ZERO = Review & Analysis of Knollenberg’s Work Over the Past 14 years in Congress

Looking back at Knollenberg’s own account of what he has accomplished during the last 14 years reveals [confirms] what many tax paying Americans fear — he has done nothing other than collect a paycheck, take all expense-paid-by-Jack Abramoff-lobbyist vacations, and give our hard earned tax payer money to his friends (through earmarked money spelled out in various budget/appropriation bills).

Looking at his own website we can see what he has done over the past 6 years:

~ 1.5 Floor Speeches Per MONTH
~0.6 Other Speeches Per MONTH

He does list about one Press Release per week but those are not only written by and distributed by someone else (and so they require no work by JOE) but they are usually just summaries of Press Releases the Republican Party has issued and say nothing about JOE specifically — they are just general statements, e.g., Congress Convened today, etc.

What is he doing the rest of the time? 1.5 floor speeches per month? School kids give more speeches than that. Also, don’t be mislead by the fancy title “Floor Speech”. Most are tributes to people like George Hamilton or recognizing the existence of some obscure industrial trade group like the National Truck Equipment Association.

How about his impressive 0.6 other speeches? That means he gives a speech to some outside group about once every other month. Thank goodness for the boy scouts — otherwise it seems he would never be invited to speak anywhere.

I am not in Congress and I get invited to speak more than that. Most Congressmen and Congresswomen get invited to speak to outside groups constantly. JOE either doesn’t get invited or doesn’t accept any such invitations. Either way no seems to be lining up to ask him to speak to their group. Apparently most folks know he doesn’t do anything so why bother asking him to come talk about not doing anything. Heck, an empty chair would be better than that.

Although his work record is sparse at best over the past 6 years, there is little or no record of Knollenberg having done anything before 2000. Is it possible he did even less in the first half of his tenure?

Based on our analysis, it seems he works between 90 and 200 hours per year. That means we pay him between $800/hr to $1200/hr. That is more than even the most overrated, overpriced Washington lobbyist.

Plus, we have guaranteed him a free pension and healthcare for the rest of his life. How many of us have the same benefits?

EVICT JOE FROM CONGRESS!!!!

AN EMPTY CHAIR WOULD REPRESENT US BETTER THAN JOE’s EMPTY HEAD!!!!

ZERO = Review & Analysis of Knollenberg’s Work Over the Past 14 years in Congress

Looking back at Knollenberg’s own account of what he has accomplished during the last 14 years reveals [confirms] what many tax paying Americans fear — he has done nothing other than collect a paycheck, take all expense-paid-by-Jack Abramoff-lobbyist vacations, and give our hard earned tax payer money to his friends (through earmarked money spelled out in various budget/appropriation bills).

Looking at his own website we can see what he has done over the past 6 years:

~ 1.5 Floor Speeches Per MONTH
~0.6 Other Speeches Per MONTH

He does list about one Press Release per week but those are not only written by and distributed by someone else (and so they require no work by JOE) but they are usually just summaries of Press Releases the Republican Party has issued and say nothing about JOE specifically — they are just general statements, e.g., Congress Convened today, etc.

What is he doing the rest of the time? 1.5 floor speeches per month? School kids give more speeches than that. Also, don’t be mislead by the fancy title “Floor Speech”. Most are tributes to people like George Hamilton or recognizing the existence of some obscure industrial trade group like the National Truck Equipment Association.

How about his impressive 0.6 other speeches? That means he gives a speech to some outside group about once every other month. Thank goodness for the boy scouts — otherwise it seems he would never be invited to speak anywhere.

I am not in Congress and I get invited to speak more than that. Most Congressmen and Congresswomen get invited to speak to outside groups constantly. JOE either doesn’t get invited or doesn’t accept any such invitations. Either way no seems to be lining up to ask him to speak to their group. Apparently most folks know he doesn’t do anything so why bother asking him to come talk about not doing anything. Heck, an empty chair would be better than that.

Although his work record is sparse at best over the past 6 years, there is little or no record of Knollenberg having done anything before 2000. Is it possible he did even less in the first half of his tenure?

Based on our analysis, it seems he works between 90 and 200 hours per year. That means we pay him between $800/hr to $1200/hr. That is more than even the most overrated, overpriced Washington lobbyist.

Plus, we have guaranteed him a free pension and healthcare for the rest of his life. How many of us have the same benefits?

EVICT JOE FROM CONGRESS!!!!

AN EMPTY CHAIR WOULD REPRESENT US BETTER THAN JOE’s EMPTY HEAD!!!!

Knollenberg’s All Expense Paid $40,000 Vacation in Hawaii — No Wonder He Doesn’t Want Anyone To Know About it

Joe Knollenberg took his wife on a $40,000 all expense paid luxury vacation in Hawaii this past January.

No really. It was a $40,000 trip.

It was completely paid for by lobbyists.

Perhaps Knollenberg’s salary of over $160,000 per year just isn’t enough.

Knollenberg’s lobbyist paid trip was spent here at the luxurious HAPUNA Beach Prince Resort on the “Big Island” where they encourage guests to

Rejuvenate in Big Island luxury at this contemporary beachfront resort offering championship golf, exquisite cuisine and all the amenities of Mauna Kea Resort.

If pictures are worth a thousand words, these pictures must be worth $40,000 –

Knollenberg’s All Expense Paid $40,000 Vacation in Hawaii — No Wonder He Doesn’t Want Anyone To Know About it

Joe Knollenberg took his wife on a $40,000 all expense paid luxury vacation in Hawaii this past January.

No really. It was a $40,000 trip.

It was completely paid for by lobbyists.

Perhaps Knollenberg’s salary of over $160,000 per year just isn’t enough.

