California Citizens Take on Corrupt Corporate Congressperson 

Dana Rohrabacher

Report from Citizens of California

 Building a coalition to unseat Congressional Rep. Dana Rohrabacher - District #46 - will have held office for 20 years in 2008.  It's an extremely "safe" district for the Republicans and the Democratic Party has written if off.  We want to form a wide-based coalition and connect with existing groups and join forces with other residents and voters. Rohrabacher has a terrible voting record in the healthcare area, war and environment.

We realize that with limited funds, we need to organize hundreds of feet on the ground to go door to door to talk to likely voters throughout this large geographic area (Orange County - Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Seal Beach, Los Alamitos - Los Angeles area - Long Beach, Rolling Hills, Catalina.

We've also started a local campaign to educate voters about Single Payer healthcare and to tie in to Michael Moore's Sicko film.  We began walking precincts last night, spoke to residents and handed out literature (we scored their reaction on a precinct tally sheet for future action).

Let Citizen Congress Watch put you in touch

Background on

Dana Rohrabacher

Pro-War

You know he has been voting pro Iraq War since beginning. Votes in line with Bush Administration.

No need to list all the votes

 Overall contributors making money off Iraq 

Air Transport (companies like Boeing $29,000) total $111,650.

Defense Aerospace $61,011. 

OIL

Vote 40: H R 6: This bill would repeal tax cuts to oil companies and mandate that they pay a fee to remove oil from the Gulf of Mexico. It would also fund renewable energy programs. The act would repeal a tax break that oil and gas firms received in 2004. That break effectively lowered their corporate tax rates. It would also bar oil companies from bidding on new federal leases unless they pay a fee or renegotiate improperly drafted leases from the late ‘90s. Those leases did not require royalty payments on Gulf of Mexico oil production. Oil firms would pay a “conservation fee” for oil taken from the gulf. Voted NO

 Oil and Gas has given him $63,694.

 2004 Miss. Energy 16,500 

Drug and Health Insurance

Vote 23: H R 4: This bill would allow the government to negotiate directly with drug makers for lower prescription drug prices for individuals using Medicare. The bill, which amends the Social Security Act, permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate with drug companies on behalf of private insurers that run the drug benefit program for Medicare. This overturns a 2003 law which made private insurers responsible for these negotiations. The bill would require the secretary of Health and Human Services to lead negotiations and report back to Congress in six months. Even with this new legislation in place, pharmaceutical companies are not mandated to lower their prices. The House swiftly passed the bill on Jan. 12, 2007, by a vote of 255-170, with 24 Republicans joining House Democrats. A companion bill has not been offered in the Senate. A similar Senate bill allows the government to negotiate with drug makers in some instances. Voted NO

 Over all Pharmaceuticals $40,785.

 2004 race Insurance $7,500---  

Labor and the Working Class

Vote 18: H R 2: This bill would increase the federal minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour over two years. It would increase the minimum wage in three increments. Sixty days after enactment, the minimum wage is to be raised to $5.85. A year after that it will be $6.55, and a year after that it will be $7.25. This is the first change to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 since 1997 when the federal minimum wage was increased from $4.75 to $5.15 an hour. The bill also applies the federal minimum wage to the North Mariana Islands, a territory of the United States. The legislation passed in the House on Jan. 10, 2007, with a vote of 315-116. Every House Democrat voted in favor of the proposal along with 82 Republicans. The Senate version has been stalled because President Bush recommended that tax cuts for small businesses be added to the bill. Senate Democrats lost a 54-43 cloture vote on Jan. 24, 2007 to pass the legislation without tax cuts. The Senate bill now includes $8.3 million in tax breaks even though House Democrats argue constitutional precedents require that tax legislation originate in the House, according to The Washington Post. If the Senate passes its version of the bill, both the chambers will have to reconcile their differences between the two versions.

Voted NO

 Vote 443: H R 3045: Established a free trade zone between the United States, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua; a separate agreement with the Dominican Republican was also included in the measure. Voted YES 

Torture

Vote 630: H R 2863: Supported a ban on cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of detainees held by U.S. forces and to requires the military to follow the Army field manual for interrogations. Voted NO 

Pro Development Anti-Environmental

Vote 506: H R 3824: Would have forced the government to compensate property owners if development plans were stymied by attempts to protect endangered species and would have given political appointees more power to make decisions about which species and areas would be subject to government intervention aimed at protecting plant and wildlife. Voted YES

 Top over all segment contributor Real Estate $163,365

Top 20 Home builders $35,600. 

Vote 445: H R 6: Offered tax breaks and incentives in what supporters said was an effort to spur oil and gas companies to provide innovative ways to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil, conserve resources and reduce pollution. Voted NO

 Automotive $88,000.  

Invasion of Privacy

Vote 502: H R 5825: Electronic Surveillance Modernization Act Voted YES