Dump Mike Ferguson (NJ7)

At the anti-abortion rally in Washington DC last February, Mike Ferguson's speech included a subtle call for the "nuclear option" whereby the Senate Republicans would eliminate the Democrats' ability to filibuster a judicial appointment by President Bush. From the Right to Life website, part of Mike's speech:

But all of these legislative victories are threatened by activist judges and courts that are undermining the will of the American majority who value human life.

That's why we must continue to support the president and his judicial nominees. And we must tell the United States Senate that their days of obstruction must end.

Even though Republicans have used the filibuster against Democratic judicial nominees -- including a Supreme Court nominee in 1968 and one Frist participated in himself to filibuster Clinton appointee Marsha Berzon for U.S. Circuit judge -- they want to deny that right to the current minority.

By the way, I will be participating in the Princeton Frist Filibuster at Princeton University at 6 p.m. or so tonight. Hope to see you there!

Posted by admin at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo has a copy of a letter from Mike Ferguson to a constituent about a rule change the House Republican Conference made last year. The rule, later overturned in embarrassment, removed a stipulation that any Republican in a House leadership position had to step down if they were indicted for a felony.

It was specifically targeted to protecting Republican majority leader Tom Delay, who is under threat of indictment for various state and federal campaign finance law violations in Texas. Tom Delay is also a major financial contributor to Republican House campaigns through his ARMPAC, and Mike Ferguson is his biggest recipient at more than $53,000 in just five years.

In the letter -- which you can read by clicking the small version above -- Mike Ferguson does some spinning to try to portray this weakening of House Republican ethics rules as a good thing.

The old rule, as stated above, said that any leader who was indicted of a felony would have to automatically step down. The new rule, Mike suggests, creates a "special panel to determine whether a committee chairman or an elected leader of the [Republican] Conference can remain in that position if they have been indicted on a felony charge."

So it went from an automatic loss of position to going in front of a special panel made up of Republicans. That is weaker ethics, not stronger. But it gets better:

The new rule also requires an elected leader or committee chairman who has been convicted of a felony to immediately step down, a provision that did not exist in the previous rules. [emphasis added]

The reason that provision didn't exist is that indictments come before convictions, so under the previous rules there would have been no possibility of a chair or leader being convicted of a felony. They would have lost their position already! But Mike is hoping that we don't know that, and will be impressed with this weakening of ethics laws.

Finally, though, is an outright misappropriation of fact in the letter that should not be allowed to pass.

The Conference -- which is comprised of all 231 Republican members of the House in the 109th Congress (2005-2006) -- unanimously approved a change in its rules that relate to its elected leaders and committee chairman.[emphasis added]

This is simply untrue. Chris Shays (R-CT) voted against the rule, and was proud to say so. So did Zach Wamp (R-TN). And Ray LaHood (R-IL). In fact, the Associated Press reported that between 30 and 50 Republicans opposes the rule.

Contact Mike Ferguson on his website or by calling his office at 908-757-7835 and ask him why he wanted to spin his constituents into thinking that lowering the ethical standards is actually a good thing. And ask him if he lowered his own ethical standards when he said that the rule change was unanimous.

Send the answer you get to dumpmike@gmail.com or post it in the comments below.

Also, write a letter to the editor to the Courier News at letters@c-n.com, the Home News Tribune at letters@thnt.com, or the Star Ledger at eletters@starledger.com.

Posted by admin at 06:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

MTBE is a gasoline additive used to reduce pollution, but unfortunately it is also a groundwater and air pollutant in its own right. The federal government did require that additives like MTBE be included in gasoline in the 1990 Clean Air Act to reduce C0 emissions. The issue, however, is not MTBE in the gasoline but MTBE in the groundwater.

The oil industry has lobbied for years to get an exemption from lawsuits stemming from environmental destruction and human illnesses generated by MTBE in the drinking water.

There are hundreds of lawsuits right now from water companies and public utilities that simply demand that the oil companies clean up their own pollution. Included in that list are Elizabethtown Water and New Jersey American Water Company which provide water to much of Mike Ferguson's 7th Congressional District.

