Dump Mike Ferguson (NJ7)

The following letter was published in the March 31, 2006 Courier News:

Writer wrong on Rep. Ferguson

To the writer Matthew Moench, who naively boasts, "Republicans and Mike Ferguson want smaller government," I must ask the following question: Huh?

Bush has presided over the largest overall increase in federal government spending in 30 years. Total government spending grew by 33 percent during Bush's first term. The Republican Congress, along with Mike Ferguson's loyal support, has enthusiastically assisted this budget bloat. These are the hard facts provided by the Congressional Budget Office.

So I ask Moench: What is the source of your inaccurate claim? Is it Mike Ferguson's Web site? Or is it Rush Limbaugh's radio show? Or do you just make this stuff up?

JOSH SWEENY
Bridgewater

Posted by admin at 06:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Congressman Mike Ferguson has a long line of convicted felons who have contributed to his campaigns, and today he adds another: former Tom DeLay staffer Tony Rudy, a principal of the now closed Alexander Strategies Group lobbying firm. Since 2004, Ferguson has accepted $3000 from Tony Rudy. The most recent contribution was $1,000 on September 30, 2005 at a fundraiser run by Alexander Strategies

Tony Rudy is expected to plead guilty today to conspiracy and other charges related to the bribery and influence peddling of arch-lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Rudy was named as "Staffer A" in Abramoff's plea agreement earlier this year:

In Abramoff's plea agreement, a congressional aide identified as "Staffer A" is actually DeLay's former deputy chief of staff Tony Rudy. According to the Feds, Staffer A, while working for DeLay, helped Abramoff stop legislation that would have prohibited Internet gambling. Two of Abramoff's clients, eLottery, a Connecticut firm that provides Internet services to state lotteries, and the Choctaw Indians, who own casinos in Mississippi, benefited from DeLay's action. In return, the government charges, Staffer A's wife was paid $50,000 through a nonprofit group. (Rudy went to work for Abramoff as a lobbyist in 2001; he did not return phone calls.)

Yesterday, Mike Ferguson voted to block a House ethics inquiry into possible corruption of House members by Jack Abramoff.

Bloomberg reports that Rudy's plea will bring the scandal one step closer to Tom DeLay, a major benefactor for Congressman Ferguson:

Former congressional staffer Tony Rudy has agreed to plead guilty in a case stemming from the corruption probe of lobbyist Jack Abramoff, bringing the scandal closer to the door of his one-time boss, Representative Tom DeLay. ...

Rudy most recently was a partner in the now-defunct Alexander Strategy Group, a Washington lobbying firm that relied on its ties to DeLay to win business. DeLay, a Texas Republican, served as House majority leader until he was indicted in a separate campaign-fundraising abuse case last year.

Ferguson has received more than $54,000 from Tom DeLay and his releated political action committees, and close to $200,000 from fundraisers organized and coordinated by DeLay and his employees.

Blue 7th PAC is calling for Mike Ferguson to immediatly return or donate to charity the money he has received from Tony Rudy, and to explain how so many of his contributors are being convicted of illegally influencing members of Congress. Furthermore, since the evidence continues to mount that the corruption of Jack Abramoff, Adam Kidan, Tony Rudy and others are all connected to Tom DeLay, Blue 7th calls on Ferguson to immediately return or donate to charity the campaign cash he has received from Tom DeLay.

Contact Mike Ferguson at either his Washington office is (202) 225-5361 or his Warren office is (908) 757-7835 and tell him to stop taking money from lobbyists and polticians intent on corrupting our government.

UPDATE: Read the charging document, thanks to Talking Points Memo!

Posted by admin at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by admin at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congressman Mike Ferguson voted today to block an ethics inquiry into House members who have been implicated in the Jack Abramoff scandal. Though federal prosecutors have linked Abramoff to at least one member of the House in their plea agreement with Abramoff, Ferguson voted with the Republican majority to protect potentially corrup colleagues from being investigated.

The resolution by Nancy Pelosi resolved the following:

RESOLVED, That the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct shall immediately initiate an investigation of the misconduct by Members of Congress and their staff implicated in the scandals associated with Mr. Jack Abramoff's criminal activity.

This is not a radical position to take, but a sensible one if you want to root out corruption in the House of Representatives. However, if you want to protect your own corrupt colleagues a vote to block the inquiry makes perfect sense.

