companies that count their profits in the BILLIONS every 90 days.

Big Tobacco company executives get a thrill out of showering Congress with cash. Campaign contributions are only one aspect.

Maybe you’re a skeptical news reporter forced by your editors to read this blog. Maybe you’re thinking to yourself, “I called Sen. Baucus’s office and they told me it was nothing.” Journalism 101: When someone tells you it’s “nothing” it is definitely something. NOT TO MENTION the Big Tobacco companies spent more than THREE MILLION DOLLARS in just 20 days lobbying for this legislation.

Well, I imagine you’re dying to crack open that new can of pretty-smelling water and find a shirt that’ll match your new golf tie so I’ll be brief. Here’s the target list:

Transportation Committee Republicans / Leadership Members

OUR MISSION: Let’s get loud this week. We’re heading toward the do-or-die zone as far as the highway bill is concerned. Lawmakers will have to approve a House-Senate compromise big burrito if they can agree on stuff, or they will feel the need to approve an extension of the current program while the sides take a breather. Regardless, we have to be on guard for any effort to push through the Big Tobacco bailout. As you might have already figured out, we can’t trust Big Tobacco farther than the next breath. They’ll try and do anything to get their way. Be strong. Be vocal. Keep painting stink on this rotten Big Tobacco bailout, and have a great day! See you online at Twitter and Facebook and keep a close eye on that barbecue, okay?

- GR

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Jun 12 2012
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Big Tobacco’s Bridge to Nowhere

Ahh, summertime. Hot with thunderstorms in the afternoon and sweltering humidity. You almost feel sorry for folks who have to wear sport coats and ties in that kind of heat. But, it’s okay. Those are members of Congress and they’re used to pressure cooker conditions! See Congressman John Mica in the photo? He’s wearing the black and gray tie. He was in Volusia County, Florida yesterday, braving the heat to celebrate the ground breaking for a new commuter rail line.

What can we make of the fact that Congressman Mica, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and lead Republican for the highway bill negotiations, is not in Washington negotiating a final highway bill? Not much. Staff are still reportedly working behind the scenes to try and cut a deal, but everyone watching says there’s not a lot of trust between the House Republicans and Senate Democrats (imagine) and even less progress toward a final bill. As far as I’m concerned, the less chance the Senate-passed highway bill has of moving anywhere, the better for all of us who like the freedom to roll our own smokes.

Hello and happy Tuesday, June 12, 2012! Without a doubt, highways, bridges and other transportation projects are important for commerce, but Congress must NOT sell out the free enterprise system while passing bills for these things. After all, free enterprise via our small businesses is the job-creating backbone of our country! Did you know small businesses represent 99.7 percent of ALL employers in our country, employing about half of all private sector employees? AND small businesses have generated 65 percent of new jobs over the past 17 years? (Thank you Small Business Administration for those stats). It’s true. Small business entrepreneurs are keeping the economy moving, employing people, paying good wages and (too many) taxes. Even in the current economy, small businesses are hanging on because the entrepreneurial spirit knows better times are ahead.

Enter Big Tobacco and the Federal government.

Big Tobacco wants ZERO competition and they’re using Congress to get their way.

Who would have thought with ALL THE TALK about creating jobs for our economy that Congress would entertain the idea of using unnecessary taxes and regulations to shut down more than 1,000 small businesses across the U.S.? But that’s EXACTLY what’s happening. Tucked into a corner of the Senate’s highway bill is a provision to “reclassify” small tobacco retail shops as “tobacco manufacturing facilities” if that shop happens to have a place where you can roll your own smokes. In the eyes of U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana), Rep. Diane Black (R-Tennessee) and others: Allow roll your own smokes = you ARE a manufacturer. Don’t allow roll your own smokes = you are NOT a manufacturer.

This is as ridiculous as it is wrong, and Congress knows it.

