Tag: dingell

Everyone's attention is rightly focused on Michigan's big Presidential Primary today but I figured this would be as good a day as any to chime back in here at RightMichigan with some other important news that is flying way under the traditional media's radar.

Time doesn't stand still during the primaries.

An appropriations bill that does not specifically deny USDA funding to conduct inspections of horsemeat for human consumption could allow horse processing to resume in the U.S. The Fiscal Year 2012 Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act (H.R. 2112), or the so-called "Mini-bus Bill," establishes 2012 budgets for the Department of Agriculture and several other federal departments through September 2012.

Prior to 2005 USDA personnel carried out horsemeat food safety inspections at U.S. horse processing plants. In 2006 Congress voted to strip the USDA of funding for horsemeat inspections. USDA personnel continued to conduct those inspections on a fee-for-service basis until 2007 when a federal court judge ruled against the arrangement. The combination of the funding prohibition and the court decision resulted in the decline of the horse processing industry in the U.S.

Language stripping the USDA of horsemeat inspection funding did not appear in the original fiscal 2012 House Agricultural Appropriations bill when it was introduced earlier this year. However, the House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment prohibiting the use of federal dollars to fund USDA horsemeat inspections. No such provision was contained in the Senate's version of the Appropriations bill.

After passage in their respective legislative houses, both the House and Senate bills were referred to a conference committee. The resulting consolidated bill did not contain the defunding language. The committee recommended the bill for passage, then forwarded to the full House and Senate for vote. On Nov. 17 the full House passed H.R. 2112 by 298-121 vote. The Senate also passed the bill by a 70 to 30 vote. President Barak Obama signed the bill into law on Nov. 18. As a result, the USDA could conduct horsemeat inspections at least until September 2012.

Michigan US Reps. Benishek, Camp, Clarke, Dingell, Kildee, Levin, Peters, Rogers, and Upton voted YES.  Both Michigan US Sens. Stabenow and Levin voted YES too.

Our own long time congressman comments during the Solyndra hearing:

Rep. John Dingell (D., Mich.), midway through the hearing: "I'm still waiting to see something that makes me concerned."

But to the president it may matter.  it should.

Yet even in the face of this criminal enterprise that has the president and his cronies in the spotlight, and the utter failure that his administration is in general, it somehow seems to not bother him so much either.

If you are from Michigan, have a desire to meet a lot of new people and serve your country, NOW is the time.  A few hard workers with soul are needed in the following districts ... uh  well ALL of the following districts except Congressional District #3 which is occupied by Justin Amash:

"The Budget Control Act trades $21 billion in cuts next year for a debt ceiling increase of $2.1 trillion. That's one penny in cuts for each dollar of new debt. The bill does not seriously address the drivers of the federal government's fiscal crisis. It does not improve entitlement programs.

"It does not include a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. I cannot in good conscience vote for so little reform when so much is at stake.

Again, the Michigan Republican delegation sans one, failed to perform its duty on the most important vote of their lifetimes.  They missed an opportunity to stand for a permanence of fiscal prudence.

MICHIGAN DELEGATION VOTE The complete list here

Democrats
Clarke, N; Conyers, N; Dingell, Y; Kildee, Y; Levin, Y; Peters, N.

Republicans
Amash, N; Benishek, Y; Camp, Y; Huizenga, Y; McCotter, Y; Miller, Y; Rogers, Y; Upton, Y; Walberg, Y.

As for those Democrats who voted no, they wanted even more from Boehner.  However, this president will take whatever rope he has been given and run with it.

Indeed, even the illegals understood that Michigan offered little hope, and was not the place to settle and raise a little anchor family. [cue little house on the prairie theme]

So they packed up their tukes, loaded up the covered wagons, and either returned over the international bridge or moved further south to other more welcoming states, ignoring their queen, our governor's pleas of "just hang on," and "the blown away part is coming."  They left us for greener pastures, in a quest for survival.  Other states host these 'immigrants' quite splendidly, offering both employment opportunities and even sanctuary for those weary travelers who know no international boundaries and respect no rule of law.

And by golly we are sorry to see them ..not here.

Washtenaw - 2245 S. State St., Suite 2100, Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Monroe - 8 E. Front St., Monroe, MI 48640

Dearborn - 22707 Michigan Ave, Dearborn MI 48124

Wyandotte - 145 Maple St., Wyandotte, MI 48192

The centers are open from 9am - 9pm.

Click Here to view the Video about this Election!

Very well done and very powerful.