As promised, I tried to contact the Congresspersons sitting on the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources who will be deciding the fate of HR 589. Eleven calls – eleven press secretaries away from their desks, out of the office, or speaking on a conference call. I left a lot of messages with only one return call and one lady even hung up on me when I told her she was my employee and I wanted to know her name. In short, I was denied access most likely because so many 99ers have been emailing and calling the members of the committee since we released their names here on From the Trenches.
The one person that did call me back was from Lloyd Doggett’s office. However she became agitated and distressed when I pushed her to answer one simple question. Mind you, she did not even know what the question would be. She gave me the number to the press person for the Democratic side of the Committee and of course I got voice mail.
They have a name for this scenario, it is called regulated press. You see it is not that these press secretaries would be unwilling to speak to me it is just that it would have to be off the record. Hence, I would be talking your business and not be allowed to disclose to you the content of the conversation. They would like me to lead and control you, and I’m sure if I would have cooperated good things would have come my way.
We pay the wages of these press secretaries but they are only willing to talk to the controlled press. This is a blatant denial of equal access under Constitutional law, but as no one in our government enforces Constitutional law I suppose they are of the mind that they can just get away with anything they want. Well I say if they refuse to talk to us they can’t be doing us any good and have left us in a position where we are just going to have to speculate as to what they are up to.
There are eleven members of Congress sitting on the Committee, seven Republicans and four Democrats. The question I wanted to ask the Republicans was, “Do you support unemployment extensions for the 99ers, yes or no?” Seeing as how they even refused to be asked the question I’m just going to speculate that they are dead set against us. As for the Democrats, I wanted to ask them when we could expect a yes or no from the Committee. And as they clearly did not want to speak to me I will speculate that they are going to drag it on for as long as they possibly can before telling us they just couldn’t get it through.
As for Barbara Lee and Bobby Scott, I am going to speculate that HR 589 is nothing more than a reelection ploy for the hard left socialists in our Congress. Think about it, they put on an act in putting forth and sponsoring a bill that they know does not have a snowball’s chance of passing. Then when the election rolls around they call upon us to cancel the votes of the Tea Partiers who will vote their socialist arses out of office if left unchecked. To be honest with you I think they are angry with us as we dared to take the bull by the horns in contacting those on the committee to push our own cause.
In further examining the situation I think it may not be appropriate for one of us to be talking to them and reporting back to the others. In fact it has become my opinion that the people who read this site are in all reality reporters for From the Trenches World Report.
I’m going to give you the numbers to the Democratic press people and the Republican press people for the Committee deciding our issue. If they do not want to give the answers to one of us, let us make them deny all of us personally. Call as a reporter for From the Trenches World Report. The following is a list of the questions that I believe we have the right to have answered.
- When will HR 589 be debated and considered by the Committee.
- When is the soonest we can expect a verdict, one way or the other.
- How many Republicans on the board oppose long term unemployment extensions?
- If HR 589 is refused how do we find out which members of the Committee were in opposition?
- Where can we go to get day by day updates in reference to the progress?
These people are our employees and we have a right to know what is going on every day. Insist on speaking to a press secretary and if they try to blow you off, just keep calling over and over. And if you get a machine keep leaving message after message. That is what I am going to be doing.
The first ones to get answers to these questions shall be dubbed, Reporter of the Day on From the Trenches World Report. We need to inundate them with phone calls, every day, all day long until they agree to let us in what is going on in reference to our business.
House Ways and Means Democrat’s Press – 202-225-4021
House Ways and Means Republican’s Press – 202-225-3625
Or you can just call the Capitol switchboard at 1-866-220-0044 and ask for the above listed office. If they shut down this line, here are some more (I’m not sure all of these work).
- 1-877-851-6437
- 1-800-833-6354
- 1-888-355-3588
- 1-866-808-0065
- 1-877-762-8762
- 1-800-862-5530
For clarification on toll free number. Please use 1-888-245-0215. I called for both the Republican and Democratic Press Committees. I got secretaries for both calls. The Republican secretary said “they were told to tell anyone who called that they had no idea when this bill would ever be debated”. Nothing else. No other comments. I then called the Democratic Press Committees. Male secretary advised they won’t know, until the Republican party committee brings it to their table for debate. Supposedly has not been done, and the Democrats cannot do anything, until the Republicans make a decision.
I will be working today to try and get through and speak with one of our employees. I do have a way of being a smartass so I will have to be careful what I say or I will get the dial tone. What really makes me mad is the fact 99ers are given false hope. This bill is not going to pass and I think most of us know it. Things are getting worse day by day. Did anyone see the Ed Show last night? I am so sick of this damn government — it is beyond words. My prayers are with you all.
Henry — Thanks for the numbers.
Great article. Tells the real story.
Is this the correct subcommittee and are these the 11 people to contact?
