A Rehberg Tax Reminder

…from The Montana Democrats:

Image by republicanconference via Flickr

Congressman Dennis Rehberg again turned to his trusted talking points, telling Montana businesses (yesterday) what they want to hear. But Rehberg’s record as a 11-year Congressman tells a much different story.

In a speech to the Montana Chamber of Commerce, Rehberg said businesses need more certainty and fewer regulations. Yet less than a month ago, Rehberg voted for more uncertainty when he voted against a payroll tax extension and against the Keystone XL Pipeline.

“In just the last year, Dennis Rehberg voted to raise taxes on middle-class families, he voted to shut down our government twice, and he voted to default our nation’s economy,” said Montana Democratic Party Executive Director Ted Dick. “That’s one of the worst things that could have happened for business certainty. Congressman Rehberg ought to know that Montana businesses want real solutions, not partisanship in Congress.”

Rehberg criticized regulations that hurt small businesses, but in 2010, he voted against the Food Safety Modernization Act. Senator Jon Tester, a Montana farmer, successfully amended the law to ensure that family farmers and food producers were protected from federal regulations they don’t need and can’t afford.

“Congressman Dennis Rehberg has a long record of irresponsible decisions that have hurt Montana businesses and helped his fellow millionaires,” Dick said. “After a career in politics that stretches back to 1977, Dennis Rehberg has lost touch with Montana.”

Here’s a quick look at Rehberg’s record of hurting Montana’s businesses and helping himself:

In his first year in Congress, Rehberg squandered a $236 billion surplus
During his 11 years in Congress, Rehberg has given himself FIVE pay raises while voting to raise the debt ceiling TEN times.
Rehberg was named the Tea Party Caucus‘ top earmarker
Rehberg voted against an extension of the payroll tax holiday and against the Keystone XL pipeline
Rehberg voted for a three-percent tax on contractors

In December 2010, Rehberg voted for the largest tax increase in history on Montana families and businesses.

“Where Are You?” (dgsma.wordpress.com)
Rehberg Says Congress Is Just As Functional As Lindsay Lohan (dgsma.wordpress.com)

Hill + Sonju = More Taxes

Jan19 by D Gregory Smith

Montana Democratic Party Executive Director Ted Dick released the following statement in response to Rick Hill‘s running mate announcement:

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

“Republicans need to decide if they think their strongest candidates are a lobbyist-turned-Congressman-turned-lobbyist and a state legislator who has voted six times to raise his pay, despite the fact that his company is making millions off of federal earmarks. With his record of raising taxes on small businesses and working families and continued support of a sales tax, my guess is that Mr. Hill has his work cut out for him.”

The Montana Democrats elaborated with the following:

Hill Lobbied for $400 Million Sales Tax, $72 Million Income Tax

During the 1993 legislative session, Hill lobbied to pass two measures that would drastically increase taxes on Montanans. The first measure was a bill to place a $400 million sales tax measure on the ballot. It was rejected by the voters 75% to 25%. Hill also lobbied on behalf of a bill that would have increased income taxes by $72 million, but was again rejected by voters. [Billings Gazette State Bureau, 5/23/1996]

Hill Still Supports a Sales Tax

INTERVIEWER: You would support a sales tax as a substitute tax, you would be open to that?

HILL: I would be open to it as a substitute tax. [Voices of Montana, 8/18/2011]

A lot of people have advocated in Montana for a long time that we need three stools to our tax structure; got to have the income tax, the property tax, and the sales tax. I have often been an advocate for sales tax as a substitute. [Hometown Helena, 6/2/2011]

Sonju Votes Six Times To Raise Legislator Compensation Package

In each of the four legislative sessions that Sen. Jon Sonju has served, he has voted for House Bill 1, the “feed bill” that finances the legislative session. In each session, the legislature has increased the amount of money they reimburse themselves, leading to biannual increases in their pay package. [HB 1, 2nd Reading, 1/12/2005 Yes, 3rd Reading, 1/13/2005 Yes; HB 1, 2nd Reading, 1/12/2007 Yes, 3rd Reading, 1/15/2005 No; HB 1, 2nd Reading, 1/8/2009 Yes, 3rd Reading, 1/8/2009 Yes; HB 1, 2nd Reading, 1/22/2011 Yes, 3rd Reading, 1/22/2011 No]

