Veto Vito (Fossella)

Vito is Outraged!

2006-01-17T20:47:00.000-05:00

This was such a stupid stunt I wouldn't have bothered to even note it, but since it was our own thorn-in-the-side Congressman Vito Fossella that did it, you're humble servants at the Veto Vito project are duty-bound to say something.

Apparently Vito got all exercised about Hillary Clinton comparing the Republican Congress to a "plantation" -- in front of an african american audience -- with their apparent approval. So, as Kos has already done the work for me, Vito is officially outraged by the following venerables who used the terrible "p-word" to refer to Democrats:

Townhall.com
The National Review
The Wall Street Journal
Rush Limbaugh Show
Newsmax
The Washington Times
Bob Novak

More on Roberts

2006-01-17T20:02:00.000-05:00

From Blue Oregon, via myDD:

A look back to August 10, 2005:
Supreme Court nominee John Roberts declared that, in cases dealing with end-of-life care, he would "start with the supposition that one has the right to be left alone," Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said after the two met for an hour Tuesday. ...
Roberts told Wyden that he would look closely at the legislative history of federal laws and would be careful not to strip states of powers they traditionally have held -- such as regulating the practice of medicine, Wyden said. "You don't get the impression from how he answered that he'd let somebody stretch a sweeping statute like the Controlled Substances Act," Wyden said. ...
Roberts said the basic genius of the federal system is that it affords states the ability to approach problems in a way that is best suited to their different needs; imposing uniformity across the nation would stifle the intent of the founding fathers, Wyden said.

Roberts didn't just mislead about his activist intentions, he mislead about the particulars of this issue. An honest person would say, "I think the constitution and laws require all persons to live out their lives, regardless of the pain or circumstances they find themselves in, and I will rule accordingly." But honesty is not good currency in the Republican Congress.

Activist Judges

2006-01-17T14:05:00.000-05:00

This is what gets me just absolutely bat-sh-t crazy about Republicans and so-called conservatives. They don't mean a damned thing they say. They cry up and down that they don't want "activist judges" imposing their view instead of just interpreting the law, but they really mean they don't want judicial outcomes they don't like.

They didn't like it when states were forced to treat blacks as equal citizens, they didn't like it when states were forbidden to restrict women's reproductive choices, but they were too ashamed to say it out loud, so they found a convenient excuse of "state's rights" and "strictly interpreting the laws."

Now I have long since written off Justices Scalia and Thomas. But, stupid me, I actually had some hope that Chief Justice Roberts would adhere to his promises to be a neutral umpire and not inject his own views into his opinions. It didn't take long to expose that lie.

Roberts joined Scalia and Thomas in dissent from today's decision upholding Oregon's Death with Dignity Act. Justice Kennedy upheld the act on the ground that:

the federal law regulated medical practice only to bar doctors from using
their prescription-writing powers as a way to engage in illicit drug dealing and trafficking

In other words, unless doctors are engaging in drug trafficking, the federal drug laws don't apply to them. And whether you agree with the policy or not, it is impossible to argue that the federal drug laws were ever intended to regulate assisted suicide, one way or the other. Yet, here's what Scalia, with the new Chief on board, says:

If the term 'legitimate medical purpose' has any meaning, it surely excludes the
prescription of drugs to produce death

Nice sound bite. Bad legal reasoning. The dissenters have arrogated unto themselves the power to graft a whole new meaning of "legitimate medical purpose," beyond Congress's intent to stop the illegal drug trade. I don't fault them for believing that "legitimate medical purposes" does not include allowing terminally ill patients a painless passing if certain rigorous safeguards are met. That's fine. It's their opinion. But they are not legislators! The people of the State of Oregon have decided that under those circumstances, lethal medication is indeed a legitimate medical purpose. But the dissenters are unwilling to live with that and instead would impose their own judgment upon a statute that was never intended to address the topic of assisted suicide. THAT'S JUDICIAL ACTIVISM!

