This will be brief, I'm on the bus phone down in Rockaway Beach fixing toilets, flooded Rockaway Beach.
Billy Long had bad week. If you haven't read the Forbes piece, do a twitter search for Billy Long or @Auctnr1 -- there's a lot there. The rest of the country is rapidly finding out what frequent bus riders already know: Long is not a good fit for the job
When I get to a computer I'll fill you all in on the rest of the story.
but you should have answered your constituent's question. 
No disrespect intended Congressman Long, but don't you think you should have answered this constituent's question? Billy Long refuses to answer questions about Eric Cantor's warning on federal help for Joplin.
While I was standing and watching Diane Sawyer live on ABC News’ evening broadcast from Joplin, I got a call from my brother, who informed me of Cantor’s comments. I confess I haven’t been following closely the national news, focusing rather on what has been happening in Joplin related to the tornado. So, I didn’t hear that Cantor had actually said what he said.
Across the street from St. John’s Medical Center, where ABC News was set up, was the site of a just-concluded press conference by the FEMA folks and local politicians—including our U.S. Congressman, Billy Long—updating progress on the post-tornado efforts. Naturally, I moved across the street and tried to find Mr. Long to ask him about Cantor’s ridiculous comments.
I found him.
Immediately—I could see it in his eyes—he recognized me as, I suppose, his local tormentor. I shook his hand and ask “Mr. Long” about Cantor’s comments, about what he thought about them, about whether we could expect federal money.
And instead of answering me, instead of telling me what he thought, he ignored me. He turned and walked away. My congressman, the man elected to represent me, simply walked away without a peep. Without a single bleeping word. Without answering whether the victims of this disaster in Joplin could expect federal help or whether they—meaning, really, President Obama and the Democrats—would have to fight the goddamn Republican leadership for it.
I’m pissed.
Long’s “handler,’ or whoever the aide was trailing him, rudely told me they would “look into it.” Damn right they had better look into it.
I found Wally Kennedy, the Joplin Globe news reporter who I had seen interviewing Long as I was making my way across the street, and I asked him if he had asked Long about Cantor’s comments. Kennedy, obviously and understandably preoccupied with local events, hadn’t heard about them and therefore hadn’t ask Long about what Cantor said.
Thus, Long wasn’t challenged, as far as I know.
Fifteen or twenty minutes later I saw Billy Long on CNN being interviewed by John King. Nothing about Cantor’s comments that I saw. Nothing about whether Billy Long will fight for federal funds to help rebuild this devastated city. Nothing.
And that had better change.
On February 19, 2011, The Missouri delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives voted on H.R. 1, "Full Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011"
Their votes were as follows:
Missouri
Nay MO-1 Clay, William [D]
Yea MO-2 Akin, W. [R]
Nay MO-3 Carnahan, Russ [D]
Yea MO-4 Hartzler, Vicky [R]
Nay MO-5 Cleaver, Emanuel [D]
Yea MO-6 Graves, Samuel [R]
Yea MO-7 Long, Billy [R]
Yea MO-8 Emerson, Jo Ann [R]
Yea MO-9 Luetkemeyer, Blaine [R]
Billy Long's "Yea" vote on H.R. 1 included a $410 million budget cut for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Commerce Department agency that runs the National Weather Service. The service operates a nationwide network of weather monitoring stations intended to provide advance warning for natural disasters.
“The No. 1 mission of the National Weather Service is to save lives,” said Dan Sobien, president of the National Weather Service Employees Organization. “If you start deconstructing the early warning system, something is going to fall through the cracks.”
BILLY LONG VOTED TO CUT $450 MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
On April 15, 2011, Rep. Billy Long (R MO) again voted "Yea" on the GOP 2012 Budget Plan aka the "KILL MEDICARE BILL" which included the following cuts which directly affect the nation's preparedness for natural disasters (like a tornado in Joplin):
$1.2 billion cut in funding for NOAA, the government agency with “primary responsibility for providing tsunami warnings to the nation, and a leadership role in tsunami observations and research.”
$1.5 billion cut in grants for first-responders to disasters of “mass destruction.”
12 percent cut to Emergency Management Planning Grants, which provide critical funds to help communities conduct “effective catastrophic all-hazards planning.”
Closure of local National Weather Service offices and a furlough of NOAA employees for more than 27 days at a time. The closures would essentially silence the government’s warning system during disasters.
