Heller votes against tax credits for renewable energy in Nevada

Congressman Dean Heller, (R-NV 2d District) voted against a House bill to extend tax credits for renewable energy industries. [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

"The bill, which passed 236-182, would give $8 billion in tax breaks through 2011 to companies that produce new electricity from natural sources like wind, geothermal, biomass and hydropower. A 30 percent credit for investments in solar products and fuel cell technology would be in place through 2016."

Sounds like a good move to me, considering record oil company profits and Governor Jim Gibbons' anxiety to build new coal power plants in Nevada. Nye County appears to me to be a ready-made locale for producing electricity from wind, geothermal, and solar sources.

But, the Review Journal reports, "Despite the House action, the bill faces long odds. Earlier bills were killed in the Senate by Republicans, who opposed giving tax breaks for renewables because their cost to the Treasury would be offset by taking away some tax breaks now enjoyed by oil and gas companies."

I don't know about you but I'm not at all offended by "taking away some tax breaks now enjoyed by oil and gas companies."

"The vote fell along party lines. While [Shelley] Berkley voted for the bill, Nevada Republican Reps. Dean Heller and Jon Porter voted against it as did all but 17 Republicans."

I suppose I just can't understand Republicans. I do understand their obsession with corporate profits, but why punish residents of the 2nd Congressional District, which includes Nye County?

Jill Derby going negative against Dean Heller?

Douglas Hill of Fallon wrote a letter to the Lahontan Valley News published today. He opens his letter with "Does Jill Derby have to open her campaign with an attack on Dean Heller? According to her, Heller just follows the Republican line." [Lahontan Valley News]

"Yet at the Republican Lincoln Day Dinner, Heller stated, 'We (Republicans) truly need to change,' adding that the Republicans mishandled the war, had undisciplined spending habits and corruption. Sounds like Heller is pretty independent to me!"

Having read Mr. Hill's letter I turned to the Derby website to see what she said in her announcement she was going to run against Heller again. [Jill Derby for Congress] Here is what she wrote:

"* Rather than be independent, he (Heller) put the profits of drug companies ahead of making prescription drugs affordable for Nevada's seniors.

"* Rather than push for new solutions to the quagmire in Iraq, he has been in lockstep with the Bush Administration.

"* Rather than be independent and put Nevada first, he has put Big Oil first, giving corporate welfare to Oil companies making record profits, while Nevadans struggle with record prices at the pump.

"* Rather than be independent and put Nevada's children first, he chose tax breaks for the wealthy and voted against check ups for kids.

"* Rather than be independent, he has voted over 90% of the time towing the line of the Bush administration and his Party."

I fail to see those remarks as being attacks, as Mr. Hill appears to think. I see Derby's remarks as pointing out deficiencies in Mr. Heller's representation of Nevada's 2nd Congressional District. They are fair criticisms which Derby should be highlighting.

Mr. Hill's letter pointed out that "Heller states he voted against the expansion of the SCHIP because "If H.R. 3162 just focused on improving children's health care, my vote probably would have been different. Yet 75 percent of this bill cut Medicare and raised taxes on the middle class ... Medicare cuts affect 30 percent of seniors in Nevada ... This legislation includes ... mandating new taxation on private health plan." This bill would have eliminated the current proof of citizenship requirement."

But read what health care professionals were saying back when SCHIP was moving through Congress (September 2007) before Bush vetoed it.

"A group of healthcare professionals gathered today to voice their support for the SCHIP bill.

"According to the professionals, Nevada has one of the worst insurance rates in the country and this legislation is critical to ensuring the healthcare of children uninsured in Nevada.

"If President Bush vetoes the bill, it might not just be these children who lose out.

"They say the healthcare of the estimated 30,000 children enrolled in the Nevada Checkup program would also be jeopardized.

"Martin Gallacher, a registered nurse, says "if it doesn't pass, it will affect the neediest of us in the state of Nevada. Again, parents who are forced to choose the emergency room as a primary source of care".

"The group says the veto of the bill will force thousands of families to continue to choose between basic needs, including food and healthcare." [KTNV Channel 13, Las Vegas]

How does Heller square his rejection of SCHIP with the children of families in the 2nd Congressional District? Even Jon Porter voted for SCHIP.

Of course George Bush vetoed SCHIP, twice I recall. Heller backed Bush's vetoes. And keep in mind that Bush flew into Heller's District in 2006 to help him raise campaign funds.

No, one of the primary problems Heller has in getting re-elected is the fact he joined himself to George Bush's hip. George Bush has been a disaster as President of the United States. I admire Heller's loyalty to Bush but I fail to see that loyalty as a benefit to the residents of Congressional District 2.