Such hypocrites. Seeing how shallow Justice Roberts' commitment to strict construction is, I have no doubt that Judge Alito will be worse. We need to stop these people from getting on the bench. I don't know how we will stop Alito, but I know that taking the Congress from the Republilcans in '06 is how we will do it in the future.

The DeLay Rule

2006-01-13T15:11:00.000-05:00

Just to follow up. "Me" of NY13 -- not me, but "Me" -- points out a good site for researching members' votes. The vote on letting Tom DeLay keep his post even after indicted, however, was secret. There were reports in the press at the time of a "handful" of members who voted against it. (Chris Shays is the only name that comes to mind.) There is no official list, and one could bet that a majority of Republicans will now claim to have voted against this rule that a wide majority voted FOR at the time. So, while I'm not sure we can depend on a straightforward and non-misleading answer from Vito's office, at least we can get him on record. That's why the suggestion for the call.

More corporate-driven legislation

2006-01-13T14:56:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to post on this for a while, but I haven't had the chance to do any research on Vito's connections with the mentioned outfit. Well, I still haven't but there's a point to be made anyway.

From Securityinfowatch.com:

Members of the National Burglar & Fire Alarm Association (NBFAA) wereon Capitol Hill visiting Congressional offices recently when the "College Life Safety and Fire Protection Act,” H.R.4460, supported by the NBFAA, was introduced by Rep. Vito Fossella, R-N.Y.

The new legislation, introduced at the request of the NBFAA on Dec. 7, 2005, is designed to establish a demonstration incentive program within the U.S. Department of Education to promote the professional installation of fire alarm detection systems, or other fire prevention technologies in qualified student housing, dormitories, and other university buildings.

Now I'm not saying this is the worst idea in the world. But it's definitely coming from the wrong direction. If you represent the people, you should be looking at whether there is a big problem with fires in student housing and university buildings and coming up with some legislation that will reduce the incidence of fires. Indeed, a few cases in New Jersey in recent years would justify at least looking into it.

But the Fossella approach gets it completely backwards. Vito's style is to welcome those who would profit from selling fire alarms to universities, and craft a bill that meet those financial interests.

Like I said, I haven't done the research to see who from the "National Burglar and Fire Alarm
Association" has given money to Vito, but it's a fair bet that there is a strong connection. But even without it, he's got the wrong people's interest in mind. And that's something that we should not accept in a representative of the people.

Where was Vito on DeLay?

2006-01-11T14:35:00.000-05:00

Josh Marshall has a good project. He notes:

Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) is now the House Republican point man on ethics and 'lobbying reform'. A year ago, he was a big supporter of the DeLay Rule. I wonder what he's saying now. Does he remember how he voted?
If you ring up your member of Congress and ask them point blank how they voted on the 'DeLay Rule', they may not remember what you're talking about. Technically, this is the change to the rules of the House Republican Conference, passed in November 2004, which allowed then-Majority Leader DeLay to remain as Majority Leader even if he was indicted. So if you call just be courteous and clear and explain that you feel you're entitled to an answer.

Anyone care to call Vito's office and ask? (202) 225-3371.

Vito plays for pay

2006-01-09T16:52:00.000-05:00

You may recall a previous post on how Vito Fossella is trying to hamstring the SEC's efforts to enforce investor protection laws. And maybe you wondered, why? Why would a representative of the people of Staten Island and Brooklyn, who are far more likely to be the small investors in need of protection than the big investment firms who will benefit from lax regulation, write legislation that would be so against his constituents' interests? Today we discuss why.

First, to recap, a piece in today's Investment News.com leaves little room for doubt about what a crappy piece of legislation this is:

Reps. Michael Castle, R-Del., and Vito Fossella, R-N.Y., introduced the
Compliance, Examinations and Inspections Restructuring Act of 2005 last month,
but it immediately drew fire from former SEC Chairman Arthur S. Levitt, who
established the office in 1995, as well as from the Consumer Federation of
America in Washington. . . .

"The legislation is atrocious. I don't think it's Congress' job to
micromanage the SEC," said Mr. Levitt, who headed the commission from 1993 to
2001.

