“The message from General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker is that there’s no end in sight for the war in Iraq.  That’s not good enough. The troops have done their job and done it well. But, there’s been almost no political progress in Iraq and we just keep pouring our troops and money into it.

“Bear in mind, Iraq is running a budget surplus while our economy is suffering. We’re spending $339 million a day in Iraq and the government in Iraq isn’t even helping itself. It’s difficult to spend that and not have success. With $339 million we could put more than 2,000 agents on our borders for a year. We could vaccinate 317,000 children. We could provide more than 2.5 million Americans access to medical and dental care at community health centers.

“The American people want a new direction in Iraq, not 100 more years of war. We need a plan for withdrawal.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

Wilson has voted for a troop pullout before,  but his anti-war feelings seem to have strenghtened since last year.

“On my recent economic listening tour throughout the Ohio River Valley, I heard loud and clear from working families that free trade may work on Wall Street, but it isn’t working on Main Street. Rest assured that I’m not for NAFTA, CAFTA or any other AFTA. This particular agreement is bad for many reasons. It fails to meet enforceable labor standards and does little to reduce violence against union leaders. Last year alone, 72 union members in Colombia were murdered. For the Columbian workers and for the workers back home in Ohio who are watching their jobs disappear overseas, I oppose the Columbia Free Trade Agreement.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

The Ohio Valley was recently dealt a severe economic blow from the loss of even more steel jobs. The talk of another free trade agreement isn’t what local residents want to hear right now.

You can read it after the break.

Wilson Helps Connect Taxpayer with Unclaimed IRS Funds

Washington, D.C. – On Congressman Charlie Wilson’s recent district tour, Mary Ann Borch introduced herself to Wilson after his economic listening session in Pomeroy. She told the Congressman that thanks to his website, she recovered $3,500 in unclaimed funds from the IRS. Wilson enjoys sharing good news and has asked her permission to share the story she told him.

“This past December I sent out a press release to the media announcing that up to 119 taxpayers in Ohio’s Sixth District had money coming to them from the Internal Revenue Service. They probably didn’t even know the IRS owed them money,” Wilson said.

There are a variety of reasons that tax refunds get marked “undeliverable” and returned to the IRS every year. Perhaps a resident moved or made a mistake with their return address. The IRS reported the average unclaimed refund was $953 and that the funds would be delivered as soon as taxpayers updated their addresses with the IRS.

“The Media took my press release from there,” Wilson said. “Many TV and radio stations and local newspapers in Ohio’s Sixth District ran stories about the unclaimed funds and directed people to my website to see if their name was on the list.”

About that time Mary Ann Borch of Athens County got a phone call.

“A stranger called me to say he was driving to work and heard a piece on the radio about the website that Charlie Wilson had about unclaimed funds,” Borch said.

The caller explained that he heard a story about the unclaimed funds. When he got to work he logged onto Wilson’s website and saw a zip code he recognized. It was Borch’s. He didn’t know Mary Ann Borch, but figured since she was a neighbor, he’d look her up and let her know she was on the IRS unclaimed funds list.

Meanwhile, Borch’s husband was sure the caller was trying to scam the Borch family. “My husband’s yelling in the background, ‘hang up!’” Borch said.

Long story short, Borch took the caller’s advice, went to Wilson’s website and found out the IRS had thousands of dollars in unclaimed funds for her.

“I followed the directions and it told me right away that I was getting back 3500!” Borch said.

“My parents had died in August 2005 and as the executor of their estate I had money coming and going, taking their funds, paying lawyers,” Borch explained. With all of the many transactions going on, Borch didn’t realize she was owed money.

“It sure was nice to have it. My son’s going back to college and every bit helps,” Borch said.

In addition to checking the list on Wilson’s website, taxpayers can check to see if they’re on the unclaimed funds list by calling the IRS toll-free Refund Hotline at 1-800-829-1954.

“Check for yourself. Check for your neighbors. My thanks to the media for helping to get the word out and my thanks to good neighbors like the man who called Mary Ann Borch,” Wilson said.

Congressman Charlie Wilson’s office forwarded on the IRS press release and included this handy list of participating IRS offices in and around the 6th district.

