Category Archives: Congress - Page 2

Congressmen Sell American Flags; Prices However Vary

Posted by on 11/01/2011 No comments

I never knew that House Representatives, as a constituent service, sell American Flags. I have no clue which account collects the revenue, nor do I care. You can order flags that were flown – on your request – over the Capitol, and you can also order regular flags for about 20-30 percent above retail price.

If you live in NY-17, represented by Democrat Eliot Engel, you can for $13.05 request that a 3×5 Nylon flag should be flown on a specific date above the U.S. Capitol. Of course, since it is government, you need to submit this request five weeks in advance. After that flag is flown, it gets shipped to you. The same price and service is offered by Congressman Bob Turner in NY-9, but in NY-19, the website of Republican Nan Hayworth writes that only those living in her district can request these flags, but she charges $18.20 for the 3×5 Nylon flag. That’s about the same as the $18.10 charge by NY-18 Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D).

Hayworth seems to be atop the pack, charging $30.44 for a 5×8 cotton flag flown over the Capitol. This is more than Lowey’s $29.65 charge, and well-above Engel’s and Turner’s charge of $24.05 for the same product and service. As for Congressman Nadler of NY-8, his website has a page where his constituents can request flags but it has only a number of his DC office to call – no price sheet or form to continue the process.

Sharron Angle Was Right!

Posted by on 01/09/2011 12 comments

Sharron Angle, the opponent of Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid, during last year’s election said the following:

“I hope that’s not where we’re going, but, you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying my goodness what can we do to turn this country around?”

In other words, Angle with her wisdom warned that if Democrats don’t back off with their defiance against the American public, such as pushing for ObamaCare, it will incite people to use weapons. Here we go a few months later: an Obamacare-voting Democrat was shot by someone who indeed used second amendment remedies against her.

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A Few Words About the New House Speaker

Posted by on 01/05/2011 No comments

The WSJ ran an interesting story on the new Speaker of the US House, John Boehner. The following info I found to be interesting:

Most days Mr. Boehner, 61 years old, spends the early-morning hours vacuuming his apartment or ironing. He eats breakfast alone at Pete’s Diner, a cramped eatery a few blocks from the Capitol, and checks his Facebook page on an iPad. At night, he stops whatever he’s doing at 10 o’clock.

Congress Control: Dem vs. Repubs; Study vs. Fact

Posted by on 08/29/2010 2 comments

A study released these days suggests that if Republicans would have controlled Capitol Hill in the current Congress, the US Budget deficit and Job market would have been worse than they are now.

This is what a Study says. However, FACTS say that the economy gained close to 200,000 jobs a month; the unemployment rate was at 5%; the budget deficits in the $240 billion range, and the Dow a few thousand points higher, when Republicans last controlled things on Capitol Hill.

Here are some detailed facts of the last three years that Democrats Controlled Congress, as of August 1, 2010, vs the last three years that Republicans controlled Congress, 2004 through the end of 2006. 

 

JOBS!

Republican Years: 6.6 million gained; average monthly gain of 184,416 jobs.

Dem Years:            7.44 million lost; average monthly loss of 206,777 jobs.

 

UNEMPLOYMANT RATE! 

Last three Republican Years: Dropped from 5.7% to 4.4%

Last three Dem Years: More than doubled from 4.6% to stand now at 9.5%

 

BUDGET DEFICITS! 

Republican Years (ending/including with FY 2007 that started under Repub Controll): $734 billion in new debt – annual average $244.6 Billion.  

Dem Years (ending/including the FY 2010): $3.15 trillion in new debt – annual average is $1.05 trillion.

 

NY EQUITY MARKETS! (DJIA, Nasdaq, S&P) 

Republican Years: 20% to 25% gain, depending which index.

Dem Years: 18% to 21% loss, depending which Index.

In closing: I don’t know what theoretical stats researches used to get to the conclusion they came to in the Study. However, by looking at factual numbers, available at relevant websites, one sees clearly that Republican Control of Congress (especially if one wants to go back to 1995 all through the end of 2006) was the best for the nation’s economic and fiscal well-being that we had in any recent memory.

 

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DCCC Chair Agrees Dems May Lose Almost Forty House Seats

Posted by on 07/18/2010 No comments

The math now is that Repubs need to pick up 39 House seats in November to gain control of the Lower House.