Cuts in NOAA’s satellite maintenance budget, putting satellites out of commission more quickly and crippling the government’s ability to track tsunami wave patterns, hurricanes and even routine weather patterns.
Additional cuts to FEMA and the Coast Guard.
According to a Ocean Conservancy fact sheet obtained by ThinkProgress, at least a third of US GDP is concentrated in weather sensitive industries and the GOP’s cuts could leave large sectors of the economy vulnerable to natural disasters. The cuts would also deny daily weather information to more than 30 million Americans, and reduce the military’s access to weather information before combat missions.
Rep. Billy Long (R-MO) released a statement on Monday about the tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri. The death toll from this storm has reached 117, according to authorities. Here is the full text of that statement:
Shock and disbelief best describe the reports from those fortunate enough to have survived the tornado in Joplin. It is comforting to see the strong response from our local, state, and federal authorities and to see the surrounding communities come together and offer assistance during this difficult time. Please keep the families who have lost loved ones and the Joplin community in your thoughts and prayers.Yes, by all means, pray for these folks, Billy. But once you say your prayers, some of us would like to ask you if you still support Paul Ryan's budget, you know, the one you voted for on April 15, Remember that vote? I do. You were one of the 235 Republican representatives who voted for Ryan's budget bill which not only kills Medicare, but also slashes funding for FEMA, first responders, federal disaster recovery programs, and the National Weather Service..
Representative Billy Long, "I was Tea Party before Tea Party was cool", has apparently been too busy shouting "FED UP" to acknowledge his own hypocrisy: he desperately needs the very programs he has been trying just as desperately to kill.
Congressman Bill Long MO7 (R) sure wishes he had a reset button, and we're not talking about his vote to Kill Medicare (How's that vote workin' for you, Billy?)
Today Billy Long made the Daily Kos: Joplin Congressman Bill Long (R) Made Fun of Tornado Test Warnings, Wanted to Sell HAM Frequencies
I hate to politicize tragedies, but sometimes they shed light on the irresponsibility of those who are responsible for the well-being of our nation.135 comments!
Take Billy Long for example. He is the classic wise-ass cowboy Republican Congressman who once said "Get out the crying towel" to people who don't have health insurance. Ironically, David Catanese, now a reporter for Politico, made a prescient prediction in that article:
...throughout his humorous and off-the-cuff repertoire, Long has a tendency to make some statements that could come back to haunt him.
Well, here comes the haunting...
Last year, Billy Long tweeted another one of his wise-ass comments, making fun of Joplin's preparedness drills for tornadoes:
In fact, he even irked "Bungalow Bill" a conservative blogger from the area who proudly touts that he has been featured by the likes of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.
Actually I have to agree with Bungalow Bill on both his major points here:
"War of the Worlds Part Duex, a F4 tornado, which some claim was a multi-vortex tornado, has taken out a large section of homes and businesses in Long’s own home district. How many lives were saved all because the state of Missouri has a day to remind people of procedures that may save their lives. This was no time for inspiration from Bozo (Billy Long).
"Last night’s storm also reminds of the importance of first responders on HAM radios, mobilizing injury prevention and first response before and after the storm. Long’s co-sponsorship of HR607, the federal emergency broadband bill, weakens this first responder network by removing valuable HAM frequencies that were used yesterday to spot tornadoes, get people to take shelter, and mobilize emergency efforts, but Long’s bill he co-sponsored would make it harder for these HAM radio operators to perform this valuable service."
Bungalow Bill's full article is here. It's pretty good...and damning to Billy Long.
Oh snap, did he just say Billy Long co-sponsored a bill to sell off the frequencies used by HAM radio operators to help protect the public? Yes he did. Later in the article, he apparently tried to pawn it off on Peter King, who "asked him to co-sponsor the bill". So...does that mean Mr. Long didn't even care enough to know what the bill was about, let alone the details of it? Not surprising.
So, Billy Long makes fun of Tornado Warnings, then sponsors a bill to cut the HAM radio networks which help provide the National Weather Service and local authorities spotter reports on what is going on. I have to wonder if he will ever be held accountable for this irresponsibility... seems like he's already pissed off some of his base.
This all just goes to show that yet again, these wise-ass Republicans can be counted on for either dishonesty, incompetence, or both.
p.s. Hey Billy, it's Deux...not Duex buddy. But I'm sure you pronounce either "duh".
