Akin Alert; DREAM and Contempt Vote

Dear Friends,

Executive Action on the DREAM Act

In 2007, Congress blocked the DREAM Act which would have provided a path to citizenship for illegal immigrant children who go to college or join the military. At the time, I opposed this misguided legislation. Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it will stop deporting and begin giving work permits to illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.

In America we are known for compassion but we are also known for the rule of law. This recent decision by the Obama Administration flies in the face of new citizens who have gone through the appropriate and legal process. This executive order will hurt unemployed Americans currently looking for jobs and circumvents the authority of Congress to make and pass laws.

Once again, the President has put election year politics ahead of the American people and the rule of law.

Oversight Committee Vote to Hold Attorney General in Contempt

As you may be aware, Operation Fast and Furious was part of Project Gunrunner, an operation administered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF). In this project, BATF allowed suspicious individuals to buy hundreds of guns from gun shops in an attempt to trace the path of these firearms back to gangs and drug cartels in Mexico.

One of the guns linked to Fast and Furious was found to be used in the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, who was killed in the line of duty on December 14, 2010 in Arizona. Numerous deaths in Mexico and escalating violence ensued as a result of these gun sales, but BATF did not even inform Mexico’s Attorney General of the situation until June 2011, when investigation within the United States began to bring it to light.

In the wake of the murder of Agent Terry and the discovery of hundreds of these weapons “as a result of criminal activity” in both the US and Mexico, many questions have been raised about Fast and Furious and the DoJ’s involvement. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is conducting an ongoing investigation into this, but the DoJ has repeatedly refused to cooperate. Since issuing a subpoena for records related to this case in October 2011, the Oversight Committee has received only 7,600 pages of documents out of the nearly 80,000 requested.

Beyond this, the investigation has showed that the Attorney General has repeatedly lied about the DoJ’s knowledge of this incident. For instance, earlier in June, the Committee reviewed several wiretap applications from the DoJ, which provided further proof that senior DoJ officials knew about Fast and Furious. In several instances of sworn testimony, the Attorney General had told the Committee that these officials did not know, and that the wiretap applications were inconclusive.

The Department of Justice continues to stonewall Congress and I believe it is time for Attorney General Holder to resign. The original Operation Fast and Furious was enough of a threat to American citizens, lawful gun owners, and foreign relations with Mexico, but the continued foot-dragging over the past several months by DoJ has made it untrustworthy under current leadership. We need honesty from our judicial leaders, not scandal that endangers our lives and constitutional rights.

On June 20, the Oversight Committee will consider voting to hold Holder in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with their subpoenas, and I fully support them in this. I will continue to stand for Second Amendment Right protections for all Americans and for integrity and true justice from those officials who are in place to protect it.

I hope that you will not hesitate to contact me regarding any matter where I might be of assistance. Please visit my website at http://akin.house.gov, where you can find more information on current issues or share further thoughts with me via email.

Sincerely,

W. Todd Akin

Akin Alert , 09/14/11

Dear Spike,

Almost every Missouri employer that I talk to quickly raises the same concern: new, oppressive regulations being issued by the Obama Administration. These regulations are hitting every aspect of our economy with crippling red-tape that reduces efficiency, drives up costs, and ultimately kills jobs. The Obama Administration currently is working on 219 new regulations that will cost our economy at least $100 million each. These regulations are hitting small businesses, farmers, cement producers, utility companies, and much more. One of these regulations, from the EPA, could cost our economy as much as $90 billion per year. That is $90 billion in job creation disappearing into thin air, due to one new over-burdensome regulation.

My Republican colleagues and I are working to roll back these job-killing regulations put forth by the Obama Administration. In the last few weeks, House Republicans have responded by passing a number of bills including:

H.R. 2250 to repeal new regulations on the 200,000 boilers used nation wide costing companies up to $20 billion,
H.R. 2681 to repeal new regulations on cement production that could close 20% of all American cement plants, and
H.R. 2273 to repeal new EPA regulations on coal ash which could result in over 184,000 job losses according the National Association of Manufacturers.
Unfortunately, these are just a few of the crippling regulations the Obama Administration is advancing. While the President promotes a second stimulus as a “jobs” plan, his administration is actively killing jobs across our country. I will continue to work with my colleagues to do all we can to fight these job-killing regulations, and we will pass a number of additional bills addressing these regulations in coming weeks. If you want more details, feel free to read the House Republican Job Plan.