This is not the first time Ferguson has voted to block ethics inquiries or rules. After his reelection in 2004, Ferguson voted to weaken Republican Caucus ethics rules to allow his benefactor Tom DeLay to maintain his leadership post even if DeLay were indicted.

In January 2005 Ferguson voted to weaken House ethics rules, and to remove Republican members who had rebuked Tom DeLay for ethics violations the previous fall.

If any members of Congress have been corrupted by Jack Abramoff, the best way to unearth the corruption would be to have the ethics committee meet and research the facts. Members who are not guilty will be exonerated, but those who -- like Randy "Duke" Cunningham -- have accepted bribes and given out favors to contributors should be caught and removed from office.

However, the Culture of Corruption so pervades the Washington leadership that they refuse to even investigate, much less remove corrupt members.

Call Mike Ferguson and tell him that you want an investigation into members who are accused of being involved in corruption instead of representing the American people. His Washington office is (202) 225-5361 and his Warren office is (908) 757-7835.

Posted by admin at 02:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This letter was published in the March 27, 2006 Courier News.

Ferguson's record far from favorable

Nancy Singer, in her recent letter to the Courier News, has accused me of being inaccurate and unfair in my criticism of Congressman Mike Ferguson.

I have very carefully checked not Mike Ferguson's Web site as she suggested, but the Congressional Record, which I believe is impartial.

There, I find that on April 21, 2005, Mike Ferguson voted "Yes" on H.R. 6, which stated in item F that 10 billion barrels of oil could be obtained from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain Area and in item G that 9.3 billion barrels of oil could be obtained from the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

Mr. Ferguson, on June 15, 2004, voted "Yes" on H.R. 4503 to allow building a pipeline through the environmentally sensitive North Slope region of Alaska. This is the same place where 267,000 gallons of oil spilled due to a pipeline break on March 10, 2006. This spill is many times larger than the 38,000-gallon spill caused by the Exxon Valdez.

On April 11, 2003, Mr. Ferguson voted "Yes" on H.R. 6, which, in part, allowed oil drilling in ANWAR. On Nov. 18, 2003, Mr. Ferguson again voted "Yes" on H.R. 6, which again in part allowed oil drilling in ANWAR. On Aug. 2, 2001, Mr. Ferguson voted "Yes" on H.R. 4, which in part allowed oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to expand domestic energy sources.

My conclusion that Mr. Ferguson is not particularly environmentally friendly is supported by noting that in 2005, the American Wilderness Coalition gave him a grade of 33 percent, the Defenders of Wildlife also graded him at 33 percent and the League of Conservation Voters graded him at 17 percent. In 2004, the League of Conservation Voters graded him at 35 percent, and in 2003 it graded him at 30 percent.

Addressing the second area of Ms. Singer's criticism, Mr. Ferguson's tardy response to the Dubai Ports issue: Consulting the timeline as listed by CNN, I note that on Feb. 14, 2006, Charles Schumer notices and the New York Post condemned the acquisition. On Feb. 17, seven U.S. senators, including Hillary Clinton and Robert Menendez, called for a review of the acquisition and introduced legislation to block the sale.

On Feb. 18, Rep. Frank LoBiondo promised legislation requiring port security officials to be U.S. citizens. On Feb. 19, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff defended the deal, and on Feb. 21, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert called for the administration to stop the deal promising legislation.

Rep. Mike Ferguson, reacting with lightning speed, then said he would support legislation blocking the deal.

LOIS RIGGS
Branchburg

Posted by admin at 07:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today Rahm Emmanuel of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is coming to New Jersey for an event with Mike Ferguson's opponent, Linda Stender. The visit made the Sunday Chicago Tribune and the wires.

As state Rep. Linda Stender tries to oust Republican Rep. Michael Ferguson from his congressional seat representing north-central New Jersey, she hopes the promise of embryonic stem cell research, and Ferguson's opposition to it, gives her a distinct advantage.

"If you know anybody who suffers from diabetes or Alzheimer's or has had a spinal cord injury, I think that you want to see a cure," Stender, a self-described "progressive," said in an interview. "There are people in my family that have been affected by terrible diseases. And I choose to put my faith in science to find a cure, and the promise of a cure appears to be in stem cell research."

Ferguson, a strong opponent of abortion, is clear in his opposition to stem cell research for moral reasons. But he insists he always has been a champion of medical and biotechnology research _issues important to the sizeable health care industry in his district_during his five years on Capitol Hill.

