The Burton Blog

City of Kokomo

2009-07-08T17:03:17-04:00

June 22, 2009

The City of Kokomo has been deeply impacted by the challenges facing the United States. However, our community's proud manufacturing heritage and strong desire to succeed have long served us well in periods of adversity.

In times like these, we depend even more on experienced and knowledgeable leaders to address our problems. Our Congressman, Dan Burton, continues to fight for our community in Washington, D.C. His integrity and passion to help his constituents are characteristics that we can count on. We trust that Congressman Burton can help us with our current set of challengers. His many years of experience in Congress illustrate his ability to deal with difficult issues and look forward to a brighter future. For example, when he first entered Congress, America was struggling to remain the top economic power in the world. Since that time, he has seen our country renewed in spirit and resolved to prosper. WE have been proud and encouraged by his commitment to serve the City of Kokomo.

The 5th Congressional District has benefited greatly from his years of service and we must continue to seek his leadership today. Therefore, each of us pledge our support to Congressman DAn Burton as he strives toward reelection in 2010.

Sincerely,

Mike Karickhoff Councilman at Large

Kevin Summers Councilman at Large

Cindy Sanders Fifth District Councilwoman

Ralp Baer Sixth District Councilman

Click Here to View Full Document

No Horsing Around

2009-07-07T14:57:21-04:00

Congressman Burton is solemn in his efforts to stop the illegal transportation of horses for slaughtering in Canada and Mexico. Last week, he attended a fundraiser to defend his conviction. MadeleinePickens.com shares more of the fundraiser's detailed events.

Burton is pushing legislation that would make it illegal for Americans to round up and sell wild horses to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico, where their meat is processed and sent mainly to Europe for human consumption. No horses have been legally slaughtered in the United States since the last abattoirs were closed in 2007. However, American so-called “killer-buyers” still deliver wild horses to processing plants across the borders, a lucrative activity Burton said needs to stop.

“Our goal is to make sure there is humane treatment for horses in this country,” he said. “How the rest of the world handles it, we can’t dictate to them. China does one thing, India does another, every country has their own approaches, and we try to set the example.”

Private enterprises play a significant role in health care

2009-06-23T10:35:46-04:00

Yesterday, Congressman Burton visted Arcadia's DailyMed facility to learn more about how private enterprises are shaping the health care system. New innovations and diminished health care costs are encouraged by private enterprises. The Ajax World Magazine online explians more about Dan's visit and the benefits of private health care providers.

"I'm visiting DailyMed Pharmacy in Indianapolis to see how a private enterprise is playing an important role in improving health care in America. In Congress, we are about to embark on a serious debate, and I believe DailyMed is a local example of how our solutions will come from the ingenuity of the private sector."

"...We are very pleased to welcome Congressman Burton to our DailyMed facility. He is a recognized leader in Washington and an important voice for our state on the role innovation must play in making health care safer, more affordable and more accessible for all. After spending two days in Washington last week discussing health care reform and with today's visit by Congressman Burton, its becoming very apparent DailyMed is the right product at the right time," said Marvin R. Richardson, president and CEO of Arcadia Resources.

Burton works with other IN legislators to solve Chrysler contract problems

2009-06-22T15:03:48-04:00

Dan Burton is working with Congressman Joe Donnelly and Senators Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh to prevent the economic difficulties that will occur if Chrysler breaches its contract. Kokomo Perspective explains in greater detail what the consequence to the community will be.

Below is a breakdown of how much each unit of government stands to lose (the highlighted portions are the parcels Chrysler will not be paying property on):

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Tax Credits for ALL home buyers

2009-06-18T10:50:56-04:00

Congressman Burton is cosponsoring a bill to give all home buyers a $15,000 or 10% off list price tax credit. The National Association of Home Builders is one organization in support of this legislation. The NAHB feels that allowing home buyers a tax credit versus a tax credit for home builders will be more beneficial to both. Tim Turner writes more about the housing industry in his Kokomo Perspective article.

Burton agrees with Van Natter and the NAHB, and he is cosponsoring legislation to give all homebuyers a $15,000 tax credit or 10 percent of the purchase price, whichever is less.

"The housing industry is in a depression right now, and we need more than just the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers,” Burton said.

The legislation would prevent misuse by forcing the person to repay the credit if the house is sold within two years of being purchased. The legislation would also sunset the original $8,000 credit to first-time homebuyers.

The $15,000 homebuyer tax credit will result in nearly 500,000 additional home sales and create 255,000 new jobs in the year ahead, according to research conducted by the NAHB.