On a different note, I recently introduced the Veteran’s ID Card Act. Currently only veterans who are entitled to receive retirement or medical benefits are issued an ID card from the Veterans Administration. This means that many veterans who have served honorably have no easy way to prove their status as a veteran. This bill corrects this deficiency, and does so at no cost to taxpayers. As of today, I have thirty-four of my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, cosponsoring my bill, and I hope to get the Veterans Affairs Committee to consider the bill soon.

While there are serious struggles today, I continue to believe that we as a nation can work together to improve our future. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts on any of the issues we are facing, via email, Facebook or Twitter.

Sincerely,

W. Todd Akin

P.S. The House of Representatives passed the Protect Life Act on Thursday. I am an original cosponsor of this bill and was very proud to see it passed. It now awaits action in the Senate.

From my email, WEST’S WEEKLY WRAP-UP

http://west.house.gov/

Dear Patriot,

Greetings to our constituents, fellow Floridians, and all Americans, it is time for my recap of the final week of the summer constituent work period. If you all have been following our weekly updates, you can easily determine this was not a “recess” for us. This final week has proven to truly set the stage for our return to Capitol Hill and get us back focused on rectifying the horrific economic situation in which we find our America.

Friday, we received the news that there was not one new net job created in the United States of America. In other words, we have stagnated the investment, innovation, and ingenuity of the entrepreneurial spirit that has made our nation a leader in free market and private sector growth.

Somehow in three short years, we have taken a bad situation and exacerbated it to epic proportions. It is not just the debt and deficits which have grown to astronomical proportions in these years, but now we face something which is a complete anathema to our principles- an attitude towards business which is completely anti-growth.

Previously, we have discussed the over-regulatory environment emanating from Washington and this Obama Administration. It has been evidenced in the nearly 600 new regulations issued in the month of July, with an estimated compliance cost of $10 billion.

We have heard enough about “investing” in green energy jobs. This is evidenced in a green energy company, Solyndra, praised a year ago by President Obama as a model green energy company in California, just announcing bankruptcy. Solyndra was a recipient of stimulus finding, one of the top 5 “green energy” companies.

We even have the Obama administration now attempting to “manage expectations” by hinting that unemployment may not be down below 9% within the year. The difference here is that we have a President who is unwilling to admit his economic policies have failed, and it is time to pivot in a completely different direction…a lesson he could learn from former President Bill Clinton.

Therefore, what is the purpose of the speech next week on the grand jobs plan which we have been waiting for with baited breath since the Big Black Bus tour? We have sat and counted the days and hours until the speech while the President relaxed in Martha’s Vineyard, truly a place representative of America.

What will be the purpose of this address, since the President wants all of Congress to sit attentively? Will we finally receive a written plan, or must we again seek to “score” or evaluate another speech? One thing that has already been declared is that after the speech on Thursday, the President will be heading back to the White House to begin working to resolve this situation. Actually, no, he will go back out on the campaign trail Friday.

The question is, will he take the taxpayer-funded private jet or the Big Black Bus?

It seems my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus have been reading Saul Alinsky’s book, Rules for Radicals, and are seeking to apply his Rule #13 tactic. This baseless attack upon the constitutional conservative grassroots movement called the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party has reached a new low of unreasonable desperation.

What person would not agree with the principles of efficient and constitutional limited government, fiscal responsibility, national security, and free market/free enterprise? It appears Congresswomen Maxine Waters and Frederica Wilson along with Congressman Andre Carson do not.

Perhaps my colleagues, who were out this past month across America conducting “job fairs,” should closely examine failed economic, monetary, tax, and regulatory policies emanating from this current Obama Administration, rather than point fingers.

