Who do they represent?

Congress is back in session after their Easter break and I had hoped that the Mississippi Delegation (esp. Senators Lott and Cochran) had some time to listen to the folks back home. I guess not. I am truly amazed at how these two continue to justify their senate votes to the people of Mississippi. Let's review the current session. Both voted against you being able to sue large corporations for negligence, a vote for big business. Both voted against you being able to declare bankruptcy in case you are faced with the misfortune of huge medical bills, loss of a job, or divorce. So, if your SUV explodes due to a faulty gas tank and you are severely injured and have medical bills that wipe out all your finances, you get the double whammy. Can't sue, can't file bankruptcy. This was a great vote for the Chamber of Commerce Lobby and the banking industries.

That's not enough. After the Easter recess, our Senators had the opportunity yesterday to vote to require the President to impose a tariff of 27.5% on Chinese imports if China did not take immediate steps to revalue their currency, which is currently pegged against the dollar. This gives the Chinese unfair advantage in trading with the U. S. You guessed right they both voted against the measure, however, the measure did survive with 67 Senators voting on the measure. My question to our Senators is "Why?"

The U. S. Trade Deficit in 2004 was $666.2 billion, of that amount the deficit with China was $161.9 billion, a 30.6% increase over 2003. Much of this deficit is due to the Chinese refusal to properly value the yuan which economists place at somewhere between 15% and 40% less than the dollar. In addition to our deficit with China, the Chinese government owns a good portion of the U.S. debt. This windfall allows the Chinese government the capital to build up their military to the point where they will eventually rival the U.S. and become the main military power in Asia.

I think it is time for the voters in Mississippi to begin questioning the motives behind our Senators' votes. Write them and tell them you want them to represent you first. The debate over the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) will be coming up in a few weeks. You can bet our Senators will be there to vote for outsourcing more of our Mississippi jobs.