Youngstown, OH
(Federal Bldg.)
10 E. Commerce St.
44503 IRS 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Huntington, WV
(Sidney Christie)
845 Fifth Avenue
25701 IRS 9 a.m. – 3 p.m

Parkersburg, WV
425 Juliana Street
26101 IRS 9 a.m. – 3 p.m

Wheeling, WV
1021 National Road
26003 IRS 9 a.m. – 3 p.m

Just to further emphasise, this will take place tomorrow (3/29).

It was incorrectly reported in Tuesday’s Tribune Chronicle that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton answered questions from voters in a local congressman’s office.Reporter John Goodall, who was assigned to the story, spoke by telephone with Hillary Wicai Viers, who is a communications director in U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson’s staff. According to the reporter, when Viers answered the phone with ‘‘This is Hillary,’’ he believed he was speaking with the Democratic presidential candidate, who had made several previous visits to the Mahoning Valley.

The quotes from Viers were incorrectly attributed to Clinton.

The original article seems to have either been corrected or removed. While I was searching for it, I did notice that gossip blog Gawker had picked up on the story.

Wilson has been travelling the district over the week holding economic listening sessions. Regrettably, I wasn’t able to attend the local stops.

Update: Google Cache caught the original article. (H/T to Elephants in the Room)

Just for the heck of it, here’s more links.

• Wonkette
• Regret The Error
• Poynter Online

“I was proud to vote for today’s FISA bill because it protects our civil rights while giving our intelligence agencies the clarity they need to conduct eavesdropping on foreign targets. In these uncertain times, Americans have the right to be confident that their government is acting in a responsible way. This bill makes some common-sense adjustments to surveillance law, and it should encourage the American people that our government is committed to operating openly. I call on the Senate to pass this bill, and I hope the President will sign it.”

I really hope President Bush realizes that this is the best he’s going to get without upsetting a whole lot of people.

In an effort to get caught up quickly, I’ve also pasted another press release after the break. This one concerns Wilson’s support for the 2009 budget plan.

Congressman Charlie Wilson Backs Budget Plan to Strengthen Economy & Make America Safer

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Charlie Wilson (OH-6) today joined a majority in the House of Representatives in support of a new fiscally responsible budget plan that will strengthen the economy and make America safer. The budget for Fiscal Year 2009 was approved by a vote of 212-207.

“I’m proud that the budget passed by the House of Representatives today follows many fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog budget principles,” Wilson said. Wilson is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition. The Blue Dog Coalition endorsed the Fiscal Year 2009 House Budget Resolution.

“This plan includes a commitment to pay-as-you-go requirements and has a fix for the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) that is fully paid-for,” Wilson said. If the AMT is not fixed, millions of middle class families will face a tax increase.

“This is the kind of plan that puts working families first. I believe this plan will get our economy moving again and I’m pleased we’ll do that without dumping more debt on a credit card,” Wilson said.

Importantly, the budget approved by the House today will result in a surplus by 2012.

The new Democratic budget makes key investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency, which will create hundreds of thousands of green jobs.

Additionally, the budget enhances national security by restoring U.S. military readiness, providing a $4.9 billion increase over Fiscal Year 2008 for veterans’ health care and increasing funding to protect America from terrorism over the President’s proposed levels.

The Democratic plan also rejects the harmful cuts in the President’s plan, including cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, environmental protection and Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). It accommodates $50 billion over five years for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP); and provides substantial resources over the President’s budget for education programs.

Wilson has also recently been ranked as the 179th most powerful member of Congress by Congress.org, despite his freshman status. That’s up 111 spots since last year, a change that Wilson attributes to his seat on the Financial Services Committee.

“Hey, I’m moving on up! Seriously, I’m proud to be gaining ground on behalf of the people I represent in Ohio’s River Valley. The score is a reflection of my seat on the Financial Services Committee, the more than $6 million dollars I was able to bring home to the District and the bills I’ve introduced into Congress.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

You can find the full Congress.org power listings here.

“Today’s announcement that the economy lost 63,000 jobs last month is troubling. Add this to the disturbing news that foreclosures have hit an all-time high and that more than 900,000 borrowers are losing their homes and it is clear that Congress must act more rapidly. I challenge my fellow members of Congress to do something immediately. We must act quickly to help the people in Ohio and America.

