On Aug. 23, Joe Knollenberg made a post to his official blog bragging about the improvement in the federal budget deficit:

Thanks to the pro-small business, pro-entrepreneurial, pro-family tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, federal tax revenue is coming in at brisker than expected pace. As a result, the federal budget deficit is expected to fall to $158 billion this year. That is $90 billion less than last year’s deficit and it’s $19 billion less than the amount projected earlier this year.

Isn’t that wonderful?

Well, no.

First, keep in mind that before Joe Knollenberg’s hero, George W. Bush, became president, we were running a budget surplus. Is it all that exciting to get the deficit down to only $158 billion?

Also, as usual, Joe Knollenberg is only telling us half of the story. He’s happy to quote the Congressional Budget Office’s projection of $158 billion this year, but he doesn’t mention its estimate of $244 billion for next year, or the fact they expect the deficit to approach $400 billion by 2011.

Over the long term, the budget remains on an unsustainable path - Congressional Budget Office, Aug. 23, 2007

Joe Knollenberg calls that good news?

Posted: August 25th, 2007 under president bush, economy, knollenberg watch.
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Rhonda Ross has become the second Democrat to announce a campaign to replace Joe Knollenberg, joining Gary Peters.

From her campaign website:

As a Chemical Engineer and Attorney, Rhonda Ross has spent the past 21 years solving complicated scientific and legal problems for her clients.

Rhonda has worked in the auto industry, as a Director at an environmental regulatory agency, and as an attorney. She now owns her own small business.

Rhonda understands the concerns of working families, including skyrocketing healthcare costs and a declining housing market.

She understands that people are worried about losing their job, and saving for their own retirement.

She shares the frustration of watching a bridge in Minnesota collapse while our government invests billions of dollars to build the infrastructure of Iraq.

Rhonda believes we need to embrace the progressive values of the Founding Fathers of this Country. She wants to go to Washington and fight to get America back on track.

Rhonda’s Priorities Include:

• Protecting American Families
  • Assure Healthcare for All Americans
  • Revoke Unfair Trade Agreements That Cost American Jobs
  • Protect Employee Pensions
  • Preserve Social Security
  • Defend American Borders
  • Enforce Environmental Regulations
  • Reform the Tax Code To Favor Middle-Class Families
• Strengthening America At Home & Abroad
  • Implement Strategy to Safely Withdraw Troops From Iraq
  • Rebuild & Refocus America’s Military on Terrorists
  • Protect American Borders
  • Invest in America’s Infrastructure
  • Re-establish Trust with Allied Nations
• Reclaiming America’s Place As The Leader in Technology
  • Create a New 21st Century High Tech Infrastructure
  • Advance Medical Science Through Stem Cell Research
  • Promote Math & Science in Schools
  • Invest in Scientific Research

Posted: August 24th, 2007 under rhonda ross, knollenberg watch.
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Bob Murray is the president and CEO of Murray Energy, the company that owns Crandall Canyon Mine. Crandall Canyon, of course, is the mine where three rescue workers died Thursday while trying to rescue six of their colleagues that have been missing for nearly two weeks.

Murray has owned Crandall Canyon for a year, during which time it has accumulated 64 safety violations and $12,973 in proposed fines. Sadly, in the mining business, that’s considered a “solid” safety record.

Murray, though, isn’t even normally that good when it comes to safety. Murray Energy’s Galatia Mine in Illinois has been cited for nearly three thousand violations in the last two years and is looking at $2.4 million in fines.

Why is he still in business? Probably because he’s a massive donor to the Republican Party and to its candidates, and he isn’t afraid to use the influence he buys. In 2002, when an inspector at the Mine Safety Health Administration annoyed Murray by reporting too many violations, Murray went to a close friend for help. That friend was Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, whose wife just happened to be Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.

Guess what? The inspector was reassigned, and when his appeal of the transfer was turned down, he retired.

Murray funnels his money to the Republicans in many ways, including the National Mining Association. He serves on the NMA’s board of directors and he has donated over $30,000 to their PAC in the last 10 years.

Joe Knollenberg has been a regular visitor to Murray’s NMA bank, taking $11,000 in campaign contributions since 1998.

Why is Joe Knollenberg taking money from the mining industry? Does he think coal mining will replace the jobs that have fled Oakland County under his watch?

Will he show the courage to stand up to Robert Murray and push for tougher safety standards to prevent disasters like Sago and Crandall Canyon? There are eleven thousand reasons that we probably shouldn’t expect him to do it.

