Free Republic

The House of Representatives passed a bi-partisan resolution Tuesday night reaffirming “In God We Trust” as the official motto of the United States. The 396-9 vote came at the request of Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) – in part over President Obama’s refusal to correct remarks he made that misstated the motto as “E pluribus unum” instead of “In God We Trust.”Lawmakers voting against “In God We Trust” include Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich), Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA),...

Our favorite psychotic statesman, Pete Stark from the San Francisco Bay Area, has a rigged poll (analysis of rigging here) to which he invited his socialist-leaning constituents to respond.Might be worth providing your opinions.Drop by the survey site (https://forms.house.gov/stark/webforms/survey.htm) and when asked for your zip code, use any of the following zip codes which are in Pete’s district.9408394536-9453994540-9454694552, 94555, 94557, 9456094577-9457994580, 9458794603, 94605, 94614, 94621950029503595132, 95134, 95152

Yes indeed. Everyone knew. That was the point of last night’s post. And in fact, what you’re about to hear isn’t the first case of a Solyndra employee insisting that the whole enterprise was widely known to be a bust inside HQ. Remember this snippet from a recent Mercury News story? One former employee, Mohammed Walahi, who began working as a process technician for Solyndra in 2005, showed up at the company Thursday morning to file a workers’ compensation claim for a repetitive stress injury and was surprised to see FBI agents instead of security guards. Solyndra’s employees were laid...

At a townhall meeting on July 23, 2011, Rep Pete Stark said that he believes the debt limit is a 'political charade'. Stark says, "You've heard a lot about the Debt Limit. And I guess that's - I don't know how many of you are worried about it or concerned about it. The fact is I think it's a political charade." "I'm afraid that the Democrats have done that in the past, threatened to shut down the government. I don't think there's a chance that it will happen. I think the last time somebody did, they lost enough seats in...

Wha-wha-what?? I look at someone like Pete Stark and wonder how in the world did he make it in any career– and with utter bewilderment on how he has been elected over a dozen times to be the representation for his constituents! His arrogance has already been on display when he said at this very same townhall meeting that the government has the right to do whatever they want. But someone was saving this little jewel for a new day as he goes on to say that E-Verify and denying illegals the right to work would be unconstitutional. This was...

Power: The federal government, according to Democratic Rep. Pete Stark, can do anything it wants. If there are indeed no checks on the state's power, as the congressman claims, then the state is a tyrant. Stark, who represents San Francisco's East Bay area, let the left's secret slip when he told constituents at a July 24 town-hall meeting in Hayward that he believes "there are very few constitutional limits that would prevent the federal government from rules that could affect your private life." His response came in reply to a constituent's thoughtful question about the federal health care overhaul. She...

This is PRICELESS. Why is it that people out in CA elect over and over again Representative Pete Stark? (D/CA). What he said about the USA Constitution, which makes me wonder if we are even in the next couple of years if we will EVEN have a United States of America. At the rate things are going with the take over of the auto, health, energy, and financial industries we could very much be on our way to having what national radio talk radio show host Mark Levin calls a “soft tyranny”. The skids have been greased. Give the lady...

Pete Stark: The Federal Government Can Do Most Anything in This Country http://www.breitbart.tv/congressman-at-town-hall-the-federal-government-can-do-most-anything-in-this-country/The questioner has a good understanding of the Constitution. Pete Stark is just one more example of the ruling class. Good Hunting... from Varmint Al

Congressman Peter Starks takes questions at a town hall meeting in Hayward CA... Pete Stark telling constituents how much power the Federal Government has over us. "The Federal Government can do most anything in this country" Link Youtube Video

In response to an excellent question during a town hall meeting, Congressman Pete Star of California says "The Federal Government can do most anything in this country." Video

At the end of June, the nation witnessed firsthand the behavior of California Congressman, Fortney "Pete" Stark, towards what he clearly regards as the commoners in his district. This video received over 259,000 hits from a populace tired of being told by elected officials across the land to "talk to the hand." Stark's contemptuous behavior just reared its ugly head once again this past Saturday, July 24th at another town hall meeting in his district. (video link) As evidenced by the endless repertoire of snarky comments and silly hand gestures, Fortney "Pete" Stark is consistently contemptuous of the good people...

California Congressman Fortney "Pete" Stark was caught on tape in June insulting a constituent at a town hall meeting. When the voter identified himself as a member of the Minutemen, Representative Stark asked him, "Who are you gonna kill today?" The taped exchange has gone viral. I watched Mr. Stark with fascination and a bit of nausea, incredulous that he's been representing his district since 1979. Reading his words is disturbing, but watching the video is astonishing. A few minutes into it, I discovered that I know Pete Stark. In fact, every single one of us knows Pete Stark. Congressman...

