Do you believe in miracles?

I do.

Long votes for disaster relief for Joplin....with a catch

When Billy Long finds a sound bite he likes, he uses it again and again. Take this one for instance:

While we need to look everywhere to make spending cuts, making sure our first responder, disaster relief and national defense communities have the tools they need always will be a priority while I’m in Congress.

That's from the Joplin Globe story by Susan Redden: Disaster funding bill faces hurdles.

The hurdle the bill is facing is where the offset for the $1 billion in aid comes from. The GOP, and Long, want to get the money through cuts to the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program at the Department of Energy. The program was funded by Congress in fall 2008 to provide debt capital to the U.S. automotive industry for the purpose of funding projects that help vehicles manufactured in the U.S. meet higher millage requirements and lessen U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

Democrats want to raise the cash by cutting subsidies for big oil companies.

Long called the DOE program “under-performing,” noting that it was first funded in 2009 and that about $4.2 billion remains unused from the $7.5 billion appropriated.

For Russ Carnahan (MO) the discussion about cutting funding for clean energy versus cutting subsidies for big oil companies “is a debate that should be left in Washington and not put on the backs of the people in Joplin.”

Cue the Long sound bite: “While we need to look everywhere to make spending cuts, making sure our first responder, disaster relief and national defense communities have the tools they need always will be a priority while I’m in Congress,” Long said.

Long said the same thing May 25, 2011 in the Springfield News-Leader story by Maliaa Rulon House majority leader: Don't let disaster funds add to growing deficit:

Rep. Billy Long, a Springfield Republican whose district includes Joplin, said he was happy to see Cantor's tweet that House Republicans had found the offsets.

"Our deficit is not because we are taxed too little but because Washington spends too much," Long said. "I was sent to Washington to rein in wasteful government spending. While we need to look everywhere to make spending cuts, making sure our first responder, disaster relief, and national defense communities have the tools they need will always be a priority while I am in Congress."

"Making sure our first responder, disaster relief, and national defense communities have the tools they need will always be a priority while I am in Congress."

On February 11, 2011, Billy Long voted "YEA" on House Resolution #1 which cut $410 billion from the National Weather Service budget The service operates a nationwide network of weather monitoring stations intended to provide advance warning for natural disasters.

On April 15, 2011, Rep. Billy Long voted "Yea" on the GOP 2012 Budget Plan aka the "KILL MEDICARE BILL" which included the following cuts which directly affect the nation's preparedness for natural disasters (like a tornado in Joplin):

$1.2 billion cut in funding for NOAA, the government agency with “primary responsibility for providing tsunami warnings to the nation, and a leadership role in tsunami observations and research.”

$1.5 billion cut in grants for first-responders to disasters of “mass destruction.”

12 percent cut to Emergency Management Planning Grants, which provide critical funds to help communities conduct “effective catastrophic all-hazards planning.”

Closure of local National Weather Service offices and a furlough of NOAA employees for more than 27 days at a time. The closures would essentially silence the government’s warning system during disasters.

Cuts in NOAA’s satellite maintenance budget, putting satellites out of commission more quickly and crippling the government’s ability to track tsunami wave patterns, hurricanes and even routine weather patterns.

Billy "I was Tea Party before Tea Party was cool" Long has apparently been too busy shouting "FED UP" to acknowledge his own hypocrisy: he desperately needs the very programs he has been trying just as desperately to kill.

Long voted for the Joplin relief appropriation on June 2, 2011, effectively saying that Big Oil Companies can keep their subsidies, we'll screw the environment to pay for the Joplin relief.

Lake Taneycomo 06/11/2011

Hey Billy Long! Remember this?

That was from one of Billy Long's campaign commercials, you remember, the one he called "Doing the right thing", you know, the one where he said he was 'Fed up" with "politicians in Washington and their cronies", the one where he said "I'll do the right thing for the right reason everyday I'm there", yeah, that one.

Here's the whole commercial:



Was this just something you said to get elected? Were these just words you said?

