Senator Claire McCaskill

Many people have noted that the former background picture on my Twitter account was taken from an open site where information can be shared freely. I didn’t properly credit the photographer, for which I am sorry.

Although this is not the behavior PIPA was targeting, the notion that a casual use of a picture — itself simply grabbed from Google Images by my then 19-year-old daughter as she helped me set up my Twitter account — could become the source of major legal problems gives me pause when I think of what similar situations could arise in a broader context. We must not pass any legislation unless it is narrowly tailored and reduces the risk of unintended consequences on the medium of the internet that is so important to innovation and information sharing.

This is an excerpt from an interview with Sen Pat Toomey, Republican from Pennsylvania:

“I introduced a bill with Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill, she’s a Democrat. She’s up for reelection. She’s considered one of the more vulnerable, incumbent Democrats. She and I happen to agree that we ought to eliminate earmarks, for a variety of reasons. We disagree on a lot of things but we agree on that. So, we introduced a bill together and we did a press conference and we’re going to try to get this thing passed. I had a colleague, who stood up in a private meeting, and criticized me for working with a vulnerable, incumbent Democrat. ‘Why would you do a thing like that, you’re boosting her chances of being reelected.’ Well, I couldn’t disagree with that attitude more. I am absolutely not going to refuse to work with a Democrat because they’re in cycle. Anybody that wants to work together and accomplish something for our constituents, I don’t care who they are and if they’re up for reelection or not. And the fact that this attitude exists though, is a source of enormous frustration for people all across the country, for sure.”

Harry Truman’s tenure in the United States Senate was defined by his work on the Truman Committee, and so when I was elected to his seat in 2006, I felt a special obligation to look at war contracting.  

My background as a government auditor also helped drive my interest in this area. My trips to both Iraq and Afghanistan as a member of the Armed Services Committee convinced me that contracting was out of control, and that we needed an investigative committee to focus on the problem. 

While President Bush was still in office, Senator Jim Webb and I teamed up to push a bipartisan war contracting commission through Congress. Here’s a recent video of Professor Tiefer on the origins of the commission:

As a United States Senator, I’ve had the privilege of meeting a lot of interesting people. But last week, the opportunity to meet with Aggie Wolf was truly extraordinary.

In 1945, Aggie became one of the first women investigators to be hired by a Senate committee. One of the reasons I was thrilled to visit with her is because she was employed by the Truman Committee, where she specialized in man power investigations. She told great stories about Harry Truman — his leadership, his perseverance, and his penchant for bourbon at the Christmas parties.

She also wanted to obtain a copy of the recently completed report of our war contracting commission. We all agreed that Truman would have a fit about the abuses that have been uncovered, totaling as much as $60 billion. Click here to learn more about the Commission and its findings. 

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Every few months I need to explain. Obviously some think it’s because I don’t care. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Obviously I think twitter is a great communiciation tool. Many folks have commented that I should follow more people. One recent blogger has declared that I’m arrogant since  I only follow one person. Let me try to explain why I don’t follow more people.

 Early on I realized that for me to do this myself I had to be realistic about time constraints. Most members of Congress who tweet have staff help on their tweeting. In fact, many members have their staff actually do their tweets for them.

I took a different route. I decided I would do this myself. It would be me, and only me. Some weeks I tweet a lot, others not so much. But without fail I read every single tweet I receive. Ok, maybe I gloss over a few “form” tweets, but I sincerely make an effort to read all. So I get lots of opinions and thoughts from thousands of people. Every day. It truly is two way communication.

If I followed people I would get so many tweets about so many subjects, it would be so much harder for me to get through all the tweets to find those that relate to my work on behalf of Missourians.  I get close to 10,000 letters and emails  a week in my Senate office just from Missourians.

I could take the easy route and say I’m following thousands of people. But that would  feel dishonest because I really would not have the time to read all of their tweets and would have to zoom through hundreds to seek out those tweets that are asking for help, or expressing their opinion on an issue facing us in the Senate.

