Carolina Politics Online

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is a taxpayer watchdog group that for years has been tracking and monitoring the wasteful spending being undertaken by our members of Congress. When I say waste I mean real waste, things that most all of us regardless of political ideology and views could likely agree on. Wasted spending like $1,454,000 for mosquito trapping research or $2,573,000 for potato research. Better yet, right here in our own backyard, UNC Charlotte received $762,000 for interactive dance software.

CAGW has a searchable database containing the 9,129 pork-barrel projects in the 2010 Congressional Pig Book. They also do a ranking of every member of Congress with a score of 100 indicating a taxpayer superhero and a score of 0 being a wasteful taxpayer abuser. Unfortunately, here in the Carolinas we have several big fat zeros. That list is below:

Do you remember a month ago when I warned you about a piece of legislation called the Disclose Act?  Well, it passed the U.S.  House about an hour and a half ago.  Just to recap the dangers this bill presents:

The point of the legislation would be to force corporations sponsoring a political ad to disclose their identity, even to the extreme of the CEO having to appear at the end of the ad in a disclaimer.  However, it’s the more ominous language in the bill that has raised the eyebrows of those in the blogosphere and questioning if this legislation could unconstitutionally impact us as well.  The issue is with the language.

Under the bill, the F.E.C. would have the authority to require disclosures regarding the funding of “coordinated communications,” defined in the bill as “a publicly distributed or disseminated communication that refers to a clearly identified candidate for Federal office” and is publicly distributed or disseminated within four months prior to an election. In other words, political ads. And this bill would specifically target those paid for by someone or some entity other than the candidates.

The bill specifically exempts certain forms of media from being considered “coordinated communications” and regulated by it, but blogs aren’t specifically listed.

OpenCongress

And that is what is sounding the alarm.  Here is the language of the bill stating who exceptions apply to.

‘(4) EXCEPTION- The term ‘covered communication’ does not include—

‘(A) a communication appearing in a news story, commentary, or editorial distributed through the facilities of any broadcasting station, newspaper, magazine, or other periodical publication, unless such facilities are owned or controlled by any political party, political committee, or candidate;

There is no mention of blogs in the list of communication and there is no language specifically exempting the communication of a private individual like myself and others who write Web sites like this.

It’s uncertain if this bill will make it through the Senate. After all, as the saying goes the Senate is the place where legislation goes to die. If they do pass it then we have an open door to Stalinism right here in the United States.  Think it’s out of the question that the Federal government couldn’t abuse this law to shut down Web sites like this one and others that they feel are a threat to their power just like they do in countries like Iran, China, and Singapore?  Think again.

The following Congressmen from North and South Carolina voted for this bill today:

• Bob Etheridge (D-NC-02)
• David Price (D-NC-04)
• Larry Kissell (D-NC-08)
• Heath Shuler (D-NC-11)
• Brad Miller (D-NC-13)
• John Spratt (D-SC-05)
• Jim Clyburn (D-SC-06)

The following members voted against the act to preserve freedom of speech:

• G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-01)
• Walter Jones (R-NC-03)
• Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05)
• Howard Coble (R-NC-06)
• Mike McIntyre (D-NC-07)
• Sue Myrick (R-NC-09)
• Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10)
• Mel Watt (D-NC-12)
• Joe Wilson (R-SC-02)
• Bob Inglis (R-SC-04)

HEALTH-CARE MANDATE: Voting 187 for and 230 against, the House on June 15 defeated a GOP bid to use HR 5486 (above) as a vehicle for repealing the new health law’s requirement that individuals who can afford it obtain medical insurance either at work or in a state-run exchange. The purpose of the individual mandate is to hold down everybody’s health costs by establishing the largest possible pool of insured persons. Critics say the mandate is oppressive because those without coverage will face financial penalties. At least 20 states have filed suits challenging the requirement.

The Herald-Journal

The Democrats in Congress continue to sustain the unconstitutional health insurance mandate that President Obama said during his campaign he would never support and criticized both Hillary Clinton and John Edwards for proposing such an idea.  Another one of this long list of lies.  With the exception of Congressmen Mike McIntyre (NC-07) and Heath Shuler (NC-11), every Democrat in both North and South Carolina voted to keep this oppressive and un-American mandate in place.

