Betty McCollum Votes Against Audit of the Federal Reserve!

Ever since the government started printing money the last few years, there have been cries to audit the Fed.  Since the Fed operates in a black box, American's have to trust they are making good decisions with our money.  Many don't think the Fed is making good decisions, and want transparency into the Fed's operations.

One good thing about Betty McCollum, she wants transparency!  Yes, she does (when it suits her)...

From Betty's statement of record on H.R. 3606:

Moreover, H.R. 3606 would allow large banking institutions with hundreds of billions of dollars in assets to de-register and escape SEC regulations that ensure corporate transparency, integrity, and accountability.


Brilliant, Betty wants transparency in banking...but not of the Fed.

In a press release, Betty describes her role on a board that sought transparency in international financial institutions:


Congresswoman McCollum is the former board chair (2007-2008) of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank (PNoWB), an international organization of parliamentarians dedicated to increased accountability and transparency in International Financial Institutions and multilateral development financing. 


In a hearing on Medicaid fraud, Betty accuses Governor Pawlenty administration of not being open on negotiated Medicaid contracts, but loves Governor Dayton's transparency:

For eight years, the Republican administration of Governor Tim Pawlenty negotiated Medicaid contracts with health plans with little to no transparency. If the terms of these contracts were negotiated poorly or if they allowed waste and abuse to take place, then this committee has an obligation to investigate. Unfortunately, those members of the Pawlenty administration responsible for negotiating on behalf of taxpayers are not here to testify.

Starting in January 2011, Democratic Governor Mark Dayton's administration took action to increase transparency, accountability, and value for taxpayers. Commissioner Jesson is here to testify and she is to be commended for implementing reforms that should be a guide for every other state – particularly in states where for-profit managed care organizations may be extracting massive taxpayer funded profits.

In Betty's 2010 Newsletter, she brags about the transparency that the Wall Street Reform Act will provide (banks again):


"The time when Wall Street is allowed to gamble with the economic security of the American people is over. With these reforms a new age of financial accountability and transparency is about to begin. This legislation protects taxpayers and their retirement funds, college accounts, and home mortgages from risky decisions by CEOs, lenders, and speculators," said McCollum.


Another statement by Betty on financial system reform, and demonizing banks:


"Rebuilding the American economy and putting people back to work requires a financial sector that is regulated and required to behave responsibly. The era of Wall Street gambling with the economic security of the American people is over, and a new age of financial accountability and transparency is about to begin. The passage of this legislation protects taxpayers and their retirement funds, college accounts, and homes from risky decisions by CEOs, lenders, and speculators. This is an excellent bill which needs to become the law."


So transparency of private financial institutions, domestic and international is good, but auditing the Fed is bad?  Thankfully, the bill to audit the Fed passed 327-98!  If Betty didn't have double-standards, she wouldn't have standards at all!


Keep up the work constituents of MNCD4; every bit helps.  From letters to the editor, tweets, facebook, blogs, Hernandez yard signs, telling your neighbors etc...spread the word on what Betty hasn't done for MNCD4.  

If you are new to this blog, read how Betty McCollum denies God in Congress, supports the terrorist group Hamas and is anti-Israel.  Or just ask yourself, with the recent revelation of voter fraud in St. Paul, why would Betty McCollum deny voter fraud is a problem?  But more importantly, what has Betty done for MNCD4? 

If you Betty know how you feel, you can let her know on Twitter@BettyMcCollum04 or on her Facebook pages:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/repbettymccollum

http://www.facebook.com/#!/betty.mccollum1

An Open Letter to the St. Paul Pioneer Press

Tonight I received the letter below from @StPaulCD4Voter, which has been submitted to the St. Paul Pioneer Press as a Letter to the Editor.

To Thom Fladung -- Editor of the St. Paul Pioneer Press

Dear Mr. Fladung;

Over the last week its been probably the most interesting race in the 4th Congressional District in over 20 years.  Unfortunately most of the voters of St. Paul would never know it if they relied solely on your paper to get their information.  Luckily the "new media" has done your job for you this campaign, and really shown why the print media is dying in this country.  Let me bring you up to speed.