I like twitter. Not many Senators have embraced it. I believe it does ground me and provides an easy way to stay close to what people are thinking out there. Please feel free to tweet me anytime by including @clairecmc in your tweet. I direct message folks all the time if they are following me. If not, many times I just reply to them.

Thanks so much.
 

Thanks to all the first responders and emergency crews for their great work.
I have checked in with Mayor Slay and County Executive Dooley, and my staff has been in contact with their offices also. We have also been in communication with the staff at Lambert airport to offer any assistance. My legislative staff is checking in with FAA, TSA, DOT, MIssouri National Guard, to let them know we’re monitoring the situation and response. General Danner of the Missouri National Guard is reporting a fair amount of structural damage in their buildings at the airport. County Executive Dooley’s office is reporting tornado damage in several neighborhoods. Mayor Slay’s office, of course, has the lead on Lambert. The Governor declared an emergency last night and we’ll have more SEMA/FEMA teams on the ground soon.  

I’m proud of the efforts being made by all the public servants who are dealing with the damage from this tornado. I’m also confident in their abilities and know everyone is working together as a team.

Why I don’t follow you.

Obviously I think twitter is a great communiciation tool. Many folks have commented that I should follow more people. One recent blogger has declared that I’m arrogant since  I only follow one person. Let me try to explain why I don’t follow more people.

 Early on I realized that for me to do this myself I had to be realistic about time constraints. Most members of Congress who tweet have staff help on their tweeting. In fact, many members have their staff actually do their tweets for them.

I took a different route. I decided I would do this myself. It would be me, and only me. Some weeks I tweet a lot, others not so much. But without fail I read every single tweet I receive. Ok, maybe I gloss over a few “form” tweets, but I sincerely make an effort to read all. So I get lots of opinions and thoughts from thousands of people. Every day. It truly is two way communication.

If I followed people I would get so many tweets about so many subjects, it would be so much harder for me to get through all the tweets to find those that relate to my work on behalf of Missourians.  I get close to 10,000 letters and emails  a week in my Senate office just from Missourians.

I could take the easy route and say I’m following thousands of people. But that would  feel dishonest because I really would not have the time to read all of their tweets and would have to zoom through hundreds to seek out those tweets that are asking for help, or expressing their opinion on an issue facing us in the Senate.

I like twitter. Not many Senators have embraced it. I believe it does ground me and provides an easy way to stay close to what people are thinking out there. Please feel free to tweet me anytime by including @clairecmc in your tweet. I direct message folks all the time if they are following me. If not, many times I just reply to them.

Thanks so much.

                                                                                     
McCaskill Sponsors Legislation to Dedicate Liberty Memorial as a  National World War I Memorial
Legislation pays tribute to veterans of the “Great War”
 
Washington, D.C. – Home to the only National World War I Museum in the country, Kansas City’s Liberty Memorial is finally getting the recognition it deserves as a place of honor and tribute for the brave service members who sacrificed and risked their lives in the country’s “Great War.” Today, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is joining Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) in sponsoring bipartisan legislation, co-sponsored by Senators Jim Webb (D-VA), John Thune (R-SD), and Roy Blunt (R-MO), that will designate the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City as a National World War I Museum and Memorial. The legislation will also give national memorial status to the Washington, D.C. War Memorial.

 
“Built with private donations by the people of Kansas City, the Liberty Memorial has led the way in telling the stories of those who served in the Great War, further preserving their memory in the minds of generations of Americans,” McCaskill said. “I’m thrilled that after months of hard work we were able to come to a comprise that is befitting of our veterans and honors their work both in the heart of America and our nation’s capital.”  
 
After nearly two years of work on this legislation, the senators, with the help and cooperation of the Liberty Memorial Association and the World War I Memorial Foundation, crafted a compromise from two pieces of legislation, one focused on the D.C. Memorial, the other on the Liberty Memorial, that will encompass the primary objectives for both the Kansas City and Washington, D.C. memorials. Specifically, this bill will dedicate the Liberty Memorial of Kansas City as the “National World War I Museum and Memorial” and the District of Columbia War Memorial as the “District of Columbia and National World War I Memorial.” 
 