Billy Long pays AG Liaison $15,888 1st Qtr 2011.

Not only did Billy put his buddy on the gov't payroll for almost $16,000 so far this year, the same guy runs Long's old auction company.

When Billy Long told the Springfield News Leader last April that he dissolved his auction company he didn't tell them that Bob Kollmeier took it over.

Long also didn't tell us that he hired Kollmeier to be his agricultural liaison and paid Kollmeier $15,888.90 through the end of the first quarter, 2011.


Yesterday, in Forsyth, Long said that Bob Kollmeier was his "ag adviser and goes to all the ag meetings". This raised some questions in my mind about just what does an agricultural liaison do and what "ag meetings" does he attend.

Last Fall, shortly after the election, in a conversation that took place in Braum's on West Sunshine, a prominent agricultural leader from SW Missouri told me that Long had hired Kollmeier as his agricultural liaison. The discussion focused on the lack of expertise in that selection.

I made the comment if being an auctioneer qualifies one to serve in congress, then certainly being an assistant auctioneer qualifies one to be an "ag guy".

Kollmeier, in addition to earning almost $16,000 every three months while on Billy's government payroll, also runs Bob Kollmeier Auctions and Appraisals. If the phone number looks familiar, it's because it is Billy Long's old phone number. Remember his ads on KWTO? I do. I can hear them now: "I'll buy your house, I'll auction your house, I'll list your house, don't call the wrong number, call the Long number 882-LONG"

But wait, there's more! link to http://www.billylong.com/auctions/index.htm

And then there's still that sticky little issue of did Billy sell his 1/3 interest in Murney and Associates? We'll soon find out when his financial disclosure statement is released later this month. And you know we'll be watching for it.

Developing

Billy Long: "I'm a Representative. I don't need an entourage or a security detail."

Congressman Billy Long talks to a constituent who is wearing a blue coat last April. Long's head is bare visible over the shoulder of one of those guys who are not part of his entourage or his security detail. The other two guys are also not part of Billy's entourage or security detail. They just travel everywhere with Billy and block access to him as they are doing here. Billy said today in Forsyth "I'm a representative, I don't need an entourage or a security detail." Apparently these three members of Long's entourage/security detail didn't get the memo.

This message was delivered to the bus garage this past weekend:

It has come to my attention that Congressman Billy Long will be at the Taney County Courthouse Monday, June 6 at 9 AM.

He will be in the Commission Hearing Room and we need everyone that can attend to be there.

Our support is very important to the Congressman.

If you have questions or comments he will be there to answer them.

Please attend and bring a friend.

Frequent bus riders will recall last September Billy Long announced his business tour. Myself and two other voters attended the inaugural event. It would be the last time Long attempted to explain his political philosophy to anyone. (Actions speak louder than words).

Since that time, Long has isolated himself from any real scrutiny by the press, mainstream or new media.

Last April, in an event billed as "free and open to the public" (which was only half right) Long stonewalled anyone who dared ask him a question that required more than talking points as an answer. (What's the difference between a duck)

Shortly after that event, Long announced that he was going to do no more live town hall meetings, instead he would focus on tele-townhalls (NO more live townhall meetings for Billy Long).

Billy would be at the Taney County Courthouse on Monday, June 6, 2011 at 9 AM, live and in person, to answer your questions or comments.

Since I have a summer home in Taney County (ok, so it a weekender cabin in Rockaway Beach-- it's one of the original Brookside Bungalows in Rockaway, from the 1920s. I go there to relax adn relax I do. I have no internet access there other than through my phone- so I don't post too much while I'm at the cabin, which may be old, but it's paid for) I decided to attend and perhaps get a chance to ask Billy a question.

Specifically I wanted to ask him, that in light of Eric Cantor's remarks on the Joplin tornado relief funds and Long's own votes AGAINST FEMA, NWS, First Responders, Emergency Readiness, etc (Billy Long voted to slash National Weather Service, etc) if he still felt that need to defund those programs. I never got a chance.

The meeting was actually a Taney County Commission meeting. Billy spoke about 15 minutes.

