McHenry, Foxx, Myrick hang NC farmers out to dry

At least they tried to . . .

Republican Congressmen Patrick McHenry, Virginia Foxx, and Sue Myrick refused to sign a letter to help North Carolina farmers get federal disaster assistance, the Winston-Salem Journal reports.

A bipartisan coalition of 10 of North Carolina’s 13 congressional members wrote a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. and House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, asking for help.

The letter comes as the state’s soybean, peanut, and Irish potato production are down by 31, 21, and 15 percent, respectively, from last year.

"This is not a partisan problem, and both parties’ leaderships need to be aware of the severity of the problem," Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-7th, told the Winston-Salem Journal.

McIntyre spearheaded the effort.

But Republican obstructionists McHenry, Foxx, and Myrick all allowed partisanship to get in the way of helping their constituents.

Foxx refused to speak to the Journal and had a spokesman respond by e-mail.

Their silence is deafening to the numbers of North Carolina farmers who will face hard times this year.

"It’s severe," Blake Brown, a professor of agricultural economics at NC State, told the Winston-Salem Journal. "There are people who have to sell their cattle because they don’t have enough grass or hay to feed them through the winter."

From Jerimee's post at BlueNC

McHenry calls Democrats "burdened by their gluttony"

On Go Blue Ridge dot net Laruen Ohnesorge writes:

Through an article in yesterday’s Washington Times, Avery County Representative Patrick McHenry predicted an impending government shutdown.

However, I did a search of the Washington Times and found no mention of McHenry. Just in case, I checked the Post and nothing there either. But perhaps it's not in an online version.

McHenry wrote that in 1995, a “newly anointed Congressional majority seeking to assert its power… had a head-on collision with a president in desperate search for political relevance after a crushing electoral defeat.” The result? According to McHenry, the outcome was a government shutdown. Twelve years later, McHenry sees parallels, saying President George W. Bush has drawn a “line in the sand,” promising to veto any spending bill that exceeds his administration’s request. Bush has been using what McHenry calls “the veto pen,” and according to McHenry, Democrats, who know he will use the pen, send him legislation anyway, including a timeline for leaving Iraq. McHenry called last November’s election results “a clear mandate… against wasteful spending in Washington,” and concludes by saying a repeat of 1995 could be what Republicans need to “ensure voters understand we heard them loud and clear.”

“It appears likely the Democrats,” he wrote, “… burdened by their gluttony- will hand Republicans that opportunity.”

Yeah, right. Burdened by gluttony. How can that be? This is the most obstructionist minority in history. So what is this gluttony the Democrats have, Pat? Certainly not the gluttony to pay 14 billion dollars a month for a war Americans never needed. Certainly not the gluttony to amass a 1.4-million-dollar war chest to run against someone who raised only 20 thousand? What's all this about gluttony, Pat?

How Pat McHenry rates

For those of you who don't know much about North Carolina's 10th district representative, don't rely on my opinion. For your illumination, I've checked out some of the most prestigious organizations in the country to see how they rate him based on voting record.

According to Project Vote Smart, Pat McHenry rates a zero, zilch, nada, zippo from the DAV, the Humane Society, the NEA, Defenders of Wildlife, National Committee for an Effective Congress, American Immigration Lawyers, Service Employees International Union, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the Alliance for Retied Americans, NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and the Leadership Council on Civil Rights.

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave him a grade of F.

But don't despair. He's received a hundred, a perfect score, or a grade of A from the Family Research Council, the American Conservative Union, National Right to Life Committee, the NRA, the American Land Rights Coalition, the National Federation of Independent Business, the U.S. Border Control (whoever they are), and the National Sand and Gravel Association.

Okay, so that list ain't so long. Well, a score over 75 is average or above, so I'll list those who gave him marks at least that high: the National Association of Wheat Growers, Americans for Tax Reform, the Business-Industry Political Action Committee, and my personal favorite, the good ol' U.S. Chamber of Congress. Remember the U.S. Chamber of Commerce? Those are the folks who endorsed Russian bidnessman, unindicted bank fraud co-conspirator, and 11th district neighbor, Charles Taylor, year after miserable, corrupt year.

And, just to be fair, I'll list all the organizations that gave Pat a score of 25 or below: the United Auto Workers, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, American Federation of Government Employees, the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers, the NAACP, the Drug Policy Alliance, the League of Conservation Voters, the Children's Defense Fund, the American Public Health Association, and he can't even please Republicans for Environmental Protection, who gave him score of 8.