Thread: Response from Kennedy on Letter Written

A few weeks ago I sent Howard Coble, Ted Kennedy, John McCain, Diane Feinstein and Arlen Spector, Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole a letter about the SPP, the Superhighway and the Illegal Immigration issue..........this is the email reply I have gotten back from Ted Kennedy. WHERE'S ANY REFERENCE TO WHAT I WROTE ABOUT??? What good does it do to write when they won't answer your questions? DUH.............

NOTICE: You are recieving this e-mail newsletter because you have written to the Senator to express your opinion in the past. This newsletter will provide updates on the work Senator Kennedy is performing in the Senate. For the most upto date information, please visit http://kennedy.senate.gov.

60 DAY MORATORIUM: During the 60 day period immediately preceding the date if any primary or general election (whether regular, special, or runoff) for any national, state, or local office in which the Senator is a candidate, no Member may place, update or transmit information using Senate Internet Services unless the candidacy of the Senator in such election is uncontested. Electronic mail may not be transmitted by a Member during the 60-day period before the date of the Member's any primary or general election unless it is response to a direct inquiry.
LEGISLATIVE WRAP UP: ARE YOU BETTER OFF THAN YOU WERE 5 YEARS AGO?
Working Families Deserve a Government that Works For Them
High Gas Prices, Out of Control Federal Debt, and No Plan in the Middle East
The American people are looking to all of us in Congress for help on the enormous challenges we face as a nation ? the war in Iraq, threats to our national security, the high cost of education, skyrocketing gas prices, soaring health costs, preparation for the new hurricane season, and many other urgent issues. They want Congress to focus on the real threats facing American families today. That?s why it?s disappointing and frustrating that the agenda being debated in the Senate today consists of issues meant to divide, not unite. Instead of acting on issues of genuine priority of all Americans, Republican leaders in the current Congress are choosing to debate issues calculated to mobilize their right-wing base for the November elections.
In June, the Senate spent considerable time on the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would, for the first time, write discrimination directly into the Constitution. They?ve also spent time on a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning. Meanwhile, the leadership in the House of Representatives delayed a vote on the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, one of the most important civil rights laws in our nation?s history.
When Democrats finally forced a vote on real legislation that would benefit millions of Americans, the majority of Senate Republicans turned their backs on a minimum wage increase that is essential to lift families out of poverty. I offered an amendment to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 in three steps over the next two years, providing a much-needed boost to nearly 15 million Americans, including many women and children. This is the kind of issue we should be spending time on in Congress, instead of pandering to the right wing.
I continue to urge the GOP leaders in Congress to use what little time is left in the congressional session this year to address the real priorities of the American people ? issues that have a real impact on everyday lives, such as education and a decent wage. It?s time for the U.S. Senate to act on the nation?s business. I will continue to keep the pressure on my colleagues to act responsibly - to convince them that America is always a better place when fairness and equality are the standards that guide us, not division and injustice.