I left my notes at the cabin but I am able to reconstruct them from the live tweeting I did during the meeting. What I don't touch upon here, I will revisit when I get back to my notes.

About 16 people were present, most of them appeared to be county employees. There was one elderly couple present. Obviously the plea for Billy's supporters to show up didn't yield any results.

Billy talked about the Branson floods and how the Corps of Engineers didn't use common sense in flood control. He was concerned that 'they' blew up a levy and ruined Missouri farmland so as not to flood an Illinois town (Cairo) but flooded a Missouri town (Branson) so as not to flood farmland in Arkansas.*

Billy said the Corps listened to him (he suggested opening the flood gates to lower the lake levels when rain is forecast) but that their 'hands were tied'. He said this several times.

Long told the commissioners that he urged Governor Nixon to declare Branson and Taney County a disaster area a full week before Nixon did what Long told him to do. Long also said he was displeased with the Governor's stalling in declaring the area a disaster area. (I have Long's exact words written in my notes. While I did find evidence of Long being in Branson during the flooding - he went to a realtor's breakfast - I could find no evidence of him visiting the flooded areas. His tweets for that period are not, meaning if he is doing something that he thinks is going to make him look good, he tweets about it. No tweets from Branson during the flooding. Others noted Long's conspicuous lack of concern about the flooding. (Flooding in Seventh District prompted U.S. Representative Billy Long to issue a press release)Main Street, Rockaway Beach, MO, April 2011.

Observers of Long have noticed that frequently he will criticize someone or something, then praise it. For instance, he voted to repeal HCR but he told us there are a lot of things he likes about it. (Billy Long: "There's a lot of things about the healthcare bill that are good") Today, he criticized Governor Nixon but later praised him for his actions in Joplin.

Long also told the commissioners later that he "was on their (FEMA's) radar" because he was on their case for not setting up assistance in Branson sooner.

Long said that the day after the Joplin tornado, FEMA's head called him up and told him that FEMA was coming to Joplin. Long told the caller that FEMA was already there. (Again criticizing then praising...do you ever wonder what kind of relationship Billy had with his parents while he was growing up?)

While speaking about the aftermath of the Joplin tornado, Billy said, "Somebody high up is coming on Wednesday. They told me not to make it public." wtf? Does this guy hold a security clearance? What does this statement mean and why did he even say it? Is this another on of Billy's "I know something you don't know" moments? Maybe he needs a shirt?

Billy then waltzed right into this statement: "I'm a Representative, I don't need an entourage or a security detail."

Then Billy transitioned into talking about his agricultural adviser, who used to work for Billy at his auction house. Billy said that Bob Kollmeir was his agricultural adviser and 'goes to all the ag meetings'. I am not sure what 'going to all the ag meetings' or being Billy's 'agricultural adviser' entails, but as Bungalow Bill points out, Long and Kollmeir have an interesting if not potentially ethically challenged relationship. Has Billy Long Created an Ethics Problem with Auction House and Agriculture Adviser?
Lot's of sticky questions contained in that post that I will probably never get to ask Billy.

Billy started talking about flood gates and flood levels, roads and bridges (he must have read the morning paper).

When a commission member asked Billy what his position was on the transportation committee, it appeared Billy didn't understand the question. Finally, Billy's befuddled reply was, "I'm on it."

Then, she arrived.

(to be continued)

update 06/07/2011 The Springfield News Leader's Cliff Sain also reports on the meeting: Representative Long calls for review of Corps' policies on reservoirs.

*Long's statement, viewed in context of the Corps spokesperson's remarks in that article ("There is a White River plan and there is a Mississippi River plan," she said. "It's comparing apples to oranges.") are further indication that once again Billy and his staff didn't do due dillegence before making this statement. In plain English, Billy doesn't know what he is talking about... what with his simplistic solutions to complex problems. Sound bites. The congressman talks in sound bites-- full of sound and fury and signifying nothing.

I wonder if Billy likes strawberries?

Billy Long: Worst Person in the World!