As the WWI centennial approaches, the legislation also provides for the formation of a 24-member commission to design and implement a proper nationwide commemoration of the centennial. The commission will be based in Kansas City and will feature the city as a focal point in the development of the centennial activities.
 
Born 110 years ago today, Missouri native Frank Buckles remains our only living veteran of this war, representing all those who served and sacrificed with valor. With his dedication and service to our country in mind, McCaskill is working to bring this legislation to a vote as quickly as possible.  
 
 
 
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This tariff is a big job killer here in America. It is especially hurting small manufacturing in rural Missouri. I’m hopeful that the bipartisan support to end this damaging tariff will bring the sunsetting of this provision. It’s important.

Mugging Magnesium

Remember when Charlie Daniels sang about driving in a Chevrolet with “a peace sign, mag wheels and four on the floor” (“Uneasy Rider,” 1973)? Those were the good old days when American die casters could compete in the market for car parts made from magnesium alloy. Today, the U.S. magnesium industry and its thousands of jobs are in desperate shape, thanks to Washington trade barriers.

In 2005, at the behest of America’s monopoly magnesium producer—U.S. Magnesium of Utah—the Commerce Department imposed antidumping duties on magnesium from Russia and magnesium alloy from Russia and China. Five years later magnesium alloy is in short supply in the U.S., leading to much higher prices than in the rest of the world and a crisis for die casters, alloy producers and recyclers. The good news is that the duties are up for International Trade Commission (ITC) review under the sunset provision for antidumping law.

At two-thirds the weight of aluminum, magnesium is in especially high demand in the auto industry. The Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Program supports research and development of magnesium and magnesium alloy in the quest to reduce automobile weight. Car makers use it for everything from engine blocks and transmission casings to wheels.

In a December 6 letter to the ITC, Arkansas Congressman Mike Ross spelled out the problem: “U.S. manufacturers pay $2.30 per pound on average for magnesium alloy while manufacturers in Mexico, Canada and Europe pay $1.50 per pound and Chinese manufacturers pay $1.36 per pound.” Die casters who have tried shifting to aluminum have lost orders to overseas producers.

Michael Sparks, executive vice president of operations at Mexico, Missouri-based Spartan Light Metal Products, says, “customers have changed from purchasing magnesium parts and subassemblies from us to purchasing from foreign competitors.” Mr. Sparks told the ITC that his company may need to let go 15%-20% of its workforce.

If the goal was to destroy a U.S. manufacturing industry, you couldn’t have come up with a better plan. The North American Die Casters Association says some 1,875 direct jobs and 8,000 supporting jobs have been lost since the 2005 antidumping orders took effect. U.S. magnesium alloy producers have also been stung by duties because they’ve been priced out of the market and recyclers can’t find scrap.

At recent ITC hearings, Senator Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) described “one small area of rural Missouri” where there are “over 1,000 jobs associated with companies that use magnesium. Their inability to compete with the price of magnesium internationally is causing these jobs to dry up, and that has a devastating impact on these communities.” Representative Michele Bachmann (Minn.) and Illinois assemblyman Daniel Reitz testified to similar hardship in their districts.

All of this has been done in the name of saving 400 jobs at U.S. Magnesium, though there is no evidence that the sole American supplier of the metal would have gone out of business without the antidumping protection. Rather, the duties have allowed the company to use monopoly pricing at home while expanding abroad.

Antidumping duties are supposed to ensure that U.S. businesses are not undercut by unfair trade practices. But typically they raise prices on the many to benefit the few, costing more jobs than they protect. The ITC can save jobs by revoking the magnesium antidumping duties and restoring competition to the U.S. market.

I believed over a year ago that spending caps were an important part of our effort to fight the deficit. Jeff Sessions(R-AL) and I worked hard and came very close to passing the Sessions -McCaskill spending caps. While I was able to secure 16 of my Democratic colleague’s support, we fell just short of the 60 votes needed. The leadership in my party was opposed to our effort and fought to defeat these caps. Keep in mind that this was a cap on BOTH domestic and defense discretionary spending that took into account our current fragile economy, and placed caps on spending for the next three years. It was supported unanimously by the Republican senators.

