VUI - Voting under the influence of lobbyists.

This is a collection of comments I mentioned in my first post about Voting Under the Influence. Some of these reflect issues near and dear to my Congressman and the constituents that live to wince whenever his staffers blog, tweet, or Facebook.

• In case your representative seems a little distracted, looks past you, ignores your questions or inquiries or acts contrary to a majority of the people in the area, he may be voting under the influence of lobbyists (VUI).
• If your representative is talking overly ambiguous or generally about issues, they may be VUI.
• If your representative talks about "cutting government spending" and opposes EVERY EFFORT TO SO WITHIN THEIR OWN DISTRICT, they may be VUI.
• If your representative spends more time talking to the Chamber - and "listening" - than he talks with ordinary people, he might be VUI.
• Fatigue from continuously lying and spinning is a symptom of VUI.
• If your representative is trying to convince you of the dangers of the Chinese, while ignoring the ignoring the impact of long-term chronic deficits on our own economy, he may be VUI.
• If your representative is so controlled by their leadership that they have to check-in before taking a stand, they may be VUI.
• If your representative is so wishy-washy that you don't know what he really stands for, may be VUI.
• If your representative asks you how $4.00 gas prices are impacting you - and is obviously out of touch - he may be VUI.
• If your representative wants to overturn a bill that helps the middle-class get health care - while maintaining their own GOVT. sponsored NON-vouture - health care, he may VUI.
• If your representative is talking out of three sides of his mouth - to lobbyists, typical political BS and the truth - he/she may be VUI.
• If your representative sits on the Armed Services Committe and can't find a few dollars in that huge bloated budget to cut - without reducing our national defense - they are DEFINITELY voting under the influence of lobbyists (VUI).
• If your Congressman thinks the Citizens United case was a good decision by our Supreme Court (SCOTUSes), they are definitely VUI.
• If your Congressman believes one ethnic groups' voting strength should continue to be diluted in the upcoming redistricting votes, they are probably VUI.
• If your Congressman is rich and wealthy and believes that most of the people in his/her district are as well when they really aren't, they are probably VUI.
• If your Congressman was in office in the run-up to our nation's biggest recent disasters - Banking, oil spills and mortgage scandals - and still believes that government regulations has NO BENEFICIAL ROLE TO PLAY, they are definitely VUI.
• If your Congressman believes that government health care vouchers are a great idea except for Congress, government employees, active military and military retirees, then they are voting under the influence (VUI).
• If your Congressman thinks that banks should be able to prey on the poor and middle-class by luring them with attractive rates on credit cards and raising the rates - for often trivial things - they are VUI.
• If your Congressman thinks that lying-by-omission is okay with the Bible, he is VUI.

Copied direct without editing. Keep 'em coming!

An introduction

Today I found and shared a site, Maplight.org on my personal Facebook page pointed specifically to my Congressional representative's entry. This blog was inspired by the comments of a friend that just kept coming. It started out sounding somewhat like a cross between a tribute to Jeff Foxworthy and those annoying ads for new medications. The idea of becoming more active politically than posting on my elected officials' Facebook pages or liking the pages of causes and organizations I agree with has been coming up more often. So, I guess this is that first real step. I hope to post on things I find relevant to political discourse, both serious and humorous.