Democrat Congressman Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) introduced a bill to create a tax on currency yesterday. He says it will create a U.S. fund to assist developing countries with the impacts of global warming, and create a Global Health Trust Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, and other diseases, and well as funding Obama's pledge to the U.N. This legislation is right out of the U.N.'s Millennium Development Goal, which Obama is required to follow if his Global Poverty Bill ever passes.

WASHINGTON - At a time when both political parties are worrying about the federal deficit, an unexpected and unorthodox proposal is coming back from the shadows of last year's health-care debate the "public option." The idea of creating a major government health insurance program was roundly rejected last year, but the 128 House Democrats pushing to reconsider the idea are now advancing the argument that it would help hold down federal spending. Their bill, which faces long odds, would allow Americans who do not get insurance at work to choose a government plan for their health coverage starting in 2014....

Rep. Pete Stark, California Democrat, appears to think security on our borders is not an important issue. The Golden Gate Minutemen posted video of an exchange during a recent town hall meeting on June 26 in Fremont, where the congressman asked a border security advocate in attendance, "Who are you going to kill today?" Mr. Stark continued to heckle and mock the town hall attendees who reacted in disbelief as the congressman disrespected his own constituents. (all emphasis is mine) Mr. Stark made such outrageous statements like: "If you knew anything about our border, you would know that's not the...

FNC host Glenn Beck aired a compilation of video clips showing Rep. Pete Stark, California Democrat, mistreating his constituents and the press. One particular clip shows Mr. Stark making physical threats to a reporter.

Idiot Pete Stark (D, Calif.) says that the more we borrow as a nation the "richer" we get. You see, says Congressman Stark Raving, that trillions of dollars in debt proves that we are a rich people. Sadly, I see nothing to separate Rep. Stark Raving from any other Democrat. This video is pretty prosaic, really. This sort of economic ignorance piled on top of such arrogance is the Democrat Party personified. See the video at Publiusforum.com...

A California congressman known for edgy sarcasm mocked an opponent of illegal immigration during a town hall meeting last week, asking, "Who are you going to kill today?" before the constituent, a self-identified Minuteman, posed his question. Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., no stranger to controversy, mocked the idea that the borders are not secure when asked about the federal government's lack of activity on border security. "We can't get enough Minutemen armed. We'd like to get all the Minutemen armed so they can stop shooting people here," Stark said. Eventually, members of the audience urged Stark to offer a serious...

Looks like Pete Stark is back and more disrespectful of his constituents than ever. Check out this exchange between Stark and members of the Golden Gate Minutemen (who shot the video): Wow. I know that liberals are generally out of touch with reality but this is simply ridiculous. In the strange world that Pete Stark lives in the Minutemen are simply out shooting people and our borders are perfectly secure. Thus mocking the Minutemen and illegal immigration as an issue is the logical thing to do in his mind. But, hey, at least he didn’t threaten to throw anybody out...

Pete Stark opens: "Minuteman want to have something to say? Who you gonna kill today?....Person asks a quesion about securing the border and Congressman Stark relentlessly mocks him at a Town Hall in California...(Video)

“I'd rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 400 people listed in the Boston telephone directory than to the faculty of Harvard University.” -- William F. Buckley At this point, I would go Buckley one better: I'd rather entrust the government of the United States to the first 254 people we could pull out of a minimum security prison rather than the Democrats who are currently in Congress. In all fairness to the Democrats we have in charge now, that change probably wouldn't make Congress any less corrupt (not much more corrupt either), but at least...

I received a mass email from Congresscriminal Pete Stark (D-California) tonight about Obamacare, presumably because I previously sent him a love letter telling him to reject Obamacare. Apparently the dimwit failed to notice that I live thousands of miles away. Here's my snarky reply:

Rep. Pete Stark won't become interim chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Stark, D-Fremont, was the next-most-senior Democrat on the tax-writing committee after former Chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., 79, who temporarily stepped aside Wednesday pending the conclusion of an Ethics Committee probe into his corporate-paid travel. House rules said Stark, 78, would automatically ascend to the chair unless he declined, or unless House Democrats voted to pass him over. But other Democrats on the committee reportedly were concerned about Stark's hot-tempered tendencies — which has included some eye-watering tirades and blunt speech on the House floor, in...

