Ehlers featured on front page of Daily Kos

Vern Ehlers is famous in the progressive blogosphere now:

Another failure to plan:

In a grim sign of the times, the "Wall of the Fallen," set up by House Republican leaders in June, is almost full. The mounting death toll from Iraq has forced U.S. House staffers to study how to reconfigure the display in the lobby of the Rayburn Building - the largest office building for members of Congress - to squeeze in more names.

...New names are added to the display every few months, but none have been added since November. [...]

In the current format, there is space for about 130 more names, but 506 Americans have died since mid-November.

Apparently a member of the, "no one could have anticipated" club, Republican Rep. Vernon Ehlers said that he recently realized:

Boy, we could have a problem. More space is needed.

More space. Yes, that's the problem.

Ehlers: Hate crimes okay if based on gender, sexual orientation

The US House Thursday passed a bill designed to expand the nation's hate-crimes laws to include those crimes that are based on gender or sexual orientation. 25 Republicans joined with 212 Democrats in votng for the bill, which President Bush is threatening to veto.

CNN has more on the bill:

Under current law, hate crimes are subject to federal prosecution only if the acts of violence are motivated by race, religion, color or national origin. Federal prosecutors get involved only if the victim is engaged in a federally protected activity, such as voting or participating in interstate commerce.

The White House says there is no need for the expanded bill because state and local laws already cover the crimes it addresses, and there is no need for federal enforcement.

In addition to allowing greater leeway for federal law enforcement authorities to investigate hate crimes, the House bill -- which was passed on a 237-180 vote --provides $10 million over the next two years to aid local prosecutions.

According to the article, critics of the hate-crimes legislation say it will target pastors who preach against homosexuality. Two points in that regard. First, the bill targets those who commit crimes based on gender and sexual orientation, NOT those who believe homosexuality is wrong.

Second, I'm a straight man, and I personally believe marriage is between one man and one woman. But if one of my friends from the GLBT falls victim to a hate crime, I would expect nothing less than for the perpetrator to receive swift justice.

But Congressman Ehlers and 179 of his colleagues do not see it that way. They believe that the current law, which criminalizes hate crimes perpetrated based on religion, race, national origin, or color, is sufficient enough.

But a hate crime is a hate crime, regardless of the basis on which it is perpetrated. Until Mr. Ehlers realizes this, he will probably keep receiving zeros on the Human Rights Campaign's Congressional Scorecard.

Ehlers: Gonzales must go

I can't say I saw this one coming.

Republican Congressman Vern Ehlers of Grand Rapids says he thinks U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should step down.

Ehlers made the remarks before giving an update on the Congress and current events at a noon event at Calvin College.

Gonzales is under fire from the Democratically-controlled Congress for the recent firing of eight U.S. attorneys, including one from West Michigan.

Ehlers won't comment on the merits of the firings but says he disapproves of the way Gonzales carried them out.

If you ask me, the fact that Ehlers and another Republican congressman have called on Gonzales to step down, seems to weaken the argument that this is just a witch-hunt.

Thanks to Nazgul at Michigan Liberal for pointing this out.

Ehlers once again refuses to support our troops

Media Mouse has the scoop:

On Friday, Grand Rapids Congressional Representative Vern Ehlers voted to continue the occupation of Iraq by voting against a supplemental spending bill that sets a September 2008 deadline for the United States to withdraw from Iraq. In voting against the bill, Ehlers joined nine Michigan Republicans in a 218-212 vote. According to recent polls, 25% of Michigan residents want the United States out of Iraq immediately while another 33% want the United States out within the next two to three years. Despite this, Representative Ehlers continues to support the occupation of Iraq, stating recently in the media that it would be "stupid" to "pull out" of Iraq. Since 2002 when Ehlers voted to support the invasion of Iraq, Representative Ehlers has voted in favor of every funding request and has remained committed to the occupation of Iraq. An examination of his statements and votes over the past four years shows that Ehlers has been a consistent supporter of the war despite his alleged desire to "end this conflict and stop the casualties."

GR Press: Protest arrives at Ehlers's Door

More and more citizens are holding Congressman Ehlers accountable for his actions.

Demonstrators on Saturday took part in a nationwide protest to highlight the war's fourth anniversary.

"There's no question this war is a disaster," East Grand Rapids resident Martha Hayes said, standing near East Beltline Avenue and Burton Street SE.

{snip}

Ada resident Don Wilson said he hadn't protested anything in his 75 years, but couldn't ignore this effort to bring an end to the war.

"It's not a Democrat or Republican issue, the war. The groups should unite and bring this thing to an end."

Before long, the 150 or so protesters took that message to the Grand Rapids home of U.S. Rep. Vernon Ehlers. They marched down his street, getting a thumbs-up from a neighbor down the street. One put fliers in doors that read, "CRIME ALERT! One of your neighbors has provided legal and financial support for the following crimes: The killing of more than 3,000 U.S. soldiers, approximately 650,000 Iraqi civilians torture of prisoners, and paying contracted mercenaries to prosecute the war in Iraq."

