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Nevada Congressional Delegation Votes

Featheriver — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 17:33:23 +0000

Recent Senate Votes

National Defense Authorization Act, FY2012 – Vote Passed (93-7)

The Senate passed this bill authorizing $662 billion in defense spending for the current fiscal year. The bill contains provisions requiring suspected terrorists to be held in military custody and places sanctions on Iran. The House passed its version of the bill in May. A conference committee will meet to work out a compromise bill.

Sen. Harry Reid voted YES……send e-mail or see bio
Sen. Dean Heller voted YES……send e-mail or see bio
Sen. Dean Heller voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act – Vote Passed (235-188, 10 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill that would build in a waiting period between the time workers file petitions to unionize and the time the vote occurs. The Senate is unlikely to take up the measure.

Rep. Shelley Berkley voted NO……send e-mail or see bio

To reduce Federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions and by terminating the Election Assistance Commission – Vote Passed (235-190, 8 Not Voting)

This House bill would terminate taxpayer funding of presidential campaigns and conventions. Public funding began in 1976. The bill would also eliminate the Election Assistance Commission, which was established in 2002 to help states to update their voting machines. The Senate is unlikely to take up the measure.

Rep. Shelley Berkley voted NO……send e-mail or see bio

Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2011 – Vote Passed (263-159, 11 Not Voting)

This bill would allow the Small Business Administration to intervene in the regulatory process when small businesses are affected. The Senate is unlikely to act on the measure, which is also opposed by the White House.

Rep. Shelley Berkley voted NO……send e-mail or see bio

Regulatory Accountability Act – Vote Passed (253-167, 13 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill that would require federal agencies to choose the “least costly” option when writing new federal regulations. Agencies would also be required to provide indirect cost estimates and predictions of job gains or losses. The White House opposes the bill.

Rep. Shelley Berkley voted NO……send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act – Vote Passed (235-188, 10 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill that would build in a waiting period between the time workers file petitions to unionize and the time the vote occurs. The Senate is unlikely to take up the measure.

Rep. Mark Amodei voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

To reduce Federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions and by terminating the Election Assistance Commission – Vote Passed (235-190, 8 Not Voting)

This House bill would terminate taxpayer funding of presidential campaigns and conventions. Public funding began in 1976. The bill would also eliminate the Election Assistance Commission, which was established in 2002 to help states to update their voting machines. The Senate is unlikely to take up the measure.

Rep. Mark Amodei voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2011 – Vote Passed (263-159, 11 Not Voting)

This bill would allow the Small Business Administration to intervene in the regulatory process when small businesses are affected. The Senate is unlikely to act on the measure, which is also opposed by the White House.

Rep. Mark Amodei voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Regulatory Accountability Act – Vote Passed (253-167, 13 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill that would require federal agencies to choose the “least costly” option when writing new federal regulations. Agencies would also be required to provide indirect cost estimates and predictions of job gains or losses. The White House opposes the bill.

Rep. Mark Amodei voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Recent House Votes

Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act – Vote Passed (235-188, 10 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill that would build in a waiting period between the time workers file petitions to unionize and the time the vote occurs. The Senate is unlikely to take up the measure.

Rep. Joe Heck voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

To reduce Federal spending and the deficit by terminating taxpayer financing of presidential election campaigns and party conventions and by terminating the Election Assistance Commission – Vote Passed (235-190, 8 Not Voting)

This House bill would terminate taxpayer funding of presidential campaigns and conventions. Public funding began in 1976. The bill would also eliminate the Election Assistance Commission, which was established in 2002 to help states to update their voting machines. The Senate is unlikely to take up the measure.

Rep. Joe Heck voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2011 – Vote Passed (263-159, 11 Not Voting)

This bill would allow the Small Business Administration to intervene in the regulatory process when small businesses are affected. The Senate is unlikely to act on the measure, which is also opposed by the White House.