Yet twice last week Mike Ferguson voted (roll calls 129 and 132) and to give the polluters blanket immunity against lawsuits forcing them to clean up the MTBE, and in effect passed that cost on to local water companies and public utilities. And we all know that means we will be paying more for water in order to pick up the cost for the polluters.

This from a candidate who presents himself as "fighting to ensure our drinking water is safe from ... harmful contaminants" and "a strong champion of protecting the environment."

It seems that Candidate Ferguson and Congressman Ferguson have two different ideologies and voting records. Maybe the reason is that Mike Ferguson is the number one recipient of money from Texas Congressman Tom Delay, and it was Delay who inserted this language in the energy bill.

Contact Mike Ferguson on his website or by calling his office at 908-757-7835 and ask him why he thinks the residents of the 7th Congressional District should pay to clean up pollution we didn't create.

Send the answer you get to dumpmike@gmail.com or post it in the comments below.

Also, write a letter to the editor to the Courier News at letters@c-n.com, the Home News Tribune at letters@thnt.com, or the Star Ledger at eletters@starledger.com.

Posted by admin at 07:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's what Mike Ferguson wrote on his campaign website:

Congressman Ferguson has twice voted to ban oil drilling in ANWR. Groups from the Sierra Club to the National Wildlife Federation congratulated Congressman Ferguson for voting to block ANWR drilling. [snip]

Although protecting ANWR is a national priority, Congressman Ferguson also opposed oil exploration elsewhere in the country.

Here's what Mike Ferguson voted to pass as part of the energy bill [H.R. 6] that passed on April 21, 2005.

(10) According to published scientific, technical, and economic reports, the three contiguous North American countries have the resource base and technical ability to increase production of oil by at least 15 Mmbbl/d by 2025 and 20 Mmbbl/d by 2030 even before increases in coal liquifaction, biofuels, gas-to-liquids, and other methods of creating liquid substitutes for crude oil and crude oil products.

(11) This increase in North American oil production would be derived from a variety of resources including, among others--

(A) the United States oil shale resource base (2 trillion barrels of oil in place out of 2.6 trillion in the world) believed to be capable of eventually producing 10 Mmbbl/d for more than 100 years;
(B) the Canadian Alberta oil sands resource base (1.7 trillion barrels of oil in place), also believed to be capable of eventually producing 10 Mmbbl/d for more than 100 years;
(C) the United States heavy oil resource base (80 billion barrels of oil in place);
(D) the remaining 400 billion barrels of conventional oil in place in the United States of which 60 billion barrels are potentially producible with advanced CO2 enhanced oil recovery technology;
(E) the United States oil sands resource base of 54 billion barrels of oil in place;
(F) the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain area (ANWR) with a mean technically recoverable resource of more than 10 billion barrels of oil;
(G) the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) with a mean technically recoverable resource of 9.3 billion barrels of oil;
(H) the 12-18 billion barrels of oil likely to be producible in the Canadian Atlantic offshore;
(I) the extensive resources of the Canadian Arctic onshore and offshore;
(J) the extensive resources in the Alaskan Arctic offshore and the outer Continental Shelf offshore the lower-48 United States;

I guess protecting ANWR in April after an election is not as important as it was in the October before an election.

In fairness, Mike did vote for an amendment removing ANWR drilling from the bill on Wednesday. But by voting for the energy bill he voted for drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Regufe and offshore in Alaska.

Posted by admin at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

According to Mike's campaign website, Mike "voted to increase the average fuel economy standard (CAFE) for cars and SUVs" and "In New Jersey, protecting the environment is a bipartisan issue." Well, it appears he is not part of the bipartisan coalition.

Maybe someone on his campaign staff can explain why Mike Ferguson voted no on a common sense amendment to the energy bill on March 20th, 2005 that would have simply directed the Secretary of Transportation to "increase fuel economy standards from today's average of 25 miles/gallon to 33 miles/gallon over 10 years."