Indeed, one official who represents brokerage firms, who asked not to be
identified, noted that while brokerage firms think there are problems with Ms.
Richards' office, "the way to deal with that is for the SEC to deal with it
directly."

"It's a terrible idea. Ideally, inspectors have an independent mind-set,"
said Barbara Roper, Boulder, Colo.-based director of investor protection for the
Consumer Federation of America in Washington. "The divisions are headed by
people [from the industry] who go back to the industry; they're classic
revolving-door departments where they really have a strong tendency to see
issues from the industry's point of view. You don't want your enforcement
functions to be co-opted by that viewpoint," she said.

So then, in the words of Cindy Lou Who, why? Why are you taking our Christmas tree, why? Maybe it's this:

The chief industry backer of the bill is The Financial Services Roundtable, a
Washington umbrella group that represents banks, securities firms and insurance
companies.

Ah, hah! So just for fun I compared the Financial Services Roundtable's Member Companies with Vito Fossella's donor list. I saw Bank of America, ka-ching, Capital One (what's in Vito's wallet), Citigroup, ka-ching, CSFB, more ching, until I ran straight into FINANCIAL SERVICES ROUNDTABLE PAC!!!!! He wasn't even clever about it. He just took the money straight from the lobby and went to the floor to do their bidding.

As our friends at NY13 blog have pointed out, Vito is chest-deep in the Republican culture of corruption. And it stinks.

There's tons of us!

2006-01-05T15:29:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the post from ny13.blogspot.com.

I was going to make the same point about the story of Mike Cusick's decision not to run.
It is wrong in so many ways to wait for a better time to challenge the Republicans for this seat. The time is now, because what Vito Fossella and the rest of the Republican party are ruining the country. The time is now because even if we weren't going to win, it is our duty to stand up for the rule of law, for middle class, working class Americans, for service members in the line of fire, for a planet we hope to be habitable in a hundred years. The time is now because if we just all get off our collective back sides and bring just one friend to the polls, WE WIN!

Let's do this.

We're not alone!

2006-01-04T11:18:00.000-05:00

The movement to stop Vito grows!

www.fossellaexposed.com

I say the more the merrier.

It's a whole new year

2006-01-01T20:59:00.000-05:00

And nothing's changed:

Federal budget cuts approved this month by the Republican-dominated
Congress will drain programs for the city school system's youngest and oldest
students. A bill already passed and signed into law reduces the pre-kindergarten Head Start budget by 1 percent, and college-student aid is also hanging in the balance.

Funding for college loans could be reduced by nearly $13 billion over five years if legislators do not revisit a bill passed by the House and Senate, which was subsequently sent back to the House by angry Senate Democrats for potential modifications.

Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) voted in favor of the bills cutting aid for Head Start and college students. He could not be reached for comment.

Who votes for this guy?

2005-12-21T07:44:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you have to wonder, does Vito Fossella wake up in the morning and look for opportunities to favor the privileged and powerful over ordinary people? Seems crazy, but then you see a thing like this:

A U.S. lawmaker on Tuesday said he introduced a bill in the House of Representatives to abolish the Securities and Exchange Commission's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE), the SEC's main point of contact with much of corporate America.

Which U.S. lawmaker was that? Vito Fossella. So now he has a plan to make it harder to investigate companies that may be violating securites laws. Does he think ordinary investors are being too well protected? What's the deal?

The Fossella bill would also require that OCIE's new "sweep" examinations, intended to target the investor protection agency's resources at high-risk areas, be approved by the five-member commission itself before they begin.

Just new roadblocks to enforcement of investor protection laws. And if you're wondering, let's see what a Republican former head of the SEC thinks:

Former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman William Donaldson said the agency must continue broad compliance "sweeps" and called the consolidation of accounting work "a danger waiting to happen." SEC compliance staff "sweep" examinations would be outlawed under legislation introduced last week by U.S. Rep. Vito Fossella, a New York Republican. The sweeps look for securities law violations across a range of companies or industries.

