Who VIRGINIA FOXX REALLY Represents!

....................THE JACK IS BACK!....................

This being an election year, with a very large number of Americans still unemployed or underemployed, I continue my periodic posts profiling those in public office who are working in the interest of big business or special interest groups rather than for the well-being of the vast majority of citizens. These officials are out of touch with average working Americans and speak only for the wealthy and privileged. Today, my focus will be on North Carolina's 5th District conservative Republican Representative Virginia Foxx, who has shown little understanding of or heart for the struggling and working people of her district as well as those around the rest of the country. All data in this post comes from a combination of three fabulous source websites: www.opensecrets.org (an arm of the Center for Responsive Politics), www.ontheissues.org, (a nonpartisan site dedicated to listing all candidates' voting records on a host of major issues) and www.themiddleclass.org (the nonpartisan Drum Major Institute for Public Policy's analyzation on legislation affecting the country's current and aspiring middle class).

In fact-finding for this particular post, I was astounded to discover that this woman holds a doctorate in Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I was further shocked to learn that she had spent time as a research assistant, and had even been a professor of English at Appalachian State University. My surprise stems from the fact that I have seen Ms. Foxx in action and have heard her speak, and her countenance bore little evidence of superior reasoning ability, intellectual prowess, or command of the spoken word. I will return to this later, but first, let's take a look at the poor voting record she has posted on behalf of the poor, working people, and the middle class over the years...

Foxx's Middle-Class Grades:

2009 F
2008 F
2007 F
2006 F
2005 F

My, oh my, and land sakes alive, Ms. Foxx---even an old-fashioned educator like yourself knows that "F" means FAIL, and that you have earned far too many of these in your brief legislative career! In fact, themiddleclass.org has given you a pathetically low 8% approval rating for your entire tenure! Here are some of your specific votes which helped you earn a number of those F rankings, Ms. Foxx:

Bill /Vote /Supportive of the Middle Class?

H.AMDT. 534 TO H.R. 4173
Amendment #534 (Mortgage “Cramdown” Amendment) to Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009
TOPICS: Consumers, Debt & Bankruptcy, Housing, Mortgage lending, Personal bankruptcy /NAY / NO
H.R. 4173
Wall Street Accountability and Consumer Protection Act
TOPICS: Consumers, Corporate Accountability, Corporate bankruptcy, Corporate taxes, Credit cards, Debt & Bankruptcy, Deceptive advertising and marketing, Executive compensation, Financial literacy, Government Accountability, Housing, Mortgage lending, Payday loans, Personal bankruptcy, Refund Anticipation Loans, Shareholder rights, Student loans, Tax Fairness /NAY / NO
H.R. 3962
Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2009
TOPICS: Consumers, Corporate Accountability, Health Care, HMOs and insurance companies, Hospitals, Medicaid, Medical research, Medicare, Prescription drugs, Public health, SCHIP, Tax Fairness, Universal health care /NAY / NO
H.R. 3639
Expedited CARD Reform for Consumers Act of 2009
TOPICS: Consumers, Credit cards, Debt & Bankruptcy /NAY / NO
H.R. 3548
Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009 - House Version
TOPICS: Economic stimulus, Unemployment, Workplace & Job Creation /NAY / NO
H.R. 3269
Corporate and Financial Institution Compensation Fairness Act of 2009
TOPICS: Corporate Accountability, Executive compensation, Shareholder rights /NAY / NO
H.R. 3221
Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009
TOPICS: College tuition, Community college, Debt & Bankruptcy, Education, Job training, Pell Grants, Preschool, Student loans /NAY / NO
H.R. 2847
Jobs for Main Street Act of 2009
TOPICS: Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Child care, Community college, Economic stimulus, Education, Efficient technology, Elementary school, Energy & Environment, Government Accountability, Green buildings, Green jobs, Health Care, High school, Housing, Job training, Layoffs, Medicaid, Middle school, Public employment, Public housing, Public infrastructure, Teachers, Unemployment, Workplace & Job Creation /NAY / NO
H.R. 2749
Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009
TOPICS: Civil Justice, Consumers, Food safety /NAY / NO
H.R. 2454
American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009
TOPICS: Consumers, Education, Efficient technology, Energy & Environment, Energy conservation, Global warming, Green buildings, Green jobs, Job training, Pollution, Renewable fuels /NAY / NO
H.R. 1728
Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act of 2009
TOPICS: Consumers, Debt & Bankruptcy, Housing, Mortgage lending /NAY / NO
H.R. 1664
Pay for Performance Act of 2009
TOPICS: Corporate Accountability, Executive compensation /NAY / NO
H.R. 1586
A Bill To Impose An Additional Tax On Bonuses Received From TARP Recipients of 2009
TOPICS: Corporate Accountability, Executive compensation, Tax Fairness /NAY / NO
H.R. 1106
Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009
TOPICS: Consumers, Debt & Bankruptcy, Housing, Mortgage lending, Personal bankruptcy /NAY NO
H.R. 1
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - Conference Report
TOPICS: Alternative minimum tax, Child care, Child tax credit, College tuition, Consumers, Corporate Accountability, Earned income tax credit, Economic stimulus, Education, Efficient technology, Elementary school, Energy & Environment, Energy conservation, Executive compensation, Global warming, Government Accountability, Green buildings, Green jobs, Head Start, Health Care, High school, Housing, Income taxes, Medicaid, Medical research, Middle school, Pell Grants, Preschool, Public housing, Public infrastructure, Renewable fuels, Sales taxes, Shareholder rights, TANF, Tax cuts, Tax Fairness, Unemployment, Workplace & Job Creation /NAY / NO
H.R. 1
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - House Version
TOPICS: Child tax credit, College tuition, Consumers, Earned income tax credit, Economic stimulus, Education, Efficient technology, Elementary school, Energy & Environment, Energy conservation, Government Accountability, Green buildings, Green jobs, Head Start, Health Care, Heating fuel, High school, Housing, Income taxes, Job training, Medicaid, Medical research, Middle school, Pell Grants, Public housing, Public infrastructure, Renewable fuels, Student loans, TANF, Tax cuts, Tax Fairness, Unemployment, Workplace & Job Creation /NAY / NO
H.R. 627
Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act of 2009
TOPICS: Consumers, Credit cards, Debt & Bankruptcy /NAY / NO
H.R. 627
Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act of 2009
TOPICS: Consumers, Credit cards, Debt & Bankruptcy /NAY / NO
H.R. 626
Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009
TOPICS: Family leave, Workplace & Job Creation /NAY / NO
H.R. 2
Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009
TOPICS: Health Care, Immigration, Medicaid, SCHIP /NAY / NO
S. 181
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
TOPICS: Civil Justice, Employment discrimination, Workplace & Job Creation /NAY / NO
H.R. 11
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 - House Version
TOPICS: Civil Justice, Employment discrimination, Workplace & Job Creation /NAY / NO
H.R. 12
Paycheck Fairness Act of 2009
TOPICS: Civil Justice, Class action lawsuits, Employment discrimination, Workplace & Job Creation /NAY / NO

