Frankie Robbins For Congress 2008
 
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Robbins for Congress
119 N. Main
PO Box 86
Medford, OK 73759


 
Ask Frankie

Q. What did you think of the vote on the “Credit Card Holders Bill of Rights?

A. On Tuesday, September 23, 2008 the ‘House’ passed the “Credit Card Holders Bill of Rights Act of 2008 (H.R. 5244). Frank Lucas voted “NO”.

September 23 was in the 2cnd week of the “financial crisis.” There was consensus that lack of regulation and oversight of the financial institutions got us into this financial “train wreck” and that Congress needed to act.

The “Credit Card Holders Bill of Rights Act of 2008” was an initial step to provide some regulation and oversight to the “greedy” credit card industry. An industry has been charging consumers exorbitant interest rates, late fees, and over-the-limit fees putting people deeper and deeper into debt.

We are headed to another “bubble” or crisis due to the greed of the credit card industry. And, when the bubble bursts, it will be ‘we the people’ who will suffer. Thanks to Lucas’ vote in 2004, the credit card companies will still have a ‘hook’ in the consumer even after filing bankruptcy.

I know small businesses need relief, as well, from the heavy handedness and the outrageous transaction fees imposed by the near monopoly of Visa and Mastercard.

Lucas’ “NO’ vote was a vote for the “special interests” -- the big credit card industry. His “NO” vote was NOT a vote for the people or small-business.

Q. How would you have voted on the “Financial Rescue Plan”(HR 1424):

A. I would have voted YES with the first vote taken on 9/29.

The huge drop in the stock market had a great deal to do with "panic" by investors. If the House had passed the rescue plan the first time, on 9/29 -- it is possible the "panic" button wouldn't have been hit and trillions of dollars of equity lost. But, the public lost confidence in their government to take action and the precipitous drop in the stock market began.

In this time of crisis it is imperative that leaders act boldly and without delay to restore confidence in the financial system and to reassure the public that their leaders are acting in the best interest of the country and the citizens.

To do nothing would have put people’s jobs, life savings, pensions, retirement accounts, and homes at even greater risk. To do nothing would have severely impact businesses and people’s livelihoods. Americans would not have been able to obtain a line of credit to buy a car or a house, for example, causing a domino effect on the economy and further deepening the housing crisis.

A leader should be providing information to the public so they can have an informed opinion rather that an opinion based on “a radio talk show host” rant. A crisis is a time a leader should be providing his constituents with the facts, the truth as he best knows it, the consequences of inaction; and, if not agreeing with the proposed solution; offering alternative solutions.

That is NOT what Frank Lucas did; he said he was following the wishes of his constituents. There is a time to lead; and a time to listen. This was a time to lead.

The financial crisis exposed a failure of leadership by Frank Lucas. Lucas voted “NO” on Monday, Sept. 29. Again, on Friday, 10/03, Lucas voted “NO” on the financial rescue plan that President Bush signed into law.

Lucas voted “NO” after 14 of the top employers and the Presidents of the two largest universities in Oklahoma urged the Oklahoma delegation to unite behind the plan.

He voted “NO” after the State Treasurer said the financial meltdown was causing Oklahoma’s pension plans to suffer losses; and the bond program for roads and bridges was threatened.

Other Republican Oklahoma U.S. Representatives who voted “YES” said:

 

They were unwilling to gamble the jobs, life savings, retirement accounts, the homes, and the businesses of the people they represented;

That action needed to be taken to protect the pensions, investments, and ability of Americans to obtain a line of credit;

That failure to act could lead to economic hardship for Oklahoma citizens and businesses.

I strongly objected to the “sweeteners” added to the bill to garner more votes for the legislation. That is politics at its worst. I would not need “sweeteners” to vote to “do the right thing”. The Bill should have been clean -- only directed at solving the crisis at hand.

It was equally disgusting politics, by both Democrats and Republicans, that allowed those who were in tight races to vote NO to supposedly placate their constituencies. Again, I would have voted to “do what was best for America and the stability of our economy”; not to enhance my election chances.

It should be noted, Frank Lucas is on the subcommittee that oversees “Freddie Mac” and “Fannie Mae”.