And oh, by the way, while the CBC was out conducting these “job fairs” the unemployment rate for black Americans rose from 15.9% to 16.7%.

That is why, as the only Conservative member of the CBC, I will meet with Chairman Cleaver to compare lessons learned on what small business owners, corporate leaders, and chambers of commerce members told me about revitalizing our economic and job growth. The objective solutions I was given from my constituents after visiting dozens of small businesses and their employees this month are far superior and results-oriented.

In conclusion, I wish you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and my thoughts, prayers, and condolences to those who have had to contend with the flooding in North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont, as well as across the Gulf States of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

Steadfast and Loyal,

Allen

You can contact the Congressman Here http://west.house.gov/

Akin Alert, 16/7/2011

Dear Spike,

Another week in Washington has been dominated by the debate on raising the federal debt ceiling. I believe that continuing on our current fiscal path is unsustainable and irresponsible. We will not fix our debt crisis overnight, but we must change course now rather than simply kicking the can further down the road.

Let me put our current debt situation in perspective. It took our nation 216 years and 41 presidents to accumulate our first $3.7 trillion in debt. It took President Obama less than two and a half years to accumulate the same amount of debt. Our total federal debt is now at $14.3 trillion, which is equal to roughly $46,000 in debt for every man, woman and child in the United States. This year, the federal government is borrowing about 40 cents of every single dollar it spends. This is simply unsustainable.

Next week, the House of Representatives will take a step toward fixing the structural problems that have led to this run away debt by voting on the Cut, Cap and Balance Act. This bill cuts $111 billion in federal spending in fiscal year 2012. The bill caps federal spending at 19.9% of GDP, the historical average level of federal spending since World War II. Lastly, the bill requires that a Constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget be passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification before any increase in the debt ceiling goes into effect. This bill is not perfect, and does not accomplish everything that must be done to rein in federal spending, but I believe it is a reasonable first step that would be a significant change in course. I look forward to supporting the Cut, Cap and Balance Act next week in the House.

Also this week, I participated in a House Budget Committee hearing on the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) which was created by President Obama’s health care bill. The IPAB is comprised of fifteen un-elected bureaucrats who will be able to cut Medicare without the support or approval of Congress. IPAB is just another example of what is wrong with Obama’s healthcare bill–instead of empowering individuals to make choices about their own healthcare, it gives that power to un-elected bureaucrats. For this and many more reasons, we should repeal President Obama’s healthcare bill and replace it with something that is patient-centric and encourages the free market to work.

Lastly, this week I led a letter from most of the Missouri delegation calling for hearings on how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has managed or potentially mis-managed the Missouri River. The Missouri River is an important resource for our state and our country, and it should be managed with a focus on flood-control and transportation. You can read my letter here. I also spoke on the House floor in support of an amendment that would prohibit funds from going to the Missouri River Authorized Purposes Study (MRAPS). A 17 year, $35 million study on this same issue was just completed. It makes no sense to do the same study over again at the cost of another $25 million. This is simply unacceptable.

It is an honor to serve you in Washington. Please do not hesitate to contact me via email, Facebook or Twitter, and please consider sharing this email with others who may be interested.

Sincerely,

W. Todd Akin

You can contact the congressman HERE;www.akin.house.gov

From my E-mail

Congressional Reform Act of 2011

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971…before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land…all because of public pressure.

I’m asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011
1. Term Limits.
12 years only, one of the possible options below..
A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12.

The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.
Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.
If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!

Author unknown

AKIN ALERT: Dollars & Sense

03/04/2011

http://akin.house.gov/

Dear Spike,

Suppose your employer paid you $2000 every month and every month, you spent $2800. Your excesses have gone on so long that you have accumulated over $140,000 in credit card debt.

Would you be in a fiscal crisis?

The United States is in a far worse fiscal situation than this and yet many in Washington appear willing to ignore this crisis. Supporting the status quo means continuing to borrow nearly 40 cents of every dollar we spend and refusing to make meaningful changes in our spending patterns.

