Legislative Alert: Take Action Now!

Getting back into the swing of things, there are several pieces of active legislation that need your attention.  Below is a summary...

Global Poverty Act of 2007 (S.2433)
This bill -- sponsored by Barack Obama -- would send almost $1 trillion straight from U.S. taxpayers to third world dictators in the form of an American tax to 'help' poverty outside America.  Though the tax would supposedly go to help poor people in impoverished nations, the reality is that the vast majority of this kind of aid ends up lining the pockets of the leaders of those nations, who are usually brutal, murderous dictators that hate America.  The idea is fine, but the method is totally wrong - the real way to help global poverty is for Americans to send money through private charities which are infinitely more capable of actually delivering the needed supplies and aid to those who actually need it.  This is one of many taxes that Obama is proposing that America can't afford, especially during these uncertain economic times.  Call your Senators and tell them to oppose this bill.

Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2007, aka Dodd/Countrywide Bailout (H.R.3221)
This bill would fork over $300 billion of taxpayer money -- which will directly increase the already out-of-control national debt -- to Bank of America (who just bought Countrywide Financial) to bail them out of risky subprime loans.  Not only should these bailouts not occur, but this bill almost completely ignores actual homeowners (despite what you're hearing in the MSM), instead assisting subprime lenders who made poor decisions at the wrong time.  It will remove all consequence from people seeking to game the mortgage system, and who have already made tons of money off these loans.  To top it all off, the leaders of Countrywide have been proven to give preferential treatment (such as lower interest rates than you or I could get) to several members of Congress, including Senator Chris Dodd, the one Senator most directly responsible for the financial industry (due to his committee chairmanship) and who is, coincidentally, the primary sponsor of this bill.  Corruption at its finest!  Call your Senators and tell them to oppose this bill.

Broadcaster's Freedom Act of 2007, aka Fairness Doctrine (H.R.2905)
This insidious measure is a direct assault on free speech and conservative talk radio.  Years ago there was a law called the Fairness Doctrine which required radio stations to give equal time to controversial topics (like politics) so both sides could be heard.  The end result of this law was the exact opposite: there was essentially no controversy put out on the airwaves.  In fact, the radio waves were so devoid of substance that AM radio was rapidly headed for extinction.  For the details on the background and how the market/advertising works, check out these articles (here, here, here).  However, the FCC under Ronald Reagan did away with the Fairness Doctrine, essentially opening up the radio waves to the free market - any show or personality that could gain an audience could talk about whatever he or she wanted.  If the audience liked it, they would tune in, advertising revenue would go up, and everyone made money.  Shortly thereafter, Rush Limbaugh and other conservative radio pundits burst onto the scene, garnering huge audiences and generating massive revenues.  Essentially the only conservative counterpoint to the liberal MSM, talk radio broke the monopoly, opening the way for other outlets like Fox News, conservative think tank organizations, and now the blogosphere.

Remember the numerous stories I've posted about how the newspaper industry is hemorrhaging jobs, ad revenue, and profits over the past several years?  Talk radio is experiencing just the opposite - Rush Limbaugh recently signed a new contract worth over $400 million, proof that the free market is thriving because there is a massive market for it, just as the market for the ultra-liberal New York Times and other 'news' outlets is shrinking rapidly.  As such, the liberal Left has been trying to reestablish the Fairness Doctrine as a way of censoring talk radio -- or anyone who disagrees with them -- for years, but has failed miserably through legislative means.

At this point, the Fairness Doctrine could be reinstated with a single executive order from the FCC, and there is little doubt that Barack Obama would appoint someone who would do just that.  Nancy Pelosi has publicly stated she supports reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, as does much of the Democrat leadership.  Republican Mike Pence has proposed the Broadcaster's Freedom Act of 2007, which would require an act of Congress (rather than a simple order from the FCC) to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine.  Not only would this make it much more difficult to censor the airwaves, but it would also force members of Congress to go on the record as being in favor of censorship in order to do so.  The last time the Fairness Doctrine came to a vote in the House, there was a bipartisan landslide of opposition.  So, as she has done with all measures in the House she doesn't like (such as forcing the government to build a border fence to reduce illegal immigration), Nancy Pelosi refuses to even allow the Broadcaster's Freedom Act to come to a vote.  Pence has begun a discharge petition, which is a countermeasure that would legally force a vote on this bill if 218 House members sign up.  If enough House members sign the discharge petition, Pelosi can't stop the bill from going for a vote, and it is almost certain to pass easily, thus ensuring the free market in talk radio, and a major voice in countering liberal bias in the MSM.  Call your Rep and ask them to support the discharge petition and the Broadcaster's Freedom Act.

For all the information you could want on this topic, see Pence's website here.

All of these things are very important to the future of America, and are well worth the few minutes of your time to make the calls.  I know the first two bills could see a vote as early as this week, so call right away.  While you're at it, you might inquire of your Rep if they have signed the discharge petition to build the fence along our southern border, too (the SAVE Act).  That's another Congressional failure that needs to be fixed.

In fact, I think Congress is a failure that needs to be fixed.  But let's start with these bills and go from there.

There's my two cents.