Momentum is Building for an Increase in the Minimum Wage
For generations, Americans have believed that if they work hard and play by the rules, they can achieve the American dream. They believed if they did so, they would be better off than their parents. They could join the middle class, earn more each year, provide safety and security for their families, and save for their retirement. But more and more Americans are losing faith in that dream as the cost of basic necessities like gasoline, housing, and health care continue to skyrocket.
For minimum wage workers, the American dream is even farther from reality. Today, a minimum wage earner who works 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, earns just $10,700 a year. That?s almost $6,000 below the poverty line for a family of three.
At such low pay, no matter how hard they work, these fellow Americans are forced to make impossible choices ? between paying the rent and buying groceries, or between paying the heating bill and paying the doctor.
Raising the minimum wage is a fairness issue. The minimum hasn?t been increased for nine long years, from its current level of $5.15 an hour. Time and again, my Republican colleagues have turned a blind eye to the struggles of working families, particularly the hard-working men and women who are paid the minimum wage. Year after year, the GOP Congress refuses to give working Americans the pay raise they deserve, while at the same time granting frequent annual pay raises to themselves.
Eighty percent of those who would benefit from an increase in the minimum wage are adult workers; more than a third are the sole breadwinners in their families.
Raising the minimum wage is also a women?s issue. Almost sixty percent of the workers who will benefit are women. It?s a children?s issue, because more than half of these women have children.
It?s shameful that in America today, the richest and most powerful nation on earth, one in six children live in poverty and one in five children live on the edge of outright hunger, because their parents, working full time, still can?t make ends meet.
Most of all, raising the minimum wage is a moral issue. No one who works for a living should have to live in poverty. It?s deeply wrong for the Republican Congress to bestow billions upon billions of dollars in tax relief to the wealthy and give annual pay raises to Senators and Representatives, then turn its back on the hardworking families who struggle every day to make a better life for their children.
Last month in the Senate, I offered an amendment to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour in three steps over the next two years. The amendment would help nearly fifteen million Americans put food on the table, pay their bills, and create a better future for their families. Once again, the Republican leadership heeded industry lobbyists and special interest groups, and ignored what?s best for working Americans.
Republicans can?t stand in the way of fairness much longer, because a majority of the Senate now agrees with the majority of Americans that an increase in the minimum wage is long overdue. Fifty-three Senators stood up and fought for fairness and the dignity of hard-working men and women and their families. But the Senate filibuster rules required a three-fifths vote for the amendment to pass, so we needed 60 votes to prevail.
If we give the American people a chance, they?ll always fight for fairness. They understand choices like these. They know the difference between right and wrong. In an economy where millions of Americans are suffering ? 37 million people living in poverty, 14 million children going to bed hungry each night, 46 million without health care ? raising the minimum wage is an essential step to provide hardworking people with fairness and real security for their families and their future.

The College Cost Crunch
Families across the country are pinching pennies so they can afford to send their sons and daughters to college. They?re willing to sacrifice a great deal to do that, but it is becoming more and more difficult to do, since the costs of other basic necessities such as gasoline and health care continue to soar. Hundreds of thousands of students are giving up the idea of college because they can?t afford it. The ones who do attend college are graduating with greater debt than ever before. The escalating cost of college tuition and the weakening of basic student aid such as Pell grants have led to a severe increase in debt for college loans.
The federal government needs to do more to help these families. The American dream ? and leadership in this highly competitive global economy ? are at risk if we fail to make college more affordable.
There are steps we can take to reduce the burden on students and their families, such as keeping the interest rates on student loans as low as possible. We should reject calls from the banks to increase interest rates. Pell grants are a major source of financial aid for low-income students, but the value of the grants has diminished considerably over the years as a result of Republican budget cuts. Congress should increase the average Pell grant, and expand the number of students eligible for the grants.
Shamefully, last year?s GOP budget cut $12 billion from student loan programs, and another $6 billion from Pell grants. Such cuts are unacceptable in a country that prides itself on fairness in the classroom and in the workforce. By shortchanging opportunities for all students to earn a degree, we?re shortchanging America?s future. We need to reduce the financial barriers to college, and make higher education more affordable for students and their families.
Misguided Republican Priorities in the Month of June
James Madison, America?s fourth President said that amending the Constitution should be reserved for ?great and extraordinary occasions.? Since the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were ratified over 200 years ago, a total of only 17 amendments have been adopted to the Constitution.
Yet in June, the Senate has considered two Republican proposals to amend the Constitution ? one to prohibit same-sex marriage and the other to ban flag-burning - hardly ?great and extraordinary occasions,? especially when the country is facing so many real issues such as the war in Iraq, jobs and the economy, and the rising cost of health care and education. With so many real challenges demanding our action, Congress should not be wasting time on campaign wedge issues intended to divide the nation for partisan advantages in the fall elections.
Fortunately, with the defeat of the Republicans? so-called Federal Marriage Amendment, the Senate again declared that bigotry has no place in the Constitution. The nation?s founding document has never been amended in its entire history to discriminate against any American, and now is no time to start. Being part of a family is a basic right, and I look forward to the day when every state accepts this basic principle of fairness.
Burning the flag is a despicable act because the flag is a symbol that embodies all that is great and good about America, including freedom of speech. But the First Amendment protects not only speech we admire, but also speech we abhor. It guarantees freedom of expression for all views ? particularly views that are unpopular in our society or that offend those in power. It would be hypocritical to desecrate the Constitution in order to prohibit desecration of the flag when it?s used as a form of speech. We?d be undermining the very ideals our flag stands for.
Our view is shared by countless veterans across the country, including leaders such as General Colin Powell and former Senators Bob Kerrey and John Glenn. As Powell has said, those who desecrate the flag ?may be destroying a piece of cloth, but they do no damage to our system of freedom which tolerates such expression?The First Amendment exists to ensure that freedom of speech and expression applies not just to that with which we agree or disagree, but also that which we find outrageous.?
Veterans across the nation have fought valiantly for this country and have made it stronger. They know the flag of the United States of America flies highest when we honor its ideals. They know that we honor our flag most, and those who have fought for it, by guaranteeing that the freedoms it represents are as strong as ever.
Those are the values I?m proud to stand for and fight for in the Senate. I?m confident the vast majority of the American people agree, and I intend to do all I can to resist similar GOP efforts in the weeks ahead. Hopefully, the November election will give us a Democratic majority again in Congress, and we can move forward at last on the nation?s genuine priorities.