The more you have, the more you sell

2009-06-17T13:39:50-04:00

Logic would have it that dealerships have to have cars in order to sell them. In the time that auto companies have been shutting down dealerships, Rep Burton has been fighting to keep the doors of local Indy dealerships open. He states that there is no logical reason why major producers are pulling cars especially when they admit that there is "no downside to keeping these dealerships open." Channel 13 explains more on the issue.

Indiana 5th district Representative Dan Burton said, "Isn't this too late to do anything about this? I don't think it's too late. They can always rescind the decision that's been made, Chrysler I'm talking about."

Congressman Burton spoke with several Indianapolis dealers Saturday. He has co-sponsored two bills to restore franchise rights to dealerships affected by the Chrysler and GM bankruptcies.

In addition to a representative from Palmer, Congressman Burton also met with three GM dealers but none of them wanted to comment, because their futures are still very much up in the air.

"According to the dealers, there's no downside to keeping these dealerships open. There is no cost to the companies for keeping these dealerships open. So why are they closing them? The more dealerships there are, the more cars you're going to sell," Burton said.

Blue Indiana: Really?

2009-06-11T07:37:42-04:00

Thomas over at Blue Indiana, in response to THIS post, posed the question we've been hearing from a bunch of Democrats lately. How could Republicans who spent a bunch of money on the War in Iraq, etc. now complain loudly when President Obama increases the defecit.

Congressman Burton has spoken to this issue several times, not to mention opposing at least two of President Bush's largest spending programs (Medicare Part D and the No Child Left Behind Act). In addition, along with the Republican Study Committee that he founded, Dan pushed for a number of spending CUTS that were not supported by the Democrat Party.

Either way, its clear that if Republicans spent too much between 2001-2005, when they and Bush were in control, President Obama has set new records- making the Republicans look like "coupon-cutting grocery shoppers." Take a look at a great video to illustrate the case...

"We are in a situation right now to destroy the United States of America"

2009-06-10T16:16:20-04:00

We are at a turning point in the United States history. We have the chance to turn towards the path to success or the road to failure. The United States forthcoming decisions regarding the recession will determine our future as a country. At this time, the American debt affects you as an individual, your family, your family yet-to-come, your town, your city, your state, and your nation.

It is vital to sustain awareness of your government's choices. Here is a clip from BlogTalkRadio that features Dan Burton discussing the economic hardships that are facing us and our future generations due to the decisions of the Obama administration. Burton's dialogue begins at the 33 minute and 30 seconds mark.

Burton signs letter to President Obama

2009-06-01T16:47:10-04:00

Family Security Matters shares on its website a letter that House Members wrote to President Obama regarding his June 5th trip to Egypt.

May 28, 2009

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As you prepare to address the “Muslim world” on June 5th from Egypt, we ask that you remain mindful of the power of your words. You have the ability to inspire the countless individuals who wither under the control of repressive governments, encourage Middle Eastern governments to engage important issues, and remind the world of America’s commitment to protecting religious freedom for all people of faith, including Muslims.

The Middle East has historically been a place of religious pluralism and cultural diversity. However, groups espousing extremist ideologies based upon Wahabbism and Khomeinism have marginalized and repressed both non-Muslim and Muslim women, youth, reformists, pro-democracy advocates, human rights activists, as well as ethnic and religious minorities. Groups such as the Taliban and al Qaeda, whose ideology is intent on dividing humanity between Muslims and non-Muslims, have killed countless individuals, including Muslims, in an effort to overthrow Middle Eastern governments and weaken other non-Muslim governments.

Based on these facts, we urge you to call upon all governments to join the international community in declaring al Qaeda and the Taliban a threat to humanity, and urge them to fight these radical Islamists.

We also ask you to urge Middle Eastern governments to relentlessly lend their support to the marginalized, weak, and oppressed segments of their societies by recognizing the universal importance of basic human dignity.

In a recent opinion piece published in The Washington Post, Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu proclaimed that “repression cannot be rewarded; the voices of those it has silenced must be heard as if the walls of their jails did not exist.” It must be made clear that the United States will stand with all those that are oppressed around the world, from the Baha’is in Iran to the imprisoned blogger in Egypt.

Countless dissidents can attest that their lives improved when their plight was raised publicly by leaders in the West. The pressure put on the Egyptian government by Members of Congress and the Administration following the imprisonment of famed Egyptian dissident Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim helped lead to his eventual release in 2003, after almost three years in prison. We therefore ask you to raise the individual cases of dissidents that languish in the prisons, and others that face persecution, to assure them that they are not forgotten by the American people. We ask you to advocate for the region’s struggling religious minorities as is consistent with our own rich tradition of religious freedom.