Bush Republicans Swiftboating Heller and Porter

If you think there's any sanity left in the Bush White House, well... Honestly, the ship is sinking, the rats (Rove, Snow, et al) are leaving, and now Bush Republicans (led by former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer and others) are going batshit crazy and are swiftboating, blackmailing, and essentially taking down with them, Republican members of Congress with a new ad campaign.

Two of the targets - Dean Heller and Jon Porter. And they're spending big:

Porter* Las Vegas, NV $63,900

Heller* Reno, NV $138,210

Yup, they're actually spending more on Heller then on Porter. Here's the ad:

Yeah, they're insinuating Iraq had something to do with 9/11 which it did not. And, yeah, they're so desperate now that they're using veterans to support a war that is killing and injuring more American soldiers every single day.

And they're almost solely targeting Republican members of Congress. They're so afraid that Heller and Porter may jump ship in September.

And, of course they're working with dirty tricks again. From Taylor Marsh:

Ari Fleischer is the front man for "Freedom's Watch," just another swiftboating type group meant to do the president's bidding. Many of you know me through my anti swiftboating work in 2006, so when I talk about these types of organizations you can bet I know what I'm talking about.

Check out the number at the end of the ad: 1-877-222-8001. Go on, call it.

As I told my radio listeners earlier today, once you get through something amazing happens. The operator asks you a question. Yes, you're expected to take part in a survey before she puts you through to Congress. But there's a catch. The question asked goes something like this: Do you believe the Iraq war is important to the war on terror? They may have changed the question by now, because we're on to them, but that's what I was asked. If you say no, the operator immediately thanks you but doesn't connect you to Congress. Instead, she asks if you have anything else to say and then basically gets rid of you. They're only allowing people who agree with them through.

Slick.

Dishonest.

Busted.

I hope this backfires on Bush. It's long past time to take a stand and stop the escalation in Iraq.

And just in case you wondered, here are the real numbers if you want to call your Congressman:

(202) 224-3121 for the Senate, and (202) 225-3121 for the House

cross posted at My Silver State

Heller Now Employing Porter's Daughter?

Essentially, there is nothing more interesting than candidates' campaign reports filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). You think you've seen it all, you think nothing will surprise you anymore and then you'll take a look at another FEC report and, whoop, there it is.

Today, I took a look at Dean Heller's 2nd quarter report. Before I get to the main point of this post, I'd like to point you to the fact that the address for the "Heller for Congress" committee is 7840 Red Leaf Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89131. That would be in Nevada's 1st congressional district, Shelley Berkley's district, and clearly outside of Heller's 2nd CD. This leads to the curious statement on the FEC website that Heller runs for office in Nevada's 1st district. Now, when you search for candidate's in Nevada's 2nd district on the FEC's searchable database, you won't even find Heller.

Interestingly enough, "Porter for Congress" uses the same address.

Now, to the fun part. In Heller's 2nd quarter report, his disbursements show that his campaign has paid $11,809.74 in expenses to a Nicole Porter of Henderson, Nevada - $10,625 for consulting, $600 for catering, $256.74 for travel, and $328 for postage.

Here's what we know: Jon Porter has a daughter named Nicole. And that Nicole Porter was reimbursed by a congressional campaign in 2006 - by her father ($747 for office supplies, postage, and travel).

Now, are these two Nicole Porters one and the same? Is Porter's daughter Nicole now making a big career in consulting? Does Dean Heller really employ Jon Porter's daughter?

cross posted at My Silver State

Heller and Porter Vote Against Troop Withdrawal

Dean Heller

Jon Porter

The House voted Thursday on a bill that calls for a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq to start 120 days after enactment of the law. Representative Dean Heller (R-NV) voted against the bill preferring to leave the troops where they are. Jon Porter voted against the bill as well. Shelley Berkeley didn’t vote. [Reno Gazette-Journal]

The bill that passed 223-201. Americans Against Escalation in Iraq are running a campaign in Nevada to get Heller to give up his support for the war. The group marched into Heller’s office to deliver a letter urging him to oppose the war. He refuses irrespective of the fact a large majority of his constituents want the withdrawal and the voters last fall wanted the withdrawal. But Heller ignores the wishes of his constituents.

Heller continues flip-flopping voting pattern

The Heller Pattern, "I was against it before I was for it," voting system was on full display during consideration of HR 1427, the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act to reform the regulation of government sponsored housing finance programs.

Rep. Heller and Rep. Porter both voted to recommit the bill (aka kill it) on roll call 395 before they voted in favor of it on roll call 396. The measure to regulate the housing finance industry more closely passed 313-104.

Rep. Heller was really out to show his ultra-conservative right wing radical bona fides on the Hensarling Amendment to the Finance Reform Act. [rc 392] Hensarling's language would have deleted the Affordable Housing Trust Fund budgetary placehold language in the bill. Even his sidekick Jon Porter (R-NV) couldn't stomach that one.