Vito Fossella is failing to advance interest of ordinary New Yorkers. For a future post: who's giving Vito money that might like a bill like this one.

Strike!

2005-12-20T09:15:00.000-05:00

So it really happened.

I guess I fall somewhere in between "yippee, snow day!" and "m#th@r f%$k@# b#s$%@s!". I'm "telecommuting" today, which is substantially less than ideal. I've got a few thoughts about the negotiations, but as before, I don't have enough information to really judge. Seems like the union was willing to give in on the wage increases in order to protect future workers from healthcare and pension reductions. This still seems like an honorable position to me.

I'll add that I agree with Gg that raising the retirement age in this era of longer life expectancy is reasonable. And if it came down to that alone, I would hope that the TWU would be flexible. My understanding, however, is that it's not just the retirement age, but the pension benefit package as well that is at stake. That's a different story altogether.

I guess what strikes me most is the complete absence of any of our elected leaders to play the dealmaker. I hear a "let's all get through this -- and the strike is illegal" message from Bloomberg, and absolutely nothing from Pataki. Isn't this where leaders step up to the plate? I don't believe the gap between the two sides is really that wide. There is a principle about future workers at stake, but the monetary differences don't seem insurmountable.

Also, if anyone knows how it works, I'd be curious to hear why the arbitration process does not adequately protect the workers' interests.

Dr. Germ on the loose!

2005-12-19T15:01:00.000-05:00

Doesn't anyone who rallied the flag for war in Iraq feel a little bit swindled when they read this:

Saddam Hussein' weapons experts known as "Dr Germ" and "Mrs Anthrax" are being released by U.S. forces, an Iraqi lawyer said on Monday, and the U.S. military confirmed several "high-value detainees" were being freed. . . .

. . . they were among 27 prisoners, considered senior members of the administration overthrown by U.S. forces in 2003, who now posed no threat to security, were neither charged with crimes nor material witnesses and had no intelligence value.

Remember the Iraqi Regime was such a threat to us that they had people with names like "Dr. Germ!" Everybody run! It's Dr. Germ! Now it turns out there are no charges to be brought against them, they are not even material witnesses to crimes and had no intelligence value? But then why did we keep hearing them described as "Mrs. Anthrax?" Because they were given those names "by the popular press in the West."

Doesn't anyone feel manipulated?

Actual Analysis

2005-12-18T23:15:00.000-05:00

It will be no surprise to anyone that I'm an amateur who's just fed up with Republicans in Congress and the White House. But when people who actually know what they are talking about give the lowdown on this race, I can at least let you know it's out there. (Here and here).

Transit Demands

2005-12-17T10:32:00.000-05:00

Reader Gg makes some good points in the comments re: Union demands. I agree, if everything they are demanding is set in stone, rather than a bargaining posture. This is one of those unusual events where each side's move can radically rearrange the pieces on the chess board. Will just have to watch and see.

Christmas Cheer

2005-12-16T12:44:00.000-05:00

Fun and games from a friend:

THE NIGHT BEFORE FITZMAS>>>>
Twas the night before Fitzmas, and through the White House
Every one was scared shitless, and Bush was quite soused
The indictments were hanging like Damocles' sword
As verminous oxen prepared to be gored
The perps were all sleepless, curled fetal in bed
While visions of prison cells loomed in each head
And Dick in his jammies, and George in his lap
Were sweating and swearing and looking like crap
When out on the web there arose such a clatter
The blogs and the forums were buzzing with chatter
Away to the PC Rove ran like a flash
He booted his browser and cleared out his cache
The rumors that flew through the cold autumn air
Made Dubya shiver with angry despair
When what to his horror-filled eyes did he spy?
But a bespectacled man with a brown suit and tie!
With an impartial manner that gave Bush the shits
He knew in a moment it must be St. Fitz!
With unwavering voice, his indictments they came
He cleared his throat and he called them by name:
Now Scooter, Now Libby, Now Blossoming Turd, Now
Cheney, dear Cheney, Yes, you are the third
To the bench of the court>> Up the steps, down the hall
Now come along, come along,>> Come along, all!
He then fell silent, and went right to work
He filed the indictments then turned with a jerk
And pointing his finger at justice's scale
Said, "The people be served, and let fairness prevail."
He then left the room, to his team gave a nod
And the sound could be heard of a crumbling façade
And we all did exclaim, as he faded from sight
"Merry Fitzmas to all, and to all a good night!"
>>>> (c) 2005 Daryl W.
>> - Permission granted
>> to reprint anywhere and everywhere as long as my
>> name is included.>> Cheers!