Every Republican voted against keeping the mandate with the exception of three who were not present to vote:  Henry Brown (SC-01), Gresham Barrett (SC-03), and Bob Inglis (SC-04).  I imagine Barrett and Inglis were too busy trying to save their political asses while Brown, well, he is retiring so maybe he just doesn’t give a damn anymore.

The House of Representatives approved a plan Friday that would pave the way for an eventual repeal of the military’s controversial “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which bars openly gay and lesbian soldiers from military service.

The measure passed in a largely party-line, 229-186 vote as part of a larger defense authorization bill despite a growing controversy over allegations of wasteful spending in the legislation. Most Democrats backed the bill while most Republicans opposed it.

CNN

It’s the 21st century folks and we need to bury all of the superstitious bogeymen and progress with the times.  There are gay people in the military.  There were gay people in the military 100 years ago and there will be gay people in the military 100 years from now.  These people have bravely fought and served this country with the same courage as everyone else who has worn the uniform and they deserve the same respect.  Their sexual preference is of no consequence and is nobody’s business and they shouldn’t have to hide in the shadows about it for fear of being dishonorably discharged.  The repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is a good thing and I am fully supportive of it.

The bill still has to make its way through the Senate where the future of just about anything is always unsure.  There is a strong possibility of a Republican filibuster which I don’t think the New England Republicans will support, but the midwest and southern Democrats might, so it could be stopped.

The vote in the House was pretty much on party lines.  In North and South Carolina all of the Democrats voted for repeal except for Mike McIntyre (NC-07) who voted “No” and Heath Shuler (NC-11) who was not present.  All of the Republicans voted against the repeal except for Henry Brown (SC-01) and Walter Jones (NC-03) who were not present.

There may be a new war brewing between Congress and bloggers, specifically political bloggers like myself and thousands of others.  You may recall back in January, the case of Citizens United v FEC.  This was a case heard by the Supreme Court in which they gutted portions of Federal campaign finance reform laws, thus easing restrictions on the political speech of individuals via corporations and reaffirming the long held SCOTUS precedent of the Constitutional wording of “people” applying to corporations.  The decision never set well, particularly with the Democrats in Congress, and in response they are now pushing H.R. 5175, the “Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections Act” or more simply put, The Disclose Act.

The point of the legislation would be to force corporations sponsoring a political ad to disclose their identity, even to the extreme of the CEO having to appear at the end of the ad in a disclaimer.  However, it’s the more ominous language in the bill that has raised the eyebrows of those in the blogosphere and questioning if this legislation could unconstitutionally impact us as well.  The issue is with the language.

Under the bill, the F.E.C. would have the authority to require disclosures regarding the funding of “coordinated communications,” defined in the bill as “a publicly distributed or disseminated communication that refers to a clearly identified candidate for Federal office” and is publicly distributed or disseminated within four months prior to an election. In other words, political ads. And this bill would specifically target those paid for by someone or some entity other than the candidates.

The bill specifically exempts certain forms of media from being considered “coordinated communications” and regulated by it, but blogs aren’t specifically listed.

OpenCongress

And that is what is sounding the alarm.  Here is the language of the bill stating who exceptions apply to.

‘(4) EXCEPTION- The term ‘covered communication’ does not include—

‘(A) a communication appearing in a news story, commentary, or editorial distributed through the facilities of any broadcasting station, newspaper, magazine, or other periodical publication, unless such facilities are owned or controlled by any political party, political committee, or candidate;

There is no mention of blogs in the list of communication and there is no language specifically exempting the communication of a private individual like myself and others who write Web sites like this.  Now does that mean the Federal government will actually regulate the free political speech of bloggers?  I don’t know and sometimes I think they write these laws to be purposely ambiguous so nobody knows what the hell they are doing.  I can’t imagine that if they tried it would ever stand up in court.