On meet the press today, Republican Congressman Pete Sessions, chair of the NRCC, said his Party will pick-up slightly more than forty House seats in November, yet Dem Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Chairman of the DCCC, said that the Dems will retain control of the House.

Well, the difference between Dems retaining control (38 seats) or Republican picking up slightly more than forty seats is a difference of 3-4 House seats. No? In other words, when Pelosi and other Dems speak about “retaining control,” they pretty much agree that Dems may lose almost forty (38) seats…

I am not writing satire here. I just want TV/Radio host to challenge Dems as to how many seats they expect to lose when they talk about “retaining control,” because as far I am concerned, losing 38 seats keeps Dems in Control, and the number 38 (em, “retaining control”) is almost identical to a Republican saying that Repub will gain 40-plus seats.

At least both parties agree on something..>

Yossi, Aiming for Congress Was REALLY Crazy!

Posted by on 03/17/2010 2 comments

For almost two weeks now, a lot people asked and ask me: “Yossi, what were you thinking with this idea of running for Congress? 1) You never held public office, 2) You are little-known, and 2) You don’t even have a college degree. So, why were you even considering to run for Congress? Don’t you think you should maybe try, say a School Board seat? A Village Trustee seat?”

While I respect people serving on local levels, History Road shows us, that aiming “for the top” has worked, for those who have “what it takes,” and for those who are/were dry twigs from Day One.

Here are some examples, some of which I touched on in My Decision post of a few days ago, but here you  have it in more detail:

1) Congressman Eliot Engel was a little-known NYS Assemblyman when he decided to run for Congress – and won. Before serving in the Assembly, he was a Village Trustee. Em, no. Sorry: He was a school teacher who was involved in politics, and decided to shoot straight to the State in a special election, and won it!

2) The “great” Mario Cuomo had this political ride: His first shot at public office was Lieutenant Governor of NY! but he lost the Dem primary! Despite being appointed in ’75 to, and serving as, NY’s Secretary of State, he ran in a ’77 Primary to be the Democrats’ candidate for NYC mayor, but… lost! Only after these defeats, he ran/won as Lt. Gov, and then won three terms as Governor!

3) Bill Clinton’s FIRST political run was to School Board to get some name recognition. Oops, sorry. My mistake: His first run was for Congress – but lost (in 1974). After wining two years later the Arkansas Attorney General seat by running unopposed, he won the Governor seat, but… lost his re-election bid! He came back a few years later, and won a few more terms!

4) George Pataki was in elected State politics for more than ten year, but he was a very little-known State senator with no leadership position, when he took on Governor Cuomo in 1994- and… Pataki won!

The list goes on and on. It is bogus that a person needs first to run for this or do that before aiming high. The only benefit candidates have of first trying small/local stuff, is to get a taste from the inside what running for office really means.

O, and those who were concerned that I don’t have a College Degree, get this for breakfast: Close to THIRTY current US House members don’t have a College Degree! 

All in all, running for ANY political seat, regardless how high it is, has little-to-nothing to do with name recognition, “experience,” or any guaranty that a win is in the books. People with all this under their belt didn’t reach certaintop  posts, and candidates with none of the above, DID go far. A candidate, besides connecting with people and addressing relevant issues, needs to have the back-bone to undertake a run, and the monetary support to make it happen. However, as I wrote, being that we are already in March, I didn’t have enough $$$ to make the run that I was considering, and after a week of testing the idea in public, I may have second thoughts altogether on such a thing.

Thanks for your support and input.

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My Decision…

Posted by on 03/12/2010 2 comments

Hello supporters,

After receiving in less than a week almost sixty contributions averaging above $70.00 apiece; after receiving loads of emails encouraging me to undertake a run for NY’s 17 Congressional Seat, and after weighing  all sides of such a battle, I have made a decision.

The question to me is not if I do or don’t have chances of toppling someone who is in government longer than I am alive, because in politics these things are unknown. Bill Clinton didn’t stand a chance of beating GHWB; Pataki in NY didn’t have a chance of winning in ‘1994; and going into the 2008 campaign, John McCain was politically dead according to “experts.” And, didn’t we all “know” that 2008 will come down to a Hillary-Rudi fight?