Subcommittee on Human Resources
Geoff Davis, KY, Chairman
Adrian Smith, NE
Erik Paulsen, MN
Rick Berg, ND
Tom Price, GA
Diane Black, TN
Charles Boustany, LA
Lloyd Doggett, TX Ranking Member
Jim McDermott, WA
John Lewis, GA
Joseph Crowley, NY
Yes, these are the members of the subcommittee that is deciding HR 589 as emergency legislation.
What is kinda disturbing is, if in fact whoever writes this blog is a 99er themselves, why do we gotta hear the name calling(leftist, socialists, ect.)? Maybe, just maybe somebody cares about the plight of the long-term unemployed. The problem in this country is people are so busy looking for the enemy you dont know where your allies are. The democrats, as you like to call socialists, are the only people that actually care about the 99ers. The republicans wanna give tax breaks to the richest people and big oil companies, and the tea party is only concerned with combating the president and channeling an era when women and minorities had no rights for some “strange” reason. WAKE UP PEOPLE democrats are our only advocates even if you dont vote democrat show some respect for our hardworking members of congress who are working FOR US to achieve a common goal.
Jezz-
This isn’t a democrat feel good web-site. We give all opinions here. Left -right up-down.. whatever. We call it like we see it. When you say we don’t know who are allies are you are only reaffirming our message. Our allies are who correctly do the job we hired them to do. So far we aren’t seeing anybody doing anything productive.
Thanks for your opinion.
Jezz,
Those socialists you so love have really done a lot for us. I remember how appreciative I was this Christmas when I was cold and hungry and didn’t have a dollar in my pocket. Your socialist buddies also had a super majority that could have prevented the 99ers’ Christmas deprivations.
I am a 99er and have to wonder if you are as your inert need to push your social commie dogma seems to outweigh your need for truth from your politicians. I thoroughly despise the scum bag Demopublicans as much as I despise the scum bag Republicrats. The only thing I think I despise more is the blatant stupidity of any 99er who would follow the lies of either one of them.
God bless the Republic.
Jezz,
I know that believing these things creates a comfortable place in your mind that helps keep you calm and at peace. I am happy for you in that you are able to be so pacified. The rest of us unfortunate ones who have seen through the illusion are not so easily placated. Please have compassion for the conscious and cognizant who are hopelessly afflicted with the ability to tell shite from shinola.
Thank you for your understanding.
Help Stop The Political Traitors In Congress & End Illegal Politics In The U.S
We must organize & mobilize as a nation now… The U.S is on the path of being taken over by illegal immigrant and terrorist by 2011. Media black outs & internet censoring or site blocking in the U.S is already being tested and a bill is up for a vote. What’s next to be taken away, freedom of speech and the right to bear arms? Beware crooked businesses, politicians, and other trader illegal immigrant supports will push congress & Obama to vote to yes on an amnesty bill this year to allow the continued invasion of over 30 million illegal immigrants. Most of who are habitual lawbreakers, uneducated, criminals, terrorists, gang members, pedophiles, prostitutes, and drug users/dealers. Illegal Immigrant and supporters steal money, use violence, and make terrorist threats to people who oppose amnesty or want laws enforced. Defense budgets and military bases all over the country are closing down. Wake up U.S citizens!!! We do not need more illegal’s joining the military. We have the draft and Militia’s in law for emergency or invasion. Why are our military soldiers dispatched all over the world? Not to protect us, but to protect big corporations and the rich over seas. Your current lawmakers have sold us out to foreign nations, private investors and the poor south of our border. The plan is to replace us with illegal immigrants then leave legal U.S citizens broke, hungry and defenseless to be taken over by rich and poor foreigners with bad intension. Citizens born in the United States are the target of elimination and are slowly being pushed out of the workforce to be left broke and dry. Illegal immigrants in the U.S earn an average income of $30,000 per yr with no papers, elementary diploma, high school diploma, or college degree. This is our regional land and the citizens born of it have a physical & spiritual oath to preserve or defend it at all cost. A fact is illegal immigrants hate U.S citizens; many raise their kids to be lawbreakers, criminals and to support terrorism in the USA like there parents. This Dream Act and any for of amnesty is a breach of national security and must be stopped now. The people do not have to accept this treason or any new laws or legislation that supports foreigners before it’s own legal citizens. So if you prefer to keep living a lie and are too scared, lazy, blind to truth or have no will to defend the soil you were born on to help citizens & people in need… Then don’t follow us at http://usmoa.org/
We are being suckered, they keep trying to get us to focus on the immigrants, ( saying they are taking all of our jobs) BULL. There seems to be a poll for everything, but there is no poll telling us how many jobs are being out-sourced, and they don’t tell us how much government money the government is giving to these american companies to suport their out-sourcing efforts.
Thanks for the info on Hr 589. If you are in the Midwest, please consider coming out on April 2 for the March for Jobs in downtown Chicago.