"I just think efforts to politicize this issue are misguided and will ultimately be unsuccessful, and that's because of my very strong record in field of health care," Ferguson said. He said his mother survived bone marrow cancer for six years thanks to scientific advances.

Posted by admin at 06:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last month we noted that the League of Conservation Voters, a group that had endorsed Rep. Mike Ferguson in 2002, now rates him as one of the worst environmental members of the House with a 17 percent rating. His first year rating of 71 percent appears to be an aberation, since he has never had a positive score since.

Now we find that LCV is not alone. The NJ Public Interest Research Group scorecard for 2005 is out, and Ferguson receives only a 29 percent score. His lifetime score is just 34 percent.

Posted by admin at 06:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

PoliticsNJ.com has a comprehensive story on the early rounds of the race between Linda Stender and Mike Fergsuon.

Here's the lede of "Stender takes gloves off in race against Ferguson":

The Democratic candidate for Congress in the seventh district, Assemblywoman Linda Stender, is shifting focus from capturing party support to challenge three-term Rep. Michael Ferguson to capturing the support of independent voters for her November General Election.

How she's doing it, however, is raising eyebrows from not only her Republican opponent, but also independent observers.

Even since clearing the primary field, the Union County Democrat has continued to campaign on a self-described "progressive" course. At an event earlier this month sponsored by Howard Dean's 'Democracy For America', Stender was quoted as being in support of starting impeachment proceedings against President Bush.

"After the vote in 2007 to elect Nancy Pelosi Speaker, the next vote should be on impeachment," Stender said.

Posted by admin at 07:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Assemblywoman Linda Stender has launched her campaign web site. They are looking for input, so stop by.

Posted by admin at 06:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congressman Mike Ferguson was an avid supporter of the Medicare Part D prescription plan when the bill passed back in 2003 after much arm-twisting by Republican leaders in the House and intentional misstatement of the true costs by the White House.

The implementation of the plan has been disasterous, with many seniors who signed up for plans not being entered in the system and unable to get the drugs their doctors prescribed, "being turned away or overcharged at pharmacies, prompting more than a dozen states to declare health emergencies and pay for their life-saving medicines." Throughout the country, participation in the plan is significantly below expectations because of the confusing and often incomprehensible number of plan choices.

On March 10, the Courier-Post reported that the State of New Jersey has stepped in to protect its seniors from being overcharged and denied needed drugs to the tune of $150 million. That's your state tax dollars being used to pay for a federal program that is not working properly, and the federal government is refusing to help out.

Despite the difficulty, however, the Bush administration's chief Medicare officer, Mark McClellan, opposes efforts by Congress to give seniors more time to wade through the prescription benefit information. McClellan also doesn't think now is the time to fully reimburse states that have paid to continue prescriptions for low-income seniors during the early months of the program.

McClellan said he wants his agency to work out the kinks in the prescription program before any reforms are made.

McClellan refuses to help seniors who are confused about the program get more time to understand it and make the right choices. McClellan refuses to pay for the program he administers, forcing New Jersey taxpayers to foot the bill for his mistakes.

Now, a strong representative from New Jersey who is Vice Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Health would be outraged that his state was being treated this way, that the seniors in his district are being denied needed medicine and overcharged for prescriptions. A strong representative who cared more about his constituents than his political bosses would take the opporuntiy to question McClellan on the Bush administration's failure to implement this program in a competent way to demand answers to what when wrong.

Mike Ferguson is Vice Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Health, and on March 1, 2006 McClellan testified to that very committee. Ferguson asked McClellan why niacin is being taken off the list of covered medicines. Not one word about the problems of implementation. Well, he did say this:

"I appreciate the great work you've done on the implementation of this program."

Kind of reminiscent of President George Bush reviewing the disasterous and incompetent response of FEMA to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the surrounding states, then turning to his incompetent FEMA Director Michael Brown and saying, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

Posted by admin at 07:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This letter to the editor was published in the Saturday, March 11 2006 Courier News:

Ferguson's missteps outweigh achievements

To letter writers Mr. Gwiazdowski (Feb. 23) and Mr. Lipani (Feb. 26), I say this: Yes, it is good that Hillsborough's mercury may be removed, if Nevada will actually take it. That still remains to be seen.