Why do we call this a Big Tobacco bailout? Because, according to the lobbyist disclosures filed with the U.S. House and Senate, Altria, R.J.Reynolds and other Big Tobacco interests spent more than $3 million dollars on an intense, 20-day lobbying effort for H.R.4134, Rep. Black’s version of the Big Tobacco bailout. THREE MILLION DOLLARS IN TWENTY DAYS! Why does Big Tobacco want H.R.4134 so badly? Because they’re greedy jackasses.

Big Tobacco’s mascot is a greedy jackass. No offense intended for the animals used in this production.

If the Big Tobacco bailout is allowed to become law, think about the impact on a small business. If you’re a run-of-the-mill retail establishment, you really don’t have a lot of Federal paperwork except for taxes and maybe some OSHA stuff. But think about all the new paperwork and regulations falling down on you like rain if you’re reclassified as a manufacturer. Are you in an area locally ZONED for manufacturing? Is your establishment in compliance with Federal regulations applied to manufacturers for worker safety and the environment? If you could even comply with the new regulations, could you afford the huge new taxes and permit fees associated with the manufacturing sector?

The answer is no. You wouldn’t be able to afford the new taxes and regulations, and everybody knows it. That’s why they wrote the Big Tobacco bailout provision the way they did. Big Tobacco wanted a provision that would SHUT DOWN their competition, once and for all. That’s forcible assault on free enterprise and that’s why we’re fighting it.

The usual suspects, including U.S. Rep Diane Black (R-Tennessee) who is sponsor of H.R.4134, the Big Tobacco bailout that will eliminate jobs at more than 1,000 small businesses across the United States.

Today’s Message: @LawmakerXYZ I’m not a manufacturer, I’m #smallbiz! STOP the #BigTobacco bailout HR4134 http://bit.ly/NewTax

OUR MISSION: Continue talking with all your members of Congress on Facebook, Twitter, online news story comment areas, town hall meetings, email, sign language, and shortwave radio. Lawmakers don’t often do slimy stuff when they know the public is watching, so alert them that we ARE watching and we KNOW what they’re up to! Keep up the pressure, don’t relent. Recruit, recruit, recruit! Fresh meat for our campaign is essential!

- GR

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Jun 11 2012
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Anatomy of a Big Tobacco Sellout

U.S. Rep. Diane Black sold out to Big Tobacco. She says one thing, but does another to help crush small business.

Today’s Message: @LawmakerXYZ Tell Congress to STOP HR4134 & the #BigTobacco bailout in the highway bill! http://bit.ly/NewTax

As I tinkered around the house this weekend, I got to thinking about how difficult it is for people to change their behavior. After all, that’s what this blog and our efforts are about. We seek to change the behavior of members of Congress who will otherwise support a Big Tobacco bailout and crush small businesses through anti-competititve taxes and regulation. People have all kinds of reasons for not changing their behavior. Sometimes, they misinterpret change as a sign of weakness. Certainly, members of Congress don’t want to be seen as weak, wrong, confused or desperate. I bet, if given the chance to change their behavior on the Big Tobacco bailout without having to admit they were wrong, we’d see half to three-quarters of the sponsors of H.R.4134 drop that bill faster than a cold beer turns warm in the middle of August.

Good morning! It’s Monday, June 11, 2012 and we are taking a look today at one member of Congress’s sellout to the Big Tobacco companies. I know that sounds a little harsh, but there’s no other way to describe it. Read on and see if you agree.

U.S. Representative Diane Black: Born January 16, 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland. Thirty-four years later she moved out of Maryland and moved in to Tennessee where she continued her career as nurse-turned-bureaucrat and served in the state legislature for a few years before eyeing an open seat in the U.S. Congress. Ms. Black was elected in 2010, moved back to the Baltimore area, and started service in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 3, 2011.

Ms. Black was born in Baltimore, Maryland and lived in the shadow of the nation’s capital city for 34 years. Elected to Congress, she’s now happily living back in Washington, DC.

What can we tell about Ms. Black and how she serves her Tennessee constituents? Well, all we really have is her WORDS and her ACTIONS. So, let’s look at her website.