Rep. Joe Heck voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Regulatory Accountability Act – Vote Passed (253-167, 13 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill that would require federal agencies to choose the “least costly” option when writing new federal regulations. Agencies would also be required to provide indirect cost estimates and predictions of job gains or losses. The White House opposes the bill.

Rep. Joe Heck voted YES……send e-mail or see bio

Heck and Amodei block unemployment payments to desperate people

Featheriver — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:17:05 +0000

Joe Heck

Mark Amodei

It is incomprehensible to me that the GOP is blocking extension of unemployment benefits for people that are unemployed, can’t find work, have families to feed and are desperate.

“At the end of this month, those federal benefits will go away unless (Congress) passes a reauthorization,” said Nevada State AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer Danny Thompson. “If (they) don’t act, on Jan. 1, 26,200 Nevadans are going to go without anything. They’re going to be on the streets and this community can’t afford any more people on the streets.”

U.S. Representatives Joe Heck, and Mark Amodei, both R-Nev., have opposed an extension of the unemployment payments with other House Republicans, into passing the extension.

Becky Daffer, a Henderson resident and single mother of four, said the unemployment benefits are crucial in helping her feed her family and pay for other necessities. She said she’s not sure how she’ll make ends meet if her unemployment benefits expire. A plumber and pipefitter, Daffer was laid off a year ago and has spent the past 12 months applying wherever she can — at places ranging from McDonald’s to Home Depot. But she’s been unsuccessful, often hearing back that she’s “overqualified,” she said.

“The benefits have allowed me to pay the power bill, the gas bill and to barely buy food for my kids,” Daffer said. “If I lose them there’s no telling where I’ll be.”

John Allen, who has been unemployed for more than two years, says he wants to go back to work and has done everything he can to make himself a more marketable candidate.

He’s gone back to school, applied for hundreds of jobs and even started the process to become a cab driver. But the former plumber said he’s had no luck finding steady employment.

“I worked for 30 years without taking unemployment,” he said. “I want to go back to work. Without unemployment insurance though, I will lose my house. Then what? Am I suppose to disappear?”

Pahrump people have the same problem as those in Las Vegas and Henderson. One man I personally know is unemployed, is looking for work in the medical field, cannot find employment either. His unemployment payments has ended, he cannot pay his rent.

Leadership of the GOP, the Grand Obstructionist Party, is blocking attempts by congress to extend unemployment benefits to help people survive. What kind of men and political party can be so heartless? Joe Heck and Mark Amodei must be removed from office. [Source: Las Vegas Sun]

Nevada’s Democratic Presidential Caucuses

Featheriver — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:37:22 +0000

A reminder about the upcoming Presidential Caucus.
- Saturday, January 21, 2012
- Time
  
  9:00am until 12:00pm
Where

Everywhere.
Description

Las Vegas, NV – Nevada State Democratic Party Chair Roberta Lange released the following statement announcing the date of Nevada’s Democratic Presidential caucuses:
“We worked too hard to secure Nevada’s early-state status to allow Florida to take that away from us. Therefore, we are joining the fight to ensure Nevada is one of the first three early voting states by setting the date of our Democratic caucuses on January 21, 2012.
Given that we already know who our nominee is, the purpose of these caucuses will be to bring together the core group of activists critical to mobilizing voters during the general election. This is an important step on the road to re-electing President Obama, electing Shelley Berkley to the Senate, and electing Democrats up and down the ballot that will get Nevadans back to work and protect Nevada seniors from Republicans who want to kill Medicare by turning it over to private insurance companies.”

Romney: Let Nevadans in foreclosure “hit the bottom”

Featheriver — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 00:29:03 +0000

Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney said recently that nobody should attempt to “stop the foreclosure process” for Nevadans about to lose their home.

Mitt’s just fine letting homeowners be foreclosed on by banks as a solution to the housing crisis. He actually said that instead of help, we should let Nevadans at risk of foreclosure “hit the bottom.”

Join us today in demanding Mitt Romney apologize and hold him accountable for his statements!