This would have cut our gasoline use by 10 percent through 2015, and even more after it was fully phased in. That's a lot of money saved, pollution avoided and terrorists defunded.

Four of New Jersey's Republican members of Congress -- Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ11-), Frank LoBiondo (NJ-2), Jim Saxton (NJ-3), and Chris Smith (NJ-4) -- joined all seven Democratic members of Congress to vote in favor of increasing fuel efficiency standards. Only Mike Ferguson and Scott Garrett (NJ-5) voted against them.

New Jersey has some of the worst air in the country, and not just a little of the cause of that are all the cars on our highways. Our asthma rates for children are skyrocketing in cities and in suburban areas like the 7th district.

Gasoline profits in middle eastern countries are funding terrorism, and our dependence on that oil is a major risk to our homeland security.

And gas prices at one station on my way in to work today were at $2.35 a gallon for medium grade gas, putting a major crimp in the wallet of middle class commuters as they try to make ends meet.

Contact Mike Ferguson on his website or by calling his office at 908-757-7835 and ask him why he went against eleven of New Jersey's 13 members of Congress to ensure cars and SUVs with low fuel efficiency continue to clog the street and highways of the Garden State.

Send the answer you get to dumpmike@gmail.com or post it in the comments below.

Also, write a letter to the editor to the Courier News at letters@c-n.com, the Home News Tribune at letters@thnt.com, or the Star Ledger at eletters@starledger.com.

Posted by admin at 05:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From the April 11th issue of Roll Call (sorry, no link -- subscription only), a major fundraiser for Mike Ferguson and others "retires" to become a Washington K Street lobbyist.

Retiring the Tin Cup. Matt Keelen has traded his tin cup for a pair of loafers, so to speak. Eager to escape the drudgery of campaign finance for the weighty world of policy, the longtime fundraiser left his firm, Keelen Communications, earlier this year to join the lobbying shop of Valis Associates.

"As a fundraiser, you fuel the engine but you never get to steer the car," he said. "I wanted to get more into issues."

And while Keelen has no Capitol Hill experience, he's got access galore, thanks to raising more than $60 million for Republican Congressional candidates, including Reps. Chris Chocola (Ind.), Mike Ferguson (N.J.), Mark Kirk (Ill.) and Tom Reynolds (N.Y.), and Sens. George Allen (Va.), Jim DeMint (S.C.), Rick Santorum (Pa.) and Jim Talent (Mo.).

As a lobbyist, he's not completely free of the fundraising grind: Now, he said, he has to write checks. "I'm sure other fundraisers are having fun at my expense," he said. "I'm sure they've got copies of my checks stapled to the wall."

I wonder what $60 million will buy a guy these days?

Posted by admin at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

If you ask people for a defining characteristic of the Republican Party many would say that the GOP wants state governments to have the power to make their own decisions, and for the federal government to have less.

Mike Ferguson, apparently, is not that kind of Republican. In fact, in a state where our shoreline is a major source of fun, business and state revenue Mike wants to take away New Jersey's right to determine what gets built in our ocean.

The energy bill on the House floor this week proposes to expand gas and oil production, but critics warn it would limit states' rights to determine their own environmental futures.

Among the shifts in power: The federal government would gain the power to approve giant liquefied natural gas terminals off the coasts, over state objections. [snip]

Rep. Mike Ferguson, a fellow Republican from nearby New Jersey, supports increasing federal authority, and says states would continue to hold some regulatory oversight of these facilities.

"Federal pre-emption for siting is necessary to ensure the highest safety and security for LNG terminals," Ferguson said.

Interestingly, the Congressman who sponsored the amendment that would give the federal government more control over the Jersey shore is Lee Terry of Nebraska. The last time we looked, Nebraska doesn't have any oceanfront property.

Contact Mike Ferguson on his website or by calling his office at 908-757-7835 and ask him why he thinks the federal government should be able to tell New Jersey what to do with its shorelines.

Send the answer you get to dumpmike@gmail.com or post it in the comments below.