First there has been a lot of debate about debates.  It started when Rep. Betty McCollum initially did not respond to Republican Teresa Collett's primary night challenge to hold 4 debates.  Collett actually hand delivered a letter to Betty McCollum's office the morning after her primary victory to challenge McCollum face to face.  Betty wasn't there, and apparently neither was the Pioneer Press because no story on Teresa's debate challenge ever appeared in the "newspaper of record" for St. Paul.

Finally, after much goading by local bloggers McCollum agreed to appear in a televised debate on KSTP TV, only to back out at the last minute. You would think the refusal of a sitting Congresswoman to appear on television to debate her Republican opponent would be big news, especially given the current political environment and the issues facing our country.  But, sadly there was no reporting of this slap in the face to the voters of St. Paul by their elected representative in the Pioneer Press.

Rep McCollum ultimately agreed to appear in two live candidate forums, and one radio forum on MPR.  The first forum in front of the White Bear Lake Chamber of Commerce, wasn't open to the public.  At this debate Rep McCollum proclaimed that she "supports Nancy Pelosi 100% and would vote to reelect her as Speaker."   She also called Speaker Pelosi "a consensus builder" despite the fact that she led a unilateral effort on the part of the Democratic Party to pass the hugely unpopular stimulus, cash for clunkers, and health care reform -- that has spawned the voter anger that is driving what could be an historic wave election in just a few days.  The story that appeared in the Pioneer Press reporting on this debate has actually been taken down off your website!  You would think this story would stay up at least until after the election as a service to your readers who are trying to educate themselves on the issues.

Last week at the Wilder Foundation, Rep McCollum and Teresa Collett again met face to face in front of a live public audience.  Anyone who was there would agree that Collett clearly won the debate.  She articulately laid out the case for limited government, tax cuts and spending reductions in order to get the economy back on track. The overwhelming consensus from anyone in the room was that Collett came off polished, aware, and in command of the issues.  If someone from outside the district had attended the debate, they would have thought Collett actually was the incumbent.   Rep McCollum on the other hand, made bizzare statements like:

"Health care reform is not a government takeover"

"The budget is just a piece of paper..its totally non binding"

"AlQaeda is no longer a threat to the United States"

During this debate, many of  McCollum's answers drew scorn if not outright laughter from the audience.  She showed a remarkable inability to speak without prepared notes, and really didn't seem that well prepared. This story deserved front page news, as it was in front of a packed audience of actual voters attending a Congressional election in a highly contentious national election.  Instead St. Paul voters received a bland article, buried in the paper that failed to capture the spirit of the debate or the atmosphere in the room.

Finally the events of the last 72 hours have failed to even make the paper at all.  In case you weren't aware the Congresswoman from St. Paul has become a viral sensation on the Internet.  A video of her leading Congress in the Pledge of Allegiance, and clearly omitting the words "Under God" is now all over the Internet.  The video was featured on the Hannity television show on Monday night and on Glenn Beck's national radio show on Tuesday morning.  It is newsworthy because it surfaced at the same time another video of a League of Women Voters debate where the audience demanded that the debate open with the Pledge despite the resistance of the LWV moderator made national news and also went viral. 

Today another video of Rep McCollum saying that "Al Qaeda no longer is a threat to the US" appeared on the front page of the National Review, Foxnation.com, Hotair.com, and The Blaze on the same day that a suspect with Al Qaeda connections was arrested in Washington DC, casing possible bombing sites. (I'm hopeful to see a reporting of this in tomorrow's paper, but I'm not holding my breath!)  McCollum's statement flies in the face of testimony by Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano and FBI Director Robert Mueller before Congress last month.  This statement by McCollum is shocking coming from a sitting Congresswoman, for either she released classified information in the debate at the Wilder Center or she revealed a fundamental lack of understanding of the threats facing our country! 

This is an important election.  The St. Paul Pioneer Press has failed the voters of St. Paul in its duty to report on the public debate and the events surrounding this campaign.  This campaign has clearly shown to those who care to inform themselves which candidate is most qualified to represent the 4th District.  Teresa Collett is a former small business owner, an appellate attorney who has tried cases before the Supreme Court, testified before Congress, and is a constitutional law professor at St. Thomas.  Betty McCollum has a remarkably undistinguished career in Congress, passing only one bill into law -- renaming a post office!  McCollum has been a 100% reliable vote for Nancy Pelosi and the extreme left wing of the Democratic Party her entire career. When Pelosi's approval rate is less than 30%, McCollum's support for her shows that she represents the values of San Francisco, not St. Paul.