Posted: August 18th, 2007 under business, campaign finance, knollenberg watch.
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It’s obvious that Joe Knollenberg doesn’t care about the needs of the Ninth District.

Maybe it’s because we aren’t the ones paying for his campaigns.

Do you wonder why your electric bills keep climbing? You could complain to your congressman, but you probably can’t match the $215,551 Joe Knollenberg has gotten from electric utilities since 1998.

Are you angry at how much you have to pay for insurance? Give Joe Knollenberg $203,100 like the insurance industry has, and he’ll get right on that for you.

Do you think the Big Three should be held accountable for abandoning Michigan in a wild rush of outsourcing? Joe Knollenberg will listen, if you top the $137,800 they’ve paid him to take care of them in Congress.

Getting tired of your flights being late or cancelled? Joe Knollenberg has 132,341 reasons to worry more about the airline industry than he does about you.

There’s also $99,514 from law firms, $91,000 from banks and $77,120 from the health-care industry.

But just in case that’s still not enough, Republican leadership PACs have paid Joe Knollenberg another $150,207 to make sure of his loyalties.

Since he arrived on Capitol Hill in 1993, Joe Knollenberg has taken over $2.6 million from Big Business. Is it any wonder he’s forgotten about the people he is supposed to represent?

All statistics courtesy of the Center for Responsive Politics.

Posted: August 10th, 2007 under business, campaign finance, knollenberg watch.
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Former State Senator Gary Peters announced on August 7 that he will run against Joe Knollenberg for the Ninth District House seat.

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP – A public servant with a record of fiscal discipline, Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Township) today announced he will run for Congress in 2008, pledging to fight outsourcing, help strengthen the economy and resolve the war in Iraq.

“I’ll be a strong voice for Oakland County families in Washington and fight tooth-and-nail for every Michigan job,” Peters said. “For too long, our representative in Washington has been a rubber stamp for the Bush administration’s failed policies in Iraq and failed policies on the economy. It’s time for a change, and I will always put the citizens of Oakland County ahead of partisan politics and special interests.”

Peters served as a state senator from 1995 to 2002 and was honored for his contributions by many organizations, including the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police and the Deputy Sheriffs Association of Michigan. As a lieutenant commander and SEABEE combat specialist in the U.S. Navy reserve, Peters’ reserve duty included time in the Persian Gulf and overseas after 9/11.

In addition to government and military service, Peters worked in the private sector as a vice president for two major financial services companies and helped families invest their money wisely in order to save for a secure retirement and provide for a college education for their children. Peters knows first hand the financial challenges working families face and the importance of a strong and vibrant Social Security system. Peters is currently serving as Michigan’s lottery commissioner and will officially resign this Friday, Aug 10.

As a public servant, Peters earned a reputation for fiscal responsibility: While a state senator, he returned a year’s worth of office expenses back to Michigan taxpayers. As lottery commissioner, he stayed below budget while raising record amounts of money for public schools.

Peters will challenge seven-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, who has been congressman for the 9th district in Oakland County since 1993.

“Joe Knollenberg is an entrenched Washington insider who has lost touch with the people and spends more time protecting special interests than Michigan jobs,” Peters said. “The Knollenberg-Bush record includes outsourcing good jobs to other countries and a head-in-the-sand policy on Iraq. We need a new direction on jobs, the economy and Iraq to get Michigan – and our nation – back on track.”

To learn more, go to: www.PetersForCongress.com.

Posted: August 8th, 2007 under gary peters, knollenberg watch.
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Last weekend, by supporting warrantless wiretaps of U.S. citizens, Joe Knollenberg showed again that his loyalties belong to George W. Bush, not the people of Oakland County.

For six years, the Bush Administration has used the tragedy of 9/11 to rob us of our freedoms, and Joe Knollenberg has been an eager accomplice. He proudly voted to take away the right of habeas corpus. He happily signed on to the Patriot Act. He’s cheered as Alberto Gonzales and Dick Cheney have used the executive branch as a tool for vendetta.

Our nation is under attack by the very men who are supposed to be our champions. We find ourselves led by a President who will do anything and say anything in order to help the rich and pursue the goals of a fanatic group of neoconservatives. Not only has Joe Knollenberg refused to try to stop their abuses, he has done everything in his power to help them.

The Bush presidency comes to an end after the 2008 elections. The people of Michigan’s Ninth District have to make sure Joe Knollenberg doesn’t get a chance to keep their legacy alive.

Posted: August 8th, 2007 under president bush, national security, knollenberg watch.
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For one day, Joe Knollenberg was right about the “War on Terror”.