You can also write to the Courier News and ask them why this story appeared in it's sister paper the Asbury Park Press (which doesn't publish in the 7th District) but not in the Courier News (which is in the heart of the 7th District). Their e-mail address is letters@c-n.com.

Posted by admin at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's well known that Mike Ferguson's largest benefactors are in the pharmaceutical industry. In fact, between 1999 and 2003 he was the House's largest recipient of drug money at $275,000. He first won his seat in Congress illegally using a half million dollars given to him by his father who made his money as pharmaceutical industry consultant, and the money continues to flow.

What isn't as well known is that Mike has repeatedly voted to protect pharmaceutical profits over the interests of his own constituents who purchase prescription drugs.

On July 25, November 18 and November 22, 2003, Mike voted to deny American citizens cheaper drugs the ability to import them from Canada. He did it again on November 18, 2003. No one has ever shown that any prescriptions filled in Canada have killed, maimed or injured any Canadians, but the Republican majority in Congress said they were worried about safety issues.

According to USA Today, some pills cost more than 30 percent less in Canada than the United States, even though they are the same brands manufactured by the same companies as here in the United States. There's no difference at all in these pills, and no safety issue.

The only difference in that Mike Ferguson's sick constituents would pay less for their needed medicine, and Mike Ferguson's donors would make lower profits.

On October 2, 2002, Mike Ferguson voted to kill a sense of the house resolution which would have pushed for faster approval of generic drugs for market entry. Generic drugs are considered to be identical to name-brand drugs in terms of efficacy and side-effects, but are significantly cheaper for the patient.

Contact Mike Ferguson on his website or by calling his office at 908-757-7835 and ask him how he can deny people the right to purchase needed drugs at a lower price.

Send the answer you get to dumpmike@gmail.com or post it in the comments below.

Posted by admin at 06:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

From The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee come Tom Delay's House of Scandal. Here is their info on how Mike Ferguson' place in the house.

Just how tangled up in Tom DeLay's House of Scandal is Mike Ferguson?

Mike Ferguson has taken $52,403 from Tom DeLay's ARMPAC. No surprise that Ferguson voted with Tom DeLay 91% of the time between Jan. 1 2004 and March 31 2005.
Is this the kind of government-for-hire that working families deserve?

Mike Ferguson voted to weaken the ethics rules in a move that many say served only to protect Tom DeLay?
Does the integrity of the House mean so little that Mike Ferguson would sacrifice it to defend Tom DeLay?

When Democrats offered a solution to clean up the House by strengthening ethics rules, Mike Ferguson voted to make sure it never even came to an up or down vote.
So instead of a bipartisan effort to get government working for Americans, Mike Ferguson stood for cronyism and partisan politics.

Mike Ferguson voted to allow DeLay to continue serving as Leader even if he is indicted.
Is Tom DeLay's behavior the kind of leadership that should be REWARDED, not punished?

1	Contributions from ARMPAC: www.tray.com	$52,403
2	Voting percentage with DeLay: caluclated through: www.cq.com	91%
3	Vote to weaken ethics rules: H Res. 5, Roll Call #6, 1/4/05	YES
4	Vote to table Democratic solution: H. Res. 153, Roll Call #70, 3/15/05	YES
5	Closed door indictment rule vote: http://www.pcactionfund.org/votecount/dr.htm	YES

Posted by admin at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

UPDATE: Tickets are only available from Congressman Saxton at (609) 261-5800, Congressman Smith at (609) 585-7878, and Congressman LoBiondo at (609) 625-5008. All of these are Republican Congressmen who represent Burlington County. Rob Andrews, a Democrat who represents three towns and seven percent of Burlington did not get any tickets.

Wonder why not? After all, this is paid for with tax dollars, and Democrats pay taxes, too.

Dick Cheney is coming to New Jersey on Friday for another staged event in support of the Bush Social Security Tour.

A friend of mine, Mitch, called the White House to see if he could get tickets. Mitch was told that New Jersey members of the House of Representatives had tickets.

Being a go-getter, Mitch then Called Congressman Pallone's office and was told that they had no tickets. Only Republican Congress members got tickets.