In order to maintain any credibility I am calling upon you today to endorse Teresa Collett for Congress. Collett represents the opinion of the majority of the country who are afraid about the growth of government, the growing tax burden on the job creators in this country and the debt the Democrats have levied on our children and grandchildren.  McCollum is the poster child for everything that is being rejected by voters across the country!  


In order to save your reputation as the clear thinking paper in town -- please endorseTeresa Collett!

Sincerely,


@StPaulCD4Voter

--------------------------------------------

Keep up the work constituents of MNCD4; every bit helps.  From letters to the editor, tweets, facebook, blogs, Collett yard signs, telling your neighbors etc...spread the word on what Betty hasn't done for MNCD4.  

If you are new to this blog, read how Betty McCollum denies God in Congress, supports the terrorist group Hamas and is anti-Israel.  Or just ask yourself, with the recent revelation of voter fraud in St. Paul, why would Betty McCollum deny voter fraud is a problem?  But more importantly, what has Betty done for MNCD4? 

Remember, if you see me, please honk!  

Post Game Wrap Up of MNCD4 Debate with Teresa Collett and Betty McCollum!!!

This post was written by @StPaulCD4Voter; my comments are at the end.  

I'm writing this about an hour after the League of Women Voters Forum in St. Paul let out tonight. I wanted to get this out on social media before the Pioneer Press (who's reporter I'm certain was sitting next to me) has a chance to frame the narrative about what happened tonight.  I attended the debate, sat in the second row and tried my best to live tweet the events that I saw.  You can follow my tweets on the #mncd4  hashtag.  I'm certain the Collett campaign will have the debate up on their www.collettforcongress.com YouTube Channel very soon.

It was great to see a lot of fantastic patriotic people that I've met over social media the last few months. @madvoterinmn @douglasbass and @suejeffersktlk all sat next to me.  We had a great time talking before hand and exchanging notes during the debate.  The great thing was that the audience seemed to be overwhelmingly pro Collett!  This is in St. Paul! The city that hasn't elected a Republican to Congress since WWII!   I fully expected to see busloads of SEIU members shipped in to give Betty a friendly environment.  Either the busses got caught in traffic, or the DFL machine isn't working for Betty anymore.  I'm now more convinced than ever that Teresa Collett can win in MNCD4!  She's a great candidate, she articulates her positions clearly and intelligently and she's on the right side of the issues that matter to MN and the US right now.

It should be clear to anyone that was at the debate why Betty McCollum backed out of a live televised debate on KSTP earlier in the campaign.  She does not debate well, she has trouble speaking without prepared notes (which she can't even read clearly), and when she does have to speak off the cuff she is prone to saying dumb things.  She said some doozies tonight, to which the crowd responded negatively, with gasps, if not outright laughter.  Clearly she couldn't take the risk of having such a performance televised.  What Betty McCollum doesn't realize is that with new media, that message will get through despite her best efforts. Follow @madvoterinmn and myself at @stpaulcd4voter on Twitter and go tohttp://www.mncdneedschange.blogspot.com/ for more information on Betty McCollum. 

I thought it was comical that the League of Women Voters actually called themselves a non partisan organization. This is despite the fact that the MN Voters Alliance has filed an IRS complaint against the League due to the fact that they are also a lobbying organization.http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=872135 

The opening statement Betty read from her note cards was full of the typical DFL platitudes. I heard a lot of "keep moving forward" and "not going back to the failed policies of the past" but very little substance of what she actually stood for.  She clearly was not prepared to defend her votes on health care, the stimulus, running up the debt or the bailouts to the auto industry.

On the other hand, Teresa Collett, spoke without notes about her life as a mother, a business owner, a successful lawyer, professor and recent grandmother.  She said she decided to run for Congress because she's concerned about the country that her newborn granddaughter would one day inherit.  She spoke clearly, confidently and sounded polished.  She's a great speaker.  To anyone from outside MNCD4 that happened to stumble into the Wilder Auditorium, they would have thought Teresa was the incumbant.