-------
Update... Wow, I get back home after grabbing lunch and I find out I've made my first trip to the rec list! Thank you everyone, I'm honored and humbled...especially knowing the crowd of great writers here on dKos.
Update 2 (3:21pm PDT)...just saw a live interview between him and Wolf Blitzer. He seems to have lost a little of his swagger and is now eager to accept any "big government" help available to his district. It's great to see how Republicans are against "big government" until they need it.h
Update 3 (5:34pm PDT)...Looks like there are quite a few HAMs on dKos, who knew? I am not licensed myself (yet), but I have a few good HAM friends. If you're interested, check out www.arrl.org for info on amateur radio and how to get licensed as a HAM operator
In a similar vein, KY3's David Catanese reports that Billy "Long has a tendency to make some statements that could come back to haunt him. He mocked the plight of the uninsured ("Get out the crying towel") and claimed that 26 million people under 35 probably don't want health insurance anyway. Claiming that President Obama's healthcare plan might have taken his mother's life back in March of 2008 is also quite a strong charge. It's all done in the loving-aw-shucks Long way.." but these statements need to be fact checked also.
Freshmen representatives are all over the map bragging about how they are pumping gas for constituents.
We've posted about it here and here.
Reports are coming in that Billy refused to fill the tank of one constituent who has been critical of Billy in the past.
But this tweet of Long's bothers me: 
Billy tweeted: "One Lady said she scrapped together $5 for her gas - I pumped 1.32 gallons for her."
My first thought on reading Billy's tweet was that poor woman probably spent $5.00 in gas getting to the gas station to buy $5.00 worth of gas.
Then I thought if she had to scrape together $5.00 for gas, she should have used that gas to go to the grocery store or the Ozarks Food Harvest, not waste it going to see some politician's publicity stunt.
Then I thought what is Billy's purpose in tweeting this? To show his appeal? I wonder if this woman realizes that Billy voted against her in his vote to Kill Medicare?
Then I thought why didn't Billy chip in a few bucks and put a couple gallons in her tank. That would have been a decent thing to do. He could have done it discreetly and no one would have known that you actually helped a constituent. Or he could have even told some of the metro somethings/bodyguards that surround him to put some gas in her tank.
But Billy doesn't think that way. It's not about constituents, it's all about Billy Long.
Billy Long's salary is $14,500 a month and he couldn't find the decency in his heart to put some gas in a woman's car who had to scrape together $5.00 to come see him?
The average Social Security recipient's check in SWMO is just over $13,000-- a year! Billy makes more than that in a month and he couldn't put a couple of dollars of gas in the woman's tank?
Sheet, Billy, you could have just ate one less Billy Long cut steak at the Metro Grill and put that money towards some gas for the lady.
Right now I am not sure who is the fool.... the woman who scraped together $5.00 so you could put 1.32 gallons in her tank or you, because you didn't even think to put some gas in her tank. All your thought of was yourself and how she scraped together $5.00 to come see you.
Opportunity lost, Billy Long, opportunity lost.
Here's what you could have done: from the bus garage, May, 22, 2008: It was only $26.00
Have you asked your representative why he voted to kill Medicare today?
Palin was right when she said there were death panels....
Two unknown republican representatives don't know how to react to constituent who is angry over their vote to kill medicare, continue big oil subisidies and their support of Wall Street speculators which is increasing the cost of gas at the pump.
Last April EVERY HOUSE REPUBLICAN (except four) voted for Paul Ryan's "Kill Medicare" bill. What a gross miscalculation. Now these republicans are scrambling to deflect attention from their vote by staging a rash of publicity stunts that are nothing but showboating and they are hoping like heck it works.
There is a rash of Republicans pumping gas this week.
Jeff Duncan of North Carolina is pumping gas.
Alan West of Florida is pumping gas.
Steve Stivers of Ohio is pumping gas.
Steve Womack of Arkansas is pumping gas.
Todd Young of Indiana is pumping gas.
Billy Long of Missouri is pumping gas.
When all these guys voted for Paul Ryan's "Kill Medicare" bill, they didn't realize what a colossal mis-calculation that was. Then, all of them voted to keep the big oil subsidies.
And they want you to forgit about those votes.