Whatever made you think you'd get a sensible reply

They have no intention of addressing your real questions. It's not on their "agenda".

Now, here's a though, send your letters, through that "Send a Brick" campaign.

There's an actual website handling this. Here's the link:

http://www.send-a-brick.com/index.htm

Ya pretty sick isn't it. I wrote about speaking English and got a different reply. Wrote about electronic voting and got a different reply. Makes you really beleive they are listning. Sad, sad, sad. They have their agenda period. Thought it was funny he refered to jobs as a problem since supposidly we have a shortage of workers and thats why we need the illegals. They can't keep up with all the double-talk. I did eventually get a response to the topic I wrote about......sort of. Like they added or took out a few sentences to a standard reply.

I got a stack of letters from old teddy boy. Even had the nerve to invite me to one of the fundraising BBQ's he is having around the state. I am going to just show up wearing my ALIPAC t-shirt and gross them out I just sent my RSVP for the BBQ is having on Beacon Hill on Saturday, July 29 from 2-4pm, get the free food and leave a few of those mexican dollars with old georgie on them in the donation box

You have successfully signed up for the following event:
Attendee Name: lsmith1338
Event Name: Beacon Hill BBQ
Time: Saturday, July 29 at 2:00 PM - 2 hours
Host: Massachusetts Victory '06
Location: 27 Ridgeway Lane, Apt 1 (Boston, MA)

Originally Posted by lsmith1338

I got a stack of letters from old teddy boy. Even had the nerve to invite me to one of the fundraising BBQ's he is having around the state. I am going to just show up wearing my ALIPAC t-shirt and gross them out I just sent my RSVP for the BBQ is having on Beacon Hill on Saturday, July 29 from 2-4pm, get the free food and leave a few of those mexican dollars with old georgie on them in the donation box

You have successfully signed up for the following event:
Attendee Name: lsmith1338
Event Name: Beacon Hill BBQ
Time: Saturday, July 29 at 2:00 PM - 2 hours
Host: Massachusetts Victory '06
Location: 27 Ridgeway Lane, Apt 1 (Boston, MA)

Oh, I do love a dedicated person. This is PRICELESS!!!!!! Go for it, but be very careful that you don't get arrested!!!

You cannot get arrested for merely wearing a t-shirt that is not rude or offensive. And you know what I have been thrown out of better places

Hi Ruthelia,

Look. I'm not being discrepectful to you. But, Ruthelia, I gotta ask anyway, "how can you expect a straight answer from a drunk?"

Oh, Coto - that's good

That's really good!!!!