The first question of the night was about the recent Don't Ask, Don't Tell judicial ruling issuing an injunction telling the military to quit enforcing the policy.  McCollum said that she "has voted to repeal the ban...and would do so again."  Collett said that "She trusts the opinion of the professional leadership of the military on this issue.  They should make the decision, not judges." As an Army veteran, who still is concerned about our country's ability to effectively defend itself, I know thisto be the right answer.  The role of the military is to "kill people and break things" -- it's not a social laboratory, and the leadership's opinion on readiness should be valued, not dismissed by politicians with no military experience such as Rep. McCollum.

The second question was on health care, specifically "Can you discuss the benefits of the health care legislation?"  Teresa Collett said firmly the "health care bill is a disaster and that she would vote to repeal it." When she said this the crowd roared in approval, much to the chagrin of Betty McCollum and the LWV moderator, who reminded the crowd to hold their applause. 

McCollum went back to the same stale Democratic talking points; "I'm proud of my vote for health care!" she said.  She tried to argue that the health care bill was going to save money and make health care more affordable. She also said that "health care reform is not a government takeover..."  This drew outright laughter from the audience.  The Independence Party Candidate, who is clearly not ready for prime time, tried to say that Teresa Collett was not in favor of an immediate repeal.  Collett answered him by saying "When we have a 2/3 majority in both the House and Senate, we will override a Presidential veto and repeal the bill.." She commented that wth the political winds across the country its looking more likely that that could happen.

When questioned about what can be done about the federal debt, McCollum made the most laughable answer of the night.  It was all talking points and no substance.  She said "all options need to be on the table" four times in one two minute answer but didn't say anything that specifically answered the question.

Collett on the other hand pointed out that Betty McCollum sits on the House Budget committees, and that committee didn't even submit a budget this year.  "If you can't even submit a budget, how can you balance a budget?" She asked. Collett said she supports the Pence Ammendment limiting federal spending to 20% of GDP, and that in order to restore fiscal sanity we have to look at entitlement spending.  McCollum, speaking off the cuff, made a bizzarre comment that "the budget that committee submits is non binding, it doesn't mean anything."  This seems to reflect the current thinking of the Democratic Party.

On the question about what will it take to get the economy moving again, Collett said that "the first order of business in the new Congress in January has to be extending the tax cuts to everyone." She said the problem with the current Congress is that very few of the members have any business experience at all, and that they don't know how jobs get created.  Betty McCollum clearly was in this group, because she argued that while she's for "middle class tax cuts" (which is code for tax credits to people who don't pay taxes), we can't afford a tax cut for the top 3% of earners.  Collett countered that the top 3% include small business owners whose business income as S Corporations are passed onto their personal income tax statements.  Massive tax increases on business owners will hurt, not stimulate job creation. 

The stupidest comment of the night came on the defense question, when Betty McCollum said: "Al Qaeda no longer poses a threat to the United States.." Wow, I've been so involved in following the campaign, I must have missed that news!  She also said that there are "less than 100 Al Qaeda left in Afghanistan..."  McCollum did say, however that the military was drawing up contingency plans for global warming.  That's a relief!  I guess in Betty McCollum's world Global Warming is a bigger threat to the US than Al Qaeda.

There was a question about which founding father you admired the most.  Teresa Collett answered that James Madison was her favorite, because he believed in limited government and that he wrote the Constituion.  Betty McCollum gave some lame answer about Ben Franklin because he was such a renaissance man, free thinker, etc...I guess Betty forgot that Ben Franklin was also a big proponent for term limits!

At the end of the debate, and during closing statments, Betty McCollum basically repeated her opening statement.  The main reason she could come up with for voting for her was that she was born in South St Paul, was raised in North St Paul and lives in St. Paul now. She also tried to call for civility in discourse and that we shouldn't use hate speech.  I was left wondering, "what hate speech?"  This reminded me of her comments earlier this year comparing Michelle Bachmann and the Tea Party to Tim McVeigh. Simply insulting Betty!  People who disagree with you aren't terrorists, and differing opinion is not hate speech.

Teresa Collett on the other hand, summarized her candidacy by saying "I'm for freedom and fiscal sanity!"  She said that accumulating debt is morally irresponsible and that if elected she would work to bring sanity back to government.  Her closing statement drew thunderous applause from the audience, and contrary to what the Pioneer Press will say tomorrow morning -- the applause was for Teresa, not ALL of the candidates!

