Senator Stevens is 'the secret senator'

JamieinNH · Aug 30, 2006

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The identity of the blogosphere's "secret senator" has been revealed.

CNN has confirmed that Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, has placed a hold on a bill that would require the government to publish online a database of federal spending.

"He does have a hold on the bill," Stevens' spokesperson Aaron Saunders told CNN. "At the time he placed the hold he notified Sen. [Tom] Coburn and his staff and identified several questions we had with the bill. Two weeks ago Sen. Coburn named Stevens as having a hold on the bill, so we don't consider it a secret."

Senate tradition allows any senator to keep a piece of legislation from reaching the Senate floor by placing a hold on the bill.
Coburn's office confirmed that Coburn had revealed Stevens' hold during a town hall meeting in Oklahoma two weeks ago.

The bill has become a cause célèbre for both liberal and conservative bloggers as they tried to uncover the "secret senator" who had blocked passage of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (S. 2590). The bill was introduced earlier this year by Sens. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and Coburn, R-Oklahoma.

STORY LINK

I wonder why he don't want accoutablity?

Jamie

KenH · Aug 30, 2006

This action by Senator Stevens is outrageous!

El_Guero · Aug 30, 2006

What did he do in English?

The Galatian · Aug 30, 2006

I would think there might be a few democrats who don't want to see that bill pass, as well as the republicans.

Kudos to Obama and Coburn for fighting for us.

JamieinNH · Aug 30, 2006

El_Guero said:

What did he do in English?
Click to expand...

Uhm....

"Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, has placed a hold on a bill that would require the government to publish online a database of federal spending"

Jamie

JamieinNH · Aug 30, 2006

The Galatian said:

I would think there might be a few democrats who don't want to see that bill pass, as well as the republicans.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I think both parties are corupted, but it is good to see some of them wanting to show the public what they're doing.

A publicily traded company has to submit paperwork and show what it's actions/profits/losses and such are each year, why not have a similar thing for the Congress.

Accountablity is the Key!

Jamie

Hope of Glory · Aug 31, 2006

"Senator Stevens wants to ensure this bill is not going to create another layer of bureaucracy," said Aaron Saunders, Stevens' spokesman.

Stevens usually does things for a reason, and things aren't always what they seem.

JamieinNH · Aug 31, 2006

Hope of Glory said:

"Senator Stevens wants to ensure this bill is not going to create another layer of bureaucracy," said Aaron Saunders, Stevens' spokesman.

Stevens usually does things for a reason, and things aren't always what they seem.
Click to expand...

While that does have a sound of truth to it, when you're talking about laws and politicians, but this is a quote from the article that would seem to dispell this reasoning....

"Senator Stevens sits on the committee where this bill was considered and never raised any objections because he skipped the hearings," Hart said. "His specific concerns were addressed at the hearings he skipped, and his office has yet to meet with us to discuss his concerns despite repeated requests."

Jamie

Daisy · Aug 31, 2006

Hope of Glory said:

"Senator Stevens wants to ensure this bill is not going to create another layer of bureaucracy," said Aaron Saunders, Stevens' spokesman.

Stevens usually does things for a reason, and things aren't always what they seem.
Click to expand...

He is also Senate senior member of the majority party, which makes him third in line for President, former Chairman of the Appropriations Committee and current Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. Alaska has been in the top oinkers in pork-barrel lists (and is #1 again for 2006).

High on the list of pork projects is the infamous Bridge to Nowhere (actually to an island of 50 residents and an airport) which was awarded $430 million in last year's transportation appropriation bill - which Coburn (Republican from Oklahoma) tried to redirect to fixing I-10 across Lake Pontchartrain which was devastated by Katrina. Coburn lost.