Roy Blunt and Dennis Haesart did the same thing five years ago: Posturing at the Pump
First, a little backstory: This morning, the Washington Post's Dana Milbank had a funny piece on the gas price rhetoric, and somewhat ironic driving habits, of some members of Congress. He led with a quick account of a Democratic press event yesterday that took place at an Exxon station on Capitol Hill, where regular unleaded is going for $3.10. "Since George Bush and Dick Cheney took over as president and vice president, gas prices have doubled!," Milbank quotes Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Boxer saying. "They are too cozy with the oil industry."Meanwhile, Senator McCaskill is actually doing something about high gas prices instead of "showboating": Senate blocks McCaskill-led effort to end Big Oil tax breaks:
Milbank subsequently noted that Boxer "then hopped in a waiting Chrysler LHS (18 mpg) -- even though her Senate office was only a block away."
Today it was the Republicans' turn to use a gas station as a backdrop to score some political points. Representatives Dennis Hastert, Roy Blunt, Marsha Blackburn and Adam Putnam were scheduled to appear at a BP station about nine blocks from their home base on Pennsylvania Avenue around 1:30, but thanks to an emergency conference meeting concerning the lobbying bill, the event got pushed back until about 2:35.
That's when waiting reporters watched as Blunt, Blackburn and a few others pulled up to the pumps in two blue, General Motors fuel cell vehicles, complete with Shell logos. Hastert was nowhere to be seen, but he eventually emerged from a parking lot near the gas station. After speeches about the importance of better energy policy, the members went over to one of the cars. They then awkwardly looked under the hood, commenting on how interesting it all was, as photographers took pictures.
When that wrapped up, the members started to leave. (All but Putnam, who stuck around to talk to reporters.) Blunt and Blackburn got in one of the fuel cell vehicles, while Hastert started walking back in the direction he'd come from. His press guy then apparently told Hastert that he should get into one of the fuel cell vehicles. Hastert changed course and did so.
When the vehicles drove away, a few people noted they were going in an odd direction. Davis got in her car and started driving. She soon spotted the two fuel cell cars on 8th street, and immediately noticed that Hastert, along with his security detail, were no longer in one of them. One of the cameraman said he'd seen Hastert's standard Chevrolet Suburban parked a few blocks away from the gas station -- apparently he'd been dropped off there before the fuel cell cars went back to the Capitol building.
WASHINGTON -- A few hours after Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., called for a probe into possible price-fixing of gasoline, the U.S. Senate failed to advance a bill Tuesday that she and other Democrats advocated to end tax breaks for the five biggest oil companies.
(AP Photo)The proposal got a majority of 52 votes, but the opposition of Senate Republicans -- including Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. -- and some oil-state Democrats assured that the measure fell short of the 60 votes needed to stop a threatened filibuster. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., joined McCaskill in voting for the legislation.So all the republicans can come up with is a re-hashed publicity stunt-- posturing at the pumps- which seems more like a radio station promotion than a serious attempt to engage constituents in a serious discussion about higher gas prices.
McCaskill argued that the $2 billion a year that would be saved by eliminating tax breaks for Big Oil could be used toward easing the budget deficit. "How are we going to tackle the bigger problems if Republicans couldn’t find the courage to cut handouts for the most profitable companies in the history of the world?" she said after the vote. "Oil companies aren’t struggling. Missouri families are."
But Blunt contended in a Senate speech that the McCaskill-backed bill "would make it even harder to create energy jobs," and "will almost certainly increase gasoline prices." He said the best way to lower gasoline prices, over the long run, is to make it easier for oil companies to explore and drill for oil in this country. As for deficit reduction, he argued that the amount saved per year was about what the U.S. pays per day in interest on its debt.
The lead sponsor of the Big Oil bill, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., labeled as "absurd" the assertion by opponents that oil companies
would respond to a tax hike by raising gasoline prices. While the legislation has been stopped for now, some supporters plan to push to add such a provision to a deficit-reduction agreement that is being negotiated behind the scenes.
Earlier on Tuesday, McCaskill and Senate Democratic leaders including Durbin had upped the ante by calling for a federal probe of possible price fixing of gasoline.
Billy Long and dang near every Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives voted to kill Medicare.
Oops! That didn't turn out so well, did it Billy.
Since that vote Billy has tried to deflect criticism from himself by blaming the newspaper (No live town hall meetings for Billy Long), issuing a press release on the flood waters in Branson (Flooding in the Seventh District prompts Billy Long to issue a press release), launching an attack on the war on consumers which seems more like an attack on the president (Billy Long says anybody would be a better president than Barak Obama)and now Billy wants to press the reset button (FEDUP Billy has no backbone, tries to distance himself from his vote to kill medicare).