Sonju Lobbies for Millions in Federal Earmarks

“Some Montana companies with longtime Republican ties, however, still support earmarks. Kalispell-based Sonju Industries has teamed with the missile systems division of defense giant Raytheon Co. on a project that has previously received federal funding, and it asked for $8 million again this year. Jon Sonju, an officer of the company and a Republican representative in the Montana Legislature, met with Rehberg staff on the matter before Rehberg announced his earmark moratorium.” [Billings Gazette, 10/23/2010]

Rehberg Tax Plan Increases Deficit by $25 Billion (dgsma.wordpress.com)
We might as well grow tails to chase (hubbubofthevalley.wordpress.com)
‘No Pay, No Play’ Legislation Approved in Montana (news.onlineautoinsurance.com)

AIDS: “The Unnecessary Epidemic”

Jan17 by D Gregory Smith

This eloquent, excellent article is from The National Association Of People With AIDS/HIV (NAPWA) newsletter, Positive Voice. It outlines many of the challenges we face as a country- including homophobia, stigma, and stinginess- in getting HIV under control:

This is an exciting time for all of us who live with HIV or are affected by it. Theoretical models predicted for years that treatment-as-prevention could work, and the last year confirmed it. In the elegantly designed HPTN 052 trial, results showed that serodiscordant heterosexual couples had a drastically reduced risk of infection for the HIV-negative partner when the positive partner was receiving effective treatment with antiretroviral drugs.British Columbia didn’t wait for trial results. For several years, the province has aggressively sought to find and treat as many HIV-infected people as possible, and the numbers of AIDS deaths and new HIV infections are now coming down. Dr. Julio Montaner, father of the B.C. program, remarked recently that the falling number of (known) new infections was not the result of less testing, or of safer sex. That leaves only one plausible explanation: reduced community viral load.

So we can end this epidemic. It’s time to start calling it The Unnecessary Epidemic.

As NAPWA President and CEO told us in the previous issue of Positive Voice, ending the epidemic will take resources, resources, resources. Resources for high-impact prevention programs. Resources for treatment and support services for all who need them. Resources to fix an unfair health care system.

But it’s also going to take more than resources. It will take changes in public attitudes. Twenty percent of Americans living with HIV don’t know it. Some of them don’t because prevention and testing programs haven’t reached them. Other don’t because having HIV can be so stigmatizing that they would really rather die slowly than know their status.

So let’s look at some public drivers of HIV stigma, and then look at the consequences.

The evils of “second-hand sodomy”

On the site Conservapedia.com – think of it as Wikipedia for the “right”-minded – Americans for Truth (!) president Peter LaBarbera writes, Why isn’t there a concerted government effort – akin to the current anti-smoking campaigns – to reign in homosexual promiscuity – beginning with closing down all sex businesses (bathhouses) that facilitate homosexual perversion? (Of course, we favor closing down straight prostitution businesses as well.) We know that bisexual behavior (men on the “down low”) help spread dangerous diseases to the general population: how many deaths and illnesses have to result from “second-hand sodomy” before authorities take corrective action?

Translation: it’s all the gays’ fault. If we could just shut down all gay sex, the epidemic would go away. Never mind that a majority of African Americans living with HIV are women, in numbers that could not possibly be accounted for by some partners’ “down low” adventures, and HIV in Africa was a heterosexual disease from day one. LaBarbera is saying that sex he disapproves of is perversion, perversion leads to disease, and “second-hand disease” is tantamount to murder.