“Just today I sent a letter to Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and George Voinovich (R-OH) encouraging them to insist that the Federal Housing Administration Modernization bill be brought to the Senate floor.

“This reauthorization would revitalize the FHA to restore its historic role in ensuring vitally needed mortgage loans for low and middle income families by authorizing zero down payment loans, by directing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to serve higher risk borrowers who have otherwise turned to predatory and high priced mortgage loan alternatives, and also by raising loan limits so that the FHA can serve different regions of the country that have experienced increasing home prices.

“The House version of the FHA legislation, which passed last fall, included language I drafted (H.R. 1723) that deals directly with appraisal fraud. Not only would I encourage the Senate to work to pass FHA modernization, but also to include similar language to make sure this type of fraud does not continue.

“It’s just one of many steps we need to take to boost the economy and bring relief to the American people.”

“Think of these as Town Hall Meetings where you do
more of the talking than I do. I know these are tough
economic times and I want to hear from you about what’s going on with
you and your job, your family, your bills and your home. Many of these
sessions are scheduled over lunch. Pack a lunch bag, please join me and
tell me your stories. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

You can find a full list of events after the break.

For Mahoning & Columbiana Counties
March 17, 2008
12:30 – 1:30pm
Wilson’s District Office in Canfield
4137 Boardman Canfield Rd, Suite #101 Canfield OH 44406

For Jefferson & Belmont Counties
March 18, 2008
12:00 – 1:00pm
Jefferson Community College Rm. 1301
4000 Sunset Blvd
Steubenville Ohio 43952

For Monroe & Noble Counties
March 19, 2008
12:00 – 1:00pm
United Steelworkers Union Hall
43734 Marietta Rd.
Caldwell, OH 43724

For Washington County
March 19, 2008
5:00 – 6:00pm
Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Hall
201 Front Street
Marietta, OH 45750

For Athens & Meigs Counties
March 20, 2008
11:00am – 12:00pm
Meigs County Public Library
Public Meeting Room
214 W. Main Street
Pomeroy OH 45769

For Lawrence, Galia & Scioto Counties
March 20, 2008
5:00 – 6:00pm
Park Avenue Apartments
2nd Floor Senior Center (Above Congress Wilson’s District Office)
202 Park Avenue
Ironton, OH 45638

Want to insure you get to participate? Simply call 1-866-447-5149 at 7 P.M. that day (3/6) and enter the PIN 13016.

I’ve included the entire press release after the break, but if you don’t read it I want to make sure you see the following paragraph. It really drives home the need for this.

Ohioans have died waiting for these benefits. Arthur Woolweaver of Cuyahoga Falls died of cancer before receiving his disability payments. When he was diagnosed he was told he must wait the five months before being able to collect the $1800 per month to which he was entitled. He died before he ever received his first check. Now his widow is unable to collect his benefits.

Wilson Introduces the “Social Security Fairness for the Terminally Ill Act of 2008”

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson (OH-6) today introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to eliminate the required five-month waiting period in the Social Security Disability (SSD) program for terminally ill patients. The bill is the companion to legislation introduced last fall by Senator Sherrod Brown in the U.S. Senate.

“It is unreasonable, even unethical that people who are dying and who have been approved for SSD still have to wait five months to receive their benefits,” Wilson said.

The current system stems from a law put into place to verify that the SSD recipients truly will not work again.

“I am a fiscally conservative Blue Dog and on its face such a law might seem like a good way to check for fraud. But, it doesn’t make sense to penalize the terminally ill. They should be able to receive their benefits immediately,” Wilson added.

Ohioans have died waiting for these benefits. Arthur Woolweaver of Cuyahoga Falls died of cancer before receiving his disability payments. When he was diagnosed he was told he must wait the five months before being able to collect the $1800 per month to which he was entitled. He died before he ever received his first check. Now his widow is unable to collect his benefits.

“Many people have been hurt by this system,” Wilson said. “I am proud of this legislation, which will waive this waiting period and ease the financial burden associated with terminal illness by allowing patients with life expectancies of six months or less to begin collecting Social Security Disability payments earlier.”