Rapid Roberts, tomorrow, from 11 AM to Noon, Billy will pump your gas for you.
He says he wants to meet with families and individuals struggling with rising gas prices.
Long says he will personally pump gas for constituents as he listens to their concerns over rising energy costs and the economy.
“High gas prices are kicking the American people when they’re already down,” Long said in a news release. “When gas goes up, everything from buying groceries to going to work gets more expensive and puts a strain on families trying to make efnds meet. It is time for Congress to start listening to the people and take this problem seriously.”
It's hard to take Billy seriously when he sells out to auctioneers for $5,000 and puppy mill operators for $4,800. And we don't even know how much he sold out to the PGA for. This ain't nothing but a publicity stunt to try to take people's mind off Billy's vote to kill Medicare.
Billy not only voted to kill Medicare, he also voted to keep the big oil subsidies.
We're going to run out of oil sometime. Big oil knows this, so do most sensible thinkers.
They know that the supply of oil is finite. Once it's gone, it's gone and there goes their cash stream.
So what do they do? They raise the price of oil. We need gas. We're going to buy oil until it's all gone, no matter if it $3.73 a gallon or $9.55 a gallon. They want to make as much money as they can before the oil is all gone.
Remember, Billy Long voted to kill medicare and to keep the big oil subsidies. He hopes that by pumping a few folks gas tomorrow, he look like he cares.
Besides, what difference does it make. The world's going to end on May 21.
but this happened at Pricecutter not Walmart.
But the guy didn't care, he was just tickled to death Regina went shopping that day. 
"Where's the pictures of the dead guy? Let me in, I wanna see them, I deserve it, I'm a senator, show-me and all that stuff. C'mon you guys, let me see them!"Artistic interpretation of Senator Roy Blunt asking to see the death photos of Osama Bin Laden
Roy Blunt tweeted this morning he was "Heading to see the OBL photos this morning."
Why?
Ah, I get it now, Roy's from Missouri, you know, the 'Show-Me' state. Just as he didn't believe Obama was a citizen because Ol' Roy hadn't seen his birth certificate, maybe Ol' Roy can't believe OBL is dead until he sees the death photos.
Birth certificates, health records, death certificates, death photos, it's all the same to Ol' Roy. Seems sort of creepy, wanting to see photos of a dead man. But hey, show me what we got for our money.
Say, do you think he's taking Billy with him? Can you see Billy Long looking at death photos? Maybe we can get Jack Merritt to take some photos?
If Roy can see the photos, why can't I? Is Roy a 'super-citizen' with 'super-privileges' that other American's don't have?
What purpose does it serve to see the death photos?
Well, it's shows America what we got for the 500 billion trillion zillion dollars we spent chasing after the guy and leaving our footprint all over the middle east.
Here's what Jon Stewart had to say about releasing the photos....
And Lawrence O'Donnell's change of heart regarding release of the photos
Ok, I'm tired of picking fruit this morning, I got stuff I got to do for I am a busy man.
Today is my mom and dad's wedding anniversary, May 15, 1947. That is one of their wedding pictures.
Billy Long and who's that lady?
The News Leader's Cory DeVera wrote a story in this morning's News-Leader: Seminars prepare public of the worst:
Dr. Howard Shayne of Fox Grape Family Dentistry told about 40 attendees at the dentistry seminar that he believes hard times are coming, perhaps through a natural disaster like Katrina, an earthquake or a flood, an economic collapse, a terrorist attack, a government breakdown and/or a takeover.
He offered a list of items to put in an emergency pack to prevent dental problems and minimize pain or inflammation in the event of a toothache.
The list included: a tooth brush, tooth paste (optional), dental floss, rounded toothpicks, mouthwash, rubbing alcohol to sterilize, cold and hot packs, dental wax that can be used to temporarily fill in a cavity, tooth paste for sensitive teeth, ibuprofen and/or aspirin, Kank-A for mouth sores, vaseline; and a tea bag, which can be placed on a cut lip to help stop bleeding.
But what if you can't get to a dentist?
"If things go to heck in a handbasket, and there is no dentist, then things are going to change," said Shayne. "Things are going to have to be done we probably can't anticipate."
Besides an array of seminars, attendees could visit with a variety of vendors hawking everything from the "Black Ops School of Combat" training courses, courses on conducting legal research from the Erwin Rommel School of Law, custom water-treatment systems, television antenna, gardening equipment and lab tests.Bring a toothbrush and perhaps a change of underwear.