As the following article indicates, our effort did result in a shift on the Appropriations Committee to a lower level of spending. I’m very hopeful that we will have the votes, on both sides of the aisle, to enact spending caps in the new Congress. Spending caps were part of the success in reaching surpluses in the 90’s. For some unexplained reason the Republican led Congress allowed them to expire under President Bush.    

2010 Key Senate Vote: Discretionary Spending Caps

Rejection of a motion to place a spending cap on appropriations.  

Although Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and Claire McCaskill , D-Mo., never mustered the 60 votes necessary to win adoption of their amendment to limit government spending, their efforts helped shape the appropriations debate in Congress.  

The Senate voted four times from January to June on their joint offering, which would cap spending at $1.108 trillion annually through fiscal 2014.  

The key vote is the one on which they came the closest, on March 4, when 59 senators backed cloture on the amendment, with 41 opposed. “Once we got so close to passing, it panicked people,” McCaskill said at the time. As the rhetoric over government spending began to intensify before the midterm elections, the spending cap amendment was defeated for the final time June 9, but 16 Democrats bucked their leadership. McCaskill said she considered it a victory that so many of her Democratic colleagues “withstood the pressure of leadership trying to convince people to jump ship.”  

Despite the votes to reject it, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., gave the Sessions-McCaskill cap a prominent role in the debate on fiscal 2011 spending. He and other Republicans announced at a Senate Appropriations Committee markup in July that they would not vote for any bill that spent more than the Sessions-McCaskill number.  

While Senate Appropriations Chairman Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii, pushed for a $1.114 trillion cap, he eventually relented and began writing spending bills that would come in under the $1.108 trillion limit.  

Senate Rejected motion to waive the Budget Act on the Sessions, R-Ala., amendment to HR 4213 (PL 111-205) on June 9, 57-41: R 40-0; D 16-40; I 1-1. Three-fifths of the total Senate (60) is required to waive the Budget Act. (Senate vote 181, p. 63; legislative summary, 2010 CQ Weekly, p. 2907; tax and benefits bill stalls, p. 1458)

First and foremost, I believe it is wrong to punish innocent children for the crimes of their parents.  This bill would ONLY have applied to children who were brought here at least five years ago by adults, children who were under the age of 16 at the time and had no choice. These are not children who made a decision to break the law. These children were simply the victims of adults who were law breakers.

My faith played a big role in my decision.  Ezekiel 18:20 reads: “The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him.”

Unlike the last time this legislation was considered, this bill was much more narrow in scope. The children that would have been allowed to stay in this country are those who have already been here for five years at the time the legislation is enacted. If someone illegally came to America after this bill was already enacted, they would not be eligible. In other words, this bill cannot be a magnet for future illegal immigration.

Lastly, these children must meet very strict criteria, such as proving themselves of good character during their time in the United States and during 10 total years of conditional residency, which can be readily revoked at any time. The application process also included other rigorous requirements including health examinations, background checks, and the completion of two years of college education or military service.   I know many of the young people that would have been impacted by the legislation would love an opportunity to serve this country in the world’s finest military.

Ingredients*

Bulb of garlic cloves
2 lbs of fresh mushrooms (I use a variety like baby portabello, shitaki, oyster, but regular button mushrooms are fine too)
1 onion chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh sage(2 or 3 leaves) or 1 teaspoon dried sage
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire
Dash of hot sauce (we like chalula)
1 loaf of French bread
1 loaf of sour dough bread
16 to 32 ounces chicken broth (it needs to be pretty wet)

*this is called Kitchen Sink cause the ingredients vary based on what’s in the fridge or in the bread drawer. No sourdough bread…no problem use 7 grain, whole wheat,etc..  I do think it’s better with bread other than the sliced sandwich variety.  Have leftover ham? Use that instead of the sausage.  I’m putting a cup of leftover rice in mine on Thursday.