Just as bizarrely, Dr. Peter Duesberg continues to contend that HIV is harmless and AIDS is caused by gay sex and drug use. Somehow, we just don’t think most of the African American women living with AIDS have been having gay sex and sniffing poppers…. And never mind the experience of people with HIV who were on the ropes in 1996, when drug cocktails based on protease inhibitors were just coming into use, and eight weeks after we started our new drug regimens our viral loads were down, our T cells were up, and our dermatologists were telling us we didn’t have to come back anymore for our every-two-weeks appointment to zap new KS lesions. Practical lesson: control the HIV and the AIDS symptoms go away. Conclusion: the virus causes the symptoms. Discussion over, Dr. D.

Not victim-free expressions of opinion

We can laugh at these extreme opinions, but publishing them is not a victimless crime. Duesberg’s opinions delayed wide use of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) in South Africa for years, and people died. The shame about non-majority sexual orientation spread by Conservapedia and others keeps people who know they should get tested from doing so and having to live with a positive result. Using criminal law as a (failed) tool to prevent new infections drives infected people and injection drug users underground, where prevention and treatment services can’t reach them.

How the Grinch stole your needle exchange

The 2013 federal budget just passed reinstates the former ban on federal funding for one of the most targeted, cost-effective HIV programs ever conceived: injection needle exchanges. The ban was one of many prices, just before Christmas, for passing any budget at all. The underlying thinking may have had something in common with Conservapedia’s panacea of outlawing gay sex: just say “there ought to be a law,” whether it’s a matter law can deal with effectively or not. It can’t, and we wonder whether many members of Congress demanding the ban knew that. Certainly those with competent health policy staffers did.

Naming stigma – and praising constructive action

As a community of people who live with HIV or serve those who do, we have a responsibility to call out stigma wherever we see – HIV stigma, homophobia, unease with transgendered people, the cruel expectation that people trapped in sex work or drug use are in control and should just go cold turkey and quit. This is more important than any quarrels we may have among ourselves about PrEP, condoms, or whether to concentrate on developing a preventive or therapeutic vaccine first (scientific accident will decide that for us).

To join the National Association Of People with AIDS/HIV, click here.

“The Race To End AIDS” (dgsma.wordpress.com)
Southern Poverty Law Center’s HateWatch and the AIDS Deniers (denyingaids.blogspot.com)
Three Pronged Strategy To End The HIV/AIDS Epidemic (medicalnewstoday.com)
Family Research Council’s Solution To AIDS Epidemic: Criminalize Gay Sex (thinkprogress.org)

“An Open Letter To Gay Republicans”

Jan13 by D Gregory Smith

Image via Wikipedia

From Asher Huey at The Huffington Post :

Dear gay Republicans,

Rick Santorum’s surge and near-win in Iowa should be a wake-up call: your party hates you.

Let’s put economic and other issues aside for a moment; we can have a spirited debate about the backward GOP approach to taxes, the environment, and foreign policy another time. I don’t understand how you can look beyond the fact that a major portion of your party’s fundamental beliefs are that you are not equal.

This isn’t a minor issue within your party. The Republican Party platform calls for amending the United States Constitution to discriminate against you. Party officials actually want to use our country’s foundational document, which grants and extends rights and freedoms to people, to limit yours. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

…Your party has, as one of its major leading presidential candidates, a person who doesn’t think you should be able to serve openly in the military, who doesn’t believe that you can create a loving family, who thinks that your committed relationships are destroying the moral fabric of America. Your party has thrown you in the deviant pile. Your party has labeled you a sexual predator. Your party is afraid of you and does not incorporate your voice or believe in your dignity.

Read the rest here.

Asher Huey: An Open Letter to Gay Republicans (huffingtonpost.com)
After My Own Heart (dgsma.wordpress.com)
Montana Split On Gay Marriage Rights (towleroad.com)
Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney Pressed About Support For Gay Rights During 2012 New Hampshire GOP Debate (huffingtonpost.com)
Friendly Fire: Don’t mistake comments on imaginary gay sons and friends for a softening of Rick Santorum’s anti-gay bigotry (pinkbananaworld.com)
Letter: Republican Party’s decline is sad (knoxnews.com)
The Perry Campaign Recycles Homophobia, and Angry Gay Republicans Recycle Outing (queerty.com)

Rehberg: Local Governments Richer Than The Feds

Jan12 by D Gregory Smith

Image by republicanconference via Flickr

After earning the title of the Tea Party Caucus’s top earmarker, and after giving himself five pay raises in Congress, Montana’s millionaire Congressman is now telling Montanans that they should turn to their local governments if they need any help.

