Latest Answers

How can we have any chance of true "Health Care Reform" as long as the McCarren-Ferguson Act (passed in the 1940's) protects the insurance companies from any Sherman Anti-trust investigation and ,in fact, allows them to be the only industry for which the anti-trust laws do not apply ?
Asked by: Elliot Eisenberg, DC from Richmond, VA. Received 79 Votes.
Categories: Health. Tags: health-care reform.

Listen to: U.S. Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL)

One manifestation of the insurance companies not being subject to those laws is that they have a lot of leeway to deny coverage to people. Now there’s nothing state law can do about that. And in effect as an industry they can make certain kinds of decisions like there are certain kinds of illnesses that we won’t cover. That in effect is an industry wide decision that’s made that wouldn’t be permissible if you had, if they’d been covered by anti-trust laws. Or maybe more relevantly today if we struck down the ban on preexisting illness exclusions.

Answered on Dec 11th, 2008 More
HHS is redefining abortion as any method which prevents or deters contraception as well as aborting a fetus. Considering the financial implication on social services, medical ramifications including STD’s, and population growth, what is your stand on this?
Asked by: Dreama Terrill from Richmond, VA. Received 180 Votes.
Categories: Civil Liberties · Economy · Education · Ethics · Health · Taxes. Tags: birth control · health & human services · social services · working poor.

Listen to: U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE)

I’m pro-life. I think that women deserve better than abortion. I actually have come up with a new bill that’s called Care for life, because even people who might disagree with me on the issue, I think what we can do is to mitigate the circumstances in which someone who may feel abandoned without financial or emotional support seeks abortion. So to provide a community-based response that helps people make what is, in my view, a prudential choice. It is a new initiative that we’ve undertaken to address the issue a little bit differently. But again, I’m pro-life.

Answered on Dec 10th, 2008 More
As a one of the President's Special Representatives to the United Nations, what have you done and what can be done during the United States tenure as President of the UN Security Council to help encourage the body to work towards ending the genocide in Darfur. What steps will lead to an end of the genocide?
Asked by: AYL Guest. Received 61 Votes.
Categories: Foreign Policy. Tags: Darfur · Genocide · Sudan · United Nations.

Listen to: U.S. Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX)

Poe: “Myself and Congressman Delahunt from Massachusetts are the two congressional representatives to the UN. And the times we’ve been up there we have met with numerous people about Darfur. Trying to motivate people to do anything other than talk about it. Its been a tough struggle. But we keep the heat on as much as we can. And I just met with numerous ambassadors from other countries and UN officials. The UN mission statement would be first and foremost that we help the Darfurians.

Answered on Dec 10th, 2008 More
Given the fact that in the Spring (& now Winter) Primaries and Caucuses is the ONLY time we get have a say in who we want for US President (the General election in November is to vote for the Electoral College, not the candidate), When do you think the American Voters will Finally get to Vote for a U.S President?
Asked by: D P. from Fort Worth, TX. Received 60 Votes.
Categories: Campaign 2008 · Civil Liberties · Homeland Security · Money & Politics. Tags: voting rights.

Listen to: U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO)

When the Consitution's changed. It's hard to change the constitution. You got to get Congress to pass it by 75 percent, by two-thirds in the Senate and the House. And 75 percent of the states have to go along with it.

Answered on Dec 10th, 2008 More
Why has no one suggested or established price controls for energy products, such as oil or gasoline?
Asked by: Nelson N from Richmond, VA. Received 84 Votes.
Categories: Energy.

Listen to: U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-FL)

Well that’s something that’s going to be, I’m saying as it relates to price controls, but we’re going to be dealing with energy in the upcoming session. We’ve been going step by step on bills with energy. We did a lot of renewable energy in the last session, the 110th Congress. We worked a lot on raising CAFÉ standards.

Answered on Nov 21st, 2008 More
Would you be willing to put limits on usurious rates being charged by credit card companies in order to stimulate consumer spending?
Asked by: Kurt Christensen from Westminster, MD. Received 1 Vote.
Categories: Consumer · Economy · Money & Politics. Tags: consumer lending · economic stimulus · sub-prime loans.

Listen to: U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)

We’ve got to address the problem with debt in this country. The government has to stop running itself on a credit card and Americans need to get out of debt. And the exorbitant interest rates that are charged on these credit cards, I’d love to address because there comes a point where you got to say, at what point does it become loan sharking and the other part a fair and equitable reasonable amount of money to expect a return on the borrowed money, so anything we can do to help people get out of debt in this country should be a priority.

Answered on Nov 21st, 2008 More
Considering the displeasure reportedly voiced by congressionals about Fannie and Freddie golden parachutes for their CEO's when will the elected officials of the government go on Social Security and give up their golden parachutes? Bet Social Security would get fixed last week if this happened.
Asked by: AYL Guest. Received 48 Votes.
Categories: Money & Politics · Taxes. Tags: Public Fleecing.

Listen to: U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

There’s actually been a misconception throughout the country that members of Congress do not get social security. The fact of the matter is members of Congress do get Social Security and we’ve had a debate in this country as people know over the future direction of that program. My view is that it has been one of the most successful programs coming out of the post depression era, trying to make sure that the senior citizens in this country have dignity in retirement, have a source of income during their retirement, at least

Answered on Oct 15th, 2008 More
People find it hard to keep gas in their cars to get to work and keep food and a roof over their family head. Government's more concerned with property owner keeping up properties. Taking them to court if they can't keep it up to their standards people have been working job that have been on short time not week or month but years.
Asked by: kay a. from Calhoun, GA. Received 14 Votes.
Categories: Economy · Ethics. Tags: NO FAITH IN OUR GOVERMENT.

Listen to: U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

Well people are being squeezed economically all over this country.

You see rising gas prices.

Rising food costs, the cost of going to college are higher and higher, which is why it is essential that we provide a student loan program and extend Pell Grant program, but some of these basic costs we need to work hard to try to drive them down over time, which is one of the reasons its so important in the area of energy for example.

Answered on Oct 15th, 2008 More