I went to this on Saturday and was disappointed to say the least. The flyers I saw had all sorts of things that were to be covered and many weren't. The booths had some educational info, but most all were selling their wares. This is fine, but there was no info on how to do it yourself and for less cost than say buying freeze dried food. I asked one person if their filters were interchangeable with another company's set up and she didn't know. Most, but not all, of the seminars were put on by people that were also selling something. The dental one was one that wasn't selling anything, but I didn't wait around 2 hrs to see it either. I think it took us 2 hrs to see everything and we didn't rush thru and did ask questions.Could this be the gal KountryKathi is describing? Can't tell for sure, her face is obscured. Say, is that Senator Roy Blunt serenading her?
On a more positive note, ABC books was there and they carry a lot of books that would help a person be more prepared and self sufficient. There was a booth that was selling Geiger counters and he was actually explaining how any radiation from the nuclear mishaps in Japan are VERY unlikely to cause harm here in the USA.
There was a couple of booths that dealt with what I would call conspiracy theories, but I am sure others consider them the gospel truth.
I would love to see more how to do it yourself information. For example, canning and dehydrating food, how to shelter in place, bug out bags and what sort of disasters we in the Ozarks can expect. There is another one planned for this fall, so we will see.
As to the Tea Party, they had a gal at a booth and the gentleman friend I was with described her as looking like a hooker. Why?? platform heels, skin tight short dress that showed her obviously enhanced boosom and appeared to have had as much facial plastic surgery and botox as Joan Rivers, lolol. Add to that the white cowboy hat with the big feather enhancement, well, you get the picture. If that is how they want people to see them, it is their choice.
In God We Trust! Is it her? It's got to be! This has got to be the gal manning (no pun intended) the Tea Party Booth at the doomsday festival!
Billy Long, after the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives neutered the vote of the people on Proposition B, is kicking the dog further down the road:Congress pushes for probe of HSUS:
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) – a national, tax-exempt organization not affiliated with local animal shelters and the most powerful anti-hunting group in the nation....supported a ballot initiative in Missouri (Proposition B) by pouring in some $1.85 million (plus another $300,000 in non-cash contributions) into its Missouri front group’s bank account.In the letter, Long and the other Missouri lawmakers also cite efforts by the Humane Society to influence legislation by having its employees urging the public to contact members of legislative bodies for the purpose of proposing, supporting, or opposing legislation.
The measure passed by a slim three-point margin and sets regulations for the state’s dog breeders including how many dogs are allowed per facility. At the root of the issue is whether the HSUS attempted to influence legislation as a “substantial part” of its activities.
In a letter to Inspector General Eric Thorson in Washington, D.C., six members of Congress from Missouri and Alaska — Don Young (R-Alaska), Vicky Hartzler (R-Missouri), Blaine Luetkemeyer(R-Missouri), Jo Ann Emerson (R-Missouri), Sam Graves (R-Missouri), and Billy Long (R-Missouri) — have requested a federal investigation into the level of funding and participation of HSUS in Missouri’s affairs.
Beads of sweat glisten on Billy Long's face as he cyphers his new pricing plan
Running to microphones every time one is put in front of his face is still free (limited to D.C. area media only).
See, I don't just pick the low hanging fruit.
Last month my wife and I took a trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
I just had our Airstream buffed out and polished. I wanted to see if polishing it went down the road any faster. I couldn't tell but I did set the woods on fire.
In the railyard just east of town, off highway 23, I saw this sitting on the tracks next to some old boxcars.
It was a hard shot to take, we were shooting from the highway through brush. But you get the idea.
I know it's a Chevrolet, probably 1949? Don't know who did the conversion but it sure looks nice!
I sent that text and a copy of that photo to Longrooffan and Dan Stohl over at Hemmings Blog. He's a guy who, like my brothers and myself, likes unusual vehicles and other neat automotive stuff.
Dan used the photo in the May 13, 2011 Hemmings Motor News Blog: Boxcar Bowtie
Jim Lee, he of the Lee clan, recently took a trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, where he spotted this railcar, most likely an inspection and service unit that’s been long since retired, just east of town off Route 23. From the remaining trim, we can see that it was converted from a 1951 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe four-door station wagon, the most expensive Chevrolet in the lineup that year.
