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
peoples jobs, life savings, pensions,
retirement accounts, and homes at even greater
risk. To do nothing would have severely impact
businesses and peoples 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 Oklahomas 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:
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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.
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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, wont
Oklahomas 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:
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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.
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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 taxpayers
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. Shouldnt 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 Oklahomans 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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