Those votes pretty well tell the tale of Virginia Foxx's anti-worker and anti-middle class leanings. But if she isn't serving the interests of the overwhelming majority of the population, those whose interests IS she serving, and who exactly is supporting her? As with every Republican and far too many Democrats today, Ms. Foxx's coffers are fattened up with donations from corporate PACs and other big money sources both inside and far outside of her own state and district. Let's take a look at where she gets her campaign money from.

Last Report: Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Top 5 Contributors, 2009-2010, Campaign Committee
Contributor /Total / from Individuals/ from PACs

American Crystal Sugar /$10,000 /$0 /$10,000
Las Vegas Sands /$9,600 /$9,600 /$0
Turkish Coalition USA PAC /$8,000 /$0 /$8,000
HK Research /$7,200 /$7,200 /$0
AT&T Inc /$7,000 /$0 /$7,000

FYI: Lots of big money here. Everybody knows American Crystal Sugar and AT & T, but Las Vegas Sands describes itself as a "leading global developer of destination properties"; Turkish Coalition USA is a PAC favoring strong U.S.-Turkish relations; and HK Research is a Hickory, NC-based manufacturer of gel coats.

Top 5 Industries, 2009-2010, Campaign Committee
Industry /Total /Individuals /PACs

Retired /$91,944 /$91,944 /$0
Health Professionals /$30,950 /$22,950 /$8,000
Crop Production & Basic Processing /$13,500 /$1,500 /$12,000
Commercial Banks /$13,300 /$3,300 /$10,000
Air Transport /$11,500 /$0 /$11,500

Strong support from health professionals and commercial banks give understanding as to why she would vote against the middle class by opposing government health care (more on this later) and bank regulation, but provides no real justification for having done so.

