yizuman
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Source: Smashing Down The Door - Has Money Decided The Fate of HR 3101 For The Hearing Loss Community?
Folks:
Those fine people over at Caption Action 2 caught my eye with this interesting blog post:
Caption Action 2: Internet Closed Captioning: Now Caption Action 2 is Upset. Boucher Again!
While reading through it, I wondered WHY would a Congressman be so willing to sign on as a co-sponsor to two other bills that would have a positive impact on the deaf and hard of hearing communities, but be so reluctant to allow HR 3101 to move through the committee he chairs? After all, it is fairly a given that the internet presentation modality is the wave of the future (and even now), with such sites as Hulu, YouTube, ABC considering going to an internet model of broadcasting their shows, and so forth and so on.
Well, curiosity to me is like caffiene to a child; it gets me moving. I started doing some digging around, and I was surprised at some of the information I have found. Namely, that it appears that Congressman Boucher's reluctance to move 3101 has been BOUGHT AND PAID FOR by campaign contributions. I know, I know, everyone says lobbyists and campaign donors have too much influence, blah blah blah. But rarely has it been as blatant as this. For the 2005-2006, 2007-08, and 2009-10 campaign contribution cycles, Congressman Boucher, according to OpenSecrets.org, has received campaign contributions from the following industries (dollar amounts are cumulative totals):
TV/Movies/Music: $208,500
Computers/Internet: $159,369
These contributions from people and Political Action Committees (PAC's) associated with these two industries well known for being reluctant to having to provide captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing is FAR more than has been contributed by people in the health and medical professions during the same time span. Thus it stands to reason: allowing HR 3101 to advance out of his sub-committee would be endangering a cash cow for him, as it would impact those who rank among the top contributors to his re-election campaigns. And make no mistake about it, with today's poisonous electoral environment, Boucher IS feeling the heat in his home district.
People in the southwestern portion of Virginia that Boucher represents spent, in many cases, a month without power after the recent snowstorms in December that hammered this portion of the country. Not long after, horror stories began coming to light. The electric utilities company responsible for maintaining clear right of ways to avoid trees toppling onto power lines has been accused of not doing so AND they have also passed along increases in electic bills to the consumers that, in many cases, are double what their average monthly bills are. And in Kentucky, that same company is attempting to get permission for a rate increase that will raise bills 35% on average. Why am I telling you all of this? Because, despite the great outpouring of anger from his constituents in Virginia, despite all the stories of loss and suffering incurred during that time, I want to tell them, after studying his campaign contributors, not to expect any help from Boucher any time soon. Electric Utility companies (individuals and PAC's) have contributed a total of $571,055 dollars to Boucher's campaign coffers since 2005-06. As a member of the subcommittee on Energy and Environment, whose side do you think his vote will come down on?
So the deaf and hard of hearing and other supporters of HR 3101 have to rally to the flag, so to speak. They need to be calling or writing their representatives and telling them THEY WANT THIS BILL TO BE PASSED OUT OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE AND SENT TO A VOTE, THEY WANT THEM TO SIGN ON AS CO-SPONSORS, IRREGARDLESS OF PARTY AFFILIATION.
It's time to do the right thing. It's time to bring to light the obvious influence that the Computer/Internet industry and the TV/Music/Movie industry has on Congressman Boucher's decision on whether or not to move on HR 3101. It's time that he be held accountable, and be shown he is elected by the people to SERVE THE PEOPLE, and that INCLUDES those with a hearing loss who would be impacted by this bill. 36 million plus Americans from coast to coast would benefit with this bill, and it needs to be allowed to move. NOW.
To see all the contributors to Boucher's campaign (by industry), please visit this link:
Rick Boucher: Campaign Finance/Money - Industries - Congressman 2010 | OpenSecrets
Folks:
Those fine people over at Caption Action 2 caught my eye with this interesting blog post:
Caption Action 2: Internet Closed Captioning: Now Caption Action 2 is Upset. Boucher Again!
While reading through it, I wondered WHY would a Congressman be so willing to sign on as a co-sponsor to two other bills that would have a positive impact on the deaf and hard of hearing communities, but be so reluctant to allow HR 3101 to move through the committee he chairs? After all, it is fairly a given that the internet presentation modality is the wave of the future (and even now), with such sites as Hulu, YouTube, ABC considering going to an internet model of broadcasting their shows, and so forth and so on.
Well, curiosity to me is like caffiene to a child; it gets me moving. I started doing some digging around, and I was surprised at some of the information I have found. Namely, that it appears that Congressman Boucher's reluctance to move 3101 has been BOUGHT AND PAID FOR by campaign contributions. I know, I know, everyone says lobbyists and campaign donors have too much influence, blah blah blah. But rarely has it been as blatant as this. For the 2005-2006, 2007-08, and 2009-10 campaign contribution cycles, Congressman Boucher, according to OpenSecrets.org, has received campaign contributions from the following industries (dollar amounts are cumulative totals):
TV/Movies/Music: $208,500
Computers/Internet: $159,369
These contributions from people and Political Action Committees (PAC's) associated with these two industries well known for being reluctant to having to provide captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing is FAR more than has been contributed by people in the health and medical professions during the same time span. Thus it stands to reason: allowing HR 3101 to advance out of his sub-committee would be endangering a cash cow for him, as it would impact those who rank among the top contributors to his re-election campaigns. And make no mistake about it, with today's poisonous electoral environment, Boucher IS feeling the heat in his home district.
People in the southwestern portion of Virginia that Boucher represents spent, in many cases, a month without power after the recent snowstorms in December that hammered this portion of the country. Not long after, horror stories began coming to light. The electric utilities company responsible for maintaining clear right of ways to avoid trees toppling onto power lines has been accused of not doing so AND they have also passed along increases in electic bills to the consumers that, in many cases, are double what their average monthly bills are. And in Kentucky, that same company is attempting to get permission for a rate increase that will raise bills 35% on average. Why am I telling you all of this? Because, despite the great outpouring of anger from his constituents in Virginia, despite all the stories of loss and suffering incurred during that time, I want to tell them, after studying his campaign contributors, not to expect any help from Boucher any time soon. Electric Utility companies (individuals and PAC's) have contributed a total of $571,055 dollars to Boucher's campaign coffers since 2005-06. As a member of the subcommittee on Energy and Environment, whose side do you think his vote will come down on?
So the deaf and hard of hearing and other supporters of HR 3101 have to rally to the flag, so to speak. They need to be calling or writing their representatives and telling them THEY WANT THIS BILL TO BE PASSED OUT OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE AND SENT TO A VOTE, THEY WANT THEM TO SIGN ON AS CO-SPONSORS, IRREGARDLESS OF PARTY AFFILIATION.
It's time to do the right thing. It's time to bring to light the obvious influence that the Computer/Internet industry and the TV/Music/Movie industry has on Congressman Boucher's decision on whether or not to move on HR 3101. It's time that he be held accountable, and be shown he is elected by the people to SERVE THE PEOPLE, and that INCLUDES those with a hearing loss who would be impacted by this bill. 36 million plus Americans from coast to coast would benefit with this bill, and it needs to be allowed to move. NOW.
To see all the contributors to Boucher's campaign (by industry), please visit this link:
Rick Boucher: Campaign Finance/Money - Industries - Congressman 2010 | OpenSecrets