If true, this means that our tax dollars are being used for a wholly partisan event that is intentionally excluding Democratic constituencies. We've seen this before -- including with Mike Ferguson earlier this year -- and this would be additional evidence.

I want to find out if this is true. Please call every Congressman -- Democratic and Republican -- in the state (numbers below) and ask them if they have any tickets for Vice President Dick Cheney's event on Friday. If they do not, ask them if they are out or if there are more coming.

Please send the response you get to dumpmike@gmail.com or put it in the comments section below.

Rep. Robert Andrews (D-01) (856) 546-5100
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-02) (609) 625-5008
Rep. Jim Saxton (R-03) (609) 261-5800
Rep. Christopher Smith (R-04) (609) 585-7878
Rep. Scott Garrett (R-05) (201) 712-0330
Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-06) (732) 571-1140
Rep. Michael Ferguson (R-07) (908) 686-5576
Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-08) (973) 523-5152
Rep. Steven Rothman (D-09) (201) 646-0808
Rep. Donald Payne (D-10) (973) 645-3213
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11) (973) 984-0711
Rep. Rush Holt (D-12) (609) 750-9365
Rep. Robert Menendez (D-13) (201) 222-2828

Posted by admin at 06:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Republican Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay is currently under an ethical cloud. Three of his closest fundraising associates that run DeLay's political action committees were indicted last fall, and revelations are appearing in the national media that Tom accepted free golf trips to Russia, Britain, and Asia from lobbyists asking for his vote. Some of these lobbyists represented foreign governments.

In 2000, Delay returned the favor by flying 30 lobbyists to Las Vegas for a big weekend geared at raising money for his political action committees.

DeLay was also rebuked three times by the House ethics committee last fall for violating Congressional rules. As majority leader, DeLay used his power this winter to remove the ethics committee Republicans who voted to rebuke him.

Why is this going on a blog about New Jersey Congressman Mike Ferguson? Because Mike has accepted $42,403 from Tom DeLay's various PACs in the past five years. That's more money than any other Congressman has received from Delay.

Last Fall, Mike Ferguson supported the Republican Caucus rules to help Tom DeLay keep his leadership post in the House of Representatives. He also supported changing the membership of the ethics committee this winter. As DeLay's largest beneficiary over the past five years, Mike appears to be supporting his good friend with his votes.

Mike Ferguson can demonstrate his independence and show he is working for the people of the 7th district more than a Texas Republican by returning the money today.

Contact Mike Ferguson on his website or by calling his office at 908-757-7835 and ask him to return Tom DeLay's $42,403.

Send the answer you get to dumpmike@gmail.com or post it in the comments below.

You can also send letters to the editor demanding that Mike return Tom DeLay's money to the following papers via e-mail, if you like:

Courier News: cnletter@c-n.com
Star Ledger: eletters@starledger.com

Posted by admin at 07:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We've all seen these ads on the TV for rent to own companies where you can get a big-screen TV, new stove or furniture for what seems like a negligible monthly price. It seems like a good deal, but it could turn into a nightmare for many consumers.

Let's say you went out and got some furniture and that big screen TV from rent to own place just in time for the big game. You and your friends are sitting on your rented couch watching the Yankees beating up on the Red Sox for a series sweep when you start smelling smoke. You look out the window and the neighbor's house is on fire.

Of course, you and your friends pick up some stuff – maybe a beer and some chips – and get the heck out of your house for safety just to be sure you don't get burnt or smoked out. Unfortunately, the fire department is unable to keep the fire from spreading, and it gets into your apartment, tearing through the couch and destroying the TV you're in the first month of a two year rental agreement for.

Who should be responsible for the damage? Mike Ferguson thinks you should be!

That's right, even though the fire wasn't your fault Mike Ferguson thinks that the current laws allowing rent-to-own companies to hold you liable for damage you did not cause are just fine the way they are. He voted against a measure on September 18, 2002 that would have allowed merchants to hold customers liable only if the renter intentionally damaged the item or was negligent in protecting it from harm.