“Make no mistake, these attacks were an act of war. All of us stand firmly behind the President in his efforts to identify and punish the perpetrators of these evil deeds. No one will rest until justice is done on those who committed these heinous crimes and on those who provided aid and comfort to those criminals.” - Rep. Joe Knollenberg, Sept. 12, 2001.

Sadly, like the President, Joe Knollenberg didn’t follow through on his tough talk.

A year after 9/11, when President Bush was lying to the American people about Saddam Hussein, Knollenberg was right on board.

“The Iraqi regime, controlled by Saddam Hussein, remains a threat to the Iraqi people, Iraq’s neighbors, the U.S., our allies, and American citizens. Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction at his disposal, biological and chemical; and he has used them, as we all know, on his own people and against other countries. He has continuously expressed hostility toward and a willingness to attack the United States. In fact, he was the only world leader to publicly applaud the horrific September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America. Members of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization are known to be in Iraq . These facts simply cannot be ignored, and we cannot afford to wait while further terrorist attacks against the United States are being planned.” - Rep. Joe Knollenberg, Oct. 13, 2002.

In 2005, as Americans realized that we had made a terrible mistake, Joe Knollenberg didn’t have the courage to see the truth.

“In the past few months, we have seen an extraordinary progress in Iraq and in the Middle East at large.” Rep. Joe Knollenberg, March 15, 2005.

“The effort in Iraq is moving along steadily, and our forces are working in conjunction with Iraqi forces toward success in many different areas.” Rep. Joe Knollenberg, Nov. 3, 2005.

In the summer of 2006, long after it became obvious that Iraq was a disaster, George W. Bush and Joe Knollenberg continued their attempts at scaring the American people into believing that it was our safety at stake, not oil profits.

“I want to convey a very simple message. We must stay the course. At this crucial point in our history, it is unacceptable to enact a policy of passivity, resignation or defeatism in the face of terror. Some say that we should surrender and pull out. They may think that this will win them votes and that it is good politics, but it is terrible policy, devastating policy. It is essential that we continue to fight in Iraq so that the fight does not come into our backyards. Make no mistake, we do not choose Iraq as a front line on the war on terror. Al Qaeda has done that. But we must have that fight over there so we don’t have it back here. ” - Rep. Joe Knollenberg, June 15, 2006.

In 2007, the President wanted a surge. Guess who was right on board?

“Mr. Speaker, I have offered my conditional support for the President’s plan for additional troops in Iraq. My support is conditional, not carte blanche. I want to see the benchmarks met and progress made within the next 90 to 120 days. It is time for the Iraqis to step up to the plate and assume responsibility for the security of their nation.” - Rep. Joe Knollenberg, February 15, 2007.

Now, to give Congressman Knollenberg credit, he did put an expiration date on his patience. If the benchmarks weren’t met by mid-June, he would no longer support the surge.

Right?

Maybe not.

On July 12, almost a month after his own deadline had expired and without a single benchmark met, Joe Knollenberg voted against H.R. 2956. He voted against bringing home our troops, and voted for George W. Bush’s failed war.

How much longer will Joe Knollenberg help George W. Bush trade the blood of American soldiers and innocent Iraqis for bigger oil profits?

Posted: August 7th, 2007 under president bush, iraq, knollenberg watch.
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Meet Joe Knollenberg - the best friend George W. Bush ever had.

The American people have seen through the President’s lies on Iraq. They understand that he is sending young Americans to die in an irrational war. They know that we should have never been in Iraq and that we need to get out.

Joe Knollenberg doesn’t care. He’s willing to trade the blood of American soldiers for bigger profits at Exxon and Halliburton.

Why? Because that’s what George W. Bush and the Republican Party have told him to do, and he doesn’t have the courage to defy them.

He’s not only wrong about the war.

There’s his unblinking support of the Republican fiscal policies that have hurt 90 percent of Americans in order to benefit the elite.

His unwillingness to face the problem of global warming, because it might upset his corporate benefactors.

His embrace of “immigration reform” as a way to avoid taking a serious look at national security issues.

His decision to vote for billions in tax cuts while our schools and bridges crumble.

Is that enough?

After 15 years in Congress without a single notable achievement, his lack of courage and principle isn’t surprising. But that doesn’t make it acceptable.

In 2008, George W. Bush will go home.

Let’s send Joe Knollenberg with him.

Posted: August 7th, 2007 under president bush, environment, national security, economy, iraq, knollenberg watch.
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