I’ll keep an eye on this as it moves forward.  According to a press release I got from Congresswoman Virginia Foxx’s office, the House is set to begin debate on the Disclose Act next week and I don’t know what’s going to happen.  What I do know is that the Washington aristocracy is not going to shut me up no matter what Stalinist laws they try to pass and I know I’m not alone on that.  It will be a brutal blow back for them if they attempt to silence the free speech of the people.

North and South Carolina cosponsors of the Disclose Act are below:

• Jim Clyburn (D) SC-06
• Bob Etheridge (D) NC-02
• Walter Jones (R) NC-03
• Larry Kissell (D) NC-08
• David Price (D) NC-04
• Heath Shuler (D) NC-11

The State Employees Association of North Carolina (SEANC) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are mobilizing in North Carolina and collecting signatures to form their own political party. I’m guessing that after 140 years of Democrats controlling the state legislature they are finally fed up with still being barred from holding the taxpayers hostage through public sector unionization and being unable to artificially inflate the fair market labor rate throughout the state, thus making it uncompetitive. The North Carolina First Party, which would be more aptly named as the Me First Party, is working on collecting the 85,000 signatures needed to get on the ballot, another reminder of the state’s grossly unfair ballot access laws.

Should they be successful in their endeavor, I imagine it will not sit well with Democrats like Heath Shuler, Larry Kissell, Mike McIntyre, and Bob Etheridge who represent Republican leaning districts and will more than likely experience tougher reelection fights than normal this year. If all end up in close races losing a percent or two to a third party candidate could make the difference between victory or early retirement.

The stated goal of the North Carolina First Party is to “to give working families the ability to choose a candidate that will fight for their interests – or to identify Congressional candidates who will stay accountable to the needs of working families not Washington’s special interests.”  In other words, steal more and more money from your wealthier and more successful neighbors and hand it over to you even though you don’t deserve it.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics In Washington have filed a complaint against several members of Congress who are paying well below market rent for a house they all share on C Street in Washington D.C.  Among the members is our very own Heath Shuler, Democrat representing western North Carolina.

Shuler and the others named in the complaint are receiving a discounted rent from a Christian ministry, The Fellowship, that owns the home.  They each pay $950 a month which includes services from eight house keepers and a “house mother.”  Comparable rents in the area range from $2500 all the way up to $4,000 and that is the crux of the matter.  CREW is claiming that the discounted Shuler and the others are receiving amounts to accepting a Congressional gift which violates ethics rules.

I guess we can add this to the list of unethical behavior racked up by Shuler during his short tenure in Congress so far.

Update: The House may be voting tomorrow.

Get the lie out first and ignore the truth later.  That is apparently the philosophy that the media and the Democrats are running with today.  You may have heard all the hype this morning about the CBO claiming that the health care bill will cost $940 billion and reduce the deficit by $130 billion over ten years, right?

Not exactly.

Although CBO completed a preliminary review of legislative language prior to its release, the agency has not thoroughly examined the reconciliation proposal to verify its consistency with the previous draft. This estimate is therefore preliminary, pending a review of the language of the reconciliation proposal, as well as further review and refinement of the budgetary projections.

You see, this is a preliminary estimate that does not include all the other changes that are being proposed to reconcile the House and Senate bills, yet the Democrats and their minions in the out of mainstream media are running around quoting this as fact.  It’s just more dishonesty in a long line of lies.

Here is one thing I am fairly certain of, though.  The House does not have the votes to pass this bill as of today.  If they did, they’d have already voted on it.  That doesn’t mean they won’t get them, however, so if you value your freedom and don’t want an unconstitutional government take over of your health care, then get on the phone and tell your Congressman to vote NO on this bill.

The four Democrats in our two states with the biggest potential of voting no on this are Heath Shuler, Mike McIntyre, Bob Etheridge, and John Spratt.  They all represent Republican leaning districts.  Definitely concentrate on them.