EXHIBIT A: On her official, congressional website Ms. Black has written the words:

“America’s success does not stem from Washington programs, but from free enterprise and our entrepreneurial spirit. The real way to grow the economy is to get government out of the way, and let the real job creators, American small businesses, create jobs. The federal government needs to support entrepreneurs by eliminating burdensome regulations and discriminatory taxes that are holding businesses back.” – U.S. Rep. Diane Black.

Well, that’s interesting. Pretty much a red, white and blue flag of poetic praise for small business, right? Curious, though, that there’s no mention of the Big Tobacco bailout H.R.4134 she introduced on behalf of the largest cigarette-making companies. That whole “let’s crush the small businesses where you can roll your own smokes” seems counter to the above paragraph. Maybe it’s an oversight?
EXHIBIT B: More words from Ms. Black’s website talks about her views on Federal legislation:
“One of the most important aspects of Congress is developing, making, and monitoring laws. New laws are created every week. As a Member of Congress, I am actively involved in sponsoring and drafting legislation about issues that are important to you.” – U.S. Rep. Diane Black.

Another interesting statement. We can overlook the ignorant inaccuracy of “new laws are created every week” (they’re not), but we can’t overlook that part about “drafting legislation about issues that are important to you.” Since when did it become important to the people of Robertson and Sumner counties that the U.S. government crush small businesses in order to give Big Tobacco companies more profit?

EXHIBIT C: This comes directly from her bill, her legislation H.R.4134 which will reclassify small tobacco shops from “retailer” to “manufacturer” in order to subject them to impossibly onerous taxes and regulations.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED (H.R.4134) “Amends the Internal Revenue Code to include within the definition of “manufacturer of tobacco products,” for excise tax purposes, any person who for commercial purposes makes available for consumer use a machine capable of producing tobacco products.”

What?!! HOW is amending U.S. Tax Code supposed to HELP small businesses?!

Even this water buffalo knows to hang his head low over HR4134, the Big Tobacco bailout sponsored by Rep. Diane Black.

Coming full circle to what we said about “changing behavior” being hard for some people. Ms. Black was born in Baltimore, Maryland and lived in an area populated by more government bureaucrats per square mile than any other place in the nation for 34 YEARS. She knows government like the back of her hand. She has bureaucracy running through her veins. And even though she TALKS about getting “government out of the way” of the REAL job creators, small business, she’s first in line with ACTION introducing MORE TAXES AND MORE REGULATIONS on SMALL BUSINESS. That’s what her bill, H.R.4134 is. And the ONLY BENEFACTOR from this legislation is the Big Tobacco companies. I know this because the Congressional Budget Office said so. If Ms. Black successfully shuts down small tobacco shops where you can blend and roll your own smokes, Big Tobacco thinks it will pick up all those sales. Never mind Big Tobacco already has 99% market share. They want more.

Another clear indicator of Ms. Black’s sellout to Big Tobacco: Money. Big Tobacco has A LOT OF MONEY invested in members of Congress.

EXHIBIT D: Altria (maker of Marlboro cigarettes) gave Ms. Black a few thousand dollars for her campaign. R.J.Reynolds (another cigarette maker) gave her a few thousand campaign dollars, too. IN FACT, both Altria and Reynolds gave THOUSANDS of dollars in cash to Ms. Black’s campaign within mere DAYS of her introducing H.R. 4134. Coincidence?

A further indicator of Ms. Black’s sellout to Big Tobacco: More money.

EXHIBIT E: Big Tobacco spent MILLIONS OF DOLLARS lobbying for H.R.4134 this year. Remember, Ms. Black’s bill wasn’t even introduced until March 5, 2012. But between March 5 and March 31, 2012 the public records show Big Tobacco spent more than $3 million dollars lobbying for H.R.4134! That’s UNHEARD OF on Capitol Hill, unless there is some sort of coordinated effort by the Big Tobacco companies and Ms. Black’s office. It just doesn’t happen that way (on the up-and-up, anyway). We’ve alerted Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) about this anomaly and asked them to look into it.