When The Turner Report published, on May 1, 2011, Don't expect traditional town hall meetings from Billy Long, most of the people who follow politics thought as Turner did:
Anyone waiting for an opportunity to ask Seventh District Congressman Billy Long about the issues that affect southwest Missouri and the nation might as well forget it...Long's aides are letting it be known that the Congressman feels he reached more people through his recent telephone town hall meeting than he could reach through in-person meetings.Turner was invited to be a participant in Long's first tele-townhall. He was suitably unimpressed: My wasted hour with Billy Long's telephone town hall meeting.
Left unmentioned is the obvious: With the telephone meeting, Long may have reached thousands of people, but all they had a chance to do is listen to Long reel off folksy one-liners and take questions from carefully pre-screened listeners. I might add that in the one hour town hall meeting, Long only fielded five questions, with one of those being specifically about one man's problems with the Veterans Administration.
Dear Xxxx,I encourage ALL bus riders to call Billy and request a meeting. Tell him you are a constituent and you would like to ask him some questions about votes he has taken since he has been in D.C.
Thank you for contacting me about holding town hall meetings. I sincerely appreciate the benefit of your views.
America has a long tradition of Constitutional representative government where the people select people, out from the body of the general public, to go to the halls of institutions from the Courthouse to the White House to act as stewards of our local and national affairs in accordance with rule of law. These citizen-officials exercise their limited powers at the consent and pleasure of the public. In order to be responsive to the public it is necessary that our elected officials to listen to the public regularly; own halls are one way in which some representatives attempt to listen to the public.
With the advent of modern technology, we have more options available to us than we did at the beginning of our nation when meetings required expensive, slow, and exhausting travel over non-existent roads using beasts of burden. I have begun to use modern technology to bring together large numbers of citizens to get their views and keep them informed of what is happening inside their government. At my last Tele-Townhall event more than 12,000 individuals in the Seventh District participated in an hour-long event. I hope to repeat this process regularly because I want to be your eyes and your ears in Washington so that you will know exactly what is going on behind the scenes.
However, I understand that even with all our technology, events like the Tele-Townhall system have drawbacks in terms of one on one interaction and lengthy dialogue that can only be done comfortably in close informal settings. I frequently return to the Seventh District whenever the schedule of the Congress permits me to do so and have set aside blocks of time for individual meetings with constituents such as you. If you would like to meet with me individually, please contact my District Office at (417) 889-1800 and schedule a meeting.
Hearing the views of all Missourians gives me the opportunity to better understand how important issues could impact the people of Missouri and the future interests of the nation.
For additional information regarding current legislation and my representation of the Seventh District, I invite you to visit my website at http://www.long.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Billy Long
Member of Congress
Does he mean he supports women's reproductive rights?
Does he mean he supports Planned Parenthood?
Does he mean he supports Roe v Wade?
Does he mean he supports equal rights?
Does he mean he supports the pro-choice movement?
Does he mean he supports same sex marriage?
If that's not what means, what DOES he mean when he says in that email he sent from Tim.Jones@house.mo.gov, dated Sunday, March 14, 2010, 12:14 AM to Len Eagleburger and myself: "You keep your Government out of my doctor's office, out of my pocketbook and out of my business"?
He also had this to say about Eagleburger and myself in the course of last night's email exchange:
"I laugh at you..typical left wing character assassins...you both make me chuckle...it is too easy to debate you and win...in fact, to quote a famous man, I'm doing it with half my brain tied behind my back!...Now go bother your own State Rep and State Senator with your foolish left wing diatribes. Maybe some day you'll both be lucky though and you can vote for me for Governor!"
Roy Blunt shown explaining the intricacy of a dance step to Billy Long*
From the Cassville Democrat: Groundbreaking ceremonies slated for new clinic
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Access Family Care Clinic in Cassville have been slated for 10 a.m. on Friday, May 20 with 7th District Congressman Billy Long scheduled to attend the event.
Access Family Care was founded in 1996 as a federally qualified health center for the purpose of increasing access to primary healthcare for those who lack medical insurance coverage.According to the Access FAmily Care website, the Missouri Department of Health, guided the administrators to form a consortium to write a grant proposal from the Primary Health Care Resources (PRIMO). The grant was designed to provide health care for all residents of these counties regardless ofincome, ethnicity, and inadequate or lack of health insurance.
The Ryan Budget that Billy Long voted in favor of before he took a couple of weeks off for Spring Break (he owns that vote) includes significant cuts to programs that fund clinics like this one in Cassville.