Is that good sense?

Budget Update

Two weeks ago, the House passed a government funding resolution that reduced spending by $100 billion from what the President requested for this year. But the Senate has failed to even allow a vote on this measure. So this week began with the passage of short term resolution to fund the government. Approved by the Senate and signed by the President, this temporary measure – funding government until the 18th of March – cut $4 billion from last year’s funding levels.

Next week, we will press forward with an adult discussion on budget priorities in the House. It’s time to talk not only about reducing discretionary spending in 2011 but also about restructuring mandatory spending programs in the 2012 budget. That means it’s time to take constructive steps to reform entitlement spending programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. As we have this discussion, I want to know your thoughts: I’ve set up a poll on my website, so you can easily signal what principles would guide your vote if you were in Congress.

DOMA

As you may have heard, President Obama has instructed the Justice Department not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). This bipartisan 1996 legislation, signed into law by President Clinton, defines marriage as between one man and one woman for purposes of federal law and provides that no state shall be forced to recognize same sex relationships that are recognized under the law of another state.

The executive branch is charged with enforcing the laws of the United States. It is unacceptable for the President to decide on his own that a law passed by majorities of the House and Senate and signed by a prior President is unconstitutional. That is the role of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Speaker of the House and members of the House Judiciary Committee have looked into the appropriate response to this announcement from the White House. Today, Speaker Boehner announced that he convened the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group to consider instructing the House’s Office of the General Counsel to defend DOMA in court. I support this action to defend the Defense of Marriage Act.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you about these or any other legislative matters.

Sincerely,

W. Todd Akin

You Can Contact the Congressman here; http://akin.house.gov/

AKIN ALERT: What is the State of the Union?

Contact the Congressman Here;http://akin.house.gov/

Dear Spike,

In last night’s State of the Union address, President Obama recognized the need to spur job creation, strengthen the economy and reduce the size of government.

We agreed about some of the problems our country confronts.

Yet our solutions remain vastly different.

While the Republicans have called for immediately rolling back discretionary spending to pre-stimulus levels, the President called for freezing it at current levels – which means 84% more spending.

While Republicans have called for safely and responsibly exploring all domestic energy solutions, the President has shut down domestic energy exploration and called for new spending on “clean energy.”

While Republicans have introduced the REINS Act to require Congressional approval of any new regulation that would have a major impact on jobs, the President has called for a bureaucratic process where federal agencies review their own regulations and decide which ones, if any, should be changed or eliminated.

While Republicans are taking seriously our responsibility to address the unsustainable burden of entitlement programs, the President made it clear last night that any serious entitlement reform efforts were off the table.

Missouri is the “Show Me” state. We know real solutions are needed for 9% unemployment, red tape that strangles job creation, a $14 trillion national debt, and entitlement spending that eats up every penny of federal revenue (see chart).

There were many areas of agreement between Republicans and Democrats in the House chamber last night. With Republicans controlling the House and Democrats controlling the Senate and the Executive branch, the only way we are going to make progress on the urgent issues facing us is by working together to find real solutions for the serious challenges our country faces.
Sincerely,

W. Todd Akin

Mandatory spending (Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid) comprises over 45 percent of federal spending. By 2052, without reform, these programs will consume all federal revenues. Even more alarming, as you read this, the national debt continues to grow at an exponential rate.

CONSTITUENT CORNER

January is Sanctity of Human Life month. Regardless of age, health, or condition of dependency, every human being is valuable – worth our care and protection. So, whether you are young or old, strong or weak, high performing or differently abled, I will not cease to work to see that every light in this country is able to shine. I pray that you will join me in cherishing the precious lives around you.

You Can Contact the Congressman Here;http://akin.house.gov/

Akin Alert: 112th Congress Gets to Work – 01/05/11

Dear Spike,

Today, the 112th Congress will be sworn in. While some might see this as a formality, I believe that it is an important reminder that we act under the authority of the Constitution and within the powers it delegates to us.

The Oath

Article VI of the Constitution, states that “The Senators and Representatives shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution.”