Last indication of Ms. Black’s sellout: H.R.4134 is a BIG effort by Ms. Black. It’s SO BIG, she has already gathered 74 cosponsors for her bill. AND ALL OF THEM have taken Big Tobacco money in one form or another. Most have taken the money directly from Big Tobacco, but some have taken it through a third-party political action committee. That basically means the money was “washed” of tobacco before it was contributed. Sneaky, right?

EXHIBIT F: Silence. Even though this is a BIG effort by Rep. Diane Black, there is not ONE WORD about it on her website. Check it out for yourself. Go to her website by clicking here, and in the “search” box, enter “4134″ or “tobacco” or “roll your own.” Nothing related to her bill comes up! As I’ve said before, members of Congress issue a press release when a unicorn breaks wind, so WHY wouldn’t Rep. Diane Black talk about her PREMIER effort to shut down small businesses? Is she HIDING something?

Well, Ms. Black, you can’t hide a Big Tobacco bailout, and you can’t hide your selling out to Big Tobacco, either.

So there you have it, the anatomy of a Big Tobacco sellout. It’s not pretty, is it?

Ms. Black talks the talk, but doesn’t walk the walk.

Our Mission: Inform, educate, infiltrate, communicate and decimate. We are making a difference because we have people ALL ACROSS our great nation taking part in this effort and persistently making noise. U.S. House members are in their hometowns this week, talking with community groups, touring companies, making hay on the local television and radio. So talk to them! Talk with your local member. Ask them to REJECT the Big Tobacco bailout. Tell them to strip it from the highway bill AND THEN ask them to oppose H.R.4134. It’s a dirty, no-good, big tobacco bailout and it’s NOT good government.

Bravo Tango Whiskey: What do you think? Too harsh? Let me know and I’ll see you ONLINE!

-GR

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Jun 02 2012
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Fighting the Good Fight

This Weekend’s Message: @LawmakerXYZ a #BigTobacco bailout is NOT a #jobs plan. SAVE #jobs and STOP HR4134. http://bit.ly/NewTax

The soup line, courtesy of Big Tobacco, coming soon to a home town near you.

Persistence.

Persistence is what defines a movement. Without persistence, what do you have? A fading memory. Fading memories last about a second longer than a shadow cast by a ripple of water. Not long.

Good morning and hello Saturday, June 2, 2012! Yesterday’s unemployment numbers show a persistent sluggishness in our economy. If you dig beyond the 8.2% unemployment rate, you see that only 63.6% of people over the age of 16 are participating in the workforce. That’s the worst workforce participation rate since 1981. Something’s gotta give.

A lot of fingerpointing going on in Washington…

Today, President Obama blamed Congress for failing to tax millionaires and act on so-called “jobs” legislation. Yesterday, members of Congress blamed President Obama for policies that have stifled economic growth. My thought is both are to blame. Our economy is suffering because the job creators of our nation, namely small businesses, are already overburdened by illogical tax rates and too much needless regulation and we have no ability to know with certainty what sort of tax and regulatory scheme is coming next.

Take, for instance, the Big Tobacco bailout contained in the Senate’s version of the national highway bill. This provision, drafted by Big Tobacco’s sexy and leggy lobbyists and inserted in the middle of the night by misogynist Bob Packwood U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-Montana), seeks to reclassify small retail tobacco shops where you can blend and roll your own smokes. If jovial Max’s provision is allowed to stay in the highway bill, the U.S. Government will see these small tobacco shops as “tobacco manufacturing facilities” and heap on all kinds of new taxes and regulations. According to the Congressional Budget Office, that single provision will CLOSE more than 1,000 small businesses across our great nation. Thanks for something worse than nothing, Max!

U.S. Senator Max Baucus and his 2nd of 3 wives, Wanda.

This “Baucus” Big Tobacco bailout provision will shove small tobacco shops out of business, including:

  • 101 employers in Florida;
  • 55 employers in Indiana;
  • 35 employers in Kentucky;
  • 22 employers in Michigan;
  • 29 employers in New York;
  • 138 employers in Ohio;
  • 105 employers in Pennsylvania;
  • 40 employers in Tennessee;
  • 12 employers in South Carolina; and
  • 52 employers in Wisconsin.