“I always find it a little bit ironic when somebody comes to me and says we need money at the local level from the federal government,” Rehberg recently told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle (onlineHERE). “I say, well, why don’t you ask the local level, because, you’ve got more money than we do.”

What Rehberg forgot to mention was that the last time Congress approved earmarks, he earned the title of “tea partier with his name on the most earmarks” — requesting more than $100 million for Montana.

Rehberg, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, also failed to mention that while he was spending millions in taxpayer money, he gave himself five pay raises during his 12 years in Congress–at a time when hardworking Montanans were nation was struggling. Hmmm.

“Congressman Dennis Rehberg is desperately wants Montanans to forget his long, irresponsible record of giving himself pay raises while spending their money in Congress,” said Ted Dick, Executive Director of the Montana Democratic Party. “Now his message to Montanans is ‘tough luck.’ We join all Montanans in demanding more responsible decisions from Congress than Dennis Rehberg’s.”

Rehberg’s Pay Raise Votes:

Votes to RAISE his own pay in 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, and 2002 (NOTE: The 2006 pay raise was later blocked by the Democratic Congress in 2007).

Rehberg Says Congress Is Just As Functional As Lindsay Lohan (dgsma.wordpress.com)
MT Democrats: Rehberg’s Long Record Of Taxpayer Handouts To CEO’s (dgsma.wordpress.com)
“25 Things Montana Voters (And Media) Need To Know About Dennis Rehberg” (dgsma.wordpress.com)

Spokesman-Review Opinion: “Gays Deserve Same Rights”

Jan11 by D Gregory Smith

Image via Wikipedia

In Spokane’s Spokesman-Review, the marriage equality issue in Washington State is given some real-life background for its readers: the story of a couple who’d like to be legally married. Governor Chris Gregoire has recently announced her support for marriage equality in Washington- a state that has had domestic partnerships for same-sex couples in place since 2007. Eastern Washington- traditionally more conservative than the Sound Side- is the audience served by the Spokesman Review, and a great place to see this rational and reasonable opinion piece getting such great play. Some Washington Republican legislators have recently announced their support as well. I think it’s looking better and better every day to expect marriage equality to pass the Washington legislature this year.

The times, they are a-changin’. Warms my heart.

Here’s a taste of the story- with the money quote in bold:

Flannery doesn’t expect churches to change their stances on same-sex marriage, but he does believe government should treat everyone equally.

So does Susan Hammond, a Spokane nurse. Late Wednesday night, after Gregoire’s speech, Hammond posted on Facebook a letter to her legislators. She invited her friends to forward it as well.

She wrote, “I am counting on your leadership and humanity to do the right thing so that my young adult son, who is gay, can live in a society that affirms who he is and allows him the same right his brothers already have: to marry the person of his choice.”

The opposition to same-sex marriage baffles Hammond. “I honestly don’t get it,” she says.

After all, the strongest argument against changing the law is that marriage has traditionally been defined as being between a man and a woman. But that’s like using a long-standing definition of slavery as an argument against emancipation.

I’m making that my facebook status today.

Full story here.

Republicans, Local Governments Endorse Marriage Equality Effort In Washington State (thinkprogress.org)
POLL: Independents, Moderates Support Marriage Equality In Washington State (thinkprogress.org)
More Evidence That Washington Voters Will Uphold Marriage Equality (slog.thestranger.com)
Editorial: Gov. Gregoire Comes Around on Same-Sex Marriage (nytimes.com)
Gregoire announces historic legislation for marriage equality in Washington state (ballardnewstribune.com)
Republican Sen. Steve Litzow Announces Support for Washington’s Marriage Equality Bill (pamshouseblend.firedoglake.com)
WA Gov. Chris Gregoire will introduce marriage equality bill (dailykos.com)

“Where Are You?”

