On Thursday, October 17, 2013 the Sarasota Herald Tribune published an column by FLVCS about the extremists in Congress who strive to weaken America.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20131017/COLUMNIST/310179997/0/search

And, here is the FLVCS follow up on the Congressional vote to re-open our government and to prevent financial default.

Our outfit stands for a strong America so we are outraged that any politician would advance an agenda designed to weaken America by voting to allow financial default. Of course, all politicians are entitled to their own belief’s and agendas and we expect them to work to achieve them.

Nevertheless, they should advance their cause at the ballot box and by legislative effectiveness, not by shutting down the government or, worse, threatening to cause default on America’s sovereign debt obligations that finance projects already approved by Congress.

Of note is the fact that many of those who voted to allow default routinely voted to fund unnecessary war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Without that waste, our debt would be much easier to manage.

FLVCS member Anthony Hardie made this analysis/breakdown of the vote to avoid financial default.

On Weds., Oct. 16, 2013, the U.S. Congress was finally able to reach a large enough consensus to pass a bill that included appropriations to reopen the federal government and extend the debt ceiling.

It is important to recognize, however, that the bill’s provisions are only temporary. The bill’s provisions related to appropriations are limited mere continuing appropriations and expire January 15, 2014. The bill’s provisions related to the debt limit extend only through February 7, 2014.

Even with this “kick the can” approach that defers almost all “real” negotiation until next year in order to reopen the federal government and prevent the predicted global economic downturn if the U.S. had defaulted on the debt, a sizable minority of U.S. House Members and Senators voted against the bill.

It carried in the U.S. House of Representatives on a narrowly bipartisan vote of 285-144. The winning majority included all 198 Democrats (2 not voting) and 87 Republicans (38%, 1 not voting), including House Speaker John Boehner. The 144 nay votes (62% of House Republicans) were exclusively Republicans, and included House Budget Chair Paul Ryan.

In the U.S. Senate’s 81-18 vote that passed the bill, 26 Republicans, including Mitch McConnell and John McCain, joined all the Senate Democrats to pass the bill. As in the House, all 18 of the nay votes were exclusively Republicans, including Rand Paul voting against.

Here in Florida, the Congressional delegation was similarly split. Florida’s senior Senator, Bill Nelson voted yes. Florida’s junior Senator, Marco Rubio, voting no, was not among the 59 percent majority of Republican Senators who voted in favor.

Among Florida’s 27-member House delegation, 6 Florida Republicans, including Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL-16), joined all 10 Florida Democrats, including Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL-14) in voting yes.

Ten House Republicans from Florida voted against the bill reopening the government, and through their no votes would have allowed the U.S. to default on its debt. They included Representatives Jon Desantis (R-FL-6), John Mica (R-FL-7), Jeff Miller (R-FL-1), Richard Nugent (R-FL-11), Bill Posey (R-FL-8), Trey Radel (R-FL 19), Thomas Rooney (R-FL-17), Dennis Ross (R-FL-15), Steve Southerland (R-FL-2), and Ted Yoho (R-FL-3).

Rep. C.W. “Bill” Young (R-FL-13), who has serious health issues, is recorded as not voting. (Rep Young died after this article was written.)

The full record of votes of the Florida Congressional delegation on this bill is below.

***

Representative Name Party State District # Vote to Reopen Gov’t and extend debt limit

Brown, Corrine Democrat Florida 5 Yea

Castor, Kathy Democrat Florida 14 Yea

Deutch, Theodore Democrat Florida 21 Yea

Frankel, Lois Democrat Florida 22 Yea

Garcia, Joe Democrat Florida 26 Yea

Grayson, Alan Democrat Florida 9 Yea

Hastings, Alcee Democrat Florida 20 Yea

Murphy, Patrick Democrat Florida 18 Yea

Wasserman Schultz, Debbie Democrat Florida 23 Yea

Wilson, Frederica Democrat Florida 24 Yea

Bilirakis, Gus Republican Florida 12 Yea

Buchanan, Vern Republican Florida 16 Yea

Crenshaw, Ander Republican Florida 4 Yea

Diaz-Balart, Mario Republican Florida 25 Yea

Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana Republican Florida 27 Yea

Webster, Daniel Republican Florida 10 Yea

Young, C. Republican Florida 13 Not Vot

DeSantis, Ron Republican Florida 6 Nay

Mica, John Republican Florida 7 Nay

Miller, Jeff Republican Florida 1 Nay

Nugent, Richard Republican Florida 11 Nay

Posey, Bill Republican Florida 8 Nay

Radel, Trey Republican Florida 19 Nay

Rooney, Thomas Republican Florida 17 Nay

Ross, Dennis Republican Florida 15 Nay

Southerland, Steve Republican Florida 2 Nay

Yoho, Ted Republican Florida 3 Nay

TOTALS Republican Florida 6Y + 10N + 1NV = 17

Democrat Florida 10Y + 0N +0NV = 10

Both Parties Florida 16Y + 10N + 1NV = 27

Senator Name Party State Vote to Reopen Gov’t and extend debt limit

Nelson, Bill Democrat Florida FL Yea

Rubio, Marco Republican Florida FL Nay

TOTALS Republican Florida 0Y + 1N + 0NV = 1

Democrat Florida 1Y + 0N +0NV = 1

Both Parties

Florida 1Y +1N + 0NV = 2

Thank those who voted yea. Demand an explanation from those who would weaken America by voting nay. ———————————————————–

Action Request:

Our work is not over. The debt issue will come up again in only a few months. In the meantime, Congress will be working on a budget. We want to make sure the budget will not be balanced on the backs of veterans by cutting health research programs, limiting benefits, and adopting a chained cost of living index. There are more responsible ways to balance the budget like closing unneeded military bases.

Contact your senators and congressmen and point out that substantial saving can be accomplished by bringing our troops home from Afghanistan, cutting the Pentagon’s wasteful budget, and making DoD account for the taxpayer dollars it spends.

Veterans for Common Sense and AARP have teamed together with other groups to oppose cuts to veterans benefits and social security. http://blog.aarp.org/2013/03/14/white-house-congress-may-cut-disabled-veterans-benefits-twice/