Really? This is what we sent people to our nation’s capital city to do? Eliminate jobs and competition for the SOLE benefit of Big Tobacco? REALLY?

You see, if Big Tobacco can get Congress to “reclassify” small “roll your own smokes” tobacco shops as “manufacturing facilities” and drive them out of business with unbearable taxes and regulations, then Big Tobacco thinks it will make more money by reaping those customers who will switch back to commercial smokes.

ENTER THE WATER BUFFALO

Who else is pushing for this Big Tobacco bailout? Rep. Diane Black (R-Tennessee) is pushing for the Big Tobacco bailout with her legislation (authored by Big Tobacco) H.R.4134. Big Tobacco wants her bill SO bad, they spent more than $3 million in fewer than 20 days lobbying Congress to approve the bill. But that’s just what’s been publicly disclosed, so far. WHO KNOWS what’s going on behind the scenes where no one’s looking…

Pic from a recent Big Tobacco party for lawmakers backing HR4134

OUR MISSION: PERSISTENCE. Hit the Facebook. Hit the Twitter. Hit it high, hit it low. Here’s a list of some of the people supporting HR4134 and how many businesses will suffer if it, or its provisions, are signed into law. Let’s let them know we are not pleased:

  • Rep Pastor, Ed [AZ-4] – 4/16/2012 –HR 4134 will close 23 businesses in Arizona.
  • Rep Rooney, Thomas J. [FL-16] – 3/29/2012  - HR 4134 will close 101 businesses in Florida.
  • Rep Hastings, Alcee L. [FL-23] – 3/28/2012
  • Rep Barrow, John [GA-12] – 3/27/2012
  • Rep Scott, Austin [GA-8] – 4/17/2012 – HR4134 will close 14 businesses in Georgia.
  • Rep Scott, David [GA-13] – 4/24/2012
  • Rep Rokita, Todd [IN-4] – 5/7/2012  - HR4134 will close 55 businesses in Indiana
  • Rep Yoder, Kevin [KS-3] – 3/26/2012 – HR 4134 will close 15 small businesses in Kansas
  • Rep Chandler, Ben [KY-6] – 5/16/2012 HR4134 will close 35 small businesses in Kentucky.
  • Rep Yarmuth, John A. [KY-3] – 5/31/2012
  • Rep Dingell, John D. [MI-15] – 5/10/2012 – 22 small businesses
  • Rep Carnahan, Russ [MO-3] – 4/16/2012 – 12 small businesses
  • Rep Cleaver, Emanuel [MO-5] – 4/24/2012
  • Rep Harper, Gregg [MS-3] – 4/18/2012 – 6 small businesses
  • Rep Thompson, Bennie G. [MS-2] – 3/28/2012
  • Rep Rehberg, Denny [MT] – 3/27/2012 – 2
  • Rep Butterfield, G. K. [NC-1] – 4/24/2012 – 8 small businesses
  • Rep Coble, Howard [NC-6] – 3/21/2012
  • Rep Ellmers, Renee L. [NC-2] – 3/8/2012
  • Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] – 3/26/2012
  • Rep McIntyre, Mike [NC-7] – 3/30/2012
  • Rep Crowley, Joseph [NY-7] – 3/7/2012 – 29 small businesses
  • Rep Buerkle, Ann Marie [NY-25] – 3/28/2012
  • Rep Meeks, Gregory W. [NY-6] – 4/24/2012
  • Rep Owens, William L. [NY-23] – 3/29/2012
  • Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15] – 3/16/2012
  • Rep Stivers, Steve [OH-15] – 4/19/2012 – 138 businesses in Ohio
  • Rep Marino, Tom [PA-10] – 3/21/2012 – 105 businesses in Pennsylvania
  • Rep Shuster, Bill [PA-9] – 4/16/2012
  • Rep Wilson, Joe [SC-2] – 5/7/2012 – 12 businesses
  • Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] – 4/24/2012 – 40 small businesses
  • Rep Black, Diane [TN-original sellout]
  • Rep Kind, Ron [WI-3] – 3/20/2012  - 52 small businesses

More tomorrow. See you online fellow warrior and GOOD WORK!!