Jan10 by D Gregory Smith

Trying to find Carmen Sandiego was at least fun and educational….

As Jon Tester continues his travels across the state, Montanans are wondering, “Where in the world is Congressman Dennis Rehberg?”

Rehberg’s last public event was two months ago, in Whitefish. Since then, Rehberg has granted press interviews, but he has refused to meet publicly with the Montanans he’s supposed to serve.

Tester last week hosted two widely attended public forums to discuss online safety with executives from Facebook, and he held a public roundtable with the Billings Chamber of Commerce on the future of energy production in Montana.

Rehberg, however, had no public events. In fact, Rehberg’s online schedule only lists one day last week, and that day consisted of only three press interviews.

“Following orders from his party bosses in Washington, Congressman Rehberg in December irresponsibly voted against tax relief for middle-class families and against the Keystone Pipeline,” said Ted Dick, Executive Director of the Montana Democratic Party. “No wonder he’s hiding from the public. After voting against Montana’s best interest, he doesn’t want to be held accountable to the Montanans he’s supposed to serve. We call on Congressman Rehberg to end his vacation and get to work creating jobs.”

Against overwhelming public opinion to the contrary, Congressman Rehberg recently told the Bozeman Chronicle that the U.S. House was functioning well, despite his vote against extending a payroll tax holiday for the middle class families.

“Congressman Rehberg might think playing political games with Keystone jobs and middle class tax cuts is business as usual for Congress, but he would hear something very different from Montanans, if he was willing to meet them face to face,” added Dick. “Thank goodness we have Jon Tester serving us in Congress, working hard every day on Montana’s behalf.”

Last year, Congressman Rehberg also abandoned public meetings after releasing his key appropriations bill weeks late and without public input. The same day Rehberg was questioned by the press about his lack of public meetings, Congressman Rehberg scheduled two meetings. Then he watched as a uniformed sheriff removed a Montanan from his event in Jordan.

“25 Things Montana Voters (And Media) Need To Know About Dennis Rehberg” (dgsma.wordpress.com)
In Montana Senate Race, the Wolves Come Out for Obama (esquire.com)
MT Democrats: Rehberg’s Long Record Of Taxpayer Handouts To CEO’s (dgsma.wordpress.com)
Rehberg Says Congress Is Just As Functional As Lindsay Lohan (dgsma.wordpress.com)

New Hampshire GOP’s On The Gays

Jan8 by D Gregory Smith

Didn’t watch the New Hampshire Debate?

Yeah, me neither. I thoroughly enjoyed the Twitterbate, though- the feeds of my Tweeps were hilarious. I was very busy watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory. But don’t think me completely irresponsible- I knew there would be some good summaries this morning. Here’s one of them.

Think Progress has compiled all of the candidates statements regarding LGBT persons/issues/paranoid persecution complexes into a single video. Fascinating viewing- especially if you’re a psychologist:

GOP Debate: Why is ‘Gay Marriage’ always first on the agenda? (bazaardaily.com)
GOP Candidates Condemn Same-Sex Marriage In New Hampshire Debate (thinkprogress.org)
Rick Santorum Slipping In New Hampshire Poll, Bashing Gay Marriage Hurting Conservative Candidate (dekerivers.wordpress.com)
Republican Debate: Republicans Sharpen Knives As New Hampshire Primary Looms (huffingtonpost.com)
Five things learned from GOP debate (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)

Rick Santorum Is Not The Perfect Catholic He Claims To Be

Jan6 by D Gregory Smith

Rick Santorum has been touting himself as a Catholic of conservative values- toeing the line of Rome.

Hardly.

He’s conveniently forgetting to advocate for several key social justice positions of the hierarchy. He’s picking and choosing- much the argument that conservative Catholics accuse their more progressive brethren of doing. To wit: John Gehring’s breakdown in the Huffington Post (thanks to Enlightened Catholicism):

Image via Wikipedia

GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum, a proud Catholic who often speaks about his faith on the campaign trail, is attracting some formidable buzz from pundits who view his strong showing in the Iowa caucuses as a sign that the former Pennsylvania senator might have enough mojo to rally a coalition of religious and blue-collar voters.

