Ric Keller Votes Against Homeless Veterans
Hey everyone, this is a post I put up as part of the Congressional Campaign I’m working on. Normally this is a little to niche for BIO, but I’m posting it because it underscores why we have to get rid of these good-for-nothing Republicans. District 8 in Florida is home to one of the worst, most do-nothing Reps out there - Ric Keller. Just read what this guy voted against.
Last week the House voted overwhelmingly in favor of support for H.R. 3074. What is H.R. 3074? It's the funding bill for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and related agencies for 2008. The money will be used to improve our roads and bridges; provide housing assistance for those in need; provide funding to help families caught in the foreclosure crisis; and help fund housing for 10,000 homeless Veterans who desperately need a hand.
Ric Keller voted NO.
Yes thats right, Ric Keller voted against helping homeless veterans get back on their feet. I guess it’s Ok to vote them into combat, but it’s too much bother voting to help them when they are back. To me that’s just appalling.
Now some of you may say Tom, Ric may have had other reasons to vote against the bill, like its impact on the business community. I’m not really sure who you people are, but to you I say hogwash. Not only did Ric Keller vote against helping veterans, he voted against the best interests of Americas business community. Just look at the letter the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent to the House asking them to support H.R. 3074:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of ever size, sector, and region, strongly urges you to support the conference report for H.R. 3074, the "Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008." This bill provides the necessary funding to ensure that the U.S. transportation system is the safest and most efficient in the world.
The business community depends on a safe and reliable transportation system to remain competitive and efficient. The nation's transportation system is the foundation of the nation's economy. If the investments necessary to maintain this foundation are not made, the U.S. economy win suffer. The inadequate surface transportation system costs the economy $63 billion annually in lost time and fuel.
Make no mistake, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is about as liberal as Barry Goldwater yet they wanted the bill passed. But no, Ric Keller didn’t think it was important to help America’s businesses I guess. It is amazing that instead of trying to help our economy save SIXTY THREE BILLION dollars annually (which by the way is far more than the entire Bill) he choose to vote NO. Way to go on that, Ric.
But wait folks, there’s more. He said not only said no to our roads, no to our vets - but he also said No to all of his constituents that are struggling because of the mortgage crisis. The bill would have provided 250 million dollars to help people keep the homes they worked so hard for. When you consider that Florida is one of the hardest hit states from foreclosures, his no vote was a slap in the face to Floridians across the state.
Maybe Ric doesn’t think fixing America's roads are important. Maybe he doesn’t think that helping families keep their homes is important. Maybe Ric Keller doesn’t think helping homeless veterans find a home is important. I do. I think you need to know about what our Representative in Congress is doing to serve our interest. We need to change the direction of this country and getting rid of Ric Keller is a great place to start. Replacing him with Alan Grayson is the right place to finish.