Q. If we elect you, won’t Oklahoma’s delegation lose clout in the house -- since Frank Lucas has 14 years seniority?

A. The web site, http://www.congress.org ranks each member of Congress based on 20 criteria which come under the 3 main categories:

 

Position: Tenure, committee assignments, leadership positions;

Indirect Influence: Actions taken to affect an issue or bill through media appearances, caucus leadership, etc.

Legislation: Success rate of getting legislation passed in committee, floor amendments, and passage of bills and signed into law.

For 2007, the Oklahoma delegation as a whole, senators and representatives, ranked 45th of the 50 states.

Frank Lucas ranked 233rd out of 435 Representatives (47th percentile). His 14 years in office, his tenure, is the only reason he ranked that high. He is in the bottom 25% in both “indirect influence” and “legislation”. Lucas’ has introduced 5 bills in the last 2 years and none of them have made it out of committee.

His ranking continues to drop even though he gets “extra points” for seniority. And, it is not just because there is a Democratic majority in the ‘House’. For example, Tom Cole (R), OK-4th , who has been in office 6 years went from a ranking of 335 in 2006 to a ranking of 166 for 2007. Dan Boren (D)(OK-2cnd) went from a ranking of 384 in 2006 to 70th in 2007 even though Boren has only been in office 4 years.

Q. What did you think about Lucas’ Galapagos Island adventure at taxpayer’s expense?

A. Frank Lucas’ rationalization for his taxpayer-funded extravaganza to the Galapagos Islands has been widely reported (http://www.opensecrets.org). The core of this story is not the whether the trip was justifiable, but the lack of honesty and integrity on the part of Frank Lucas.

If the trip was worthy of spending the taxpayers dollar then it should have been worthy of Lucas letting his constituents know about the trip, what he learned, and how that would benefit Oklahomans.

If Lucas had taken a trip to Iraq to visit our troops, he would have certainly put that in his monthly column “Frankly Speaking”. But, he doubted voters would find his wasteful spending of their hard earned money justified. So he committed the sin of ‘omission’.

He was dishonest in the omission of informing his constituents. His column should be titled ‘Not so frank - Frank’.

We need a U.S. Representative that is working on the tough issues everyday. A real leader who will be ‘frank‘ with his constituents. A real leader who will be working on real issues with real solutions in a bi-partisan manner to have real accomplishments.

Q. Recently, Frank Lucas introduced legislation to reduce the size of the nickel that will save taxpayers millions of dollars. Shouldn’t he be commended for that?

A. Frank Lucas puts out a monthly newsletter called “Frankly Speaking”.

On September 18th, the same week that the “financial crisis” came to the forefront, he issued a press release titled “Lucas Introduces Bill to Reduce Deficit, Reinstate the Original 5 Cent Coin”.

My first reaction to the “press release” was -- how small, how trivial, how petty to issue a press release about such an inconsequential bill (5-Cent Restoration Act of 2008 (HR 6942 IH) when our country is in the middle of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression and we were talking about a $700 billion bailout!

I learned the next day that Lucas had supported and voted for “The Coin Modernization and Taxpayer Savings Act of 2008” (HR 5512 RFS) which passed the House May 12, 2008.

The purpose of that act was: “To reduce the costs of producing 1-cent and 5-cent coins.”

Lucas’ new bill would never ’see the light-of-day’ with HR 5512 pending in the Senate. It was purely a smoke screen -- to make it appear he was taking action. It was deceptive and misleading. It was definitely NOT forthright; it was definitely NOT “frank”!

Lucas has introduced 5 pieces of legislation in the last 2 years. None of them have got out of ‘committee’. He is not a leader.

We need a U.S. Representative that is working on the tough issues everyday. A real leader who will not need “smoke-screen” press releases. A real leader who will be working on real issues with real solutions in a bi-partisan manner to have real accomplishments.

You need to send me to the U.S. House of Representatives. I will provide the Real Leadership that Oklahoman’s deserve and should expect from their Congressman.

Frankie Robbins


If you have questions or comments to share with Frankie Robbins, simply e-mail them with your contact information to
campaign@robbinsforcongress2008.com

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