Parker, the people deserve to know the truth.

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User-submitted story by electbobparker.com

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Honorable Jo Ann Emerson

2440 Rayburn Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Mrs. Emerson,

On Monday, August 31, 2009, an editorial piece by you titled, "The Government Just Keeps on Growing," appeared in the Rolla Daily News. Some inaccuracies appeared in the article, and the good people of Missouri's Eighth District deserve to know the truth.

In lamenting the large expenditures made by the new Congress, you mention that they voted to pass a stimulus bill ($787 billion), to approve more lending authority under TARP ($350 billion), and to pass an omnibus appropriations bill ($410 billion.) You go on to state:

"Each time I voted against these measures, I did so not just because the amounts of spending were so enormous, though that would have been a good enough reason in my book. I also opposed these measures because they represented an expansion of bureaucratic government which are [sic] very difficult, if not impossible, to reverse."

The $410 billion in spending referred to would be the Omnibus Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year ending 9/30/09, H.R. 1150, which passed the house on 2/25/09 by a vote of 245 "Yeas" to 178 "Nays". You voted yes, in company with only 15 other Republicans, and were the only Republican Missouri Representative to do so. These facts are irrefutable--they come from the Library of Congress website, roll call vote 86 on 2/25/09. Your vote is not a matter of debate.

Secondly, you lament the issuance of more lending authority to the Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program (another $350 billion). What you omitted was the fact that TARP, H.R. 1424, was passed into law on October 3, 2008, by a vote of 263 "Yeas" to 171 "Nays". You voted to pass this bill, and this information, within roll call vote 681, is a matter of public record.

The good people of the Eighth District deserve an explanation for this vote, if, as you state in your article, you have an aversion to expanding the size of bureaucratic government, since that expansion is hard to reverse. Why did you create the program, then, in the first place?

Lastly, you mention that Treasury Secretary Geithner "is expected to ask" for an increase in the public debt limit, which now stands at $12.1 trillion. Examining recent history, roll call vote 536 on 11/18/04 shows that you voted to increase the public debt ceiling by $800 billion. Has something changed? Do you feel at this time that you can refrain from conceding to an increase in the debt limit?

The hard working citizens of this District do not want their history rewritten. It is time to correct the record.

Sincerely,

Bob Parker

Republican Candidate for Congress, Missouri 8th District

P.S. Mrs. Emerson, I would like to debate you on these issues and on your many votes for the bailouts and expanding government. Why do you refuse to debate me for the upcoming August primary? Is your record that bad that you refuse to even try to defend it? I believe the voters in the 8th district deserve to know the truth about these important issues.

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Bob, there are some awfully big words in there and as far as I can tell they're all spelled correctly. Would you care to share who wrote this for you?

-- Posted by northside8 on Mon, May 24, 2010, at 8:07 AM
Bob Parker made a case Johnnie Cochran would be proud of about why he is taking on Jo Ann Emerson. His smoking gun? A vote on the debt limit in 2004, when the federal deficit was one-third of where it stands today, a necessity of funding troops during the first years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today's deficits have nothing to do with those wars or much else that was happening in 2004. They are about Obama-Pelosi-Reid social spending, a health care bill run amok, big government, expansion of environmental regulations and "stimulus."

So if Bob Parker is angry about 2004, perhaps he should explain why he thought about it for six years before making his own decision to run for Congress. I don't blame Jo Ann for not debating someone who isn't willing to be forthright about what is happening in our country TODAY.

-- Posted by MOprimaryvoter on Mon, May 24, 2010, at 9:57 AM
Obama has not been in office for two years yet, so I think most of this deficit spending was a parting gift from Bush. Both Democrats and Republicans are to blame for the deficits, at least those that are incumbents. And long-time incumbents are the worst, always crowing about wasteful earmarks that don't create a single long term job. So, let's aim at the real target..wasteful insiders and the lobbyists who feed them in Washington D.C.. That is Bob's issue and his opponent, the incumbent, knows it all too well. She has nothing to say.

-- Posted by DCisnot4me on Mon, May 24, 2010, at 3:41 PM
MOprimaryvoter: There is such a thing called the "straw that broke the camel's back". Emerson has voted for bailouts, national ID, and most favored nation trade status for China as well as for CAFTA. These are votes that have caused concern among those of us who are conservatives. It seems that Emerson has been leaning toward big government and globalism on a number of issues since 2008. I admit that I voted for her Constitution Party opponent, Richard Smith in the 2008 election. Check out Parker's website and see why he is now running against her. He has a good chance now that Rand Paul won the GOP senate primary in Kentucky. We Tea Partiers are fed up with Washington and the status quo!

-- Posted by swift on Mon, May 24, 2010, at 4:28 PM
Duncan Renaldo - My horse looked at me the wrong way today. It definitely needs some slaughtering. I reckon I'll have quite a bit of horse meat to share. I plan on giving a bunch to Rev. Larry Rice and his merry band of homeless people. I expect to have some leftovers, you can have some too if you want. I may be from Cape County, but I love horse meet just as much as any Canadian!

Bob Parker - You are a very angry person that would serve the 8th District poorly. You should have ran for something that crazies get elected to like State Rep or Cape County Presiding/Associate Commissioner.

To everyone else- I'm moving my discussion over to the Illinois powerlifting article.

Mr. Goodtime has left the building!

-- Posted by Mr Goodtime on Mon, May 24, 2010, at 7:09 PM
Duncan Renaldo supports Bob Parker - enough said.

-- Posted by blogbudsman on Tue, May 25, 2010, at 7:06 AM
A candidate can hardly be responsible for a person who supports him any more than the candidate can be held responsible for a person who opposes him.

-- Posted by voyager on Wed, May 26, 2010, at 11:24 AM

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