Category — Middle Class

If you are a corporate executive hoping to protect your $37 million annual compensation, Peter Roskam’s got your back. If you are an Illinois worker, laid off by that executive when he off-shored your job to India or Costa Rica, and your unemployment benefits are about to run out, Peter Roskam says “tough luck”.

Peter Roskam demonstrated again yesterday his utter lack of compassion and concern for working people in his district by voting against H.R. 5749, the Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008. Democrats in Congress had proposed extending unemployment benefits, on an emergency basis, by an additional 3 months for unemployed workers in all states and by 6 months for workers in states with unemployment rates higher than 6%. The Democrats were responding to the report by the Labor Department that the jobless rate had increased by 0.5% to 5.5% in May, the largest increase in 23 years. May was the fifth consecutive month of job loss.

The measure failed to pass in the house, lacking only 3 votes, one of them Roskam’s. House Democrats will continue to pursue an extension of benefits.

Peter Roskam has demonstrated time and time again by his votes his preoccupation with serving only the interests of large corporations and economic elites. Then, after after he votes to obstruct Democratic efforts to help the middle class and the underprivileged in his district, he comes home and whines and complains about the extreme partisanship in Congress that is preventing him from helping his constituents. In reality though it is Roskam who is playing partisan politics and catering to special interests.

6th District residents who have lost their jobs or fear losing them should contact Peter Roskam and demand that he put partisan politics aside and stop obstructing Democratic efforts to aid unemployed workers. Roskam can be reached at his Washington office at (202) 225-4561 or in Bloomingdale at (630) 893-9670.

Are you a resident of Illinois’ 6th Congressional District who’s having difficulty paying a mortgage with an exorbitant interest rate? Think your Congressman, Peter Roskam, cares and wants to help? Guess again.

Yesterday (5/1/2008) the House Financial Services Committee sent a bill to the House floor to help mortgage holders in danger of foreclosure. The bill, H.R. 5830: FHA Housing Stabilization and Homeownership Retention Act of 2008, makes up to $300 billion in federally insured loans available to allow mortgage holders in danger of foreclosure to refinance at more affordable fixed rates over 30 years. All penalties related to delinquency and/or early payment of the existing mortgage are waived and lenders are required to reduce the principal balances. As many as 1.5 million homeowners may be assisted if the bill becomes law. Opposition is expected from Republicans in the Senate and from President Bush.

Peter Roskam, who holds a seat on the House Financial Services Committee, voted against the bill in Committee, attempting to prevent it from being sent to the full house for a vote. Roskam receives a large percentage of campaign contributions from the financial services and real estate industries, and by his vote, has signaled his intent to continue to work to advance the interests of that sector rather than attend to the needs of homeowners in his district.

Residents of the 6th District should contact Representative Roskam and urge him to stop attempting to block Democratic efforts to help homeowners in trouble. Roskam can be reached at his Washington office at (202) 225-4561 or in Bloomingdale at (630) 893-9670.

The United States Chamber of Commerce recently honored Peter Roskam for proving in his first term to be “an effective ally to the business community”.

Sounds great until you realize what exactly “being an effective ally to the business community” means.

Put simply, it means consistently voting against the interests of the majority of citizens in your district and giving big business exactly what it demands.

It means means Roskam voting against reducing the dependence on fossil fuels that is threatening our national security and destroying our environment by requiring minimum standards for the percentage of electricity generated using renewable sources of energy.

It means Roskam voting against tax incentives for energy conservation and development of clean, renewable energy sources because they are funded by the repeal of tax breaks to big oil companies now enjoying huge profits at our expense every time we fill up our tanks.

It means Roskam voting against the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 which would have insured that Illinois’ uninsured children receive the kind of health care that Roskam’s own kids get at taxpayer expense.

It means Roskam standing up for the interests of big drug companies rather than allowing the Medicare program to negotiate for better prices on prescription drugs.

It means Roskam voting against protection of his constituents right to equal pay for equal work. And their right to organize.

And it means Roskam voting against protecting middle class taxpayers from the Alternative Minimum Tax.

So congratulations on your big award, Peter, and thanks for nothing. Its time we had a new Representative in Congress who works for us and not for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Peter Roskam ranks among the nation’s worst Congressmen, at least when it comes to his voting record on issues affecting middle class Americans.

This according to the TheMiddleClass.org 2007 Congressional Scorecard issued this month by the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy, a non-partisan progressive think tank.

Roskam scored an F on the scorecard based upon his record of consistently voting against measures directed at improving the lot of middle class and low-income Americans including:

• Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2007
• Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007
• Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
• Clean Energy Act of 2007
• Employee Free Choice Act of 2007
• Children’s Health Insurance Program Re-authorization Act of 2007
• Shareholder Vote on Executive Compensation Act of 2007
• College Cost Reduction Act of 2007
• Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007
• Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007
• Temporary Tax Relief Act of 2007

Roskam chose to spend his first year in office pursuing the interests of the wealthiest residents of his district and of large corporations while actively working against legislation that would help the majority of his constituents whose means are more modest. All the while, Roskam railed against the Democrats in Congress for their supposed obstruction. It is clear from this impressive list of no votes that it was Roskam and his Republican colleagues who were attempting to throw up roadblocks.

Illinois Senators Barack Obama and Dick Durbin both scored highly on middle class issues, earning an A+ and an A, respectively.

Republicans are starting to get nervous about Roskam’s prospects this fall, Given Roskam’s appalling voting record and dismissive attitude toward his constituents, I don’t think a successful challenge is impossible.

There is finally a sign of impending activity at Jill Morgenthaler’s campaign website. I hope that we will soon see her taking Roskam to task for his performance.

Peter Roskam wants you to believe that he is your voice in Congress, that he represents your interests as a resident of the 6th Congressional District. That is not, generally speaking, true. If you are very wealthy, live in Glen Ellyn or Wheaton and have “CEO” after your name, perhaps. But not if you are a working person living in Bensenville or in Wood Dale or in West Chicago.

Peter Roskam was elected by voters in the 6th, but he is not representing them. Instead he is serving the interests of large corporations and he has worked hand in hand with George Bush during his first year in office to see that they are well-served indeed.

How closely Roskam is aligned with corporate interests can be seen by looking at the evaluation of his voting record by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). According to that NAM’s evaluation, Roskam has voted NAM’s position 100 percent of the time during his first year in office. He has done so even when NAM’s position conflicted with the interests of his constituents as it frequently does. Roskam has been a perfect rubber stamp for NAM.

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