The secret is to make sure it is wet and goopy when it goes in oven. That way it won’t be too dry when you serve it. Don’t be afraid of the chicken broth.

Night before slice  and cube the bread and lay out on cookie sheets to dry out
Take bulb of garlic and slice off  very tops of cloves leaving base of bulb in tact. Place bulb in middle of square of aluminum foil, drizzle top with olive oil and grind pepper over the top. seal up square of foil in pcket and place in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. Take out and let cool. This can also be done the night before.

Put one tablespoon of olive oil in large skillet. Sauté the onion till soft, then add mushrooms. Grind of pepper and pinch of salt here. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the bulb into the onion mushroom mixture.
Whisk eggs. Add Worcestershire and hot sauce.

Add egg mixture to dried bread cubes, and then mix in mushroom onion mixture.

Then add chicken broth until really wet and goopy. Spray Pam in large casserole dish. Place dressing in dish and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Top should be browned and dressing moist.

Ingredients

3 eight ounce cans of oysters
2 sleeves of Premium saltine crackers
1 cup whipping cream
1 to 2 cups whole milk
 12 to 16 Tablespoons of  cold butter (somewhere between one and two sticks)
2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire
Salt and pepper.

Butter a 8 or 9 inch casserole dish. Drain the oysters, saving the liquid. First lightly crush the crackers (you want them to be in small pieces, not crushed fine) and put a thin layer on bottom of pan. then add a layer of oysters (with space between them) and dot the layer with around 2 Tablespoons of butter in small pieces, then a grind of pepper.  Repeat this process until you get to the top of the dish. End with a layer of crackers and butter.Then combine liquid from oysters with whipping cream, milk, and Worcestershire. Pour over layers of oysters until liquid gets to the top of the dish. It’s important that you have enough liquid to get to the top of the dish. Add more milk if you don’t have enough.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until top is browned and liquid is absorbed, around 30 minutes.

This is rich, portions should be small. Should serve between 10 and 15 people easily.

I’m thankful for so many things. My children, my husband, my mother, the great state I call home, my entire family, my work, my health, our military heroes, my country, my education, our messy democracy, music, …… Well suffice it to say I’m very thankful because I have a very long list of God’s blessings. I love Thanksgiving.

I’m about to enter the zone, also known as my kitchen. I do all the cooking for the big Turkey Day. I love cooking. I grew up at my grandmother’s knee in the kitchen. I watched and learned as she, her sister (Beppy), and my mother turned out amazing meals. Time in the kitchen + family= heaven.

We have 18 for dinner this year. Joseph and I have a blended family of seven children, so if everyone is here, including all my siblings, we have over thirty including babies!

I thought I’d share recipes of two of our traditional dressings we serve every year. One is my Kitchen Sink dressing. While full of carbs, it doesn’t have much fat. The other one is my mom’s Oyster Dressing which is full of butter and cream. Trying to write down these recipes was hard for us, cause we never measure.  Remember to relax and not worry about exactness on these recipes. Dressings are very forgiving.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

This letter to the editor caught my eye today. It was published in the Kansas City Star this morning. I wanted to share it.

Death panel’ reversed

Recently, we had occasion to meet with a transplant team in a local medical center. One of the team members discretely mentioned a recent consequence of the dreaded Obamacare.

Earlier, an insurance company representing the center’s patient ordered its client’s name be removed from the transplant list. The patient had reached the maximum benefit caps.

Last week the insurance company was legally compelled to reinstate its client’s name. When the hospital notified the patient she was stunned and confused.

She sobbed, saying, “So the insurance company granted my appeal?”

“No,” came the reply. “The new health care law removed all caps on benefits.”

Apparently this restoration of hope is going on all over the country. Over the years, how many souls have wasted away while insurance company death panels played God?

Pro-life voters should consider this on Nov. 2. Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and Fox News will never relay this information to them.

Norence A. and Gail Nelson

Waverly, Mo.

America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens. by George W. Bush