I, along with my colleagues from across the country, will take this Oath today:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

Fidelity to this Oath is about much more than lip-service. It means knowing what the Constitution says and considering each vote in light of the Oath we take at the beginning of each legislative session.

The Job

After the 112th Congress is seated, we will get to work. Here’s a quick look at what I’ve been doing and what we expect to change this Congress.

For the first time ever, this session of Congress will begin with a public reading of the U.S. Constitution.
In the new Congress, floor time will not be spent on symbolic resolutions.
Every bill introduced in the 112th Congress will have to cite the section of the Constitution which gives Congress authority to enact it.
In January, we expect to vote on legislation to repeal the government takeover of the health care industry which was enacted last year.

I have cosponsored legislation to repeal the 1099 reporting requirement in the health care law, which burdens job creators with the requirement to report every business transaction that costs more than $600.
The House Rules Package, which lays out how the House will do business this Congress, includes my amendment requiring each committee to include proposals for eliminating wasteful spending in their oversight plan.
One of our first priorities on January 6th will be to vote on legislation reducing the amount of money the House of Representatives spends on day-to-day operations.

Let me know what you think. What else should be our list of top priorities?

Sincerely,

W. Todd Akin

You can contact the congressman here; http://akin.house.gov/

Akin Alert,12/18/2010

Dear Spike,

This week two major bills have been under consideration in the halls of Congress. The first is what many are calling the Omnibus Spending Bill. This bill, which was introduced by Senate Democrats earlier this week is 1,924 pages long and spends $1.1 trillion in taxpayer money (an average of about $575 million per page). This bill is wasteful and reckless and I strongly oppose it. Fortunately, Republicans in the Senate successfully stopped this bill. The Senate Democrats still need to pass a bill to prevent a government shutdown, but it should be one that reins in reckless government spending, not one that continues the excessive spending we have seen over the last few years.

The second major bill under consideration extends the 2001/2003 tax cuts which were set to expire in January. These tax increases would hit every tax bracket, and without action by December 31st , an average middle-income family would face a $1,540 tax increase and many would have seen an average increase of $1,700 in dividends and and capital gains taxes.

Late Thursday night, the House of Representatives passed the bill to prevent this massive tax increase. I voted for the bill, but my vote is not a seal of approval that this bill will fix the economy. This bill will merely prevent the evil of a massive tax increase.

The Democrats have through a series of poor policy decisions created economic conditions that are destructive to small businesses and job creation. These include: excessive taxes, unnecessary red tape, market uncertainty, restricted access to liquidity and massive federal spending. Passage of this bill will not fix the problems but will only create additional uncertainty by postponing important decisions on tax policy.

Until we implement policy changes favorable to employers, our economy will continue to struggle and unemployment will remain high. Despite these concerns, I am convinced that Congress has an immediate and pressing obligation to prevent a multi-trillion dollar tax increase that would further kill jobs, threaten another grave economic downturn and place huge tax burdens on all Americans. The bill does not improve our current economic situation but does postpone the evil of a massive tax hike during a recession.

I hope that the Democrats’ lame duck session of Congress will end soon, and I look forward to the beginning of the new Congress in January. The House of Representatives must once again truly be the “People’s House.” As always, please continue to share your thoughts and comments with me via email or Facebook or watch my latest comments on YouTube. It remains an honor to represent you.

Sincerely,

W. Todd Akin

You can contact the Congressman here; http://akin.house.gov/

Joe Kozdra, “We’ve leaned too far to the left.”

Dear Spike,

Having been unemployed for well over a year, I’ve had some time on my hands. I have devoted some of it to song-writing.

For those who are opposed to the leftist politics of the Obama administration, I have composed a tasteful and entertaining musical satire with a lively rhythm and clever lyrics. Please take a few minutes to listen, and then share it freely with like-minded people.