Zack Space referred to the bill as “far from perfect”, but called it “a good start”. He went on to say that:

“We need to work on long-term job growth and sustainable development, but this package will help our families, seniors, and small businesses make ends meet in today’s faltering economy.

“Going forward, I will continue to work both in Congress and with officials back home to help create the conditions necessary to help our regional economy grow. We have so many great things in Ohio – transportation, workers, natural resources – that I firmly believe our economy has a very bright future.”

Congressman Wilson’s release heavily stressed that to receive a stimulus payment families must file a 2007 tax return. According to Wilson:

“Some of those families, especially those receiving Social Security and veterans’ benefits may not be used to filing a federal tax return. But they need to file a 2007 federal return to get a stimulus payment.

“I worked to make sure our seniors who only receive social security and our disabled vets did not get left out of this economic stimulus plan. Now that Congress got them included, I want to make sure they get their rebate checks.”

To help with this, Wilson’s staff and the Belmont County Community Action Commission will hold a tax preparation workshop at his Bridgeport office (800 Main Street Bridgeport, Ohio) on March 10th from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM.

Wilson’s office has also prepared a list of other tax preparation clinics taking place in the 6th district. You can find it after the jump.

List of tax preparation resources compiled by Wilson’s office:

In the Canfield/Wellsville area:

AARP Sites:

1) Canfield Library, 43 W. Main St., Canfield, Ohio 44406 (330) 533-8420

2) Austin Library, 600 S. Raccoon Rd, Austintown, Ohio 44515 (330) 792-7224

3) Boardman Library, 7680 Glenwood Ave, Youngstown, Ohio 44512 (330) 726-2492

4) Senior Citizens Center, 1110 5^th Ave, Youngstown, Ohio 44504 (330) 744-5071

5) Struthers Public Library, 95 Poland Ave, Struthers, Ohio 44471 (330) 726-2492

6) Columbiana County Office on Aging 785 State St., Salem, Ohio 44460 (330) 332-1163

The Ohio Benefit Bank Sites:

1) Lutheran Social Services of the Mahoning Valley, 420 Clearmount Drive, Youngstown, Ohio (330) 740-0344

2) Stepping into the Future, Inc., 2905 Glenwood Ave., Youngstown, Ohio (330) 259-0279

3) Good Hope Lutheran Church, 12030 Market St., North Lima, Ohio (330) 549-2406

4) Pointman International Ministries, 243 Main Street, Leetonia, Ohio (330) 427-6909

In the Bridgeport area:

AARP Sites: (None in Jefferson Co.)

1) Ohio Valley Mall, Unit 295, St. Clairsville, Ohio 43950 (740) 695-4526

2) Colerain Senior Center, State Rt. 250, Colerain, Ohio 43916 (740) 633-6823

3) Bellaire Senior Center, 3396 Belmont St., Bellaire, Ohio 43906 (740) 676-9473

4) Shadyside Municipal Bldg., Community Rm #6, East 39^th Street, Shadyside, Ohio 43947 (740) 676-5972

The Ohio Benefit Bank Sites:

1) St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 611 Walnut Street, Martins Ferry, Ohio (740) 633-3611

2) Community Action Commission of Belmont County, 153 ½ West Main St., St. Clairsville, Ohio (740) 695-0293

3) Jefferson County Community Action Council, 114 North 4^th St., Steubenville, Ohio (740) 282-0971

In the Marietta area:

AARP Sites:

1) Beverly Public Library, McIntosh St., Beverly, Ohio 45750 (740) 984-4060

2) O’Neill Senior Center, 333 4^th Street, Marietta, Ohio 45750 (740) 373-3914

The Ohio Benefit Bank Sites:

1) Caring Connection, 411 Scammel St., Marietta, Ohio (740) 376-9903

2) The Appalachian Nutrition Network, 121 Putnam Street, Suite 108, Marietta, Ohio (740) 376-0088

3) Caldwell Choice Food Pantry, 315 Main Street, Caldwell, Ohio (740) 732-7570

In the Ironton area:

AARP Sites:

1) Park Avenue Apartments – Senior Living (the building our office is located within), 202 Park Ave., Ironton, Ohio 45638 (740) 533-1863

2) Southern Branch Library, 317 Solida Rd, South Point, Ohio 45680 (740) 377-2288

3) Chesapeake Branch Library, 11054 County Rd. 1, Chesapeake, Ohio 45619

The Ohio Benefit Bank Sites:

1) Jackson-Vinton Community Action-Head Start, 1467 State Rt. 93 South, Jackson, Ohio (740) 286-8441

On the Internet:

1) A free internet tax return service can be found on The Ohio Benefit Bank Web site: www.governor.ohio.gov/obb

2) More information on the AARP program can be found at http://www.aarp.org/money/taxaide

Wilson’s office provided a great list of some things that this act will accomplish.

• Streamline the federal student financial aid application process;
• Make textbook costs more manageable for students by, among other things, helping them plan for textbook expenses in advance of each semester;
• Allow students to receive year-round Pell Grant scholarships;
• Strengthen college readiness and support programs for minority and low-income students;
• Increase college aid and support programs for veterans and military families;
• Improve safety on college campuses and help schools recover and rebuild after a disaster;
• Ensure equal college opportunities and fair learning environments for students with disabilities; and
• Strengthen our nation’s workforce and economic competitiveness by boosting science, technology, and foreign language educational opportunities.

For Zack Space the bills passage was a little bit more personal, his CURE (Colleges and Universities Rural Education) Act was incorporated into the bill. In a release from his office he made these remarks:

“The colleges and universities in my district provide a great service to our rural students. We must do everything possible to support their efforts to educate our children.

“This legislation will allow colleges that serve rural populations to form partnerships to help usher more students into college and assist them with that transition.  It will also allow these colleges to develop training and employment programs that will provide desperately needed skilled workers.  If our communities are going to take the next step toward economic recovery, we must have the educational opportunities in place to make that transition a reality.”

– Rep. Zack Space

According to Space’s office, the CURE Act provides federal grants to the following:

• Partnerships formed between colleges serving rural areas and rural high schools to promote access to higher education amongst graduates of those schools.  The grants can be used to promote access to the campuses and assistance with financial aid/admissions forms.
• Partnerships formed between colleges serving rural areas and regional employers to form employment pipelines for students in college.  Preference would be given to partnerships designed to help fill needed professions in the community.
• Colleges serving rural areas for the purpose of developing training programs in needed professions.

The House version of the bill has already passed without including a similar provision.

“I know there are seniors in Ohio’s Sixth District who rely solely on social security. They should not be left out of the stimulus package simply because they don’t have earned income, as the current plan requires. I’m hopeful that the Senate can craft a solution that will pass the House and that the President will sign it. People are hungry for this help.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

Wilson signed a letter to Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell urging their support for this position.

The letter was also signed by Dennis Kucinich, Betty Sutton, Marcy Kaptur, and several other members of congress.

Ohio Congressman Charlie Wilson has already issued a statement condemning the budget, saying that he plans “to take a look at the President’s priorities and identify wasteful spending”.

“This troubling budget plan put forth by the President takes this country in the wrong direction. Overall, I’m very disappointed to see heavy cuts in social programs. Programs like LIHEAP, Medicaid and Medicare are important to the residents of Ohio’s Sixth District. As a Blue Dog Democrat I’m committed to keeping spending under control, however, cutting Medicare by $556 billion over 10 years and cutting heating assistance by $570 million is not the answer. That’s just cutting people who are already hurting. Over the next couple of weeks I plan to take a look at the President’s priorities and identify wasteful spending.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

According to Wilson’s press release, Ohio would lose the following under Bush’s budget:

• $5,408,000 in law enforcement grants
• $24,018,000 in firefighters grants
• $14,369,000 for dislocated workers
• $4,788,000 in grants to improve teacher quality, as required by No Child Left Behind
• $45,210,000 in career and technical education funding
• $1,342,000 in Child care development block grant funding
• $16,173,000 in LIHEAP funding
• $22,125,000 in federal-Aid Highways Program funding

Apparently President Bush must be preparing to become a used car salesman when he leaves office, because this budget is a lemon.