Category: Regulation


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  • 36
    votes

    As the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, what are your priorities going to be in making sure that 2008 is a year of progress and change for the Democrats and Congress? More

    Asked 38 weeks 4 days ago of U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA)
    by elvin from Boston, MA

Answered

  • Question:

    Can you confirm that U.S. policy in Iraq prohibits Iraqi farmers from replanting their traditional seeds in lieu of patented seeds from the west? In fact making saving seeds illegal. If so, do you think this is good policy, and why?

    Asked by: Kurt Christensen from Westminster, MD. Received 29 Votes.
    Categories: Agriculture · Civil Liberties · Environment · Foreign Policy · Iraq · President Bush · Regulation · Rural · Technology. Tags: biodiversity · genetically modified organisms · intellectual property.
    Answer:

    Listen to: U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO)

    They produce a lot of potatoes over there, I know that. There is very little their soil is actually conducive for agriculture. They do have some irrigated ground down in the south around Basra but, you know, most of that was drained or flooded by Saddam Hussein. I don’t know if they’ve ever gotten that infrastructure back yet. Not a whole lot of agriculture takes place in Iraq. There’s a lot of desert there, so they don’t have the water infrastructure either, is the problem. I mean I couldn’t…I’m just not sure.

    Answered on Jun 19th, 2008 More

  • Question:

    Do you think our patent system needs reform? What do you think of the Patent Reform Act of 2007 and why is it not moving through Congress?

    Asked by: Emily from New York, NY. Received 1 Vote.
    Categories: Regulation · Technology.
    Answer:

    Listen to: U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA)

    Inequitable conduct is seldom proved but almost always alleged. Right now in litigation it costs a fortune to prove you didn’t do something wrong when applying for your patent or in the use of your patent. That’s an example where the cost of litigation is simply rising. The other major issue that we’re seeing is the question of apportionment. If there are a thousand patents making up a product, what part is the infringement of one patent supposed to play?

    Answered on Jun 19th, 2008 More

  • Question:

    As the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, what are your priorities going to be in making sure that 2008 is a year of progress and change for the Democrats and Congress?

    Asked by: elvin from Boston, MA. Received 36 Votes.
    Categories: Campaign 2008 · Economy · Money & Politics · Regulation · Technology. Tags: 2008 · appropriations · Oversight and Government Reform.
    Answer:

    Listen to: U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA)

    Our committee has three goals and this is what we have been trying to accomplish: protecting taxpayer’s dollars from waste, fraud and abuse and making sure government works for the people third holding the government of this country accountable for their actions that’s what we have been trying to do in 2007 and 2008 during the time I have been chairman of that committee.

    Answered on Jun 5th, 2008 More

  • Question:

    Digital rights pioneer Larry Lessig recently launched the 'Change Congress' website, which encourages "a national movement to end corruption in America's congress. " The site organizes citizens to encourage their lawmakers to pledge to change the rules of Congress to favor transparency. Sen. Feingold, will you take this pledge?

    Asked by: elvin from Boston, MA. Received 9 Votes.
    Categories: Arts | Culture · Money & Politics · Regulation · Technology. Tags: appropriations · Change Congress · Larry Lessig · no more earmarks · transparency.
    Answer:

    Listen to: U.S. Rep. John Salazar (D-CO)

    Salazar: Well I think we made major reforms just this last term in the 109th. And we have certainly made clear, a clear movement towards transparency especially in the earmark reform area. And so I think while Democrats have been trying to do the good things we’ve been constantly blocked by the minority party.

    Laslo: Do you think there is more that needs to be done on transparency legislation and ethics reform?

    Answered on May 9th, 2008 More

  • Question:

    Independent studies show both parties receive huge amounts of money from the lobby groups and the winners allegiance will be to multinational corporations. How can the public benefit from an election if the lobbyists are not eliminated?

    Asked by: Ernest Paviour from . Received 1 Vote.
    Categories: Campaign 2008 · Civil Liberties · Economy · Environment · Ethics · Foreign Policy · Globalization · Immigration · Money & Politics · Regulation · Taxes. Tags: All impacted by lobby groups.
    Answer:

    Listen to: U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

    Well, I think that we do need to reduce the influence of lobbyist on the electoral process and on the hill, in terms of increasing transparency, prohibiting lobbyist from winning and dining members of Congress, reducing travel. Common Cause, Public Interest, other groups, other public watch dog groups, hailed it as a landmark piece of legislation. It dramatically limits the influence of lobbyist in terms of their winning and dining of legislators, no traveling with lobbyist. It sets up some very important firewalls in the process.

    Answered on Feb 20th, 2008 More

  • Question:

    How important is passing an appropriations bill for the operation in Iraq?

    Asked by: districtline from Washington, DC. Received 12 Votes.
    Categories: Defense · Foreign Policy · Regulation · Taxes · Terrorism. Tags: bill · iraq · legislation.
    Answer:

    Listen to: U.S. Sen. John W. Warner (R-VA)

    We desperately need to get funding to the military such that they don’t lose a step. Because they are succeeding in the goals laid down militarily, not politically, but that’s not their responsibility. – excuse me let me finish. So we don’t want them to lose a step, but clearly the future course of this operation in Iraq we have to revisit where the political structure is or is not.

    Answered on Jan 24th, 2008 More

  • Question:

    Why do legislators always wait till the end of the year to appropriate tax dollars?

    Asked by: elvin from Boston, MA. Received 16 Votes.
    Categories: Economy · Regulation · Taxes.
    Answer:

    Listen to: U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT)

    This last year was the worst year I have ever seen for pushing things off to the end. And part of it was an effort on the part of leadership to attach non-germaine issues that were very controversial to pieces of legislation that were not controversial. So I really think it was a lack of organization this past year.

    Answered on Jan 22nd, 2008 More

  • Question:

    Why do legislators always wait till the end of the year to appropriate tax dollars?

    Asked by: elvin from Boston, MA. Received 16 Votes.
    Categories: Economy · Regulation · Taxes.
    Answer:

    Listen to: U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ)

    Well there are certain things like the spending bills that simply have to be done and at the end of a session everyone is tired and wants to go home and it’s easier to get things done that way. And usually we do some pretty bad things at the end of the session. But I think people get tired and realize it needs to be done and we procrastinate at the end of the year, and it just ends up that way.

    Answered on Jan 22nd, 2008 More

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