So much for “predictions” and having/not having “chances”…

In politics it is the norm to lose a seat once or twice before coming back a few years later to win it again or to win a different seat. Just look at Regan who lost Prez bids before coming back and wining it later; Clinton lost a Governor race in Arkansas before coming back and wining; G.W. Bush ran for the House in 1978 and lost; and we can go back to Nixon too who lost in ‘960 against JFK, yet won the presidency eight years later.

Therefore, the talks of “standing a chance” or not, has no room in the minds of professionals, and didn’t play a role in my decision process. To me, it came down to 1) From how many people can I get real support (i.e. monetary contributions) in a reasonable amount of time, and 2), How much money can we raise to jump-start the campaign and to kick-it into over-drive.

I am very glad with the responses that I have gotten, in terms of encouragement, and in terms of the amount of people who contributed in such a short period of time. It shows that the message taken-out there resonated with everyday people. However, starting from scratch a Congressional Campaign (without MASSIVE monetary backing) at the beginning of March, is too little too late to build a broad and viable campaign that would give Congressman Engel the run for his life. Therefore, in addition to broad consulting , I decided to currently not run for this seat.

Not running now does not mean that I will not run another time, or on another seat. Have in mind that most people in State Legislative houses and in the US House, arrive there at ages quite above my current age of turning 25. Therefore my fellow supporters: hang-in there! I am only at the beginning of the road, not the end. Your support, and more so, your monetary contribution, was very helpful in getting me to this stage. Some money was already used for the exploring process; some bills need to be paid; yet Credit Cards contributions were not yet charged.

You can always check up on me by visiting www.yossigestetner.com, or following me on twitter @yossigestetner, or sign-up to receive my emails every-time I post something on my site.

p.s. contributors whose contributions were processed, will God-willing be contacted and offered a refund. Contributors (mostly only CC ones) whose contributions were not processed, can contact me at yossi@yossigestetner.com to inform me if we can/should charge their card to make available the funds to cover some costs occurred in the last week, and/or to have the funds available for potential political plans.

All the best to all of you.

Our First Fundraising Totals

Posted by on 03/09/2010 No comments

Since I informed the public last week Thursday, March 4 in the evening, that I am considering a run for a Congressional Seat, I received a lot feedback from people within NY’s 17’ Th Congressional District and from elsewhere too.

At any rate, following is the total contributions raised since informing the public last Thursday about our intentions. The totals do not include pledges, promises or contributions that may be in the mail box. It includes ONLY contributions that were actually made, and also credit/debt card contributions, (which were made available by contributors, but as of Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 8:00 we did not collect it).

Total contributions are: $3,521.

Average contributions is: $74.91

Smallest amount was: $1.00

Largest amount was: $360.00

Daily Weekday average (does not include the Sabbath): $880.25.

$3,521 is not much for a potential campaign. However, getting it from dozens of people in a matter of days IS a sign that our message of Why I am Considering a Run for Office, is resonating with people within and outside my living area. I am confident that supporters out there will continue doing their great work by spreading the word and contributing, while in the same time, I will evaluate all of it (including the critique), and then God-willing decide how to proceed.

Thanks,

Yossi

Friends of Yossi

100 Lawrence St. Suite 209

Nanuet, NY, 10954

Contact me yossi@yossigestetner.com.

Here’s Why I am Considering a Run for Office

Posted by on 03/04/2010 45 comments

Voters generally roll their eyes in boredom when someone announces their intentions to run for Public Office. This is because politics in Washington are the same as they always were, or perhaps became worse in recent years, despite the forces of change that went to Washington.

People become even more weary of politics when they see a candidate proclaiming to be “an everyday Joe who understands the little guy,” yet this same candidate earned a degree from an Ivy League school, lives in a $1.4 million house, earns a six digit income, and has thousands or millions of dollars to self-finance a campaign.

You see, the Founders wanted that young, energetic people (with little or no “government experience”) should become elected to the federal Government and then move on. According to the law, 25 years of age makes a person eligible to serve in the House. Age 30 makes one eligible to serve in the Senate, and age 35 to serve as President. Once this is done, it is time for public servants to pack their bags, leave Washington, and make place for younger and newer energy to replace the former ones.