We ask you to call upon the governments of the Middle East to commit to defend freedom and democracy in pluralistic Lebanon, and to call for a stop to political assassinations and a disarmament of militias within their borders. We urge you to ask the Arab League to help the mostly Muslim population of Darfur, which is subjected to a genocide at the hands of a regime whose president is under indictment by the International Criminal Court. We urge you to ask them to help Pakistan in its war against the Taliban, al Qaeda, and other terrorist organizations. We ask you to call on the Organization of Islamic Conference to abandon its goal of imposing so-called “Defamation of Religions” laws which will repress reformists and groups seeking democracy in Muslim and non-Muslim societies alike.

We urge you to ask the governments of the Middle East to commit to a just and lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict via a two states solution based on a mutual recognition between Israel and any Palestinian state-to-be. The starting point for this should not be Israeli concessions, but the recognition of Israel and its right to exist.

Please remind your audience that while the international community is committed to help Muslim minorities around the world, including those in India, Russia, China, and the West, at the same time we must ensure that all other minorities inside the "Muslim world" are granted their basic rights. We urge you to ask them to discuss the root causes of what they call “Islamophobia,” particularly the rise of radical Islamist ideologies, which have generated tensions and violence worldwide among Muslims and non-Muslims alike. We urge you to ask them to help Egypt fight the scourge of terrorism and stand by its own Coptic minority, often targeted by extremists’ violence. We urge you to ask them to speak out against radical Islamists all around the world and not condone their behavior with complacency.

We urge you to highlight the contributions of the American people to ameliorate suffering in Muslim communities around the world. For example, the United States military saved countless lives in the hours and days immediately following the tsunami that ravaged Indonesia. Similarly, our military forces were the first on the scene to deliver humanitarian relief and medical treatment to Pakistan in 2005 when that country was hit by a terrible earthquake. In fact, your Administration recently announced $100 million in aid to provide relief to the Pakistani people who are affected by the effort to rout Taliban extremists in that country. These are efforts of which the American people can be proud, and which your speech could rightly highlight.

Similarly, your speech can remind the Muslim world of U.S. efforts in the Bosnia and Kosovo conflicts to prevent Muslim massacres and ethnic cleansing, as well as American efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan which liberated 50 million people, mostly Muslim, from the jaws of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship and the cruel violence of the Taliban terror regime.

Mr. President, you have a great opportunity to engage and inspire Middle Eastern governments and Muslims around the world with your words. We urge you to consider including these important recommendations in your speech.

Sincerely yours,

Frank Wolf
Member of Congress

John Shadegg
Member of Congress

Sue Myrick
Member of Congress

Ted Poe
Member of Congress

Zach Wamp
Member of Congress

Trent Franks
Member of Congress

Dan Burton
Member of Congress

Paul Broun
Member of Congress

Patrick McHenry
Member of Congress

Joe Pitts
Member of Congress

$8 for a gallon of gas

2009-05-27T10:04:39-04:00

It's a likely probability of Obama's "Cap and Trade" proposal.

Under Obama's Cap and Trade energy plan, there are efforts to raise prices of natural fossil-fuel consumption. In theory, this practice would lower fossil-fuel usage and save energy. However, this plan solves one problem only to create another of equal importance. The dramatic rate increases will be passed onto consumers and taxpayers. In this economy, the American people cannot afford to pay expenses like $8 per gallon of gas. Here is Burton's agrument in Jeff Tucker's Shelbyville News article:

Burton, who represents the remainder of Shelby County in the U.S. House, said the legislation could cost Americans $646 billion in additional taxes.

"It's going to send thousands, and probably millions, of jobs overseas to China and India, countries that don't have the same kind of environmental standards we have, and it's going to cost every single American household thousands of dollars in additional expenditures per year," Burton said. "Now they say it's not going to be a tax on individuals or households, but the fact is it will be an indirect tax because the business and industries of this country that are taxed are going to pass those costs along to the consumer, which means that every single household in this country will have to spend between $3,000 and $4,000 in additional expenses every single year. And that's money that right now during this recession the American people simply cannot afford."

Burton said cap and trade is an unnecessary tax and is "just something that should not happen." He said Obama conceded in January 2008 during an editorial board meeting with a California newspaper that electricity rates "would necessarily skyrocket" under cap and trade.
"We have to take the president at his word," Burton said.

Burton said a new natural gas discovery in Louisiana could help America become energy independent.

"In Louisiana, they just discovered the largest natural gas find, I think, in the world at this point," Burton said. "It was the equivalent of 380-some billion barrels of oil. So we have an additional resource that was not well-known just a few short weeks ago. And with that, I think the United States of America could rapidly move toward energy independence if we put our minds to it. It's just a matter of the Congress of the United States realizing that we can have less reliance on foreign oil and foreign energy and do the jobs ourselves here at home."