Thursday, May 23, 2013

instaPoll: Do you believe the scope of the subpoenas strikes the proper balance between the freedom of the press and the need to protect the American people?

Congressman Randy Forbes

 

 
On May 13, 2013, Gary Pruitt, President and CEO of the Associated Press, sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, upon learning that the Department of Justice had obtained telephone records for over twenty phone lines of AP journalists – spanning a two-month timeframe – related to leaks of national security information.  

The Code of Federal Regulations requires that "all reasonable alternative investigative steps should be taken before considering issuing a subpoena for telephone toll records of any member of the news media."  Additionally, the Code requires that the Justice Department negotiate in advance of a subpoena with members of the media, unless that negotiation would undermine the integrity of the investigation. 

On May 14th, Deputy Attorney General James Cole replied to Mr. Pruitt's letter saying, "the subpoenas were limited in both time and scope," and the records were "closely held and reviewed solely for the purposes of this ongoing criminal investigation."  

As Senator Patrick Leahy, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said, "The burden is always on the government when they go after private information – especially information regarding the press or its confidential sources."   

Question of the week:  Do you believe the scope of the subpoenas strikes the proper balance between the freedom of the press and the need to protect the American people?   

(  ) Yes. 
(  ) No. 
(  ) I don't know.
(  ) Other. 


Take the instaPoll here.  

Find the results of last week's instaPoll here.                   
 

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Friday, May 17, 2013

instaPoll: Do you believe the Prevent IRS Overreach Act is a necessary step in ensuring protection for the American people?

Congressman Randy Forbes

 

 
Last Friday, Lois Lerner, Director of the Exempt Organizations Division at the IRS, apologized for the Agency requiring certain conservative groups to submit excessive paperwork regarding their 501(c)(4) tax exempt status. 

Her apology was issued just days before the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) was scheduled to release its oversight report of IRS activities.  This report not only confirmed that the IRS was in fact targeting conservative organizations, but that this has been going on since 2010. 

Groups with the word "patriot" in their names, and those with the mission of "educating on the Constitution and Bill of Rights" have been subjected to enhanced scrutiny in their applications for tax exempt status.  The TIGTA report indicated that 160 applications were open from 206 to 1,138 days, some more than three years and crossing two election cycles.               

The Department of Justice launched an investigation in conjunction with the FBI, and the House Ways and Means Committee is holding a hearing today to further investigate this matter and bring to light why these groups were targeted. 

While these investigations are pending, and Americans are calling into question the integrity of what should be a non-partisan, non-political government agency, I have introduced the Prevent IRS Overreach Act, H.R.1993, to prohibit the IRS from hiring any personnel for the purpose of implementing the healthcare law.  Read more about this bill here.

Question of the week:  Do you believe the Prevent IRS Overreach Act is a necessary step in ensuring protection for the American people?

(  ) Yes.
(  ) No.
(  ) I don't know.
(  ) Other.

Take the instaPoll here.

Find the results of last week's instaPoll here.
 

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Thursday, May 9, 2013

instaPoll: Do you believe that states should have the authority to require online sellers to collect sales tax from individuals living outside their borders?

Congressman Randy Forbes

 

 
This week, the Senate passed the Marketplace Fairness Act, S.743, to enable states to require online sellers with more than $1 million in annual revenue to collect sales tax on transactions outside their borders.  Under current law, sellers must have a physical presence in a state before the state can require retailers to collect sales taxes.    

Supporters of this bill believe that small businesses and brick-and-mortar stores are at a competitive disadvantage with online retailers, many of which do not have to collect sales taxes.  As such, proponents say that this bill is needed to level the playing field by enabling the collection of a sales tax that is already due.   

On the other hand, opponents of this bill argue that it would burden small businesses, forcing them to comply with state and local tax laws from around the nation. Additionally, they argue that the measure would violate state sovereignty, force businesses to be tax collectors for other states without benefitting them, and dissuade entrepreneurial and start-up businesses. 

Question of the week:  Do you believe that states should have the authority to require online sellers to collect sales tax from individuals living outside their borders?   

(  ) Yes.
(  ) No.
(  ) I don't know.
(  ) Other. 


Take the instaPoll here.

Find the results of last week's instaPoll here.                  
 

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Friday, May 3, 2013

instaPoll: What action should the United States take in response to the evidence that Syria used chemical weapons?

Congressman Randy Forbes

 

 
Last week, in a letter to Senators Carl Levin and John McCain, senior members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, the White House addressed the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government, saying "our intelligence community does assess with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically the chemical agent sarin."  

The United States is calling on the United Nations to conduct a comprehensive investigation, and is working with our allies in the region, as well as the Syrian opposition, in an effort to gain additional intelligence regarding the origins of the weapons and the effect of their use on the nation's civil war.  

Miguel Rodriguez, Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs, made it clear in the letter that the use of chemical weapons or transfer of such weapons to a terrorist group "is a red line for the United States of America."  

Question of the week: If this is a "red line," what action should the United States take in response to the evidence that Syria used chemical weapons?   

(  ) Intervene now to help end the violence and demonstrate a strong stance against the use of these weapons by Syria and Iran.
(  ) Intervene, if necessary, to defend Israel. 
(  ) Continue to monitor the situation in Syria, including supporting humanitarian aid.
(  ) None.  The United States does not have a national interest in the Syrian conflict. 
(  ) Other. 


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