Thought you might want to consider their votes on suspending earmarks (pork-barrel politics) in this year’s election. A “NO” vote is against limiting the earmarks. A “Yes” vote is in the best interests of the individual taxpayer.
Class II - Senators Whose Terms of Service Expire in 2009
Senators in Class II were elected to office in the November 2002 general election. Their terms run from the beginning of the 108th Congress on January 3, 2003 to the end of the 110th Congress in January 2009. The Yes and NO indicated how they voted on establishing a moratorium on earmarks.
Democrats
Baucus, Max (D-MT) NO
Biden, Joseph R., Jr. (D-DE) NO
Durbin, Richard (D-IL) NO
Harkin, Tom (D-IA) NO
Johnson, Tim (D-SD) NO
Kerry, John F. (D-MA) NO
Landrieu, Mary L. (D-LA) NO
Lautenberg, Frank R. (D-NJ) NO
Levin, Carl (D-MI) NO
Pryor, Mark L. (D-AR) NO
Reed, Jack (D-RI) NO
Rockefeller, John D., IV (D-WV) NO
Republicans
Alexander, Lamar (R-TN) Yes
Allard, Wayne (R-CO) Yes
Chambliss, Saxby (R-GA) Yes
Cochran, Thad (R-MS) NO
Coleman, Norm (R-MN) NO
Collins, Susan M. (R-ME)NO
Cornyn, John (R-TX) Yes
Craig, Larry E. (R-ID) NO
Dole, Elizabeth (R-NC) Yes
Domenici, Pete V. (R-NM)NO
Enzi, Michael B. (R-WY) Yes
Graham, Lindsey (R-SC) Yes
Hagel, Chuck (R-NE) NO
Inhofe, James M. (R-OK) Yes
McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) Yes
Roberts, Pat (R-KS) NO
Sessions, Jeff (R-AL) Yes
Smith, Gordon H. (R-OR) NO
Stevens, Ted (R-AK) NO
Sununu, John E. (R-NH) Yes
Warner, John (R-VA) NO
Friday, March 21, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The Constitutional Amendments
You can visit the Bill of Rights at the National Archives at any time.
Why were the first ten amendments added?
The Preamble to The Bill of Rights
Congress of the United States
begun and held at the City of New-York, on
Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.
THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.
RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.
ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.
Note: The following text is a transcription of the first ten amendments to the Constitution in their original form. These amendments were ratified December 15, 1791, and form what is known as the "Bill of Rights."
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Spend Like Drunken Democrats
Presidential hopeful John McCain tried unsuccessfully to implement a one-year moratorium on earmarks. Surprisingly, the other two Presidential hopefuls from the Democrats voted along with him. So did Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Russ Feingold (D-WA), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Claire McCaskill (D-MO). If all the Republicans had voted with him, it would have carried. Sadly, 26 Republicans like their pork too much to sign on. Here's the complete tally:
Alabama | Sessions | (R-AL) | Yea | Shelby | (R-AL) | Nay |
Alaska | Murkowski | (R-AK) | Nay | Stevens | (R-AK) | Nay |
Arizona | Kyl | (R-AZ) | Yea | McCain | (R-AZ) | Yea |
Arkansas | Lincoln | (D-AR) | Nay | Pryor | (D-AR) | Nay |
California | Boxer | (D-CA) | Nay | Feinstein | (D-CA) | Nay |
Colorado | Allard | (R-CO) | Yea | Salazar | (D-CO) | Nay |
Connecticut | Dodd | (D-CT) | Nay | Lieberman | (ID-CT) | Yea |
Delaware | Biden | (D-DE) | Nay | Carper | (D-DE) | Nay |
Florida | Martinez | (R-FL) | Yea | Nelson | (D-FL) | Nay |
Georgia | Chambliss | (R-GA) | Yea | Isakson | (R-GA) | Yea |
Hawaii | Akaka | (D-HI) | Nay | Inouye | (D-HI) | Nay |
Idaho | Craig | (R-ID) | Nay | Crapo | (R-ID) | Nay |
Illinois | Durbin | (D-IL) | Nay | Obama | (D-IL) | Yea |
Indiana | Bayh | (D-IN) | Yea | Lugar | (R-IN) | Nay |
Iowa | Grassley | (R-IA) | Yea | Harkin | (D-IA) | Nay |
Kansas | Brownback | (R-KS) | Nay | Roberts | (R-KS) | Nay |
Kentucky | Bunning | (R-KY) | Nay | McConnell | (R-KY) | Yea |
Louisiana | Landrieu | (D-LA) | Nay | Vitter | (R-LA) | Nay |
Maine | Collins | (R-ME) | Nay | Snowe | (R-ME) | Nay |
Maryland | Cardin | (D-MD) | Nay | Mikulski | (D-MD) | Nay |
Massachusetts | Kennedy | (D-MA) | Nay | Kerry | (D-MA) | Nay |
Michigan | Levin | (D-MI) | Nay | Stabenow | (D-MI) | Nay |
Minnesota | Coleman | (R-MN) | Nay | Klobuchar | (D-MN) | Nay |
Mississippi | Cochran | (R-MS) | Nay | Wicker | (R-MS) | Nay |
Missouri | Bond | (R-MO) | Nay | McCaskill | (D-MO) | Yea |
Montana | Baucus | (D-MT) | Nay | Tester | (D-MT) | Nay |
Nebraska | Hagel | (R-NE) | Nay | Nelson | (D-NE) | Nay |
Nevada | Ensign | (R-NV) | Yea | Reid | (D-NV) | Nay |
New Hampshire | Gregg | (R-NH) | Nay | Sununu | (R-NH) | Yea |
New Jersey | Lautenberg | (D-NJ) | Nay | Menendez | (D-NJ) | Nay |
New Mexico | Bingaman | (D-NM) | Nay | Domenici | (R-NM) | Nay |
New York | Clinton | (D-NY) | Yea | Schumer | (D-NY) | Nay |
North Carolina | Burr | (R-NC) | Yea | Dole | (R-NC) | Yea |
North Dakota | Conrad | (D-ND) | Nay | Dorgan | (D-ND) | Nay |
Ohio | Brown | (D-OH) | Nay | Voinovich | (R-OH) | Nay |
Oklahoma | Coburn | (R-OK) | Yea | Inhofe | (R-OK) | Yea |
Oregon | Smith | (R-OR) | Nay | Wyden | (D-OR) | Nay |
Pennsylvania | Casey | (D-PA) | Nay | Specter | (R-PA) | Nay |
Rhode Island | Reed | (D-RI) | Nay | Whitehouse | (D-RI) | Nay |
South Carolina | DeMint | (R-SC) | Yea | Graham | (R-SC) | Yea |
South Dakota | Johnson | (D-SD) | Nay | Thune | (R-SD) | Yea |
Tennessee | Alexander | (R-TN) | Yea | Corker | (R-TN) | Yea |
Texas | Cornyn | (R-TX) | Yea | Hutchison | (R-TX) | Nay |
Utah | Bennett | (R-UT) | Nay | Hatch | (R-UT) | Nay |
Vermont | Leahy | (D-VT) | Nay | Sanders | (I-VT) | Nay |
Virginia | Warner | (R-VA) | Nay | Webb | (D-VA) | Nay |
Washington | Cantwell | (D-WA) | Nay | Murray | (D-WA) | Nay |
West Virginia | Byrd | (D-WV) | Nay | Rockefeller | (D-WV) | Nay |
Wisconsin | Feingold | (D-WI) | Yea | Kohl | (D-WI) | Nay |
Wyoming | Barrasso | (R-WY) | Yea | Enzi | (R-WY) | Yea |
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