That where I know I will find him at the BBQ

Since the topic is Teddy I thought the following was pertinent.



Teddy's immigration lies carpet the path to national disaster

Gains for illegals come from hides of American workers

Date published: 7/23/2006

SEN. EDWARD KENNEDY'S Independence Day commentary ["This Fourth of July, let's remember: We're a nation of immigrants"] is more propaganda than truth. When Walt Whitman wrote about "a teaming of nations," immigrants came to the United States legally. Illegal aliens come now. The debate is not about entitlement to citizenship. It is about illegal immigration.

Let Kennedy show one community where illegals made a contribution. Our future does not depend on illegal aliens. It depends on Americans. Standing on the Mall during the recent immigration demonstration, did he not see foreign flags and anti-American signs?

Illegal aliens are not undocumented workers. They have broken U.S. immigration laws and are criminals. American workers will take jobs for decent wages, causing prosperity twofold. With a decent wage, American workers would have more disposable income, which would stay in this country, not go south of the border. Also, there would be a lighter burden on the social infrastructure--education, health care, welfare; no translators in hospitals and government offices solely to benefit aliens; no money wasted providing instructions and directions in a foreign language.

Kennedy's claim that the "majority of Americans believe [the] liberal Senate immigration bill is a sound blueprint for progress" is bogus. Eighty percent of Americans do not believe that. The Senate measure is anti-American worker and anti-American family; it is pro-business, pro-labor, and pro-political power sought by both Republicans and Democrats.

Few Americans bought the lie of the past that "illegal aliens do jobs that the native-born won't," and we won't buy the newest lie--"our economy needs these people to maximize production." Few Americans would refuse overtime, maximizing production, for good pay. There are college students, on full scholarships, with tuition money, room, board, and stipends provided, who would work 16 hours a day for good pay. They would be willing to maximize production for equitable wages. They would do the hard jobs--those jobs the pro-amnesty lawmakers claim Americans won't do.

If Ted Kennedy knows that 1,000 illegal aliens enter this country daily, where is his legislation to secure the borders and enforce the law? If laws are enforced, aliens are not hired, aliens will return home and stay there, more aliens will never come.

It is preached to American citizens that aliens love their families, faith, communities, and (the footnote) "America." But Americans--unhyphenated Americans--want good-paying jobs to support the families we love, to practice and give to the faiths we hold, to love and contribute to our communities, and to serve our country with our wealth. Immigrants built America, it's true. We are descended from immigrants. But we are no longer a nation of immigrants. We are a nation of Americans--280 million of us.

One must wonder if legislators ever read the Constitution or ever had a lesson in history or government, ever considered what is good for the country, ever had an idea what threatens liberty.

John F. Kennedy said, "We need a nation of Minutemen, prepared to take arms, who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life." Our present government calls such people vigilantes. We must insist that government allow the militia and police agencies to enforce the law. Legislators must be stopped from driving their pro-illegal agenda right past our noses or we will have a catastrophic problem. By 2020, at present trends, the U.S. population will increase by 100 million aliens.

We the people own this nation. We cannot fiddle while America falls to Third Country status. We must contact legislators and let them know we are not buying their immigration bill of goods. We can ask Congress members to stand firm on the tougher House bill.

President Bush, some allege, is pursuing a globalist agenda to create a North American Union, effectively erasing our borders with Mexico and Canada. We must be vigilant and oppose any such agenda to trade away our sovereignty and dissolve the U.S.A. into the NAU.

Let's listen to the voices of a few great men:

"It is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones"--Calvin Coolidge.

"A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves."--Edward R. Murrow.

"When governments fear the people there is liberty. When the people fear the government there is tyranny."--Thomas Jefferson.

We are the government. Let's not fear ourselves nor those we elect to represent us. Let's not allow the elected to make bad decisions.

The liberals will have us believe that Americans are for bad policies. Don't believe their lies.

MILDRED FISCHER lives in Fredericksburg.

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2006 ... 006/206542