Gun bill added to credit card bill. 27 Dems voted YES for guns, failed to pass credit card limits

madfloridian

(1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore

Sun May-17-09 11:24 PM
Original message

Gun bill added to credit card bill. 27 Dems voted YES for guns, failed to pass credit card limits

Edited on Sun May-17-09 11:35 PM by madfloridian

I have not found the entire list of votes yet, but I know that Senator Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez both voted YES for the amendment to allow guns in national parks...then voted NO to limit credit card rates.

There is so much wrong with this. Call it politics as usual, but it's really quite sad.

Gail Collins really hits Harry Reid on his leadership on this issue.

Guns, Geysers and Mr. Reid

Nothing is simple if you�re Harry Reid. This week the Senate was working on a consumer rights bill for credit card holders when Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican, suddenly proposed an amendment to allow people to carry loaded guns in national parks.

This would seem relevant only if consumers are worried that they will not be able to use their American Express at a souvenir stand in Yellowstone, and will need to hold up the cashier in order to bring home a much-anticipated geyser refrigerator magnet.

Coburn said it was not a �gotcha� aimed at forcing the opposition into a corner on a hot-button issue, although when you say you�re offering an amendment �to protect innocent Americans from violent crime in national parks and refuges� I think you are kind of stacking the deck.

But one way or another, the Democrats clearly did feel trapped into placating the gun lobby. Twenty-seven of them wound up voting yes on an amendment that would arm the tourists and make final passage of the credit card bill more complicated. Including Reid.

I would love to see all 27 of their names. Here is what I found today in the print version of the Lakeland Ledger. No online link.

Credit Card Interest Cap

Voting 33 for and 60 against the Senate on May 13 refused to place a statutory cap on credit card interest rates. The amendment to HR 627 sought to impose the same 15% usury limit om credit cards that has applied to credit unions for the past 29 years. The underlying bill remained in debate. A yes vote was to limit interest rates.

Gun rights in parks

The Senate on May 12 voted 67 for and 29 against to affirm Bush administration regulations ensuring the right to bear loaded guns in the National Park System and the National Wildlife Refuge system.
The amendment to HR 627 above seeks to counter a federal judge's recent ruling to block the regulations. A YES vote backed the amendment.

Sometimes I want to yell do they think we are stupid? Why did they "placate" the gun lobby?

Here is another opinion about keeping the two separate. It is not just in my mind.

Congress must consider guns, credit cards separately

Guns and credit cards don�t seem to have much in common.

But the U.S. Senate apparently thinks they do.

Congress has been working on a bill many people think could help credit card holders during the current recession, preventing cards from arbitrarily imposing sudden interest rate hikes and late fees that hurt people who are trying to repay their debts.

President Obama told an audience Thursday that the measure is crucial to fixing the economy.

..."Many people thought it might sail through the legislative process.

But U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., added an amendment to allow loaded guns in national parks and wildlife refuges. Already bullet casings, shotgun shells, ammunition cartons and items riddled with bullet holes litter our national forests, where shooting is allowed. Opening national parks and wildlife refuges to loaded guns puts them at risk of such garbage, and puts wildlife at risk.

However, many gun owners feel they should have the right to carry their loaded guns into national park sites. It�s an issue Congress should carefully consider. But the two measures have absolutely nothing to do with each other, and each should be considered on its own merits.

Here is more on the rejected credit card proposal.

Senate rejects 15% ceiling on credit card interest

Alas, the Senate yesterday rejected a provision that would have capped credit card interest at 15%:

The proposal by Senator Bernard Sanders, the Vermont independent, drew only 33 votes and needed 60. A bipartisan group of 60 senators opposed it, though the Senate pushed ahead with other restrictions on credit cards. Some Democrats and consumer groups have said that an interest cap is needed to put real teeth into an otherwise solid bill.
The bill still contains provisions that would prohibit companies from raising interest rates on existing balances unless a card holder was 60 days behind, and then would require the rate to be restored to its previous level if payments were on time for six months. Consumers would have to be notified of rate increases 45 days in advance. Companies would not be allowed to charge late fees if they were late in processing a payment.

Evidently, usury still has strong bipartisan support.

I would call Bill Nelson and Mel Martinez, but I have done that so many times the last few years. I always get cross when I call now because I know they really don't care. Even at election time they don't. Martinez is stepping down, and Nelson would get re-elected by Republicans anyway.

The vote is being manipulated to favor the gun lobby and to not incur the wrath of the credit card companies. The vote is not about what was right or good for the people at all.