I certainly do not approve of using profanity to get one's message across. Nonetheless, the Congressman needs to be aware that just because he has consistently won re-election by a landslide, doesn't mean he can't ignore the voice of the people he was elected to represent.

Ehlers named 'Public Enemy of the Middle Class'

Those who have been following Congressman Ehlers closely shouldn't be too surprised by this.

In response to their full frontal, unapologetic assault on the middle class agenda in the 110^th session of the U.S. House of Representatives, Americans United for Change today dubbed eighteen Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, ‘Public Enemies of the Middle Class,' including: Michelle Bachmann (MN-6), Marilyn Musgrave (CO-4), Jeff Fortenberry (NE-1), Steve King (IA-5), Scott Garrett (NJ-5), Bill Sali (ID-1), Brian Bilbray (CA-50), John Doolittle (CA-4), Roy Blunt (MO-7), Roscoe Bartlett (MD-6), Steve Chabot (OH-1), Tom Davis (VA-11), Thelma Drake (VA-2), Vernon Ehlers (MI-3), Mike Rogers (MI-8), Dean Heller (NV-2), Jon Porter (NV-3) and Peter Roskam (IL-6).

Specifically, Americans United took issue with the Representatives' votes against: 1) H.R.2, the Fair Minimum Wage Act which would raise the federal minimum wage for the first time since 1997 from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour over two years; and 2) H.R. 800, the Employee Free Choice Act, which would level the playing field for middle class workers by fixing a badly broken system for forming unions and bargaining with big business and Corporate America for better pay and improved benefits. Both bills passed in the U.S. House with bipartisan support, and Americans United for Change, the non-profit advocacy organization perhaps best known for leading the fight to beat back President Bush's disastrous proposal to privatize Social Security in 2005, is now urging Members of the U.S. Senate to do the right thing and move each element of the middle class agenda to the President's desk.

"More and more of America's working people are struggling to make ends meet, and our middle class is disappearing," said Jeremy Funk, spokesman for Americans United for Change. "At least two meaningful pieces of legislation to reverse this trend have already come before Congress this year - and, unfortunately, these eighteen Members were no where to be found when the middle class families they represent needed them most. Just last week, they each opposed the Employee Free Choice Act, which would give middle-class workers a fair shake by fixing a badly broken system for forming unions and bargaining with Corporate America for better pay, improved benefits and retirement security. Earlier this year, each of these Members opposed the first increase in the federal minimum wage in a decade. They couldn't even be counted on to stand up for the most vulnerable workers in their states who live in borderline poverty. A week later, half of these Members took their insensitivity towards the middle class plight a step further by opposing legislation to make college more affordable by slashing student loan interest rates in half. It's a question of priorities and a question of values - and it's clear that each of these Members have lost touch with the values of middle class Americans, whom overwhelmingly support these important initiatives. Until they get their priorities straight in Washington and stop pandering to the special interests at the expense of working people, we will continue to identify each Member as their districts' ‘middle class public enemy #1.'"

While more than 18 Republicans voted against both the minimum wage increase and the Employee Free Choice Act in the House, these 18 were selected as public enemies of the middle class because they either come from districts where these issues have gained added resonance because of the growing disparity between the wages of workers and corporate executives or because they had been identified as persuadable on these issues.

Ehlers refuses to oppose escalation of war

An update on Jeff's post from earlier this week:

Congressman Vern Ehlers was one of 182 members of Congress who voted to oppose standing up to President Bush's plan to escalate the war in Iraq. Congressman Fred Upton of St. Joseph was one of 17 Republicans to join almost every Democrat in supporting the non-binding resolution, but Ehlers just didn't have the gumption to say yes.

A full text of Ehlers's speech to the House can be found here.

Ehlers loses his ability to stand

Vern Ehlers must have a physical ailment, not too suprising for a bloke his age. As the US House of Representatives debates their non-binding resolution against the Bush escalation in Iraq, Vern Ehlers has lost the use of his voice, and perhaps his legs. This is the only explaination that I can come up with.

Ehlers has decided to remain mute on this resolution. The Detroit News reports that Ehlers and two other Michigan Republican Representatives have decided to not let their constituents or the nation know where they stand, or sit, on the issue.

As debate opened Tuesday on a congressional resolution opposing more U.S. troops in Iraq, three of Michigan's Republicans held their positions close to the vest.

The three who wouldn't say whether they will support President Bush: U.S. Rep. Candice Miller of Harrison Township, who is Michigan's only member on the House Armed Services Committee and an increasingly vocal skeptic of President Bush's Iraq policies; Fred Upton of St. Joseph, and Vern Ehlers of Grand Rapids.

Correct me if I am wrong here; but what exactly is it that our Representatives do? I mean, aren't they supposed to represent us, their constituents. Aren't they supposed be our voice. We do not have the ability to address the House of Representatives ourselves... for that we elect a mouthpiece, someone who will convey the message of his constituents to his collegues in the House. Assuming that the 3rd district carries the same political tone on Iraq as the rest of the country; 60% of Americans oppose the troop escalation according to a USA Today/Gallup poll released today. So with Ehlers, we have no voice! We are unrepresented. So I would like to think that Vern just can't stand... that perhaps he has lost his voice.