From the Access Family Care website: Appropriations Committee has recommended a cut of $1.3 billion for Community Health Centers:Our new Congressman is Billy Long. I really don't know much about him, except he replaces Roy Blunt who was very supportive of health centers. I have no idea where Congressman Long stands on that--not sure if anyone really knows since he is new and no matter what they say, it's how they vote that counts.
Well HOT DIGGITY DOG!
Billy says a lot of things to us folks down here in the 7th, but in D.C., he is part of the problem he was sent up there to fix.
*Roy Blunt voted against the stimulus package then claimed credit for projects in Springfield that were funded by the stimulus. Billy's learning to dance.
Billy Long "thinks we need to honor our commitment to our seniors".
Then he voted to kill Medicare. And he took some heat for it.
Now, he wants us to to quit picking on him for his vote to kill Medicare.
You own that vote Billy!
The News-Leader is strangely silent.
Bungalow Bill: Fed Up Billy has no backbone
Billy Long wants to press the "reset button" and "wipe the slate clean" regarding his vote against Medicare. He voted against every Southwest Missourian who has paid into this system their entire working career for a promise of return, and now Long wants everyone to forget he voted to kill Medicare. What's a matter Billy? Don't have a backbone to stand up next to your vote?
Vicky Hartzler, Billy Long and 39 other Republican freshmanare asking President Obama to "rein in" criticism of their votes to phase out Medicare and replace it with a voucher program that will radically alter the lives of seniors for the worse.
This plea comes just months after Hartzler, Long and almost every other federal Republican candidate spewed disingenuous claims about Democrats "cutting" Medicare, and comes as Hartzler continues to lie about the health care reforms passed by Democrats.
If Billy Long and Vicky Hartzler don't want constituents to get grumpy about their votes, they should rethink how they're voting.
House Republican freshmen admit that their so-called "MediScare" attacks on Democrats helped them win a big majority in 2010. Democrats had voted for the health care law, which included $500 billion in "cuts" to Medicare -- primarily slashing overpayments to private insurers -- and Republican challengers never let them forget it.
Now, they say, it's time to let bygones be bygones.
Nearly a dozen House Republican freshmen held a press conference outside the Capitol Tuesday morning to "wipe the slate clean," and "hit the reset button."
After beating the living crap out of Democrats in 2010 on the spurious charge that they wanted to wreck Medicare (by curbing some of the abuses of private insurance companies in the alternative Medicare program), now House freshman Republicans are pleading for theDemocrats to stop criticizing their plan to privatize Medicare (which will ultimately kill it) at the same time they are pushing for tax breaks for millionaires.
Cry me a river, you big bunch of hypocritical babies.
Billy Long realizes his vote to Kill Medicare possibly killed his chances for re-election.
Before he went on Spring Break, Representative Billy Long voted for Representative Paul Ryan's budget proposal. In an attempt to explain his vote for Ryan's proposal, Long declared, "don't believe what you read in the paper" and that something needed to be done because the system was designed when people only lived to be “48 years old.”
This is a May 9, 2011 LTE to StLToday.com:
Republican Rep. Paul Ryan's 2012 budget proposal was one of the most brutal attacks on the social safety net in decades and Rep. Billy Long of Missouri's 7th District, along with the majority of other Republicans in the House, joined him by voting for it.It is worth noting that under the Ryan proposal he voted for, Long will receive both Social Security and Medicare benefits.
Paul Krugman, in a New York Times Op-Ed piece dated April 7, 2011, called Rep. Ryan's budget bill both "ludicrous" and "cruel." "Ludicrous" because the budget projections were pure fantasy, "cruel" because it proposed massive spending cuts for programs that mainly help children, the poor and the elderly, while slashing taxes for corporations and the ultra-rich.
One of the main programs targeted by the Ryan budget was Medicare, which under the proposal would be destroyed in all but name, and replaced by a voucher program for seniors who'd be dumped into the private insurance market. And if the vouchers didn't cover the cost of insurance, too bad.
I challenge everyone to hold Rep. Billy Long and others who voted for this budget accountable by calling them and demanding an answer for why they voted yes. Even the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported that the Ryan budget would lead to bigger deficits and more debt. I also challenge Rep. Long to hold a public, advertised town hall meeting to explain himself. Rep. Long's Springfield office number is 417-889-1800 and in Washington it's 202-225-6536. For more information refer to https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/08/opinion/08krugman.html?_r=1.
Richard G. Green
Ozark, Mo.