-GR

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May 26 2012
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The Fabric of Our Nation

Behind H.R.4134, the Big Tobacco bailout is… Big Tobacco.

Hello! It’s Saturday, March 26, 2012 and the start of Memorial Day weekend. This occasion used to be known as Decoration Day and it began as a way to pay tribute to Union soldiers killed in the Civil War. Southern civic organizations honored lost Confederate soldiers in a similar fashion, but on different days during the month of May. In the early 1900s, Memorial Day was formalized nationally as a day to honor all fallen U.S. soldiers of all wars. To all military men and women who are serving or have served our great nation, we thank you for your willingness to sacrifice. We especially pay great tribute to those who have lost their lives defending our freedom, our liberty, and our way of life. Thank you.

As has been said, freedom isn’t free. Military men and women have gone into battle to defend our Republic and our form of democracy. We have a Constitution and Bill of Rights that guarantee within our own borders the protection of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Such sacred things must not be taken for granted. Everything that our Federal government undertakes must fall within the boundaries of our Constitution, otherwise our Republic cannot stand.

Sometimes Congress or the President overstep the boundaries. We’ve seen a great number of legal challenges to Federal laws and regulations, including some that have been decided by the highest court in the land, the United States Supreme Court. Laws abridging freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, the right to bear arms… you name it and the Supreme Court has likely ruled on it.

So my wonder today is this: Can the Congress pass a law that uses the tax and regulatory power of the Federal government to pick winners and losers? I wonder, because that’s exactly what Big Tobacco is trying to do with H.R.4134, the BigTobacco bailout. The provision essentially says, “Big Tobacco doesn’t like that you’re helping people roll their own smokes, so we’re going to treat you differently and drive you out of business.”

The same H.R.4134 bailout provision has already stowed away on the 2012 highway bill (Senate version) and I’m hopeful the House conference members negotiating the 2012 highway bill will stand up for what’s right and strip it out.

I won’t belabor the point today because it’s a holiday weekend and I know you’re anxious to get ready for the picnic or boat ride, but please remember this: Our elected representatives in Congress often forget the foundation of what has made our nation great. People have fought and died for the freedoms our society enjoys. The American Dream is alive and well and we’re living it, despite attacks at all levels of government on our ability to prosper. As we fight off those who would unfairly benefit others, let us also remind ALL our elected representatives that it is government of the people, by the people, and for the people, and NOT government for Big Tobacco’s benefit.

This Weekend’s Message: @LawmakerXYZ and @EricCantor STOP the #BigTobacco bailout HR4134 stowing away on the highway bill. http://bit.ly/NewTax

 

- GR

 

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May 24 2012
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Farming It Out

Today’s Message: @LawmakerXYZ Please strip the #BigTobacco bailout from the highway bill. HR4134 is a tax increasing job killer. http://bit.ly/NewTax

I love farms. I was raised on a farm. It wasn’t my family’s farm, but we had all the fun of tending to the livestock and weeding fields. We worked on the farm because the owner was an elderly man who had two grown daughters who went off to college, so he needed my family’s help. We weren’t decision makers, we were just kind of hired hands helping out with labor when the farmer needed it. We were fortunate because we enjoyed the farm, without having to bear the major responsibilities. The farmer easily could have “farmed out” his land to other farmers or even a big company.

These days, “farm it out” is a lot closer in meaning to “outsourcing.” If you have work to be done and there’s someone else who can do it cheaper, you outsource. For instance, human labor in China is a lot cheaper  than it is in the United States. That’s why everything you pick up and turn over has a “Made in China” stamp on it. To me, that’s not really an encouraging trend. I’d rather we still had more manufacturing here in the USA, but because the big companies figured out they can make more profit by shipping work overseas, they “farm it out.”