Heath Shuler
Phone: (202) 225-6401
Fax: (202) 226-6422

Bob Etheridge
Phone: (202) 225-4531
Fax: (202) 225-5662

Mike McIntyre
Phone: (202) 225-2731
Fax: (202) 225-5773

John Spratt
Phone: 202-225-5501
Fax: 202-225-0464

Heath Shuler (D-NC-11) may be in serious reelection trouble next year for a couple of reasons.  For one, he’s a Democrat representing a district that voted for both John McCain and George Bush and was held by a Republican representative for 12 years prior to Shuler winning the office.  The country has been slowly moving away from Obama and the Democrats after witnessing their destructive policies and radical actions and Republicans are sure to benefit from that growing disdain.  That will work against him right there, but what might put the final nail in his political coffin could be the land deal and his involvement with the decisions made by the Tennessee Valley Authority.  Basically, Shuler lied.

Shuler’s office points out that he has been cleared of wrongdoing in the case by the House ethics committee, federal authorities and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) inspector general. But a report released by that inspector general this week indicates he wasn’t truthful about the matter with the local press.

The report from the inspector general states that, contrary to Shuler’s claims, he contacted TVA CEO Tom Kilgore while the land swap was in progress. Shuler has told the local press that there had been no contact between him and the TVA, according to reports.

“Specifically, if all of this was above board, why did TVA and Shuler feel compelled to tell the media that there was no contact between the congressman and TVA in relation to the Maintain and Gain application?” the report said. “There obviously was.”

The Hill

That was a pretty important detail for Shuler to divulge and yet for some reason it “slipped his mind.”  You don’t forget important details like that in an ethics investigation and you don’t lie about it if you truly believe you have done nothing wrong.  I simply cannot come to any other logical conclusion.  The man had guilt on his mind.  What other reason could there possibly be for his actions?

The RNC is going to beat this to death next year.  If you live in the 11th District you are going to see ad after ad after ad about this land deal.  The RNC will most certainly work to find a top tier candidate, but even a mediocre one may be able to take Shuler out next year as there may be people who will vote Republican as a vote against Shuler more than a vote in support of the GOP candidate.  Either way, I don’t think Pete Sessions will particularly mind what their motivation is.  They’ve wanted this seat back since they lost it in aught six. ( I could have typed ‘06, but I have really been looking for a reason all week to use the word aught.)

This is incredible.

To all who would cast U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as political villain, Heath Shuler had this to say: “She’s the most misunderstood person in Washington.”

Along with questions about health care reform and cap-and-trade legislation, students wanted to know what Pelosi is like as a person.

“She’s very misunderstood,” the congressman said. “She’s a devout Catholic. Don’t get in a Bible discussion with her.”

Asheville-Citizen Times

Wow.  Don’t even start on the whole “devout Catholic” thing.  I am Catholic, while not a practicing one, I was raised in a Catholic home with a Catholic mother and I know that one of the biggest tenets of Catholicism is the respect of life, including that of the unborn.  Abortion is the anathema of the Catholic church and Pelosi is a huge supporter of abortion on demand.  As a Libertarian, I am not completely on board with outlawing abortion even though I consider myself pro-life, but I also would not be described as a devout Catholic.  No devout Catholic politician would protect the right to an abortion.

But that aside, Pelosi may be a Bible “scholar,” but that doesn’t mean that she isn’t the lying, corrupt, sleazy politician that she is.  The woman is manipulative and conniving and she is an extremist left wing socialist by all comparisons.  She is steering this country into a head on collision with disaster and her actions are going to destroy the lives of millions of Americans if her agenda is not stopped.

It’s rather striking to me that Shuler would take the time to even have this discussion.  I mean, I don’t expect him to trash her or say anything negative, but that also doesn’t mean he should be painting her like she is the sugar plum fairy either.  His words tell me very clearly that in the next Congress he will be prepared to reelect her as Speaker.  We can’t have that.  We cannot have the extremist fringe running this country.

I supported Shuler’s reelection last year, but next year I don’t think I can.  He did well his first term, but since he’s survived his first reelection he’s started to slip.

HR 3962, the infamous Pelosi health care bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last night by a mere five votes.  This doesn’t mean that we’re doomed.  The U.S. Senate still has their own version to pass and then it has to be reconciled with the House bill and both chambers have to vote on the final combo bill.  It is unlikely this will all happen before the end of the year, so there is time for the American people to stop this.