It's just yet another example of Mike Ferguson refusing to look out for working families who get caught up in predatory renting and lending policies.

Contact Mike Ferguson on his website or by calling his office at 908-757-7835 and ask him why he thinks his constituents should be responsible for damages that are not their fault.

Send the answer you get to dumpmike@gmail.com or post it in the comments below.

Posted by admin at 07:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Somerset County Democratic Organization is having its annual nominating convention this Saturday where we will select our candidates for Governor; Assembly in the 16th, 17th, 21st and 22nd districts; Freeholder and Surrogate and maybe a couple more I forgot.

Only County Committee members can nominate or vote, but all Somerset County Democrats are encouraged to attend.

Somerset Democratic Nominating Convention
Saturday, April 9, 2005, 10:00 am
Manville VFW Hall
600 WASHINGTON AVENUE
MANVILLE, NEW JERSEY 08835.
908-725-2290

Thanks!

Posted by admin at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On March 19, 2003 Mike Ferguson voted against an amendment to bankruptcy "reform" legislation that would have forced companies going into bankruptcy to file in a court with jurisdiction over the locality where they primarily did business.

Unlike individuals, businesses can "venue shop" for the court that is most friendly to their claims, and also one that is far away from their creditors and the people they do business with. "Venue shopping" is used to shield businesses from having to pay their debts, and also to make it harder for people and other businesses with legitimate claims to go to court against the bankrupt business.

Individuals, however, have to file where they live. If the judges there are not sympathetic to bankruptcy then the individual is simply out of luck. It's yet another situation where an artificial entity is given more rights than an American citizen by Congress.

Mike Ferguson could have stood up and said that a debt is a debt, and if anyone -- a business or a person -- needs bankruptcy protection to settle their debts they have to use the same rules. But Mike once again stood against working families just trying to make a living.

Intersetingly, Mike Ferguson is a cosponsor of H.R. 420 which was submitted to the Congress on January 26, 2005 that specifically mentions venue shopping. Once again, it forbids an American citizen filing suit from looking for the best court in a personal injury lawsuit and requires them to file in the state and county where the injury happened.

So Mike is happy to let failed businesses venue shop for the best court to help their case, but if you are hurt due to a negligent manufacturer you are forced to file your case where you were hurt.

Contact Mike Ferguson on his website or by calling his office at 908-757-7835 and ask him why he wants to have different rules for failed businesses than for injured Americans.

Send the answer you get to dumpmike@gmail.com or post it in the comments below.

Posted by admin at 06:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In 2003, both the House and Senate passed legislation to extend the child tax credit from $600 to $1000 for low income families. This was a tax cut that went to people who needed it, and would spend it quickly to put the money to work in the economy.

The Senate version allowed for this tax credit to take effect immediately, but the House version delayed its implementation. Because the two versions differed, a conference committee between the Senate and House was called.

Democrats in the House wanted to ensure that the tax credit took effect immediately, and that no additional tax breaks for higher income people beyond those that had already passed earlier in the year. They proposed a resolution that would instruct the House members of the conference committee to support these two goals.

On 14 separate occasions, the Democrats put up this effort to help poor families with children, and 12 consecutive times from July 25 to November 6, 2003 Mike Ferguson voted NO.

The other two times? Mike missed the vote.

Roll Call 396 -- July 18, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson was Absent
Roll Call 398 -- July 23, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson was Absent
Roll Call 446 -- July 25, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson voted No
Roll Call 447 -- July 25, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson voted No
Roll Call 449 -- July 25, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson voted No
Roll Call 477 -- September 5, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson voted No
Roll Call 493 -- September 10, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson voted No
Roll Call 501 -- September 10, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson voted No
Roll Call 509 -- September 23, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson voted No
Roll Call 525 -- September 30, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson voted No
Roll Call 529 -- October 1, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson voted No
Roll Call 541 -- October 15, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson voted No
Roll Call 572 -- October 28, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson voted No
Roll Call 614 -- November 6, 2003 -- Mike Ferguson voted No

Posted by admin at 07:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)