Congress is kind of the same. Thankfully, they haven’t farmed out work to the Chinese (yet), but the elected members DO farm out a lot of work to their staff. Answering phones, answering letters and emails from constituents, talking with lobbyists… you name it, and a Congressman has a staff member who will do it. That’s understandable. You want your elected lawmaker to be engaged where there are truly tough decisions to be made. You want her at the table when they’re hammering out tax rate questions, examining the principles behind initiating more or fewer regulations, and trying to foresee any unintended consequences. You and me, we want our elected officials thoroughly ENGAGED when our livelihoods are under attack by special interests like Big Tobacco, right?

Unfortunately, some members of Congress are too comfortable with “farming out” their work, even when we’re down to the brass tacks.

At a blog called “DC Streets”, is the account of SEVEN members of Congress showing up at meetings where the “final” version of the 2012 highway bill is being worked out. WHAT? Actual MEMBERS OF CONGRESS showing up at meetings where legislation is being WRITTEN and AGREED UPON?!! Crazy, right? Well I guess it’s news because so often these days, members of Congress “farm out” work they’re supposed to be doing. There are FORTY SEVEN members of Congress on the highway bill conference committee, and only SEVEN are showing up to the meetings where differences are being debated. That doesn’t seem right, does it? The funny thing is the blogger writing the piece characterized the seven lawmakers as an “obstacle” to reaching agreement. Wow.

When I go to my local community meeting to hear Candidate X and Candidate Y tell me why they’re the best person to represent me in Congress, they didn’t tell me they’d let their staff make the important decisions, did they?

OUR MISSION: In the coming day or so, I will post a video news story displaying reaction to Congress’s most recent efforts. Let’s promote that video high and low and show members of Congress WE ARE REAL PEOPLE, with real JOBS depending on their doing the right thing. We must STOP the Big Tobacco bailout in the highway bill; we must STOP H.R.4134 – the bill that reclassifies mom & pop smoke shops as “manufacturing facilities”, and we must STOP this ongoing attack on small business enterprises! Between Sen. Durbin’s tax increase, Rep. Black’s tax and regulation increase, Sen. Baucus’s middle of the night antics, and Big Tobacco spending MILLIONS on 60 lobbyists in less than a month, we are under ASSAULT! But we can win. Keep the pressure on. Let’s get to it. We’re still hitting ALL our members of Congress because the more pressure they feel, the less likely they’ll move their scum legislation forward. See you online.

-GR

 

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May 20 2012
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News Release for Rep. Diane Black

Today’s Message: @LawmakerXYZ and Eric Cantor: What’s dirtier than a #BigTobacco bailout? Nothing. http://bit.ly/NewTax

[We're keeping this message all weekend to make sure it rings LOUD and CLEAR. By the way yesterday I noticed some of you were adding Boehner's Twitter handle (you guys are SO good!). Truth is, I purposely left it off. Trust me, there's reason behind my madness.]

Ahh, the dime. Isn’t it pretty? It’s a coin that is the birth of many classic phrases such as, “I’ll drop a dime on you” or “You won’t nickel and dime me” or “Hey Carlos, put down that machine gun and grab me a dime bag.” My personal favorite is, “If I had a dime for every Congressman who told me they were going to help me, I’d be a rich man.”

Good Morning! It’s Sunday, May 20, 2012 and it’s nearly 70 degrees already in Dubuque, Iowa. Thunderstorms coming later, but then a beautiful week ahead. I raise the “dime” issue because it’s true. If you and I had a dime for every time Congress told us one thing, then did another, we’d be filthy rich. We’d be Warren Buffet Rich. We would be “can’t spend it all in ten lifetimes” rich! In other words, members of Congress often times say one thing, but do another.

For instance, Rep. Diane Black (R-Tennessee), SAYS she wants to help small business, but then she DOES something else. She has introduced a bill to force the US Government to reclassify small business tobacco “retailers” as “manufacturers.” WHY does she want to do this? Well, she won’t SAY publicly. That’s kind of funny, because she issues a press release every time a water buffalo breaks wind, but she won’t issue a single public statement about why she wants to force higher taxes and regulation on Mom & Pop smoke shops. See for yourself! Click here for her website. Look there and see propaganda about her announcing the winners of a congressional art competition, stuff about how she’s “holding Congress accountable to taxpayers” (pure crap), “encouraging small business growth and job creation” (the exact opposite of what her bill HR4134 does), town hall meetings, job fairs, manure, rocky mountain oysters, and chicken lips. BUT, there’s NOTHING about her bill, HR4134 – the Big Tobacco Bailout that she’s pushing for Altria, R.J.Reynolds and other Big Tobacco interests.