I left energized and motivated that contrary to what the media will report, there is a race in MNCD4.  There has been no polling in this district, but the same dynamics that are putting Jim Oberstar in trouble in Duluth can also swamp Betty McCollum in St. Paul.  We have to stay motivated, talk to your neighbors and make sure everyone gets out and votes for Teresa Collett.  My recent post Electoral Math How Teresa Collett can Beat Betty http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=155203901176998 outlines how the math can break in our favor!

This can be an historic election, and I hope that St. Paul voters can come out and make our state proud for a change.  I'm tired of being a laughingstock for the rest of the US...

__________________________________________________________________________________


Thank you for the outstanding recap of this debate @StPaulCD4Voter!  I just need to add a few of my notes, which I can't do in the comment section because I can't put HTML in the comments.


St. Paul, for 5 decades you have been ruled by the DFL, this is the year the pendulum swings to the other side!  The room at the Wilder Foundation holds 285 people; there was at least that many there, as people were standing along the walls around the entire room!  This morning news came out that SEIU would be sending people to the event.  Yes, there were a few SEIU folks there; they stuck out in their dress and mannerisms. The significant portion of the crowd was either professionals or retired.


The format for this debate was questions from the audience.  We had to write our questions down, and turn them in.  The LWV then filtered the questions.  As the questions were asked, they appeared to be written from a liberal perspective.  I know that none of the questions asked of the candidates were submitted by people I know.


As @StPaulCD4Voter pointed out, Betty was laughed at a number of times for her comments; what is equally important, Teresa Collett was never laughed at.  When Teresa spoke, the audience was riveted to her answers, and often erupted in loud cheers.


I was pretty disappointed in Betty McCollum's ability to address a crowd.  She literally read her statements, and when she would take her eyes off her paper to look at the audience, she would get off track and lose her focus.  For someone who has been in Congress for 10 years, I expected more.  One would think the DFL would've recognized this a long time ago, and sent her to Toastmasters...


Many of Betty's gaffe's are noted above, but a couple notables to address. When asked about reducing the deficit, Betty said all options are on the table.  Uhm, Betty hasn't met a spending bill she hasn't liked. When budget cutting ideas are presented, Betty votes against them.  For example, Youcut has been introduced a number of times, and Betty has voted against it every time.  Each one would save billions over 10 years.  Also, H.R. 4720, the Taking Responsibility for Congressional Pay Act, which would give Congress a 5% paycut (starting salary for Congress is $179,000).  This is still stuck in committee.  So it is hard to take Betty at face value when she says "All options are on the table".  Betty was laughed at loudly for her response.


Other laughs from the audience (mind you, there were around 285 people there, and every time, a significant portion of the room laughed...

• When Betty said President Bush signed a law last week, people got a good laugh out of that!
• Al Qaeda isn't a threat!
• Freddie and Fannie aren't part of the government (technically not, but we are bailing them out)
• It was also pretty funny to hear Betty explain she admired Benjamin Franklin because he had original thought.  Betty hasn't had an original thought since Nancy Pelosi told her to have one!

Watch the debates on TV when they are televised, there are more...

As noted by @StPaulCD4Voter, I too am flummoxed by Betty saying there is hate speech.  I am not sure what she is referring to, but I know Betty and liberals don't like it when you disagree with them.  In fact, Betty defriended me on Facebook because I asked questions on her Facebook page.  Read my post on it here.

If you were at the debate, you would've seen Betty often looked confused, frustrated, mad and stumbled over her words without answering the questions.  This was in diametric opposition to Teresa Collett, who commanded the room; she was articulate, informed and spoke to a point with passion.  That is leadership!

The best was at the end of the debate.  We went up to tell Teresa Collett she did a great job, but there were people already queued up, so we waited.  I thought it was a line going to Betty and Teresa, until I realized...the long line was to get to Teresa!!!  Betty had only a few people standing around her!!!  We waited 10 minutes to get to Teresa, and by that time, Betty had left the building!  Bye, Bye Betty!!!