We’ve leaned too far to the left.
http://www.youtube.com/user/pastimeless#p/u/6/w6VdCWXCKTQ

Sincerely,

Joe Kozdra

Dear Joe, Thanks for the E-mail, sorry to hear that your unemployed (I was too) I hope things get better for you soon.
Here’s your Song…

Akin Alert: Lame Duck Agenda

Dear Spike,

The House of Representatives has been in session since Thanksgiving, but aside from a few post office naming resolutions, it hasn’t been doing much of the people’s business.

But over the last few days, Republican leaders have been in close negotiations with the White House over the 2001-2003 tax cuts that are set to expire at the end of this month. This morning, they announced a bipartisan agreement to extend the current tax cuts for all earners for two years and extend the middle class Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) for some 21 million households. The compromise tax cut package also includes a 13 month extension of unemployment benefits and limits the estate tax to thirty-five percent for estates worth more than $5 million.

The main question that remains is whether Speaker Pelosi and the Democrat controlled House will allow this bipartisan compromise package to be voted on in the House. Despite President Obama’s willingness to sit down and work with Republican leadership on this plan, the Speaker has not yet signaled a similar bipartisan commitment.

I don’t like everything about this package. And I will not compromise in ways that ultimately hurts the people of Missouri. But, on balance, I think this is a package that is necessary for the economy. We cannot pile an enormous tax increase onto a weak economy and expect economic growth.

As we enter the Christmas holiday season, 9.8% of Americans and 9.4% of Missourians are unemployed. Getting Americans back to work should be our top priority as lawmakers – but we cannot do that without understanding some basic economic realities. The top 10% of income earners pay 70% of income taxes, while the bottom 40% of wage earners pay nothing. Many of the top earners in our country are also employers. We simply cannot expect job growth when we tax away the capital business owners need to expand their businesses and hire new employees.

While we don’t know exactly when or if the tax cut package will come up for consideration, I have been told that the current House leadership expects to consider a continuing resolution for funding the government. It is also possible that they will hold a vote on the controversial DREAM Act, legislation which would permit illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition at public colleges and universities.

Right now, we have no word of when the 111th Congress will adjourn. I will keep you informed and, as always, continue to welcome your comments and thoughts on the issues of the day. You can always share your thoughts via email or Facebook and review my recent floor comments on YouTube.

Sincerely,

W. Todd Akin

You can contact the congressman here; http://akin.house.gov/

AKIN ALERT: End of Year Outlook

I am honored to have the opportunity to listen to your priorities as the 111th Congress closes and the 112th Congress prepares to assume the responsibilities of leadership.

For too long, members of Congress have put their personal agendas ahead of the Constitution they have sworn to uphold. Many have chosen to spend tax dollars without regard for the future. That must end.

In the 112th Congress, I will be a voice for serious reform in Washington. I believe that government must be smaller, more transparent and less expensive.

I am reminded of an illustration that free-market economist Milton Freidman used. He noted that there are four ways money can be spent: you can spend your own money on yourself, you can spend your own money on someone else, you can spend someone else’s money on yourself or you can spend someone else’s money on someone else. Clearly, we all spend most efficiently when we are in the first category. Congress fits in that last category – and because Congress is always spending someone else’s money on someone else, it rarely uses your tax dollars efficiently.

That’s why I always try to remember that I am voting to spend my own money – my tax dollars and those of my children as well as yours. It’s why I want you to hold me accountable for the way I spend your hard-earned money. And that’s why I want to make sure you keep as much of your money as possible.

Looking ahead, I fully expect that the Speaker of the House will call the 111th Congress back into session one more time. Should that occur, I will oppose any attempts to use a “lame duck” Congress to pass a legislative agenda that is out of step with the priorities of the American people. During the next Congress, which will begin in January, I look forward to pushing back the big government agenda of this administration and advancing simple, conservative solutions to the real problems Americans face.

You can be part of that process by sharing your top priorities with me. I always appreciate hearing from you.

Sincerely,

W. Todd Akin

You can contact the Congressman Here http://akin.house.gov/

Akin Alert 10/08/2010

As I write today, I have several items to alert you to.

Obamacare

On October 1st, the first phase of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act went into effect. The law passed early this year is scheduled to be implemented over the next four years. Already, the first steps of implementation are not going so well.

