Nevada Vote Direct

A primary purpose of Nevada Vote Direct is to cut through the knot of political corruption that politicians have been incapable of untangling. In the face of recent corruption scandals in Washinton, we might scrutinize the record of the man who has replaced indicted Representative Delay as the Republican Leader in the House. Here is what we learn from Public Citizen about Representative John Boehner of Ohio:

- Boehner recently characterized Hastert’s plan to ban privately funded travel as “childish” and dismissed the need for a ban on gifts from lobbyists to members of Congress. “If some members’ vote can be bought for a $20 lunch, they don’t need to be here,” he said. Later, Boehner backed away from his characterization of the travel ban as “childish,” but not the sentiment underlying his remark.

- Boehner’s political action committee collected nearly $300,000 from private student lending companies and for-profit academic institutions from 2003-2004. Boehner has used his chairmanship of the Education and the Workforce Committee to promote their pet causes - legislation that would make it more difficult to cut the fees on government student loans, which would cut into the private lenders market share, and legislation that would provide millions in subsidies to for-profit colleges and trade schools. (For more details on this, see a report in the Washington Post of January 28, 2006.)

- Boehner has taken more than $157,000 in free trips, placing him seventh among 638 current and former members of Congress, including senators, in the value of privately funded travel accepted between 2000 and 2005, according to American Radioworks. These included a $4,869 trip to Scotland in 2000 and a $9,050 trip to Rome in 2001, both of which were sponsored by the Ripon Educational Fund, a nonprofit group largely run by business lobbyists. Family members traveled with him for free on both trips.

- An exceptional number - at least 24 - former Boehner staff members have passed through the revolving door from government service to find work in the private sector as lobbyists or corporate public affairs specialists. (For more details on this, see a report in The Hill newspaper of February 1, 2006.)

- Boehner preceded indicted former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay as the head of the “K Street Operation,” the Republicans’ efforts to coordinate policy and fundraising with well-heeled lobbyists, which since has been dubbed the “K Street Project.” But the Ohioan lost the job to DeLay in 1998 after he was voted out as head of the Republican Conference. (For more details on this, see a report in the Baltimore Sun of December 21, 1998.)

- Boehner caught a large amount of flack for handing out checks to his colleagues from tobacco company PACs on the floor of Congress in 1995. Although not illegal, it certainly showed poor judgment but was consistent with his role at the time as the party’s chief liaison with K Street. (For more details on this, see a report in the New York
Times of May 10, 1996.)

Over the last ten days or so, we have been gathering signatures on a petition to place my name on the ballot in November. The law requires us to gather 100 signatures, but since it is probable that some of the names will not be verified as registered voters in the district, we have gathered 230 signatures.

It has been a very interesting experience for me personally. First of all, I was so pleased to see how polite and friendly people are in our community. And, I was greatly encouraged by the positive response that I had from so many citizens.

Surprisingly few of the people I spoke with are already committed to one or another of the candidates of the Republican and Democratic parties. Admittedly, these few were in no mood to hear my suggestion that Nevada Vote Direct has a new idea for putting citizens in control of their representative in Congress. They are, it seems, happy with things as they are, and I respect their judgment as individuals even if the status quo seems to me so patently corrupt and dysfunctional.

But it was evident from talking with the random sample of citizens whom I approached with the petition, that the great majority (easily 80-90%) are VERY unhappy with the government. Some of these people were not able to sign my petition because they are not even registered to vote, since they regard the electoral system as fixed and a scam. But, again, it was surprising how few have given up on voting. Most people seem to want to carry on with it even though they are extremely skeptical about the process. This is a tribute, I think, to the democratic idealism of people in general, and they inspire me to work tirelessly to give new life to the ideals we share.

Almost all of the people who are discontented with the system as it is were very interested in the new system that we are putting forward at Nevada Vote Direct. Again and again, I heard people say about this new system, “Well, that’s just the way it should be.” Or, “That’s just what we need.” Or, “It’s about time someone did this.” Or, “What a great idea!” And, yes, I also heard, “You’ve got my vote.” Obviously, people want very much to exercise real control over their representative in Congress. People often began by telling me that they couldn’t sign my petition, not knowing anything about me. But when I explained the idea behind Nevada Vote Direct, they quickly changed their mind and eagerly signed. They expressed their warm support and wished me luck.

My enthusiasm has been nourished and fortified by this experience, and I am anxious to take our message to citizens throughout the district. I have put aside all other work for the duration of the campaign. I will go anywhere, anytime, to talk with people about Nevada Vote Direct. While I plan to do this on the econo-plan, this will require money. If you can possibly contribute in any amount to the campaign, please consider going to our Contribution Page on the Internet, or phone us at 775-267-7144, or mail directly to Daniel Rosen, P.O. Box 2963, Stateline, NV 89449.

Best regards,
Daniel Rosen
Candidate for Congress 2006