Heller and Porter broke their two-man rank on Rep. Kevin Brady's (R-TX) small raid on the affordable housing grant program for victims of Hurricane Katrina, securing 10% for the state of Texas by cutting the allocations for Louisiana and Mississippi by 5% each. Porter voting in favor, and Heller voting no. [rc 389]

Why Does Heller Have an Office in Las Vegas?

So, I just went to Heller's official House website and was surprised that it was now finally functional. The one he had still up a couple of weeks (and more than three months after taking office) was an embarrassment. His new website ain't all that bad. It looks surprisingly non-militaristic as so many other Republican websites and that's as much a compliment he'll get from me on that. Just one thing: what's up with the Nevada Capitol dome? You do realize that you now work in Congress, right? Or is that a hint at your gubernatorial ambitions?

Now, to the interesting part. Heller has four offices. One in DC, of course, another one in Reno and one in Elko for the northeastern part of the district. Amazingly, his fourth office is not even in the district. It's in Las Vegas, on 600 Las Vegas Blvd, which is part of Shelley Berkley's district. Here's a map of the 2nd district. When you zoom in on the Las Vegas part, you will see that the office is a couple of miles outside his district, the closest point in his district being Nellis Air Force Base. Meanwhile, Berkley and Jon Porter have each one office in their district, not outside of it.

Of course, it's good that Heller has an office in southern Nevada. However, color me surprised that he wasn't able to rent one inside his district, say in Pahrump or in Mesquite.

This just leaves us with one question:

Did Heller skip geography in high school?

Dean Heller’s Votes

Last January 10, 2007 House Bill HR 2 was up for vote. HR2 would have increased the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour. [Washington Post]

The bill passed the House 315-116, with 4 not voting.

Democrat Shelley Berkley voted for the raise. [Washington Post]

Republicans Dean Heller and Jon Porter voted against the raise. [Washington Post]

Wouldn't you want the minimum wage raised? Both Republicans Heller and Porter voted against you.

Two days later, January 12, 2007, House Bill HR 4 was up for vote. This bill would allow the government to negotiate directly with drug makers for lower prescription drug prices for individuals using Medicare. [Washington Post]

The bill passed the House 255-170 with 10 not voting.

Democrat Shelley Berkley voted to pass the bill.

Nevada Republicans Dean Heller and Jon Porter voted to reject it. [Washington Post]

Wouldn't you like your prescription drug prices lower? Both Heller and Porter voted against you if you would like your drug costs reduced.

On January 18, 2007 HR 6 was up for vote in the House.

This bill would repeal tax cuts to oil companies and mandate that they pay a fee to remove oil from the Gulf of Mexico. It would also fund renewable energy programs. The act would repeal a tax break that oil and gas firms received in 2004. That break effectively lowered their corporate tax rates. It would also bar oil companies from bidding on new federal leases unless they pay a fee or renegotiate improperly drafted leases from the late '90s. Those leases did not require royalty payments on Gulf of Mexico oil production. Oil firms would pay a "conservation fee" for oil taken from the gulf.

Additionally, the bill would set aside an estimated $13 billion to $15 billion in revenues over a five-year period for tax breaks relating to renewable energy sources, according to The Washington Post.

The bill was designed to reduce the United States' dependency on foreign oil by investing in alternative energy sources. However, critics say it actually would decrease domestic oil production so the country would rely more heavily on imported oil.

The House passed the bill on Jan. 18, 2007, with a vote of 264-163. All House Democrats except one favored the bill. They were joined by 36 Republicans. The Senate must debate the bill.

The Washington Post reported that the Bush Administration opposed repealing the tax break for oil companies when other manufacturing industries benefited from the 2004 reductions. It also frowned on forcing companies to renegotiate their Gulf of Mexico leases.

Democrat Shelley Berkley voted to pass the bill.

Republicans Dean Heller and Jon Porter voted against the bill wanting to retain the oil company tax cuts. [Washington Post]

So, if you wanted to help the oil companies retain their tax breaks then Heller and Porter were your men. If, on the other hand, you prefer the oil companies pay their fair share of taxes Heller and Porter are not your representatives. They voted against you in favor of the oil companies.

February 16, 2007 House Congressional Resolution 63 came up for vote.

This measure expressed the House's disagreement with President Bush's planned troop buildup in Iraq. The nonbinding resolution pledges support for U.S. personnel serving "bravely and honorably in Iraq" but says Congress "disapproves" of the president's plan to add more than 20,000 combat troops. The resolution was approved 246 to 182. Seventeen Republicans joined 229 Democrats in support of the resolution. Two Democrats opposed the measure. While the 95-word resolution has no legal weight to force the president to change his course in Iraq, it marks a first key showdown between the White House and the new Congress controlled by Democrats.

Democrat Shelley Berkley voted in favor of the resolution.