Transit Strike

2005-12-16T09:49:00.000-05:00

As with must of us, an all-out transit strike would have messed me up in all kinds of ways, so I have say I breathed a sigh of relief this morning when the subways were still running. I also have to give the union some serious credit on several fronts.

First, the partial strike shows they are serious about their demands, imposes a cost on the city, but with the least possible disruptions to riders.

Second, since the affected bus lines are private, it has the added virtue of avoiding violating the Taylor Law.

Third, and probably most impressively, it seems the sticking point in negotiations is not the package for current workers, but the union's insistence that the next generation of incoming transit workers get at least as much as this generation. At a time when our federal government is lowering taxes on the wealthiest by borrowing money that will have to be paid off by our children and grandchildren, and Republicans want to do away with Social Security's guaranteed lifetime benefit, someone is asking what will our current actions do to those who come after us. That just seems like a position worthy of respect. I'd welcome other thoughts on this topic.

My First Hatemail!

2005-12-15T18:08:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited! Look at the hate-speach that just came in the comments:

Of course you support terrorists! You must not have lived in this town on 9/11!
(Or maybe you just don't care????) If torture could have saved the lives of the
twelve friends and neghbors I lost in the Towers, I'd have pulled out Atta's
nails with pliers myself!You wouldn't pull a hobo off your own wife, you jerk!

I will never forget the ashes that fell for days in my back yard. I will never forget the funeral of my friend's brother, lined with a thousand cops and firefighters. Every day I go to work where there is a plaque with the names of the empoyees lost on 9/11. Of course you'd pull out Atta's nails with pliers if torture could have saved their lives.

That's just the point. Torture wouldn't have saved their lives. It would just make us like them. Don't believe me. Believe John McCain.

I would like to also repeat, we've sent a message to the world that the United
States is not like the terrorists. We have no grief for them, but what we are is
a nation that upholds values and standards of behavior and treatment of all
people, no matter how evil or bad they are. And I think that this will help us
enormously in winning the war for the hearts and minds of people throughout the
world in the war on terror.

Is it possible that this guy doesn't know at this late date that when we tortured Ibn al Shaykh al Libbi he not only told false information, he told information that their interrogators were trying to get from him:

According to CIA sources, Ibn al Shaykh al Libbi, after two weeks of enhanced
interrogation, made statements that were designed to tell the interrogators what
they wanted to hear. Sources say Al Libbi had been subjected to each of the
progressively harsher techniques in turn and finally broke after being water
boarded and then left to stand naked in his cold cell overnight where he was
doused with cold water at regular intervals.
His statements became part of the basis for the Bush administration claims that Iraq trained al Qaeda members to use biochemical weapons. Sources tell ABC that it was later established that al Libbi had no knowledge of such training or weapons and fabricated the statements because he was terrified of further harsh treatment.
"This is the problem with using the waterboard. They get so desperate that they begin telling you what they think you want to hear," one source said.

It was false, and we went to war, losing another TWO THOUSAND AMERICAN LIVES. And we've become torturers and a society with people like my dear flame artist who've lost their moral compass.

So just to recap: Today, President Bush finally caved to enormous public and moral pressure from the Senate, John McCain and 305 Republicans and Democrats in the House, and agreed to forbid the use of torture by Americans troops and the CIA. Vito Fossella (and dear flamer) stand on the side of torture.