Knollenberg’s lobbyist paid trip was spent here at the luxurious HAPUNA Beach Prince Resort on the “Big Island” where they encourage guests to

Rejuvenate in Big Island luxury at this contemporary beachfront resort offering championship golf, exquisite cuisine and all the amenities of Mauna Kea Resort.

If pictures are worth a thousand words, these pictures must be worth $40,000 –

Knollenberg Makes Shocking Admission that He Does NOT Support Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

In a shocking admission published in the Feburary 1, 2006 Detroit News, Congressman Joe Knollenberg is quoted as saying “Medicaid, Social Security and Medicare can’t be sustained”. Although many of us have always suspected that Knollenberg was out to destroy Social Security and Medicare, this is the first time he has been so blatant about his position.

“Medicaid, Social Security and Medicare can’t be sustained.”

Joe Knollenberg
February 1, 2005
Detroit News

Many have suspected that Joe Knollenberg has been wanting to completely disable important programs like Social Security and Medicare.

He and his fellow Republicans are still trying to dismantle Social Security by turning it into a privatized system, they just are not talking about it because they know the public disagrees.

Rather than try to convince the public, they are now trying to quietly change the program by sneaking some provisions into the budget bill.

Without any public statement warning voters that he and his evil henchmen (Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, JOE KNOLLENBERG, Tom Delay, Bill Frist, etc.) were again going to try to destroy the Social Security program, President Bush included the privatization of Social Security in the Budget Bill he sent to Congress on February 6, 2006.

Bush plans to not only privatize the program starting in 2010, but he is going to fund it by taking over $700 billion away from the current Social Security system.

Bush, Knollenberg, Cheney, etc. must truly be dedicated to the total destruction of Social Security if they are willing to take away a huge portion of the program’s funding, privatize the system so Wall Street Brokers can get richer, AND – in the interim, they are looking for ways to cut benefits for current recipients.

Shamefully, rather than tell the truth – that Bush and all the Republican’s in Congress plan to shutdown the Social Security program – the White House characterizes their position as “The President will also continue to promote comprehensive reform of Social Security to place the program’s finances on sustainable footing for future generations.”

Wow. That is a fancy sentence. Let me translate it into the truth:

The President will also continue to promote comprehensive reform try to sneak language into law that will eliminate the current Social Security program as we know it of Social Security and instead force Senior Citizens to invest their money in risky stocks – possibly losing all their retirement benefits – while making wealthy stock brokers and greedy Corporate Executives wealthier. to place the program’s finances on sustainable footing for future generations. Meanwhile, Bush and the Republican’s will try to cut benefits as much as possible to Senior Citizens making it even harder for them to pay their rent and buy their medications.

Please do not just take my word for it, look at p. 321 of Bush’s Budget proposal. It is all just plain as day. The White House estimates it will cost:

* $24.182 billion in fiscal 2010,

* $57.429 billion in fiscal 2011 and

* $630.533 billion for the five years after that

for a total of $712.144 billion.

For additional information, check out this site: www.socsec.org/commentary.asp?opedid=1216

Knollenberg Makes Shocking Admission that He Does NOT Support Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

In a shocking admission published in the Feburary 1, 2006 Detroit News, Congressman Joe Knollenberg is quoted as saying “Medicaid, Social Security and Medicare can’t be sustained”. Although many of us have always suspected that Knollenberg was out to destroy Social Security and Medicare, this is the first time he has been so blatant about his position.

“Medicaid, Social Security and Medicare can’t be sustained.”

Joe Knollenberg
February 1, 2005
Detroit News

Many have suspected that Joe Knollenberg has been wanting to completely disable important programs like Social Security and Medicare.

He and his fellow Republicans are still trying to dismantle Social Security by turning it into a privatized system, they just are not talking about it because they know the public disagrees.

Rather than try to convince the public, they are now trying to quietly change the program by sneaking some provisions into the budget bill.

Without any public statement warning voters that he and his evil henchmen (Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, JOE KNOLLENBERG, Tom Delay, Bill Frist, etc.) were again going to try to destroy the Social Security program, President Bush included the privatization of Social Security in the Budget Bill he sent to Congress on February 6, 2006.

Bush plans to not only privatize the program starting in 2010, but he is going to fund it by taking over $700 billion away from the current Social Security system.

Bush, Knollenberg, Cheney, etc. must truly be dedicated to the total destruction of Social Security if they are willing to take away a huge portion of the program’s funding, privatize the system so Wall Street Brokers can get richer, AND – in the interim, they are looking for ways to cut benefits for current recipients.

Shamefully, rather than tell the truth – that Bush and all the Republican’s in Congress plan to shutdown the Social Security program – the White House characterizes their position as “The President will also continue to promote comprehensive reform of Social Security to place the program’s finances on sustainable footing for future generations.”

Wow. That is a fancy sentence. Let me translate it into the truth:

The President will also continue to promote comprehensive reform try to sneak language into law that will eliminate the current Social Security program as we know it of Social Security and instead force Senior Citizens to invest their money in risky stocks – possibly losing all their retirement benefits – while making wealthy stock brokers and greedy Corporate Executives wealthier. to place the program’s finances on sustainable footing for future generations. Meanwhile, Bush and the Republican’s will try to cut benefits as much as possible to Senior Citizens making it even harder for them to pay their rent and buy their medications.

Please do not just take my word for it, look at p. 321 of Bush’s Budget proposal. It is all just plain as day. The White House estimates it will cost:

* $24.182 billion in fiscal 2010,

* $57.429 billion in fiscal 2011 and

* $630.533 billion for the five years after that

for a total of $712.144 billion.

For additional information, check out this site: www.socsec.org/commentary.asp?opedid=1216