When a congressman finally, after five years in office, gets something done that affects your own backyard, it is natural to feel grateful. However, I would challenge you to look beyond your own backyard and consider other actions Mike Ferguson has taken that aren't so worthy of praise.

Did you know that in his vote to approve President Bush's new budget, he essentially is saying yes to deep cuts in farm subsidies, the receipt of which can make the difference in surviving or not for many small family farms in New Jersey?

During the next five years, Mr. Ferguson's Republican administration wants to "save" $5 billion in farm subsidy programs. Remember, this is still called the "Garden State," but for how long?

Did you know that voting for the budget means huge cuts to funding for student loans and, furthermore, raises interest rates on student loans in general? If your children need assistance with college expenses, you'd better take another job, because the loans will be harder and harder to get.

On another note, do you realize that the companies that handle student loans, and that will greatly benefit from the increases in loan rates, are all major contributors to Mike Ferguson's campaign? No wonder Mike didn't have a problem with this portion of the budget.

Did you know that Mr. Ferguson's support of extending the first-term tax cuts, which won't expire for years and will continue to benefit only the wealthiest Americans, will cost an estimated $1.35 trillion over the next decade? You may not feel the squeeze of that expenditure, but your children certainly will.

Mr. Ferguson's support of the administration's budget "savings" during the next five years is a way of euphemistically saying "cutting" $36 billion in Medicare benefits. Medicare is being shaved to the point of extinction, so you'd better not count on it being there as a real benefit when you and your family members reach what we now consider retirement age.

The same goes for Social Security, which Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Bush wish would just go away to the private sector. In fact, this Ferguson/Bush $2.77 trillion budget will raise the deficit so much that now the debt ceiling must be increased to avoid default.

More and more, we are becoming indebted to foreigners. Their financing of our poor economic habits makes us more and more beholden to foreign countries. Do we really want to increase our financial dependence on foreigners to the point that they can dictate our policies, such as who runs our major ports?

Mr. Ferguson finally jumped on the bandwagon to oppose the proposed control of our ports by the United Arab Emirates-owned company. What else could he do? Not only did New York's Sen. Charles Schumer and New Jersey's Sen. Robert Menendez take the lead in speaking out against the deal, but so did Mr. Ferguson's own Republican Party leaders Dennis Hastert and Bill Frist and a huge percentage of ordinary Americans.

To tout this as a "break" with the administration was a choice of miniscule risk to Mr. Ferguson. He would have seemed un-American had he continued to stand with the deal. Even Mr. Bush agreed to a delay to review the impact on port security after he found out about the deal.

Of special note along this line is the fact that in 2005, Mr. Ferguson and fellow Republicans voted against a measure that would have given $400 million to increase port security. It's interesting that having denied this additional funding to protect our country, he's now on record as a strong advocate. Could this be a flip-flop, or is he just blowing with the prevailing political winds?

Yes, it's nice when your congressman can do something for your community ... like new sidewalks and new fire trucks, even if it's with funds the government can ill afford. Perhaps he should consider using the funds he received from (and refused to return) Tom ("Corruption-with-a-Capital-C") DeLay's political action committee if he wants to present gifts to his constituent municipalities.

Perhaps he could even issue an apology for accepting that dirty money. Now that would be something to write about.

Joan Schell
Tewksbury

Posted by admin at 09:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Congressman Ferguson's office continues to refuse to answer questions regarding the over the counter sale of Plan B, the emergency contraceptive. Now, instead of answering a different question they are saying they don't comment unless issues come up before the house. From kwilkinson of the site, Blue Jersey:

No position forthcoming. He'll only say something if it comes up in front of the House, which it won't, because it's being held up indefinitely by the FDA politicos, according to Marcus.

This is pretty selective, and intended to avoid answering direct questions from his constituents. It's also based upon a pretty big falsehood. See, contrary to what Marcus said there is a bill in front of the House regarding Plan B and the FDA. Ferguson's people just don't want you to know it.

H. R. 4229 [pdf] is sponsored by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY14) and has 61 cosponsors. Here's the summary:

To require the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to determine whether to allow the marketing of Plan B as a prescription drug for women 15 years of age or younger and a nonprescription drug for women 16 years of age or older, and for other purposes.

This bill, which goes directly to the question Ferguson's staff refuses to asnwer, was referred on February 17, 2006 to the "Subcommittee on Health" which is part of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Congressman Mike Ferguson sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Congressman Mike Ferguson is the vice chair for the House Subcommittee on Health.