Sad.

Morally Bankrupt

2005-12-14T22:01:00.000-05:00

Guess who voted for torture today? NY District 13's own Vito Fossella! That's right, while the Congress - even half the Republicans - voted 308-122 for a non-binding resolution supporting the Senate's ban on cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of detainees in American custody, Vito Fossella voted against it.

Let's just be crystal clear about this. Vito Fossella couldn't even bring himself to symbolically oppose torture. What the freak????

Now let's just be clear, I don't oppose torture out of any sympathy for terror suspects. But I do have enormous sympathy for the for the American soldiers and service members who will live with a blot on their souls, and shame in their hearts, for the rest of their lives. Longer if you believe in that kind of thing. Everyone knows that torture produces bad information. -The kind of information that leads us into wars on false pretenses. But worse, it corrodes the moral spirit of this country. It doesn't just harm the detainees. It harms us. And that is a crying shame. Vito Fossella's failure to stand against that immorality is inexcusable.

Mortgaged Future

2005-12-08T21:00:00.000-05:00

No surprise that Vito voted to borrow from our children and grandchildren $56 billion over the next five years so that the wealthy don't have to pay the taxes that they seemed perfectly able to handle 10 years ago.

Fish

2005-12-06T22:44:00.000-05:00

Today we learn how Vito Fossella is like a fish. No, how he will be swimming with the fishes (electorally speaking). Actually none of the above. Just a test by yours truly.

It won't come as a shock to anyone that the ins and outs of the blogomatic 5000 are new to me. But maybe with a little practice, we'll have nice pictures to go with the text. Who knows what I may learn to do. Stay tuned.

A Fitting Tribute

2005-12-06T19:14:00.000-05:00

To a Brooklyn Cop.

That's what I was trying to say

2005-12-05T09:10:00.000-05:00

Not surprisingly, Josh Marshall finds a better quote:

President George W. Bush will delay a major push for revamping the tax code because administration officials concluded the changes are too tough to sell to the public and lawmakers, two people familiar with the matter said.

Bush instead will spend next year attempting to lay the political
groundwork for fundamental changes in 2007 or 2008, the people said, and leave to Congress the task of tackling incremental tax code simplification in 2006, an election year.

The administration is wary of seeing its push to overhaul the tax system fall prey to the same factors that derailed Bush's attempt to restructure the Social Security system this year to include
private investment accounts ...

Vito is one of Bush's votes on this. Let's take it away from him.

UPDATE: Jonathan Singer has some more thoughts on the same topic over at mydd.

Future Memories?

2005-12-04T21:35:00.000-05:00

Notice the pattern. In '04, Bush floated a vague idea of privatizing Social Security that was all cake no vegetables. It wasn't until after the election we saw the disaster he wanted to shove down our throats. Thank God for the Democrats standing up and shining a light on it. Now we see this:

The White House may delay unveiling a broad proposal to overhaul the tax code until 2007 or later. . . .

But several Republicans with close administration ties said it now seems likely Bush may only speak generally about tax reform in the address and not unveil specifics.

Get ready for it. Even though Bush's commission already came out with detailed plans to take away tax deductions for mortgage interest and state tax payments -- take aways that hurt high property value, high tax areas like New York most -- we'll get a steady drum beat of "tax reform" without the details. Then after the election he'll claim an new "madate" and shove this crap down our throats. At the end of the day it will be more treats for the wealthy, more pain for everyone else. What side of history will Vito be on this time?

Memory Lane

2005-12-04T18:38:00.000-05:00

Let's take a spin in the wayback machine. August, 2002.

Carville: Congressman Fossella, the President's plan to privatize Social Security by all estimates will cost at least a trillion dollars. Do you think it's wise to privatize Social Security and put us another trillion dollars in debt or do you oppose the president's plan to privatize Social Security?

Fossella: You throw numbers around, but no, I happen to the think the President is on the right side of history here. . . .