It’s just so odd. Rep. Diane Black can’t wait to tell you about the sunrise and how she made it possible, but she won’t utter a PEEP about her Big Tobacco, tax raising, job killing, grave robbing legislation! YOU DON’T THINK SHE’S HIDING IT, DO YOU?!!

I did a little search on her website for the word “tobacco.” Only one reference was found, relating to how she wanted to take away a presidential slush fund because it was only being used by states to raise taxes on tobacco products, i.e., Marlboro, Camel, Winston, Salem, etc. SO… Rep Diane Black, do you care to explain? WHY are you hiding your big legislative push? You have NO OTHER BILL IN ANY CONGRESS that has gained the number of cosponsors that you currently have on HR 4134, so why are you hiding it from your voters? Why not put it front and center on your website, your $40,000 direct mail pieces, your Big Tobacco sponsored campaign commercials and signs?

Dr. Jekyll

Ms. Hyde

 

OK, maybe your press secretary is busy. Or maybe your chief of staff and legislative director think they’re press experts because they watched West Wing. I’ll help you out with a draft press release you can post on your site. Please submit your edits so I can learn from you. Here’s the draft:

BLACK INTRODUCES TAX INCREASE ON SMALL TOBACCO SHOPS TO “KILL” JOBS & COMPETITION

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Diane Black (R-Tennessee) introduced H.R.4134, a bill to simply reclassify small tobacco shops where you can roll your own cigarettes as bonafide “tobacco manufacturing facilities” so these small businesses can either pay and follow the same taxes and regulations as the Big Tobacco manufacturers, or just go out of business. This special and filthy favor to Big Tobacco currently has the backing of dozens of lawmakers who, not coincidentally, have taken hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign cash from Big Tobacco.

“Golly, I’m just a former nurse, small business owner, and former minority-status teacher from Baltimore, Maryland who lived in the Washington, D.C. mentality for most of my working life. Then, I struck gold with a husband who suddenly became very wealthy. When we moved to Tennessee I became so bored, I decided to buy a seat in Congress so I could get back to Washington. And that’s what I did. In fact, I just forgave the million dollars I loaned myself for my campaign, because I know if I can get this bill, H.R.4134, through the House of Representatives, Big Tobacco will refill my campaign cash drawer! I hope I can get ALL of Big Tobacco’s cash-only members of Congress to sign my bill and together, we can slip this into law before I’m exposed,” said Representative Black, a long-time bureaucrat who sides with conservatives in order to conceal her true identity.

Eliminating Big Tobacco’s competition by heaping taxes and regulation on small Mom & Pop tobacco shops is something Representative Black hadn’t even though of before Big Tobacco contacted her legislative staff (one of whom has VERY close ties to Big Tobacco players, wink, wink). But once Black understood the cash involved, she decided siding with Big Tobacco instead of small business and jobs was the best course for her personal gain. After voting to CRUSH small business tobacco shops because you can roll your own smokes there, Representative Black will introduce legislation to open year-round hunting season on unicorns, abolish high-definition cameras in Congress, and make it a Federal offense to sing in the rain.

###

Okay, Rep. Black, there’s my draft. It’s the best I can do without your input. We’ll wait to see your changes before sending it out.

TWITTER FACEBOOK ARMY: Your mission is to continue talking to your local members of Congress via all the channels we’ve been using. Anecdotally, more than a few members of Congress are hearing us and tell us they know what Rep Black is doing is sinister and evil. They won’t be signing onto her bill, and in fact, they’re trying to convince some who have to jump off that crazy train. Have a great Sunday, friends and we’ll see you online!

-GR

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