New York Times columnist David Brooks waxed poetic Monday about Santorum’s Catholic conservative sensibilities and touted the candidate as an authentic antidote to “the corporate or financial wing of the party.”Evangelicals are also taking notice. Writing on CNN’s Belief blog, Chris LaTondresse, the founder and CEO of Recovering Evangelical, calls Santorum a post-religious right candidate “whose concern for poor and vulnerable people” is “firmly rooted in his Catholic faith.”

It’s easy to see why Santorum might appeal to some culturally conservative Catholics and moderate evangelicals who are wary of Democrats but also turned off by the Republican Party’s cozy embrace of economic libertarianism and tireless defense of struggling millionaires. Santorum is more comfortable with communitarian language, has been a strong supporter of foreign aid to impoverished countries and connects with personal stories of his blue-collar upbringing.

But it’s a political delusion to think Rick Santorum is a standard-bearer of authentic Catholic values in politics. In fact, on several issues central to Catholic social teaching – torture, war, immigration, climate change, the widening gap between rich and poor and workers’ rights – Santorum is radically out of step with his faith’s teachings as articulated by Catholic bishops and several popes over the centuries.

Santorum is conveniently forgetting key Catholic teaching on poverty, immigration, torture, worker’s rights, financial inequity and climate change- obviously to court the Christianist voter.

But Catholics should not be fooled. Read the full breakdown here.

And don’t miss this: Rick Santorum’s Top 10 Most Outrageous Campaign Statements

Santorum receives endorsement from Catholic advocacy group (thehill.com)
Santorum’s Catholic Problem (huffingtonpost.com)
John Gehring: The Catholic Case Against Rick Santorum (huffingtonpost.com)
Conservative Catholics feeling the Santorum surge? (dailykos.com)
Santorum gets ‘Christian,’ not Catholic, surge (getreligion.org)

Rehberg Says Congress Is Just As Functional As Lindsay Lohan

Jan5 by D Gregory Smith

After 35 years in politics, Congressman Dennis Rehberg is now telling Montanans that Congress is functional–even after his historic vote against middle-class tax relief and Montana Keystone Pipeline jobs–and despite historically low job approval ratings.

“Montanans are unhappy with Congressman Rehberg and his party bosses because their out of touch partisanship is on fully display,” Said Ted Dick, Executive Director of the Montana Democratic Party. “Congressman Rehberg doesn’t want Montanans to know what he’s doing in Congress because he’s only serving himself, not Montana. To a career politician like Dennis Rehberg raising taxes on the middle class for political gain is business as usual – he just doesn’t want anyone to notice.”

Congressman Rehberg recently told the Bozeman Chronicle editorial board that Congress is functioning well: “I just hope that we don’t destroy our government, or our trust in government, because of the constant, constant, constant

Image via Wikipedia

observation of the sausage being made.”

Here is a complete transcript of Congressman Rehberg’s response:

Bozeman Chronicle Question: “The perception outside of Washington is that Congress is essentially dysfunctional, that it’s deadlocked on almost any issue and it can’t really accomplish anything. Is that perception, amongst you and your colleagues — that it’s ceased to function?”

Rehberg Answer: “Not necessarily, again I go back to the earlier conversation about people seeing the sausage made more than they’ve ever seen before. It bothers me when I see Rasmussen or somebody else put out a poll saying that we have 5 percent approval and Lindsay Lohan is held in higher esteem than us.”

“Well, I would suggest that if Fox News and CNN and everybody else focused as much on a 24 hour basis, 7 days a week on Lindsay, she’d be right down there with us or you. I mean, it’s the close scrutiny that’s occurring and that’s a good thing, I just hope that we don’t destroy our government or our trust in government because of the constant, constant, constant observation of the sausage being made.”

Right. Because unobserved government is healthy, trustworthy and sane… Just like Lindsay.