By adding your name today, you’ll be sending a message to Mitt that the foreclosure crisis isn’t about a marketplace to be analyzed for potential profits, it’s about families losing their homes and communities paying the price.

http://nvdems.com/pages/w1111/e

Subscribe to the Nye County Democrats Newsletter

Featheriver — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 20:18:35 +0000

You are invited to subscribe to the monthly digital newsletter of the Nye County Democratic Central Committee. It is free. Here are the details:

You must be registered to vote as a Democrat in Nye County, Nevada;
To subscribe, send an e-mail to the Nye County Democrats’ headquarters at office@nyedems.org;
Include: Your full first, middle, and last name;
Your street address, Town, ZIP code, telephone number and e-mail address.

Your registration will be verified as being a Democrat in Nye County before you will be added to the newsletter list. The next issue of the newsletter will be sent in December and each month thereafter.

It is a good way to be notified of events and activities of the Nye County Democratic Party. If you are not interested in subscribing but have a Democrat relative, friend, or acquaintance that you think might be interested then forward this blog post to that individual so that they have an opportunity to subscribe.

You are also invited to visit the official website of the Nye County Democratic Party.

Berkley–Heller a Tossup in Nevada

Featheriver — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:11:14 +0000

Berkley-Heller a Nevada Tossup

When John Ensign, the disgraced Republican Senator, resigned earlier this year, Republicans moved quickly to install Representative Dean Heller in his stead, hoping to give him a jump start for 2012. His competition will be a fellow House member, Representative Shelley Berkley. Party registration favors Ms. Berkley, who hails from Clark County, which is more populated than Mr. Heller’s heavily Republican former district to the north. But Nevada’s ailing economy and its swing-state status combine to make this race a tossup.

[Source: New York Times]

Amodei and bringing nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain

Featheriver — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 14:14:14 +0000

Nevada (Republican} Rep Mark Amodei says he might be open to bringing at least some nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. Amodei says he doesn’t want a nuclear waste dump but has hinted that thinking of a way to move forward and keep federal money flowing to the project through things like reprocessing research shouldn’t be discounted. We talk with Mark Amodei about his views on Yucca Mountain and if he will advocate to move the project forward.

Lisa Bailey commented to that, this:

I can’t believe we have a representative from our NV congressional delegation re-opening the issue of Yucca Mountain. The DOE’s own environmental impact statement estimates that “with 108,000 shipments we can expect between 50 and 300 accidents.” We generate no nuclear waste, so why should we be processing or storing other state’s nuclear waste, endangering hundreds of thousands of people along the transportation line. There is no model for a storage facility anywhere in the world, and there is a reason why. There is also a reason why reactor sites are near lots and lots of water. To consider even reprocessing here where we have no water (hello! It’s a desert here) is mind boggling, not to mention the risks of radioactive waste. There are traces of plutonium in the sediment of ground water in Beatty, Nevada, only 27 miles from Yucca. We forged ahead with above-ground nuclear tests and the land is still suffering from that legacy. Nevada is not a wasteland.

Ms. Bailey raised some valid points.

[Source: KNPR]

Gary Mason of Pahrump Conducts a One-Man Occupy Pahrump Demonstration.

Featheriver — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 05:01:08 +0000

A determined Pahrump man, Gary Mason, marches in Pahrump, Nevada pressing for the passage of President Barack Obama’s American Jobs Act. This is an interview of Mr. Mason as he marches along Highway 160 in downtown Pahrump, Nevada delivering his message to all that will listen. He is presently doing so all alone but is optimistic he will lead the way for others to join him in the Occupy movement which has spread from the East Coast to the West Coast of the United States. With the leadership of Mr. Mason the “Occupy Wallstreet” has grown from Las Vegas into Pahrump, Nye County Nevada.