I want you to understand what this bill does.  It is going to cost in excess of $1.2 trillion over the next ten years.  This is all new spending on top of what our government spends today.  Bear in mind, we have a $1.7 trillion budget deficit this year alone an $11 trillion debt.  It’s actually even worse than that, though.  The $1.2 trillion figure is what the House reps are saying.  The CBO has a much, much larger price tag.

Senator Gregg: Updated CBO Estimate of House Bill Pulls Back the Curtain on Majority’s Intent to Grow Government by $3 Trillion

Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee today commented on the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) more detailed cost estimate of the manager’s amendment to the House health reform bill.

Senator Gregg stated, “The CBO estimate released last night finally sheds light on the smoke and mirrors game the majority has been playing with the cost of their health care reform proposal. Over the first 10 years, this legislation builds in gross new spending of $1.7 trillion – and most of the new spending doesn’t even start until 2014. Once that spending is fully phased in, the House Democratic bill rings up at more than $3 trillion over ten years.

“Additionally, this bill cuts critical Medicare and Medicaid funding by $628 billion, accounts for nearly $1.2 trillion in tax and fee increases and will explode the scope of government by putting the nation’s health care system in the hands of Washington bureaucrats. The $3 trillion price tag defies common sense – we simply cannot add all this new spending to the government rolls and claim to control the deficit.

“If we continue to pile more and more debt on the next generation, they will never be able to get out from under it. The health care system needs reform, but this massive expansion of government, financed by our children and grandchildren, is the wrong way to proceed.”

This bill will fine employers who do not provide health insurance to their employees.  This is a double edged sword.  Many small business, for one, don’t provide it because they can’t.  Of those companies that do, the fine that would be implemented by the Federal government will actually cost less than providing the benefits.  The obvious result is that many companies out there will simply drop employee health benefits and force them onto the public “option.”  Personally, I think this is by design because the Democrats have been very open about wanting a single payer government run health care system and that is exactly the path we will go down.

This bill will make your current insurance policy even more expensive.  Remember how the whole point of health care “reform” was to lower the cost.  Yeah, that’s out the door.  Taxes on medical devices and supplies as well as on insurance companies and mandates requiring them to cover anyone who walks through the door regardless of age or preexisting conditions will raise the price of your insurance.  This will put many more Americans on the public “option” because they won’t be able to afford the premium increase or their company will stop offering the benefits and just pay the fine.  We are headed towards a two-tiered health care system.  High quality health care for the elite rich of our nation who can afford to pay outside the public “option” and a watered down rationed system for the rest of us.

This bill was 1,990 pages long.  Everyone that voted for this bill doesn’t have the slightest clue what is in it.  They haven’t had it long enough to know and many of them have already admitted that they don’t read the bills anyway.

Probably the most destructive part of this bill is the individual mandate.  Never in the history of our nation, one that prides itself of personal freedom and liberty, has our government passed a law forcing the American people to  buy a product.  This is blatantly unconstitutional and I imagine that if the Senate companion bill passes with the same mandate, which it does possess, and this is signed into law there will be Constitutional challenges to this piece.   I want you to understand the ramifications if such a mandate is held up by the Supreme Court.  Going forward our government will have no limitation of powers.  Once they are told by the highest court in the land that they are allowed to tell us what to buy based upon the court’s interpretation of the Commerce Clause or providing the general welfare, they will have complete control over the American people.  Our nation as we know it today will be a thing of the past.  We are heading into a Soviet style government.  Make no mistake about it.

All Republicans in North and South Carolina voted against this bill.  Democrat Congressmen Larry Kissell, Mike McIntyre, and Heath Shuler also voted against the bill.

The following Democrats voted to throw you in the gulag if you don’t buy health insurance.

• G. K. Butterfield (NC-01)
• Bob Etheridge (NC-02)
• David Price (NC-04)
• Mel Watt (NC-12)
• Brad Miller (NC-13)
• Jack Spratt (SC-05)
• Jim Clyburn (SC-06)

Queen Pelosi has set a vote for this Saturday, November 7th for the $1.05 trillion tyrannical health care bill they have pieced together in the House. The Democrats hold 258 House seats; 218 aye votes are needed to pass, which means 41 Democrats need to defect from their party in order to stop this, assuming no Republicans vote for it and I don’t think any will. That might sound like a tall order, but it may not be. The Blue Dog Democrats as well as other more moderate Democrats representing Republican districts are considerably nervous after Tuesday night’s election wins for the GOP in Virginia and New Jersey, so there will be considerable resistance to this bill, mainly on the grounds that it is too expensive.