MNCD4, smile tomorrow, the pendulum is swinging in a different direction!  The enthusiasm for Teresa Collett tonight was overwhelming, and the disdain towards Betty McCollum was evident!  We see this happening in other parts of the country; incumbents being taken down by newcomers.  It is happening  in the 8th, where Chip Craavack is neck and neck with 36 year incumbent Jim Oberstar!  MNCD4, it's happening in our district too.  There is enthusiasm, and Teresa Collett is an awesome, and well qualified candidate (Law professor and small business owner).   

...and finally, for the last couple weekends, I have been going out searching for Teresa Collett and Vote Betty signs in Inver Grove Heights, S. and W. St. Paul, White Bear Lake and St. Paul.  I see a roughly 10:1 ratio of Teresa signs vs. Betty signs!

I almost felt sorry for Betty, till I realized Nancy Pelosi can comfort her.

Keep up the work constituents of MNCD4; every bit helps.  From letters to the editor, tweets, facebook, blogs, Collett yard signs, telling your neighbors etc...spread the word on what Betty hasn't done for MNCD4.  

If you are new to this blog, read how Betty McCollum denies God in Congress, supports the terrorist group Hamas and is anti-Israel.  Or just ask yourself, with the recent revelation of voter fraud in St. Paul, why would Betty McCollum deny voter fraud is a problem?  But more importantly, what has Betty done for MNCD4? 

Remember, if you see me, please honk!  Except for you lady; yes, you, in the black Audi A8.  While I was getting in my vehicle after the debate, you glared at me.

Unseen Footage of MN Rep D Betty McCollum on Larry King Live...What a Mental Midget!

For once, Larry King doesn't pitch softballs for questions!  Thanks go out to a Major in the Madvoter Army for digging up this never before seen video of Larry King's interview with MNCD'4 very own intellectual lightweight, Betty McCollum.  No wonder these never made it on CNN...





Keep up the work constituents of MNCD4; every bit helps.  From letters to the editor, tweets, facebook, blogs, Collett yard signs, telling your neighbors etc...spread the word on what Betty hasn't done for MNCD4.  

If you are new to this blog, read how Betty McCollum denies God in Congress, supports the terrorist group Hamas and is anti-Israel.  Or just ask yourself, with the recent revelation of voter fraud in St. Paul, why would Betty McCollum deny voter fraud is a problem?  But more importantly, what has Betty done for MNCD4? 

Remember, if you see me, please honk!

Since MN Rep D Betty McCollum Won't Answer This Question, I Will

Another great post from our friends at the True North Blog.