For many employers, the cost of paying for the expanded plans mandated by the law is so great that they are considering eliminating health care coverage altogether – before the rest of the law goes into effect.

As a result, the New York Times reports that the Obama administration is granting dozens of waivers to big businesses and their insurers. The waivers allow these employers and insurers to continue providing limited-benefit plans that provide far less coverage than is mandated by the new law. A number of states have also asked for power to exempt some insurers, concerned that the law will be disruptive if insurers leave their state or stop offering certain types of coverage.

Yet, these waivers are selective. Not everyone has applied for them and not everyone gets them. The majority passed an economically devastating law and then temporarily waives it for some companies but not others. In effect, the healthcare law that was supposed to improve people’s lives is doing the opposite and the Administration’s way of dealing with these consequences is to selectively and temporarily waive the law.

I do not believe that this is what most people were thinking of when they called for healthcare reform. That is why I have called for repealing the current law and replacing it with meaningful reforms that drive coverage costs down, keep decisions with patients and expand access to health insurance.

Department of State Blocks Import of WWI Rifles

During the Korean War, American-made M1 rifles were sent to Korea to help our allies. Now that they are not of any military use, the South Korean government is ready to send nearly one million of these classic rifles back to the U.S., where they would be sold to law-abiding Americans. Earlier this year, the sale was approved by the U.S. government, but now the Department of State is saying these weapons may not be brought into the country because they “could potentially be exploited… for illicit purposes.”

I joined several of my colleagues in writing to the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton–asking her to reverse her decision to block these antique firearms. These classic rifles should be able to be purchased from South Korea, imported to the U.S. and sold to anyone who can legally buy them.

Recovery Road Signs

House Republicans are trying to cut wasteful spending on road signs that announce stimulus projects. The savings on these signs could reach $192 million. If you think these signs waste taxpayer dollars, snap a picture of one and send the picture and location of the sign to Republicans on the House Government and Oversight Committee at stimulussigns@mail.house.gov.

As always, I hope you will take the time to contact me about these or any other issues of concern.

Sincerely,

W. Todd Akin

From My E-mail

AKIN ALERT: Fiscal Pulse Update PLUS F-18 breaking news

 

Just Breaking – the Department of Defense has decided to pursue a multi-year agreement with suppliers to purchase more F-18 planes. This is good news for our troops and good news for the St. Louis area.

Fiscal Health Update
In the last week, three big pieces of national fiscal health news came out.

The Treasury Department announced that the United States posted the 19th straight month of budget deficits. April’s deficit was $82.69 billion – almost four times the shortfall this time last year. And that figure comes as the national debt approaches $13 trillion.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced that they had under-estimated the cost of the recently passed health care bill by $115 billion dollars. Revised figures bring the cost of the bill to about $1 trillion. That ‘s enough money to fund Missouri’s $25 billion budget for 40 years.

Finally, the unemployment rate jumped to 9.9%, as millions of Americans continue to struggle to find work, in spite of other encouraging economic indicators.

Taken together, these indicators show that Congressional leaders need to get serious about conquering our budget deficit. This means:

• Getting spending under control.
• Growing the economy through private sector job creation, expanding the tax base.

I believe we need to do both. that’s why I am one of only 18 Members of Congress who voted against every bailout under the Bush and Obama Administrations.

Yet, even now, it appears that the majority in Congress has no plans of doing the hard work necessary to set spending priorities and pass a budget. Instead they are proposing new spending without a way to pay for it. And, even while they have spent trillions to grow government domestically, they are refusing to give our armed forces the funding they need to keep our nation safe – which is the first duty of good government. 

We need a new direction to restore our fiscal integrity and protect our way of life.

I welcome your thoughts on these important issues. 

Sincerely,

W. Todd Akin

CONSTITUENT CORNER

How would you bring sanity to Congressional spending?

Congressman Akin and his Republican colleagues invite you to vote weekly for your favorite deficit reduction idea at

Take a moment and tell us what you think!