One of two things happened in that call regarding Plan B: either Ferguson's office intentionally lied to a constituent regarding bills and issues pending in front of a committee Ferguson sits on, of Ferguson's office is unaware of the bills and issues pending in front of a committee on which Ferguson is the second in command. They are either lying or incompetent.

So please call his office at (908) 757-7835 (NJ) or (202) 225-5361 (DC) and ask for Abby Bird, the Congressman's official spokeswoman, Marcus who spoke to kwilkinson, or someone else who can answer a question on Ferguson's position on Plan B.

If you get to Ms. Bird or another person capable of answering your questions, please ask them, "Would Congressman Ferguson support a hearing and Subcommittee on Health vote on H.R.4229 to require the FDA to approve Plan B for over-the-counter sales to women 17 years old and older and as a prescription for girls younger than 17?" All we want is a hearing and an up or down vote, because that will put Ferguson on the record.

Please do not be confrontational, but just try to get an answer to the question.

If you do not get a person who will answer the question please visit the online form and ask the question that way.

Contact Blue 7th at info@blue7th.com with the day you asked the question and any answers you get.

Rep Ackerman, Gary L. [NY-5] - 11/3/2005
Rep Allen, Thomas H. [ME-1] - 11/18/2005
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] - 11/3/2005
Rep Berman, Howard L. [CA-28] - 11/3/2005
Rep Bishop, Timothy H. [NY-1] - 11/3/2005
Rep Capps, Lois [CA-23] - 11/3/2005
Rep Carnahan, Russ [MO-3] - 12/16/2005
Rep Carson, Julia [IN-7] - 11/10/2005
Rep Crowley, Joseph [NY-7] - 11/3/2005
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7] - 11/10/2005
Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] - 11/3/2005
Rep DeLauro, Rosa L. [CT-3] - 11/3/2005
Rep Doggett, Lloyd [TX-25] - 11/18/2005
Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17] - 11/3/2005
Rep Eshoo, Anna G. [CA-14] - 11/3/2005
Rep Evans, Lane [IL-17] - 11/3/2005
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17] - 11/3/2005
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] - 11/3/2005
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] - 11/3/2005
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] - 11/3/2005
Rep Gutierrez, Luis V. [IL-4] - 11/3/2005
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22] - 11/3/2005
Rep Honda, Michael M. [CA-15] - 11/3/2005
Rep Inslee, Jay [WA-1] - 11/3/2005
Rep Israel, Steve [NY-2] - 11/3/2005
Rep Kennedy, Patrick J. [RI-1] - 11/3/2005
Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10] - 11/3/2005
Rep Larsen, Rick [WA-2] - 11/3/2005
Rep Lee, Barbara [CA-9] - 12/7/2005
Rep Lofgren, Zoe [CA-16] - 11/10/2005
Rep Matsui, Doris O. [CA-5] - 11/3/2005
Rep McCarthy, Carolyn [NY-4] - 11/3/2005
Rep McCollum, Betty [MN-4] - 11/3/2005
Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] - 3/9/2006
Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3] - 11/3/2005
Rep McNulty, Michael R. [NY-21] - 12/7/2005
Rep Miller, George [CA-7] - 2/16/2006
Rep Moore, Dennis [KS-3] - 2/28/2006
Rep Moore, Gwen [WI-4] - 2/1/2006
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8] - 11/3/2005
Rep Nadler, Jerrold [NY-8] - 12/7/2005
Rep Olver, John W. [MA-1] - 2/28/2006
Rep Pastor, Ed [AZ-4] - 12/16/2005
Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9] - 11/3/2005
Rep Roybal-Allard, Lucille [CA-34] - 2/28/2006
Rep Sabo, Martin Olav [MN-5] - 11/3/2005
Rep Sanchez, Linda T. [CA-39] - 11/3/2005
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] - 11/3/2005
Rep Shays, Christopher [CT-4] - 11/3/2005
Rep Smith, Adam [WA-9] - 12/16/2005
Rep Solis, Hilda L. [CA-32] - 11/3/2005
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 11/16/2005
Rep Tauscher, Ellen O. [CA-10] - 2/28/2006
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6] - 2/16/2006
Rep Van Hollen, Chris [MD-8] - 12/22/2005
Rep Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [FL-20] - 11/3/2005
Rep Waxman, Henry A. [CA-30] - 11/3/2005
Rep Weiner, Anthony D. [NY-9] - 2/16/2006
Rep Wexler, Robert [FL-19] - 2/8/2006
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] - 11/3/2005
Rep Wu, David [OR-1] - 11/3/2005

Posted by admin at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Blue 7th PAC monthly Meetup will be at the Vermuele Mansion in North Plainfield at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14th. 7th Congressional District candidate Linda Stender will be our guest. This will be a more intimate opportunity to talk with Stender and learn more about her campaign.

