Heller vs. Life

Dean Heller voted today to ensure that more abortions occur overseas and that more mothers will die from wire-hanger abortions. On the surface and in his view he was working to stop abortions but it must be made clear he indeed did the opposite.

I think people on all ends of the political spectrum would like to see number of abortions decrease over time. However, the two parties have very different ways to go about achieving the goal.

Democrats: Educate individuals about sex and ensure access to birth control in order to limit unwanted pregnancies. If abortions have to happen (rape, incest, etc) then they should be clean, safe, and legal.

Republicans: Make abortions illegal, don't talk about sex and restrict access to birth control. This way no abortions happen and Jesus is happy.

The only thing that the Republican plan does is increase ignorance of sexual health and responsibility and ensure that wire-hanger abortions become the norm. That is what Heller did; he voted against giving organizations the tools to fight abortions abroad.

Representative Heller, with his vote today, worked to ensure more mothers will die overseas and more abortions will occur. Don't let him tell you the vote is pro-life, it's not.

Heller vs. A Balanced Budget

On a recent Nevada Newsmakers the co-host told Heller she was disappointed with his flip-flop on partisanship. She noted that he had been someone who would work across party lines as Secretary of State to get things done but his move to Washington instantly turned him into a lapdog of the GOP.

The 2007 Pay-As-You-Go Bill was designed to ensure that sunlight exposed members with earmarks and that decreasing government revenues could not be passed without a decrease in government spending or an increase in government revenues somewhere else.

How did Heller vote on balancing the budget? NO

Why is this such a big deal? Well, if Heller was suppose to be the 'conservative' choice for Nevada's Second District then the word conservative has taken on a new meaning. If Heller is the poster boy, this vote against openness in government and balanced budgets means conservative now means - increase the future tax at any expense, don't let the people you elected know which pork is yours, and work hard to continue deficit spending. Heller said in the campaign that tax cuts weren't the problem it was spending. Well, Heller had a chance to reign in spending and he refused to.

Bottom line: Heller's vote against the pay-as-you-go legislation means he has no problem with deficit spending meaning he has no problem with you spending more on taxes in the future.

Nevada's other Representatives (Berkley and Porter) voted for it, making Heller NEVADA'S MOST EXPENSIVE REPRESENTATIVE.

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]

Heller vs. The Environment

As more and more Americans wake up to the emerging climate crisis, we must expect our representatives to wake up as well.

As more and more Americans realize our dependence on foreign oil is becoming a greater national security risk, we must expect our representatives to act in order to reduce that dependence.

Representative Heller managed to ignore both these issues with a single vote back in January. In fact he voted against protecting our environment and becoming energy independent with one of his earliest votes in the House of Representatives.

His vote against The Clean Energy Act of 2007 not only was a signal that he thought the U.S. Government should be subsidizing big oil but that he is against releasing the grip of countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela on the American economy.

I expected Dean Heller to be on the same side as big oil. After all, Exxon Mobil made sure to pump money into his campaign war chest. But having Nevada's Representative for the 2nd Congressional District side with Hugo Chavez King Abdullah, and those who want to jeopardize America's security is not something I expected.

UPDATE: A quick story on how bad Heller's friends at big oil are.

UPDATE: Blood on Heller's Hands

Update: The family hasconfirmed the soldier's death. He was no kidnapped. He was the one soldier killed in the ambush whose dog tags were taken. The blood on Heller's hands is no longer potential - it is real.

You can email your thoughts to Heller here.


KTVN news is reporting that one of the missing soldiers in Iraq is from Northern Nevada. He graduated from Douglas High School in Gardnerville. His convoy was ambushed on Saturday and he and two other soldiers remain missing. We hope and pray that he is returned safely to his unit and to the Silver State but, if he is not, Dean Heller will have blood on his hands.

Representative Heller continues to refuse to bring the troops home. There have been 28 Nevada deaths so far in Iraq; 15 of which are from his district and yet he continues to refuse to bring the troops home. The Nevada National Guard was shipped to Iraq on Mother's Day, leaving Nevada's support system weakened, and yet he continues to refuse to bring the troops home. How so? Heller voted against the Iraq Accountability Act and against overturning the President's veto.

This young man was not returned to his unit and to our state, Dean Heller has blood on his hands. It's up to us to make sure the rest of Nevada hears about it. Letters to the editor: RGJ, Nevada Appeal, Elko Daily Free Press, Ely Times, Pahrump Valley Times, Lahontan Valley News

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]