Since Betty McCollum Won't Answer This Question, I Will

Written by Douglas Bass

Monday, 04 October 2010 23:27

Betty McCollum was asked a question by a constituent at the so-called "DFL Town Hall Rally" on September 13.  I'm not reproducing it exactly, but it was something like this: the national debt was thus-and-such [$5.67 trillion] when you were first elected to Congress in 2000, and now it's $13.56 trillion.  How much of the increase in the national debt do you attribute to your Congressional votes?" I'm not reproducing Betty's answer exactly, but I did take notes.  She said that at the end of the Clinton administration, we were looking at trillion dollar surpluses as far as the eye could see.  She voted against the Bush tax cuts.  When 9/11 came, she voted for military action in Afghanistan, but she voted for paying for it.  She said she knew there were no WMD's in Iraq, she voted against the Iraq war multiple times, and the massive amounts of money spent on it. She said that there was a Republican administration for eight of those ten years.  In short, she was proud of the votes she cast, and wasn't going to apologize to anyone about her votes. I have already gotten the bile out of my system about Betty giving a boastful, buck-passing non-answer to a constituent.  I don't think I'll ever be a Representative, but if I ever am, I'll never, never, never treat a constituent like that.  Ok, maybe I haven't gotten all the bile out of my system about Betty's response.  But I thought to myself at the time, "Hmm, that might be a good thing to investigate." It has been pointed out by quite a few people of the strong ties between Betty McCollum and Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  They are ideologically compatible, and they bonded early in McCollum's House career when Pelosi asked McCollum in 2001 to give the speech nominating Pelosi for the post of Democratic Whip.  Pelosi held the post of Democratic Whip from 2001 to 2003.   I'm seeing conflicting information regarding the position Betty McCollum holds within the Democratic Party.  Betty's website says she "holds the prestigious position of Senior Democratic Whip within the House Democratic Caucus."  But apparently that's a different position than House Majority Whip, currently held by James Clyburn. Betty is also not one of the nine House members who are part of Clyburn's Whip team. dKosopedia mentions her as a "Regional Whip."  But the thing I want to point out from this is that Betty is not just your average Democrat Representative.  Betty is part of the Democrat House leadership. UPDATE: A gentleman at Betty McCollum's Washington DC office informed me that the Democratic party has roughly 30 whips, and Betty is a senior member of that group of 30 whips, even though she is not in the post of Majority Whip, and is not a member of James Clyburn's Whip team.  Furthermore, while Betty was a Regional Whip in a previous Congress, she is no longer a Regional Whip, so the information at dKosopedia is no longer accurate There is another thing I discovered about Betty that is probably not known by very many people.  It is my understanding that Betty has served on the House Appropriations Committee since entering Congress, but I didn't know that she serves on both the the Appropriations and Budget Committees.  The Wikipedia page for Betty McCollum says: McCollum is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, where she is the only Minnesotan. At the start of the 111th Congress, McCollum was also appointed to the United States House Budget Committee. Under normal circumstances, House Democrats aren't allowed to serve on another committee when they also serve on one of the chamber's four exclusive "A" committees--Appropriations, Energy and Commerce, Rules, and Ways and Means. However, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and committee chairman Henry Waxman granted McCollum a waiver allowing her to take a second committee slot. This is more evidence to show that Betty McCollum is not your average Democrat Representative.  Say what you will about Betty McCollum, call her clueless, call her a trained ideological seal, call her forgetful about the Pledge of Allegiance, she has been remarkably successful at the game of attaining powerful positions by being connected with powerful people, and leveraging those connections.  She hitched her wagon to then-Democratic-Whip- candidate Nancy Pelosi's star, and she has been rewarded handsomely in multiple ways for her faithful service as now-Speaker Pelosi's handmaiden. I'm writing all this to justify my answer to the stiffarmed constituent's question.  If a piece of Federal legislation was passed with Democrat support anytime between 2000 and now, it is most likely Betty McCollum had a significant role in passing it, either through her actions on the Appropriations and Budget Committees, or her actions as a Whip. I believe they have more of an impact than her House vote on the legislation in question. Contrarywise, if a piece of Federal legislation passed over Democrat opposition during that same period, it is most likely Betty McCollum had a significant role in opposing it for the same reasons. It's actually hard to put a numeric figure on the impact of someone's votes, because there are differences of opinion as to the impact of a piece of legislation.  For example, if you asked Betty McCollum, she would most likely tell you that the Bush tax cuts made the deficits go higher.  But there are other folks who argue with equal eloquence and passion that the Bush tax cuts stimulated the economy, which increased government tax receipts, which decreased the deficit from what it would have been without them.  However, the pattern of deficits is quite different, depending on the party in power Here's another way of looking at this chart... Therefore, my answer to the stiffarmed constituent's question is "Betty McCollum was probably not all that responsible for the $1.5 trillion of deficits during 2000-2006, a little more responsible for the $600 billion of deficits during 2007-2008, and a lot more responsible for the $3.2 trillion of deficits during 2009-2010."   I was thinking this way after the meeting on September 13, but I hate it that I think this way. I was thinking "I'm not going to get a straight answer from Betty McCollum, am I?"  At this point I'm thinking "Sadly, no."  And why won't I get a straight answer from Betty McCollum? Because she's a Company Gal, she's part of the Democrat establishment, she's "The Man," and she didn't get there by giving straight answers, and she's not going to stay there if she gives any straight answers.  My only consolation is that she didn't indulge in any of the "I'll go on my diet tomorrow" conversation that President Obama unsuccessfully peddled.  So Betty, you go right ahead and be proud of your votes.  I'll be proud of my vote for Teresa Collett in November. ---------------

Keep up the work constituents of MNCD4; every bit helps.  From letters to the editor, tweets, facebook, blogs, Collett yard signs, telling your neighbors etc...spread the word on what Betty hasn't done for MNCD4.  

If you are new to this blog, read how Betty McCollum denies God in Congress, supports the terrorist group Hamas and is anti-Israel.  Or just ask yourself, with the recent revelation of voter fraud in St. Paul, why would Betty McCollum deny voter fraud is a problem?  But more importantly, what has Betty done for MNCD4? 

Remember, if you see me, please honk!