This can be stopped, but the public has to take action. If your Congressman is a member of the Blue Dog coalition absolutely call their offices and tell them to oppose this bill.  In North Carolina we have two Blue Dog Democrats, Congressman Heath Shuler (NC-11) and Congressman Mike McIntyre (NC-07).

If your Congressman isn’t a member of the Blue Dogs, but still represents a moderate or Republican leaning district, like my Congressman, call them too. They are just as vulnerable to an angry public.  I would recommend contacting Congressmen Bob Etheridge (NC-02), Larry Kissell (NC-08),  and John Spratt (SC-05).  And even if you have an out of touch far left kook “representing” you in Congress, it doesn’t hurt to call them either. You might be surprised. And call the Republicans too, just to be sure.

If you don’t want to be thrown in jail for not buying a government approved health care plan, then you had better take some action. If you don’t you only have yourself to blame when intrusive government comes barreling down on you and your family.

It would appear as if Shuler’s land shenanigans have caught the eye of the House Ethics Committee.

Before he was elected to Congress in 2006, Shuler invested in a real estate development called the Cove at Blackberry Ridge near Knoxville. The investment is worth from $5 million to $25 million, according to his financial disclosure reports. In August 2008, the News-Sentinel reported that the TVA gave the Cove waterfront rights to build a boat dock in exchange for other land the real estate venture owned. The swap was made while Shuler sat on a House transportation subcommittee that oversaw the operations of the TVA, an entity chartered by Congress to manage the Tennessee Valley and its resources.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the TVA released redacted pages of a companion inspector general’s report that said the inspector general had determined that the “employee denied knowing Congressman Shuler held an ownership in Blackberry despite evidence [that the employee] was fully aware of his ownership status.”

The TVA declined to identify the employee or provide any more details about the employee’s knowledge of what took place in negotiations over the waterfront parcel, stating that the information was being withheld to “protect personal privacy, witness statements and the deliberative process,” the News-Sentinel reported.

The inspector general’s office forwarded its report to the ethics committee in Washington.

The Washington Post

So the employee who had a hand in negotiating this land swap on behalf of the TVA said he had no idea Shuler had an investment in the property, but then we find out, oops, yes he did.  So was this a special favor to Shuler and if so, what did the employee get out of all of it?  I imagine these are the questions the Ethics Committee will be looking for answers on in coming weeks.

Hendersonville mayor Greg Newman (R) has said that he will run for congress against Rep. Heath Shuler (D) in N.C.’s western-most house seat. Newman was elected mayor in 2005, and before that he was a local lawyer and prosecutor.

“What I think I’m going to have to do to be successful is make myself available in the district and get outside Hendersonville and Henderson County, and really connect with people with both parties,” said Newman, 47.
“I’m just going to have to go out and do what I’ve done as a lawyer for 20 years — get out there and make my case,” Newman said.

The Ashville Citizen-Times

Anyone challenging Shuler has a tough road ahead of them. But if Shuler is going to lose, this is probably the year. Shuler has done a very good job of appearing to be a moderate voice, but 2010 will be the most opportune time to tie him to Queen Nancy and her happy band of goofballs up in D.C.

Attorney Ed Krause has also entered the race as a Republican, but with considerably less fanfare than Newman. Other candidates being mentioned are Western Carolina University Professor Daniel Ostergaard, former state Rep. Charles Thomas, and 2008 candidate Carl Mumpower.  Dr. Dan Eichenbuam of the Ron Paul-ite wing of the party might jump in too.

A TVA employee falsely told the agency’s inspector general that U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler had not contacted TVA about a lakefront development permit, an internal report released Tuesday said.

The employee “denied knowing Shuler held an ownership in Blackberry despite evidence he was fully aware of the ownership status,” says a report released Monday by Tennessee Valley Authority. The employee also “denied Congressman Shuler had contacted TVA about Blackberry’s (dock) application. However, an internal e-mail shows (the employee) knew or should have known otherwise.”