Considering himself a 99%’er he explains why he is moved to demonstrate every day except Sundays from 12:00 noon – 1:15 p.m alongside highway 160 between Sonic Burger and Panda Express in front of Wal-Mart’s parking lot in Pahrump. Gary invites and welcomes anyone that wishs to join him. You can reach him by phone at (775) 657-0605 or via e-mail at keora222@yahoo.com.

Nye County loses 222 more people

Featheriver — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:04:50 +0000

Nye County estimates 222 residents left the county during the third quarter of 2011. County population fell from 46,159 to 45,937. Pahrump dropped by 180 residents from 38,170 to 37,990.

Tonopah decreased by 11 residents from 2,917 to 2,906 even though it is on the verge of a mining exploration and the SolarReserve project. Amargosa Valley decreased by 47 people from 1,386 to 1,339. Beatty remains at 1,024. Smoky Valley actually gained residents by 23 where Round Mountain Gold Corporation is increasing its operations. Smoky Mountain has 1,817. Gabbs lost five and is now 383.

Election of Mark Amodei in Nye County

Featheriver — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 20:05:57 +0000

Mark Amodei being sworn in by Speaker John Boehner

Republican Mark Amodei won the election to the United States House of Representatives in Nevada’s Congressional District 2 last week.

Statewide in Nevada Amodei received 74,976 votes to Democratic candidate Kate Marshall’s 46,669 votes. That was 57.93% to 36.06%. [NSOS]

The Nevada Secretary of State reported there were 396,090 “active registered voters” for the special election in Nevada. Only 129,603 of those voters actually voted. That was 32.72% that voted.

Statewide, in early voting, 67,014 participated. 8,865 cast absentee ballots. Election Day brought 53,724 to the polls. More people took advantage of voting early than on the regular day of election.

So, how did Nye County do? Nye had 24,012 “active registered voters.” Only 4,416 voted. 2,000 voted early. 254 by absentee ballot. 2,212 voted on Election Day. Only 18.6% of the 24,012 actually voted in Nye County.

Rather sorry turnout to be sure. Makes one wonder about Americans. With all the flag waving patriotic chanting about liberty and freedom yet so few actually get off their duffs and vote. Even fewer still, I suspect, really know anything much about who they actually vote for.

On the 4^th of July, Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day Americans extoll their thanks and gratitude to veterans thanking them for giving their all to preserve American rights to liberty and freedom including the right to vote for people of their choice to represent them.

There are people all over the world demonstrating, getting killed, wounded, and jailed for their efforts in overthrowing dictatorial tyrants, trying to get the right to elect their representatives in government.

Americans are sorry examples for those people. All talk and no do. No wonder the United States is in a mess. Truth is America’s problem is because of Americans. Very few take their responsibility as citizens seriously. Most know very little about their representatives and what they do and don’t do, and why. Fewer people read newspapers, books, or know much about American history. They don’t inform themselves. They don’t take voting seriously. Nye County and Pahrump is no different. Don’t believe me? Ask half a dozen people coming out of Pahrump’s Wal-Mart who was running for election in Congressional District 2? I daresay not one could tell you their names, or who won, or what platforms the candidates had, or what political party they belonged to. Then ask them which candidate they voted for. Odds are they didn’t vote. Or if they did they didn’t know much of anything about whomever they may have voted for.

No, the root problem in the United States is not the President, nor the Senate or House of Representatives. American people are the problem. Furthermore, there is no apparent change of attitude on the horizon.

A compelling argument can be made the lack of voters is a good thing. That they didn’t vote is indicative they didn’t have enough sense to vote sensibly anyway. The quality of our elected representatives is dependent on the exercise of good sense by those who do vote. Maybe we are all better off in the long run. Do you think?

In Nye County Amodei received 2,746 votes. Marshall received 1,407 votes on Election Day, September 15. Two days later Speaker of the House John Boehner swore Mr. Amodei into office. For better or worse we’re stuck with Mr. Amodei for the time being. Do you think Nye County and Pahrump is going to be better off or not? Beats me but we’ll soon see, he is now in the saddle. We’ll find out if Nye County voters exercised good sense or not.