Republicans Dean Heller and Jon Porter voted against the resolution and in favor of the troop buildup (i.e., the "surge").

So, if you wanted to wind down the war on Iraq Heller and Porter voted against you. [Washington Post]

On March 23, 2007 H R 1591 was up for vote in the House.

The bill offered supplemental appropriations to help the United States fight the global war on terror, among other things. However, President Bush vowed to veto the bill because it included a timeline for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. The measure prohibited the use of funds offered under the act to deploy any troops to Iraq unless the military has certified to congressional appropriators in advance that the military unit is fully mission-capable. The measure authorized the president to waive the prohibition and deployment limits on a unit-by-unit basis for reasons of national security.

It also set requirements for Department of Homeland Security contracts, subcontracts and task orders. And it required that each federal agency that has awarded at least $1 billion in the preceding fiscal year to develop and implement a plan to minimize the use of no-bid and cost-reimbursement contracts.

The bill also offered funds for disaster relief and recovery related to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, funds influenza pandemic response programs, offers livestock disaster assistance, and makes appropriations to bolster Medicare and Medicaid.

It amended fair labor laws to phase-in an increase to the federal minimum wage to $7.25 per hour. It applied these wage requirements to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and to American Samoa.

It addressed several tax issues by including tax breaks for small businesses, made certain dependents ineligible for the lowest capital gains rate and lengthened the period of failure to notify a taxpayer of liability before interest and certain penalties must be suspended. The measure increased the amount of any required installment of estimated tax otherwise due in 2012 from a corporation with assets of $1 billion or more.

The bill passed the House on a vote of 218-212, with 1 voting present and 3 not voting at all.

Democrat Shelley Berkley voted to pass the bill. Democrat Dennis Kucinich just noted he was present but did not vote at all.

Republicans Dean Heller and Jon Porter voted against the bill.

Thus, if you wanted an orderly ending to the war on Iraq Heller and Porter voted against you, and in favor of "staying the course" in Iraq. [Washington Post]

House Failed to Override Bush’s Veto

The House failed to override the President's veto of the Iraq Supplemental Bill, which would have fully funded our troops while bringing a responsible end to the war in Iraq. [Nevada State Democratic Party]

Both Dean Heller and Jon Porter voted against the bill to fund our troops. [Dean Heller: It's Time to End the War] Last month the Las Vegas Sun reported that Heller returned to Washington "believing that two of every three Nevadans oppose the war...." It is clear from last year's election that the American people, including Nevada, want the troops out of Iraq and the war on Iraq by the United States ended. Yet Heller and Porter thumb their noses at their constituents and continue to support the war by not voting to override Bush's veto. Meanwhile American lives continue to be lost in Iraq, not to mention thousands of innocent Iraqis. Nevada voters, unless they have lost their minds, will thumb their noses at Heller and Porter in 2008.

"Democratic Members of the House of Representatives failed in their attempt to override President George W. Bush's veto of the recently passed Iraq War supplemental budget. With 220 members voting to override, the 2/3 majority was not attained, as 203 members voted to sustain the veto." [Raw Story]

"One Democratic Member of Congress, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH) voted 'Present.' Two Republican Members, Rep. Walter Jones (NC) and Rep. Wayne Gilchrest (MD) voted to override the veto, and 7 Democrats voted against the override. They were Reps. John Barrow (GA), Dan Boren (OK), Lincoln Davis (TN), Jim Marshall (GA), Jim Matheson (UT), Mike McNulty (NY), and Gene Taylor (MS). House Democrats appear to have picked up four votes from the 218 that voted for the bill that was sent to the President yesterday," according to Raw Story.

Repeating what I posted earlier on this blog: [Any Progress in Iraq Yet?]

Since Escalation Began, Baghdad is "More Violent and Chaotic Than Ever." Less than two weeks ago, one reporter in Baghdad said, "Sectarian attacks in Baghdad have also increased back to pre- surge levels," with hundreds of Iraqis killed in insurgent and sectarian attacks in the Capital alone each week. After nearly 200 people were killed in a single day last month, another columnist wrote, "Nine weeks into the ' surge, ' Baghdad is more violent and chaotic than ever." [NPR, "Morning Edition," 4/19/07; UPI, 4/19/07]

Iraqi Government Hasn't Passed Legislation on Benchmarks (But Is Planning a Two-Month Vacation.) More than two months after the new plan went into effect, "there has been little or no progress in achieving three key political benchmarks set by the Bush administration: new laws governing the sharing of Iraq's oil resources and allowing many former members of the banned Baath Party to return to their jobs, and amendments to Iraq's constitution." Although the Iraqi government has yet to adopt bills aimed at easing sectarian violence and these other benchmarks, they are planning on taking their summer recess as scheduled in July and August. [Los Angeles Times, 4/21/07; Washington Post, 4/26/07]