The Cove at Blackberry Ridge, in Roane County, Tenn., is on a lake controlled by the TVA. Under the regulatory agency’s maintain-and-gain program, developers could get waterfront access provided they swapped waterfront land elsewhere that could be protected from development.

Shuler, who invested in the Blackberry development before he was elected to Congress in 2006, later was appointed to the House Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Water Resource and the Environment, which has oversight of the TVA.

The IG’s report for the first time says that Shuler had at least some contact with the agency about a lakefront marina permit application submitted by a company that he partly owned.

Times-News

So Shuler said there was no contact between him and the TVA, but now the Inspector General’s report says there was.  What reason would the employee have to lie about it if there wasn’t some kind of malfeasance going on behind the scenes?  So far the circumstantial evidence here isn’t looking very good for Shuler.  He invested in this land development and then after getting elected to Congress chaired the sub-committee that regulates the TVA which has jurisdiction over the water rights that the Shuler’s development sits on.  That presents a clear conflict of interest in of itself. Shuler claims he has kept his name out of any dealings with the TVA, but that is obviously not the case if a TVA employee just got caught lying based on a statement confirming what Shuler said.

What do you get when your name is Heath Shuler and you invest in a waterside land development, run for Congress a year later, chair the subcommittee that regulates the authority that regulates the water along said waterside land development, and fellow investors profiting off of preferential treatment received by dropping your name around?

A nice big scandal in the making.

Before he ran for Congress in 2006, Shuler invested in the Cove at Blackberry Ridge, a high-end development on the shores of a lake controlled by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Because part of its charge is to protect marine shoreline, the TVA allows water access only if the applicant is willing to swap undeveloped shoreline land somewhere else, ensuring no net loss of unspoiled land. After Shuler became a sitting congressman and chair of a congressional subcommittee with TVA oversight, the TVA inspector general initiated an investigation into the Blackberry Ridge application and the regulators’ handling of it.

The inspector general found that an “appearance of preferential treatment was exacerbated by (Blackberry Ridge) representatives dropping Shuler’s name with TVA employees.” The IG “found no evidence, however, that either Shuler or his representatives used Shuler’s position as a United States congressman to pressure TVA to grant Blackberry water access.”

We have expressed in these columns before our view that Shuler’s Blackberry Ridge ownership presents an irreconcilable conflict with his service on a committee with power to regulate the TVA. He has insisted that he had no contact with TVA about the application, and has taken no active role in the development.

The problem he faces now rises from an almost passing reference in the IG’s report: “The second report [not released] contains matters that are being referred to the House Ethics Committee.” This secret report has become, as one might expect, fodder for the Republican Party to raise questions. That they are born of partisanship does not invalidate them. What are these matters that merit review by the Ethics Committee?

Several news organizations, including the Times-News, have attempted to gain access to the report. The TVA has rebuffed our efforts.

Shuler’s office has always treated the Blackberry Ridge issue as an arcane matter of narrow interest to the Times-News editorial board and a few others. But only Shuler can put questions to rest — by making sure the full TVA report is released.

We don’t even know for sure that there is a House Ethics investigation but if there is one, Shuler should waive confidentiality and insist that it be released. By his own description, he has done nothing wrong; there’s no story here; everyone move along.

If that’s true, then he takes no risk in demanding that the Ethics Committee release its report on the TVA deal. The alternative, waiting for the report to become public, only makes it look as if he has something to hide.

The Times-News

Another one down.  Keep up the pressure!

ASHEVILLE — U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler on Thursday reiterated his stance that every American deserves health care coverage of some sort, but he stressed repeatedly that he won’t vote for the health care reform bill currently in the House of Representatives.

Shuler, D-Waynesville, fielded questions from callers for 90 minutes on a local radio talk show, “Take a Stand,” with host Matt Mittan. The congressman repeated several themes: Any health care reform must not add to the deficit, the country needs to focus on wellness programs and prevention, and the health system needs to be overhauled before adding 46 million uninsured Americans.

