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Brad Sherman held a telephone Town Hall meeting on January 25, 2010. Perhaps he chose this format because his last town hall, held in November 2009 in front of his constituency, might have been more than he could bear.
Here are some of the highlights:
Healthcare
Sherman supports universal healthcare (he voted for the House bill last year) and would like to see rate regulations on the insurance companies in the Senate bill.
When asked if Obamacare would gut Medicare by slashing $ 500 billion he relied that Bush was overpaying on Medicare Part D. "All the bill does is fix this." said Sherman.
Economics
"I am a Keynsian," said Sherman to a caller asking about jobs and the economy.
Keynesian economics is an economic theory based on the ideas of the now discredited 20th-century British economist John Maynard Keynes. Keynes argued that an unregulated private sector can lead to "inefficient" economic outcomes. He advocated for active policy responses by the public sector (governement). These policies required a strong central bank (the Federal Reserve, for example) combined with intrusive fiscal policy actions by the government to stabilize the economy. Keynesian economics stressed a mixed economy, predominantly private sector, but with a large role of government and public sector input. Today we call that socialism and the nationalizing of the private sector.
It was called the same thing in the 1930's. This was the economic model employed by FDR during the Great Depression. And it was precisely these policies, according to newly released data and research, that prolonged the Great Depression, which finally ended with the onset of World War II. Obama's policies are having a similar effect on the current recession.
Testifying before the House Ways & Means Committee in May of 1939, the FDR's Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau said the following:
"We are spending more money than we have ever spent before and it does not work. … I want to see this country prosperous. I want to see people get a job. I want to see people get enough to eat. We have never made good on our promises … I say after eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started … and an enormous debt to boot."
Sherman argued that there would have been more unemployment and less growth if there had been no $787 billion stimulus. The stimulus is widely seen as failure now as unemployment is at 10%. Obama promised unemployment would not go above 8%.
Sherman also wants a tax increase and spending cuts when unemployment reaches 5%.
Jobs
"The other thing I'll point out is that we now have…we are working on a-we were told not to call it another stimulus bill. We're calling it a jobs bill."
This is another example of the dissembling and twisting of words that is standard operating procedure for liberals and progressives. No matter how much spin is applied it is still a stimulus package. Until there are serious, across the board tax cuts for business and individuals alike, job creation will be anemic at best, non-existent at worst.
Energy
Sherman supports alternative energy (solar and wind) development and higher CAFÉ standards for automobiles to achieve energy independence.
"God has put the oil in all the wrong places, " said Sherman.
Brad, what about all the oil offshore on the California coast, in ANWR and all of the shale oil in Colorado and Utah? Sherman would argue that getting to these reserves is too expensive…there isn't that much there, it would take too long to develop these reserves as the environmentalists have been saying for 20 years. Perhaps we should have started 20 years ago.
FYI Brad, British Petroleum just found a huge oil field in the Carribean and are drilling there. The Chinese are drilling off Brazil.
Supreme Court decision on McCain-Feingold
Sherman said the timing of the Supreme Court decision overturning McCain-Feingold as unconstitutional and a violation of free speech was unfortunate...he's right as it came just prior to the November mid-terms.
Sherman said the influence of corporations is too powerful and he now wants to do an end run around the Supreme Court with legislation that would require shareholders to approve all political donations.
Sherman conveniently did not mention the influence of union money from SEIU, the AFL-CIO, the teachers unions and the complete lack of rank and file approval.
Iran
"Missile defense won't shield us," said Sherman. He also doesn't believe that Iran would attack with nuclear weapons for no reason. He obviously does not believe the daily rhetoric about destroying Israel, the Holocaust denial, and the endless bellicose anti-American and anti-Western rants that come from the Mullahs.
Sherman is an advocate of Obama's pre 9-11 "soft diplomacy law enforcement" approach to the War on terror. He called for sanctions on Iran and blames Bush for doing nothing for 8 years even though Bush worked with the Europeans behind the scenes to reign in Iran. How ineffective the sanction approach worked was made clear in light of the revelation during the UN summit in late 2009 of the nuclear reactor at Qom and the expiring of the year end deadline for Iran to have it's uranium enriched in Russia.
Unemployment taxes
Sherman supports waiving taxes on unemployment. "We should take a look at that," said Sherman. How about actually writing that bill instead of just "having a look" at it.
Filibusters
Sherman wants the Senate to dispense with the filibuster. "It just doesn't work," said Sherman. Actually Brad, it works very effectivley when you are in the minority as currently Republicans are. This another attempt at Progressives' attempt to stifle and censor free speech.
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Events At A Glance
Mark Reed to speak at Northridge West Neighborhood Council
Beckford Elementary School -
19130 Tulsa Street,
Northridge, CA 91326
Contact: Pamela Bolin, Treasurer
7:00 PM
August 10, 2010
Aug 10, 2010
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Contact
Phone: (818) 353-8777
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Address: P.O. Box 4181
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