The Vermuele Mansion is at the corner of Clinton Ave and Greenbrook Road.
You can RSVP for this event at MeetUp.com .

For this event we are asking folks if they can bring some soda, wine, cookies, snacks, etc. for everyone to munch on. Please don't go crazy, but if most of us bring a little something we should be in good shape.

Posted by admin at 07:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This Saturday from 1-3 p.m. Blue 7th, NJ for Democracy and the RVCC Social Justice Club are sponsoring a 7th District Candidate's Forum at Raritan Valley Community College. It's a great opportunity to meet Democratic candidates from all four 7th District Counties, as well as party leaders and other influential folks. I know the Hunterdon and Somerset Democratic County Chairs (Dave Delvechio and Elia Pelios respectively) are scheduled to be there, and Congressman Frank Pallone will introduce 7th District candidate Linda Stender.

Directions and more info is available here and you can RSVP here.

We need folks to help table and give out information on Blue 7th and Dump Mike at the event. Please drop a line to info@blue7th.com if you can help out. We'll have buttons and stickers for sale, as well.

Posted by admin at 07:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A number of people have called or written Congressman Mike Ferguson's office about the emergency contraceptive called Plan B to determine his position on whether it should be sold over the counter without a prescription. Plan B is made of the same stuff as the contraceptive known as the pill in higher concentrations, and has been approved by the FDA as an emergency contraceptive for use within days of unprotected sex to prevent conception. It is not an abortion pill.

To date his office has not answered the question once, though they do have a new tactic: answering a different question. A few weeks ago the following question was sent to Ferguson's office via his official on-line form:

What is your position on Plan B? Do you think it should be made available?

The answer that came back [after the jump] was about H.R.1652, the Access to Legal Pharmaceuticals Act, a bill that requires pharmacies to fill medical prescriptions even if the pharmacist has a moral objection to the drug. Interestingly, not only is this not an answer to the question Ferguson was asked but he also refused to take a position on this bill.

Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R.1652, the Access to Legal Pharmaceuticals Act. I appreciate hearing from you and having the benefit of your views. ...

H.R.1652 was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Should this legislation come to the House floor for a vote, I will reflect further on your well-stated views.

Ferguson sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, yet will only "reflect further" if the committee reads the bill out to the entire house. He would not say whether he believes the committee should approve the bill, or if he will vote against it. Of course, he doesn't have to because it is sponsored by a Democrat and has no chance of coming to a vote in the committee, much less for the entire house.

Previously, Ferguson has written that he would not support legislation requiring that hospitals inform rape victims that Plan B is available. Not that they give it to rape victims, but that hospitals be allowed to keep a rape victim in the dark of her medical options to prevent conception and, as such, avoid being impregnated by the rapist.

Based on his refusal to go on record regarding emergency contraception and his opposition to telling rape victims of their full range of legal health care options, it is reasonable to assume that Ferguson opposes the legal sale of Plan B. If that is not the case and he supports the sale, we will gladly change this post and publicize his position.

But Congressman Ferguson or someone from his office needs to tell us. We know from conversations with their chief of staff that they track this blog and are aware of our postings, so if they want to clear this up they can just write to info@blue7th.com.

So please call his office at (908) 757-7835 (NJ) or (202) 225-5361 (DC) and ask for Abby Bird, the Congressman's official spokeswoman, or someone else who can answer a question on Ferguson's position on Plan B.

If you get to Ms. Bird or another person capable of answering your questions, please ask them, "Does Congressman Ferguson support the sale of emergency contraceptives such as Plan B to women who wish to use them?" Please do not be confrontational, but just try to get an answer to the question.

If you do not get a person who will answer the question please visit the online form and ask the question that way.

Contact Blue 7th at info@blue7th.com with the day you asked the question and any answers you get.

 Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R.1652, the Access to Legal Pharmaceuticals Act. I appreciate hearing from you and having the benefit of your views.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) on April 14, 2005, introduced H.R.1652, which would require pharmacies to fill valid prescriptions for drugs or devices even when pharmacists refuse to fill the prescription on the basis of personal beliefs.

Specifically, H.R. 1652 would amend the Public Health Service Act to require pharmacies to both fill and order prescriptions in a timely manner or face private cause of action for a violation.

H.R.1652 was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Should this legislation come to the House floor for a vote, I will reflect further on your well-stated views.

Again, thank you for taking the time to share your opinions, and please visit my website at www.house.gov/Ferguson for more information on issues important to New Jersey's 7th Congressional District.

Sincerely,
Mike Ferguson
Member of Congress

Please do not respond to this email; this account cannot receive email. To contact Congressman Ferguson, please use the email function on the website www.house.gov/ferguson.

Posted by admin at 06:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This letter was published in the March 9, 2006 Cranford Chronicle:

To The Chronicle:

On his Web site, Rep. Mike Ferguson says "I believe I have a responsibility to protect our environment." Let's see how Ferguson is fulfilling this important responsibility.

The League of Conservation Voters ( HYPERLINK "http://www.lcv.org" \o "http://www.lcv.org/" www.lcv.org) recently released itsenvironmental scorecard for the first session of the 109th Congress (2005). Scores were based upon 18 House votes, covering issues such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, public lands, air pollution, endangered species, energy policy, CAFTA, water projects, natural gas drilling and facilities, fuel economy, MTBE liability, oil refineries, environmental funding, and environmental justice.

Ferguson's rating is 17 percent. Among New Jersey representatives, only Scott Garrett scored lower. Republican RepresentativesFrank LoBiondo, Jim Saxton, and Chis Smith scored over 70 percent. Democratic Representatives scored 83 to 100 percent.

If I were handing out grades, Ferguson's 17 percent rating would be an "F."Ferguson has failed the environment, he has failed the country, and he has failed New Jersey.In his taxpayer-funded mailings to residents of the 7th District, Ferguson often claims to care about the environment. What happened?

Ferguson has become a sock puppet of the Bush-Cheney-Rove cabal.He is an obedient and loyal lapdog of the White House, and he votes along with Bush policy (and his indicted pal Tom DeLay) about 90 percent of the time.

Ferguson claims to be moderate andindependent.Don't believe it.He is usually just an automatic voteforthe conservative policies of the corrupt and dishonest Republicans who control the federal government.

JOHN CANTILLI
Cranford

Posted by admin at 05:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following letter was published in the Courier News on March 9, 2006:

Mercury move just Ferguson's ploy

A recent letter from Shawn Lipani lauds Mike Ferguson for a purported move of stored mercury out of Hillsborough to Nevada.

However, the state of Nevada is vigorously opposed to this transfer, and transportation details have yet to be worked out. Indeed, the transportation of the mercury may prove to be more dangerous than allowing the mercury to stay where it is. The odds of this transfer ever happening are dubious at best.

This whole matter is an election year ploy by Ferguson to divert attention from his disastrous voting record against the environment. In fact, Ferguson voted against environment-friendly policies 80 percent of the time in 2005. Only the most naive voters will be fooled by this blatant political ploy.

Mike Ferguson is the single largest recipient of contributions from disgraced House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. And it was recently noted that Ferguson voted with DeLay 89 percent of the time. So if you like what DeLay has done, Ferguson is your guy.

Don't be fooled by election-year tricks. Ferguson's actual voting record contains the same miserable failures as Bush and Delay.

SHARON RAISLEY
Bridgewater

Posted by admin at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The following letter was published in the Courier News on March 7, 2006.

Ferguson too lax in taking stances

I do not think that Rep. Michael Ferguson's response to the Dubai Ports World takeover of six U.S. ports is worth the commendation offered by Mr. Farah's letter as published in the Courier News on March 1.

My experience was entirely different. I had heard the news about a United Arab Emirates-based company taking over the running of the ports. On Feb. 21, about a week after the story broke, I called Ferguson's Washington office to express my opinion and was told that Mr. Ferguson had no opinion regarding this issue.