Source: Stevens Senate Site

Source: SeattleTimes (via the Washington Post & AP): Oct 21, 2005

Citizens Against Government Waste: Pigbook

KenH · Aug 31, 2006

I didn't know that Senator Stevens is president pro tempore of the Senate. For anyone wanting to know here is the current list of succession:

The Vice President Richard Cheney

Speaker of the House John Dennis Hastert

President pro tempore of the Senate1 Ted Stevens

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson

Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne

Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns

Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez2

Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao3

Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson

Secretary of Transportation Vacant

Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson

Secretary of Homeland Security4 Michael Chertoff

NOTE: An official cannot succeed to the Presidency unless that person meets the Constitutional requirements.
1. The president pro tempore presides over the Senate when the vice president is absent. By tradition the position is held by the senior member of the majority party.
2. Carlos Gutierrez was born in Cuba and is ineligible.
3. Elaine Chao was born in Taiwan and is ineligible.
4. In late July 2005, the Senate passed a bill moving the Homeland Security secretary to number 8 on the list. The bill is awaiting House approval.

- www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0101032.html

Hope of Glory · Aug 31, 2006

The "bridge to nowhere" actually has reasonable military applications. Almost every airport up here is built to handle 767s, so that in a war, they can handle military cargo planes. You will find isolated villages with populations under 1000 with no roads to them and difficult to access that have a huge airport for that very reason. The "bridge to nowhere" links one of these airports to the mainland.

Periodically, an international flight lands in a remote, isolated village because of mechanical problems or to drop off an unruly passenger. (Think about how unhappy the FBI people will be to go to one of these places in the dead of winter to pick that guy up!) Often, these jets will be left there for months because they cannot get to it with repair equipment.

But, sometimes pork is just pork.

Daisy · Aug 31, 2006

Hope of Glory said:

The "bridge to nowhere" actually has reasonable military applications. Almost every airport up here is built to handle 767s, so that in a war, they can handle military cargo planes. You will find isolated villages with populations under 1000 with no roads to them and difficult to access that have a huge airport for that very reason. The "bridge to nowhere" links one of these airports to the mainland.

Periodically, an international flight lands in a remote, isolated village because of mechanical problems or to drop off an unruly passenger. (Think about how unhappy the FBI people will be to go to one of these places in the dead of winter to pick that guy up!) Often, these jets will be left there for months because they cannot get to it with repair equipment.
Click to expand...

You've explained the airport very well, but not the $230 million for the bridge. I believe that you guys have some horrendously difficult weather up there - would the bridge be passable if airplanes couldn't fly?

HoG said:

But, sometimes pork is just pork.
Click to expand...

Our former senator used to term himself "Senator Pothole" because he was good at getting fed money for local problems. This bill seems, on the face of it, a step in the right direction.

Hope of Glory · Aug 31, 2006

When can airplanes not fly? I've seen some fog that did make it dangerous, though. I drive a school bus, and my route is up and down a mountain 3 times per day, and I've done it with 3 feet of fresh snow on top of 6 inches of ice.

But, I would think that the bridge probably has to built to withstand the weather, and I think it's a pretty long bridge.

I would agree that on the surface the bill seems like a step in the right direction. However, as is often the case, things are merely political grandstanding and are detrimental in the long run.

I would like to see what Stevens has to say about it.

JamieinNH · Sep 26, 2006

Thumbs up for Bush on signing this into law

'Google' your tax dollars

Bush signs law creating online database of government spending

Jamie

The Galatian · Sep 26, 2006

Credit where credit is due. This is one of the best things he's done for America.

ktn4eg · Sep 26, 2006

According to the MSNBC article that Jamie posted, Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia also had a hand in delaying this legislation.

Wonder why he opposed it?

Senator Stevens is 'the secret senator'

JamieinNH New Member

KenH Well-Known Member

El_Guero New Member

The Galatian Active Member

JamieinNH New Member

JamieinNH New Member

Hope of Glory New Member

JamieinNH New Member

Daisy New Member

KenH Well-Known Member

Hope of Glory New Member

Daisy New Member

Hope of Glory New Member

JamieinNH New Member

The Galatian Active Member

ktn4eg New Member

Useful Searches

Senator Stevens is 'the secret senator'

JamieinNH New Member

KenH Well-Known Member

El_Guero New Member

The Galatian Active Member

JamieinNH New Member

JamieinNH New Member

Hope of Glory New Member

JamieinNH New Member

Daisy New Member

KenH Well-Known Member

Hope of Glory New Member

Daisy New Member

Hope of Glory New Member

JamieinNH New Member

The Galatian Active Member

ktn4eg New Member