The Presdent and the Republican Party were and still remain on the wrong side of history, and Social Security will not be safe until we vote them out of office. Remember, even after Vito read the political tea leaves and came out against the President's plan, he left the door wide open to privatization.

Republican Corruption Makes Democrats Cleaner

2005-12-01T09:28:00.000-05:00

Excellent point over at TPM.

Vito For Senate!

2005-12-01T09:18:00.000-05:00

Here's the most promising development I've seen in months:

Bruno said other Republicans are considering a run against Clinton. He did not name them, but Republican insiders say some in the party are already looking to others - including U.S. Rep. Vito Fossella of Staten Island and Rep. Peter King of Long Island - to fill the void if Pirro drops out.

That get's us halfway there. Run Vito Run!

Verified Voting

2005-11-30T15:04:00.000-05:00

Will Vito stand for nationwide voting technology that allows for a verifiable paper trail? He's not been willing to co-sponsor the Bill. Where's Vito? Contact him and ask. This should not be controversial.
Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) has started a petition. Feel free to add your name. No matter who you vote for, you've got to be in favor of your vote being tamper-proof. Don't you, Vito? Come on, stand up.

Republican Sleaze

2005-11-29T13:51:00.000-05:00

In case you were wondering what the big deal was:

The truth is -- I broke the law, concealed my conduct, and disgraced my high office.

It's how they run the country.

The Anti-New York Stew

2005-11-29T12:46:00.000-05:00

It's a recurring theme: These Republicans that claim to represent us in Congress just do their darndest to get us what's right, but dog-gonnit, "The Senate just wouldn't budge."

This time it's getting funding to protect us from terrorist attacks. That's all. Just one of those silly things we East Coast liberals get all hung up about.

And why won't it budge? Let's ask Vito:

King and Fossella said the funding question is bogged down in an anti-New York stew of "parochial politics."

They're just figuring that out now? Their party as been running against cities, against mass transit, against anything that supports people living in a densely populated area for over a decade.

Maybe a Democratic Congress would not need to be "budged" quite so often. (You can always tell it's a particularly crass bit of Republicanism when the poster child for party disloyalty, Senator Joementum, is on board.) That's why we need numbers. Not just 51-49. Not just 218-217. Big numbers. Vito must go!

Just a Reminder

2005-11-27T20:29:00.000-05:00

In case you forgot why it matters, this is what a Republican Congress gets you.

HERSH: You know, Wolf, there is people I've been talking to -- I've been a critic of the war very early in the New Yorker, and there were people talking to me in the last few months that have talked to me for four years that are suddenly saying something much more alarming. They're beginning to talk about some of the things the president said to him about his feelings about
manifest destiny, about a higher calling that he was talking about three, four years ago. I don't want to sound like I'm off the wall here. But the issue is, is this president going to be capable of responding to reality? Is he going to be able -- is he going to be capable if he going to get a bad assessment, is he going to accept it as a bad assessment or is he simply going to see it as something else that is just a little bit in the way as he marches on in his crusade that may not be judged for 10 or 20 years.

But no one in the Republican Party is willing to stand up and speak the truth. They used war as a wedge issue to win a majority in Congress, and even now they smear war heros who are ready to call this war the strategic disaster we know it is. Read the whole post (then Sy Hersh's New Yorker piece). It's sobering.

Why Vito must go

2005-11-18T10:22:00.000-05:00

Remember last night when a few brave moderates (not Vito, of course) stood with the Democrats in a small victory for those of use who think education, health, home heat for those who can't afford it are a worthwhile thing for a society to invest in? Well sober up, it's morning. And saving that few billion in federal help just got swamped by a $50 billion cut in Medicaid, food stamps and student loan subsidies, among other things. What's worse is, these aren't part of a national austerity program to reduce our ridiculously bloated federal deficit. They just make room for $60 billion in new tax cuts for the wealthy that Vito and his pals are going to pass later this week.