This is what the Founders wanted. However, the average age of current House members is 56, and the average age of Senate members is above 60. They are there longer than anyone can remember. Even worse, most members end up serving themselves rather than the public after being in Washington for so long.
With this,  I would like to ask you the following :
1) Do you wonder why our Ivy League Senators and Representatives are out of touch with everyday Americans?

2) Do you wonder why people with experience in messing up local and State governments, destroyed Washington, and took this country to hell in a hand basket?

3) Do you wonder why taxes and living expenses keep going up for all of us, while the millionaire lawmakers back in Washington take the option and vote for themselves annual pay raises?

4) Do you wonder why those sitting in Washington since four recessions ago are busy with Health Care, while real people throughout America are going crazy trying to find a job and/or an income for their families?

5)  Do you wonder why those on Government aid can’t move ahead on the economic ladder? Why small business owners are frustrated? And why successful people are fuming against Washington?

 

Well, I am not surprised. With our current system of electing the same type of people over and over and over again, things can only get worse. Therefore I ask: Maybe it’s time that America sends people to Washington from different routes than those currently wasting time in our nation’s Capital?

1) How about trying someone who is currently at the age that our Founders intended should start serving in Washington, as a House member, meaning age 25?

2) How about sending to the US House of Representatives a person that proudly has NO experience in messing up Americans, aka “Government Experience”?

3) How about sending to Washington someone whose top annual income didn’t exceed the national average of approximately 42,000 dollars? That is an income that a huge amount Americans outside Government can relate to.

4) How about, rather than sending to Washington an Ivy League type, we elect to the US House someone who, granted, didn’t get a B.A. or M.A. yet has received a High School diploma, in addition to a few years of Higher Education, which is all-in-all an educational background that a majority of Americans have?

5) How about, rather than electing well-connected people with well-known family names, we elect a person who was born to poor immigrant parents, who divorced when this person was two years old, yet despite these childhood challenges, this person is with God’s help working to make a good life in America for his family?

Based on all this, I am considering running for NY’s 17 Congressional District, a seat held the last 22 years by the same person. 

Despite the fact that this district is overwhelming tilted to the Democrats, I will not explore the Democratic line, because I am Independently Conservative on most issues, yet in an era where voters are looking for bi-partisanship, I am confident that a candidate’s party line will not play much of a role in voters’ decision who they will ultimately elect.

I am aware of the difficulties in winning this election. However, difficulties are not enough of a reason to deter my exploration of doing something positive. I am therefore taking the following two weeks to see and hear ideas from people across this districts, and yes… from people all across America! Perhaps I am not from your Congressional district, but neither is Nancy Pelosi. Her actions, nevertheless, out of San Francisco, still had a negative effect on you and your district. Therefore, regardless where you live, I will gladly welcome your constructive input and monetary contribution which will God-willing help me succeed in this endeavor.

If you like the idea of me serving in the US House for just a few years, say… two-three terms, please give me your support and contribution. Please also text and/or email to two friends the name of my site and ask them to check it-out.

Thanks for reading.

Friends of Yossi,

Contribution Page is HERE.

100 Lawrence St. Suite 209

Nanuet, NY 10954

yossi@yossigestetner.com

Dangerous Reactors

Posted by on 02/28/2010 No comments

In general, I am in favor of (Nuclear) Reactors. But one type of reactors I can’t stand, and that is the Capital-Hill Class Reactors that are spread through all fifty states, with dangerous waste drifting in and out of Washington DC.

Following politics for many years now, I noticed that Senators and Representatives, those who need to have oversight on all aspects and work of the Federal Government, don’t do that. Instead, they are all reactors to bad things that take place.

Here is a partial list: election-counting problems; 9/11 attacks; Corporate Corruption; DC Sniper; shuttle Colombia crash; WMD that was mostly not found; Katrina; Gas/Oil price increases; SEC missing the Medoff scam; 2008 Financial Meltdown; and finally the Toyota problems.

Personally, I don’t ‘get’ why Congress gets to harass the bosses of Toyota. But my broader point with this list is, that Capital Hill members need to be on the look-out that all government agencies, bureaus and departments to a good job, rather than ‘trying to figure out’ after the fact what went wrong.

Had Congress done a better job with their oversight responsibilities on the Executive Branch operations, half the above-list would have likely never taken place.