I subsequently called other New Jersey representatives that morning -- Rush Holt and Rodney Frelinghuysen -- who both were against the takeover. Sen. Frank Lautenberg's office explained that he already was at work with his colleagues to propose legislation. It seems to me that Mr. Ferguson was very late in making up his mind, possibly waiting to see public reaction or maybe awaiting White House instructions. Only upon seeing the overwhelming opposition to this takeover did he reluctantly adopt a position. I believe he should be chastised more than applauded.

I note that once again, the Bush administration is trying to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling with an appropriation for this in the federal budget bill. The last several times this was tried, it was defeated and in this, too, Mr. Ferguson was late in showing his disapproval in spite of his claim that he supports environmental preservation objectives.

Mr. Ferguson should be criticized for lengthy water testing before adopting a position.

LOIS RIGGS
Branchburg

Posted by admin at 05:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Help Blue 7th defeat Mike Ferguson in November by putting a contribution form on your web site or blog today. It's really simple by following the instructions below, and if you need help just drop us a line at dumpmike@gmail.com to ask for help!

You can also go to ActBlue and set up your own fundraising page there to help Blue 7th and other Democratic candidates win!

Posted by admin at 09:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blue 7th PAC member reminds us why Mike Ferguson proposed a bill that would stop radio listeners fromb eing able to listen to programs when and where they want to: campaign cash.

According to Open Secrets, Ferguson has received $45.420 from the television, radio and music industries.

Posted by admin at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Update: Welcome Boing Boing visitors! Glad to have ya come by and learn more about Mike Ferguson. If you want to leave a little tip in our tip jar, we would surely appreciate any help in defeating him this November.]

Congressman Mike Ferguson introduced a bill in Congress yesterday which will make it impossible for you to record a radio show and play it back later on your iPod or other music device. The bill essentially forces manufacturers to implement features on satellite, high-definition and regular radios that allow broadcasters to block consumers from recording shows.

Rep. Mike Ferguson, R., N.J., will introduce the “Audio Broadcast Flag Licensing Act of 2006” on Thursday (March 2). The bill includes an HD radio component and a satellite radio component, according to staffers in Ferguson’s office, who spoke to Billboard Radio Monitor on condition of anonymity.

The HD component requires any private company that plans to manufacture an HD radio must incorporate technology in that radio that works with a broadcast audio flag “or something similar.” The satellite component imposes similar audio-flag requirements on equipment manufactured for both XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.

Back in the 1970s when VCRs were first gaining popularity the film and TV industries screamed and yelled that they would destroy their ability to make money, and movies would suffer. That threat never materialized, and now when you want to record a movie or sporting event to watch at a more convenient time you can.

Ferguson, apparently, doesn't like that idea for radio. He wants to let the Recording Industry Artists Association (RIAA) decide when you will listen to radio shows instead of letting you make that decision for yourself. That's why the RIAA endorsed the bill. They say it is necessary as "technological developments make it easier for consumers to capture and retain digital-quality audio without paying a fee for the content."

But that is just a smokescreen. We have had tape recorders for generations that people could record radio shows on and play them back in their car or on a WalkMan as they exercised. People used to trade Howard Stern tapes and that increased his popularity.

The RIAA wants to restrict your ability to record shows to no more than 30 minutes, and only if you actaully press the buttons to record the individual show. Additionally, they want to forbid you from editing any recordings you make to pick out the parts you want to listen to and avoid the commercials, offensive content and songs or guests you don't like.

The fact is that people who want to profit illegally by recording songs off the radio and selling or file-sharing them somehow can easily do it no matter what technology is put in their way. These people are unscrupulous and willing to violate the law to profit.

But the people like the residents of the 7th district who just want to record Imus in the Morning, Free Beer and Hotwings, Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern or WPLJ and listen to it at their convenience will not be able to. This is a bill targeted directly at everyday consumers that will have no impact on the criminals who are intentionally breaking the law.

Contact Mike Ferguson's and tell him that stifling technological innovation and consumer freedom is the wrong way to go. Ask him to pull this bill immediately.

You can reach Ferguson at (908) 757-7835 (NJ) or (202) 225-5361 (DC) or write to him on his website. Please be courteous to the folks who answer.

You can send letters to the Courier News at letters@c-n.com, the Home News Tribune at letters@thnt.com, the Star Ledger at eletters@starledger.com, or the New York Times at letters@nytimes.com.

[Learn more about Mike Ferguson's positions on Consumer Issues]

Posted by admin at 07:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)