The screw the poor bill passed the House by a vote of 217 to 215. Two votes! Which side was Vito on? You guessed it. The cut Medicaid, food stamps and student loans side. This is why it matters, folks. Vito can call himself a moderate all day long, but he doesn't vote like one. And in this case, his vote alone nearly flips the result. Make yourself a promise right now: I will get my ass to the polls in 2006, and I'll bring a friend, and we'll vote Vito out.

Vito: Not Moderate

2005-11-17T21:13:00.000-05:00

Three cheers for the 22 moderate Republicans with the decency and the backbone to stand up to their extremist leaders when they tried to cut billions of dollars from education programs, rural health care, Pell grants for higher education and heating assistance for low-income families. Thanks to them and the Democrats, we might just protect some programs that actually do good for people who really need it.

Was Vito one of those courageous moderates? No he wasn't.

Broken Promise

2005-11-15T22:17:00.000-05:00

Vito Fossella's Republican Congress just stole $125 million from 9/11 responders.

What happened? "Congressional budget negotiators have decided to take back $125 million in Sept. 11 aid from New York, which had fought to keep the money to treat sick and injured ground zero workers, lawmakers said Tuesday."

What's Vito's response? "It seems that despite our efforts the rescission will stand, very sadly, and that is something of a promise broken," said Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y).

Now you know. All those years of carrying water for the Texas Republican machine gets you a big middle finger in your face when New York City is hit with the worst act of aggression on American soil in its history and -- God forbid -- tries to ration its spending on recovery wisely.

Broken promise indeed.

The Guns for Criminals Act of 2005

2005-11-15T15:31:00.000-05:00

Back in October, Vito Fossella joined his fellow Washington Republicans in passing what our own Republican mayor called "a disgraceful piece of legislation." The law? A measure that would shield gun manufacturers from paying for their own negligent conduct when ordinary citizens are the victims of guns. Let's let the Mayor tell you about it:

Bloomberg promptly lambasted the House for passing "a disgraceful piece of legislation that will give gun manufacturers immunity from acting negligently. No other industry has this type of protection. Hundreds of Americans are victimized every year by illegal handguns," the mayor said in a statement. " And it is well-known that many of these guns are in criminal hands because some gun manufacturer turned a blind eye to dealers who sell guns to criminals."

Why is the Mayor so pissed at Vito? Because his vote is going to mean that the City's pending lawsuit against 25 gun manufactureres, including Glock, Beretta, Browning and Smith & Wesson is going to be dismissed. That means two things: First, New York City residents who are victims of gun crimes will lose any chance of recovering from negligent gun manufactureres, even if they can prove that the gun maker's negligence was the proximate cause of their injury, and second, gun manufactureres now have no incentive to keep their products out of the hands of criminals.

Thanks a lot Vito. Now which constituency were you protecting with that vote? The Bay Ridge gun manufactureres? Oops, don't have any? The Fresh Kills Elk Hunting club? Nope, don't have that either. Oh yeah, you voted with the Tom Delay Republicans and sold out your own City. Not good.

Welcome to the Veto Vito blog

2005-11-15T13:10:00.000-05:00

Okay, folks. We have one year. Staten Island, Brooklyn, New York and the entire country -- make that the world -- have suffered long enough under the mismanagement, corruption, and ideological dictatorship of the Republican machine in Washington. We can't change the world. We can't change the entire country. But we can change the representative in New York's 13th district. If you live in Staten Island, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, or Gravesend, and you want to stop Tom Delay, Dick Cheney, George Bush, Karl Rove and the anti-city, anti-middle class, anti-education, anti-environment, anti-worker, anti-liberty, anti-equality Republican agenda they represent, then let's get rid of one guy who represents them: Republican Vito Fossella.

My intention is to use this blog as a repository for everything any Staten Islander or Brooklynite needs to know about Vito Fossella and his allegiance to the Republicans in Washington. I have no intention of attacking Mr. Fossella personally. I don't know him. If he has a family, I'm sure they love him. But I do know that he's bad for New York. Over then next year, with your help, this blog will prove it.

I hope there are many of you out there with the same objective and I look forward to making this a collaborative process.