Todd Platts page @ RemoveRINOs - conservative republicans and independents replacing RINOs with Constitutional conservatives

Todd Platts

Voted FOR Barney Frank’s Housing Trust Fund of 2007 (ACU-5), which Speaker Pelosi boasted as “the largest expansion in federal housing programs in decades” (Pelosi 1) and which the Bush administration opposed as “a duplicate program” that “would create an undue and counterproductive reliance on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac” (Woolley & Gerhard)

Voted FOR Pelosi's "light-bulb ban" that, as the ACU explains, regulates "lights and appliances (including a ban on the incandescent light bulb), creating new programs for alternative energy sources, imposing more regulations on energy companies and mandating vastly increased use of ‘renewable’ energy” (ACU 6).

Voted TO OVERRIDE Bush’s 2007 veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) expansion (ACU-6). This program was created in 1997 only to provide insurance to children from uninsured families who were narrowly above poverty. But 10 years later, the Dems moved to expand the program--and, as always, the devil was in the details. By joining forces with the Dems, he chose to do the following:

Re-define "children" to mean "21-year-old adults."

Re-define "just above poverty" to mean "$80,000 income."

Let some taxpayers pay for other taxpayers' insurance (even if the former make less than the latter and purchase their own insurance).

Give incentives for states to “recruit” new enrollees and thus make this big program even bigger. (Carney-1).

Voted FOR the 2007 Energy Policy that, according to the ACU, mandated reliance on biofuels while not allowing oil supplies to increase. The policy also stiffened regulations and raised taxes $2 billion (ACU-6).

Voted FOR applying McCain / Feingold to grassroots organizations (ACU-4) NOTE: Undoubtedly, in this instance, the dems were the good guys. This was GOP-sponsored and nearly ALL republicans voted for it. However, we at Remove the Rinos believe there is no excuse for voting against the 1st Amendment no matter how many republicans do so and no matter how reprehensible George Soros’ 527s are. And if John McCain were to jump off a bridge…..??

Voted AGAINST a 2006 conservative budget alternative that would have extended Bush’s tax cuts while trimming more than 300 billion dollars of discretionary spending, done away with close to 150 programs, and increased funds for the military and for veterans. It also would have opened ANWR for drilling (ACU-4) .

Voted AGAINST banning taxpayer dollars from going to the U.N. to renovate, or build anew, their headquarters in the United States (ACU 4).

Voted AGAINST a bill protecting property owners from eminent domain abuses. The bill would guarantee
access to the federal court so that citizens could sue to stop the government from taking their property

Voted AGAINST an amendment to cut discretionary spending by 2% while protecting the Bush tax cuts (ACU 2).

Voted FOR raising CAFE standards (ACU-2) For a look at the link between higher CAFE standards and increased traffic fatalities, as well as the folly of the economic justifications for higher standards, see what Dennis Kneale has to say: "New CAFE" (CNBC-1)

Voted FOR raising minimum wage after the Dems rejected tax cuts that would have protected entry-level
workers and small businesses (ACU-6) .

Voted FOR spending an additional $100 million on Public Broadcasting (ACU 2).

Voted AGAINST reforming the Endangered Species Act (ACU 2). to reimburse property owners for losses suffered from not being able to develop their land. It also clarified species designations, better protecting the species in need of protection and better targeting the properties in need of oversight (Marano and Lieberman).

Voted AGAINST the Online Freedom of Speech bill, which would have prevented e-mail and blogs from being regulated by the Federal Election Commission (ACU-2). In essence, this bill's defeat leaves open the possibility that McCain/Feingold could reach its way dramatically into the Internet (Hayward).

Voted FOR a 700% increase in funding for the HOPE VI Public Housing Program, even as $2 billion remained in the coffers, unspent. This was a program that Bush had marked for elimination (ACU-8).

Voted FOR permanently raising taxes on businesses while temporarily extending tax credits on “green”
initiatives. This was presented to the American people as "tax relief" (a deed that the ACU appropriately
describes as "legislative sleight-of-hand") (ACU-8).

Voted FOR the economic stimulus bill of September 2008 (ACU-8).