“It would be easier to start over,” Shuler told the audience of 570 AM, emphasizing the need for sweeping reform. “Reform has to happen. We have to reform health care. We have to make sure that people with pre-existing conditions are covered.”

A member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Caucus, Shuler said his group has pushed to lower the cost of plans under discussion and will continue to do so. The caucus will play a key role in passage of any reform.

Asheville Citizen-Times

Lower cost plans are exactly the way to go, although I don’t know precisely what it is Shuler and the Blue Dogs have in mind.  No taxpayer dollars should enter into factor, period.  Any plan that does that should be rejected.  I also agree with Shuler that every American deserves health coverage and that is what is so great about this country.  Every American has the opportunity to get it if they work for it.  It shouldn’t just be handed out.

Asked if people have a right to health care, Shuler replied, “To certain populations I think it’s a right

No, it isn’t.  It’s a service.  And we don’t have rights in this country to just “certain populations.”  I’m sure that isn’t the way he meant to phrase it.

About 100 members of the grassroots group that opposes government spending and regulation gathered outside Shuler’s office on Saturday to hold their own live, town hall meeting.

The meeting was part of a series of “Recess Rallys” being held nationwide by Tea Party groups in opposition to the current health care reform legislation. “He (Shuler) and a lot of other congressmen held town hall meetings over the telephone and that really isn’t a town hall meeting,” said Gary Shoemaker, who helped organize the event. “We wanted to have the real thing.”

Shuler was invited to the meeting, but did not attend. Shuler’s spokesman Doug Abrahms said the congressman “had other items on his calendar today,” but that he has met with members of the Tea Party recently and is aware of their opposition to the bill.

Abrahms said along with the telephone town hall meetings, Shuler has also been on radio, television and at other venues voicing his own opposition to the current legislation. “I think his view is and has been that the tele-town conference is a more productive way to reach more people in the district,” Abrahms said. “It stops a lot of political grandstanding that you see at public town hall meetings.”

Asheville Citizen-Times

Abrahms does have a valid point.  A telephone town hall allows Shuler to get all of his points across to his audience without being disrupted and shouted down.  However, it also gives him too much control over the venue and does not allow the public’s voice to be adequately heard.  Personally, I think these tele-town halls are a cop out because the Congress is afraid to face the people they work for.

The Club for Growth has released their annual RePORK card that gauges how responsible our Congressional representatives have been with our tax dollars.  The result is usually pretty atrocious and this year is no different, but we do have a few responsible representatives in our states’ delegations.  The ratings are based on 68 amendments introduced in the House that would have stripped wasteful earmarks out of 12 annual spending bills.  Representatives who voted for all of the amendments received a score of 100%.  Those that voted for none received a zero.  So how did our guys and girls stack up?

Virginia Foxx (R-NC-05) was the only member to receive a perfect score of 100%.  However, there were a few others who weren’t far behind her.  Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10) received a 99%, voting against only one of the amendments.  Gresham Barrett (R-SC-03) and Sue Myrick (R-NC-09) both received a 97%.  Bob Inglis (R-SC-04) a 96%.  All others were below 90% which means the rest have some work to do, some a little and some are completely worthless.

Two more Congressmen that stood out to me were our two Blue Dog Democrats in North Carolina:  Heath Shuler (NC-11) and Mike McIntyre (NC-07).  Bear in mind that the Blue Dogs are supposed to be fiscal conservatives.  Apparently, these two didn’t get the memo.  Shuler supported only one amendment out of the 68 and McIntyre found the only way to top his poor showing by voting for none of them.

Also on the wall of shame for frivolously throwing your tax dollars away are the following pigs who received a zero score:

• G.K. Butterfield (D-NC-01)
• Jim Clyburn (D-SC-06)
• Bob Etheridge (D-NC-02)
• Larry Kissell (D-NC-08)
• Brad Miller (D-NC-13)
• David Price (D-NC-04)
• Jack Spratt (D-SC-05)
• Mel Watt (D-NC-11)

It’s interesting to note that all the high scoring members of Congress are Republicans and all the ones with the shitty scores are Democrats.  That really illustrates the differing views the two parties have on the role of the Federal Government.