Cycle Source of Funds, 2009-2010, Campaign Committee only
Individual Contributions $451,485 (71%)
PAC Contributions $165,340 (26%)
Candidate self-financing $0 (0%)
Other $16,570 (3%)

NOTE: All the numbers on this page are for the 2009-2010 election cycle and based on Federal Election Commission data available electronically on August 06, 2010 (for Fundraising totals, Source of Funds and Total Raised vs Average) and on July 11, 2010.
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Virginia Foxx has also cast a number of unsatisfactory votes on a wide range of other economic and non-economic issues, especially if one considers himself or herself a believer in equal opportunity, a clean environment,a fair and progressive tax system, and individual social freedom. Here is a sampling:

Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. (Nov 2007)
Voted YES on making the PATRIOT Act permanent. (Dec 2005)
Rated 0% by the HRC, indicating an anti-gay-rights stance. (Dec 2006)
Rated 19% by the NAACP, indicating an anti-affirmative-action stance. (Dec 2006)
Amend Constitution to define traditional marriage. (Jun 2008)

Voted NO on $84 million in grants for Black and Hispanic colleges. (Mar 2006)
Voted NO on $2 billion more for Cash for Clunkers program. (Jul 2009)
Voted NO on protecting free-roaming horses and burros. (Jul 2009)
Voted NO on regulating tobacco as a drug. (Apr 2009)
(Naturally---she has huge agribusiness tobacco conglomerates right in her back yard)!

Voted NO on expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program. (Jan 2009)
Voted YES on overriding veto on expansion of Medicare. (Jul 2008)

Voted NO on giving mental health full equity with physical health. (Mar 2008)
Voted NO on Veto override: Extend SCHIP to cover 6M more kids. (Jan 2008)
Voted NO on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility. (Oct 2007)
Voted NO on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D. (Jan 2007)
Voted YES on denying non-emergency treatment for lack of Medicare co-pay. (Feb 2006)
Voted NO on requiring FISA warrants for wiretaps in US, but not abroad. (Mar 2008)

Voted NO on Veto override: Congressional oversight of CIA interrogations. (Mar 2008)
Voted YES on removing need for FISA warrant for wiretapping abroad. (Aug 2007)
Voted NO on restricting no-bid defense contracts. (Mar 2007)
Voted YES on allowing electronic surveillance without a warrant. (Sep 2006)
Voted YES on continuing intelligence gathering without civil oversight. (Apr 2006)

Voted NO on extending unemployment benefits from 39 weeks to 59 weeks. (Oct 2008)
Voted NO on restricting employer interference in union organizing. (Mar 2007)
Voted NO on iVoted NO on extending AMT exemptions to avoid hitting middle-income. (Jun 2008)
Voted NO on paying for AMT relief by closing offshore business loopholes. (Dec 2007)
Voted YES on retaining reduced taxes on capital gains & dividends. (Dec 2005)
Rated 0% by the CTJ, indicating opposition to progressive taxation. (Dec 2006)
ncreasing minimum wage to $7.25. (Jan 2007)
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SUMMARY: As I mentioned earlier, I found it incredible that this woman had been a professor of English and had attained a Doctorate in Education. Her public speaking style is more reminiscent of Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann, with broken phrases and run-together, disjointed statements, than the type of cohesive reasoning and articulation one normally encounters from a person holding that type of degree. Her disturbing voting record alone should make her ineligible to retain her House seat. But Virginia Foxx also speaks in ridiculous hyperbole, which casts further doubt on her reasoning ability and suitability for holding high office. Perfect examples of this came during the health care reform debate, when she brazenly declared that seniors would be "put to death by their government." Prior to the vote, she spouted out "everywhere I go in my district, people tell me they are frightened. And I share that fear, and I believe they should be fearful. And I believe the greatest fear we all should have to our freedom comes from this room - this very room - and what may happen later this week in terms of a tax increase bill masquerading as a health care bill. I believe we have more to fear from the potential of this bill passing than we do from any terrorist right now in the country." Neither Palin nor Bachmann could have done a better job of spewing out such nonsensical babble!

WHA'? HUH?? We used to have a word to have a description for irrational people who would make crazy, unfounded statements like that. We called them CRACKPOTS. Today, though, we call them teabaggers and conservative Republicans. They do not belong in government shaping our public policy with fat, taxpayer-funded salaries, and there is a very real threat they may assume dominant control this fall.

Who Virginia Foxx REALLY Represents: NOT YOU, 5th District North Carolina voter! If you are poor, working poor, or middle class, (and the overwhelming number of you are), she has not been addressing your needs in the least while voting for Bush tax breaks for the rich, free trade deals, against aid for the unemployed, children, education, jobs, and the poor. Her far-right, pro-business, anti-worker agenda is working AGAINST YOU!

VIRGINIA FOXX SHOULD BE PERMANENTLY RETIRED FROM CONGRESS. PLEASE do that for your own good and for the good of the entire country, North Carolina 5th District voters!