Last week, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) introduced the Child Marriage Violates the Human Rights of Girls Act of 2011 (H.R. 3357). This follows Sen. Dick Durbin’s proposal from February (S. 414). Across the globe, 25,000 young girls are forced into marriage every day. These aren’t just young teenagers—in many cases, eight and nine year olds … Continue reading
A few weeks ago I lauded Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) for promising to halt fundraising activities while he served on the supercommittee. Well…as it happens, Upton only decided to stop scheduling new fundraising events, but continued accepting fundraising dollars. This means that Upton accepted $45,000 from oil companies in the last quarter alone. Add other energy … Continue reading
It’s rare that I have positive things to say about Representative Upton, but I did find at least ONE position that I can cautiously admire. Read the column here.
From Upton’s August 15th town hall in Kalamazoo, Michigan:
As you may have heard this morning, the debt Super Committee is taking shape. Republican Senators Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Pat Toomey (Penn.) and Rob Portman (Ohio) will serve, as well as Democrat Senators John Kerry of (Mass.), Max Baucus of (Mont.) and Patty Murray of (Wash.). Not a ton of surprises there. Mostly sensible (mostly), mostly predictable. With his picks, though, House Speaker John Boehner … Continue reading
Representative Fred Upton (R-Mich.) is confident that the proposed new Keystone XL pipeline (2100+ miles long) is safe. SAFE, I tell you! SAFE! Pay no attention to the facts behind the curtain! This latest mishap in Montana (and now North Dakota as well) is an isolated incident! Pass the sweet crude!
George Will’s Washington Post column this Sunday was a panegyric in Texas Governor Rick Perry’s honor: Perry would rather not run, but his wife, who has a nursing background and is alarmed by Obamacare, says that sometimes desires are secondary to duties. Perry, who sensibly did not watch the Republicans’ recent New Hampshire debate because … Continue reading
Noted climate scientist, ichthyologist, and mercury diet proponent Hank Rohs takes me to task (responding to this column) in today’s Kalamazoo Gazette. I wrote: There are 26 cement plants in the Great Lakes region alone, and they emitted more than 2,100 pounds of mercury in 2007. Rohs responds: It’s not like mercury isn’t regulated, but … Continue reading
Great article by Neela Banerjee on House Representative (and political chameleon) Fred Upton last weekend in the Los Angeles Times. Let me stress that: great story. Read it. Frequent readers won’t find the article surprising (I write on Upton a LOT), but it’s still worth a scan, because it includes analysis from a wide range of … Continue reading
Saw some new polling data on Representative Fred Upton today from the National Resources Defence Council Action Fund: 62% of Upton’s constituents believe that the EPA “needs to do more to hold polluters accountable and protect the air and water.” Only 33% believe that “EPA does too much and places too many costly restrictions on … Continue reading