Before she became House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi promised that if Democrats won control of the House, she would "drain the swamp" in Washington. How is she doing? Last week, the House ethics committee scolded House Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel for corporate-sponsored travel to the Caribbean. In that the panel had yet to resolve multiple charges involving Rangel's personal finances, rank-and-file Democrats joined GOP calls for his ouster as Ways and Means chairman, while Pelosi remained publicly silent. Wednesday, Rangel temporarily stepped aside as chairman. Now for the funny part: Next in line to chair the tax-writing committee is...

Rep. Pete Stark took the gavel of one of the House's most powerful committees today — at least temporarily. Stark, D-Fremont, will be interim chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, with jurisdiction over all taxation and other revenue-raising measures, as well as other programs such as Social Security; Medicare; unemployment benefits; foster care and adoption programs; Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, a federal welfare program; and child-support enforcement. The committee's second-most-senior Democrat, Stark has served as the Health Subcommittee's chairman. Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., temporarily gave up the committee's chair Wednesday, days after the House Ethics Committee publicly...

Rep. Pete Stark (D – CA) (Charlie Rangel's replacement) says that the more debt we have the wealthier we are. When questioned about it, he tells Jan Helfeld to “get the f**k out of here” and then threatens to throw him out the window. Nice choice, Nancy. Video here

Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., is taking over for Rep. Chairman Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., as the latter eases into a questionably voluntary leave of absence from the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee under a cloud of multiple scandals. What sort of chairman will Stark be? Try extremely thin-skinned and...to edit myself for charity, "volatile." That is not intended to be a slur -- it's just true. Don't take my word for it. Here's a video of Stark telling a constituent...well, you have to hear it for yourself, you really won't believe it if I write it out: In...

File this under, be careful what you wish for. As expected Charlie Rangel temporarily stepped down from the Chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee this morning. His replacement Pete Stark who is just a few fries short of a happy meal. The Hill's description is a bit more gentle. The 19-term Democrat has a penchant for making controversial remarks, and when Republicans controlled the House, Stark challenged then Rep. Scott McInnis (R-Colo.) to a fight during a Ways and Means Committee hearing Truth is this guy is CRAZY, he has thin-skin and is constantly exploding publicly into racial...

California Rep. Pete Stark — a controversial lawmaker who has a history of volatile comments about Republicans — is now chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, automatically moving up from the second slot after New York Democrat Charles Rangel relinquished his gavel Wednesday morning. It would take an affirmative action of the House to remove Stark and replace him with another member of the Ways and Means Committee, according to aides familiar with House operations. Stark, one of the chamber's most liberal, partisan and pugnacious members, has had his own recent run-in with the ethics committee, exhibiting bizarre behavior...

New York Democrat Charles Rangel, admonished last week by an ethics panel, will give up the powerful chairmanship of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee in the House of Representatives, NBC reported on Tuesday. Three Democratic leadership aides told Reuters they were unable to confirm or comment on the NBC report. A fourth indicated that no immediate announcements were planned. NBC quoted a Democratic House member as saying the party did not have the votes to save Rangel, who has faces calls from Republicans and some Democrats to step down as chairman. Representative Sander Levin of Michigan or Representative Pete...

Pete Stark's bizarre ethics interview By: Jake Sherman March 1, 2010 10:16 AM EST Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) sounds like an ethics investigator’s worst nightmare. During an interview last summer with the outside Office of Congressional Ethics, Stark was belligerent. He insulted his interviewers. And he apparently was videotaping the interview. “Throughout the interview Rep. Stark was extremely belligerent and frequently insulted the OCE staff members interviewing him,” Kendric Payne, the investigative counsel, wrote in a memorandum deep in the 122-page report recently released. “Approximately 15 minutes into the interview it also became apparent to the OCE interviewers that Rep....

(CNN) — Rep. Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, raised eyebrows last month when he told a constituent at a raucous health care town hall event, "Trying to have a conversation with you would be like arguing with a dining room table." Now Rep. Pete Stark, D-California, is involved in a similar instant YouTube classic, telling a town-hall participant over the weekend that he wouldn't "waste the urine" to pee on the man's leg. First reported by the San Francisco Chronicle and confirmed by a YouTube clip of the event, the longtime congressman made the remark after the participant launched into a long,...

One of Pete Stark's Town Hall meetings was held in Fremont, California. Although the media reported that only one person was in opposition to Stark in San Leandro, Fremont was a different story. A senior citizen told Pete "don't pee on my leg and then tell me it's raining", Pete's reply: "I wouldn't dignify you by peeing on your leg - I wouldn't waste the urine". Not exactly Congressional level behavior in my opinion... Here is a condensed version of the meeting which gives you a flavor of the questions that opponents and supporters alike asked Stark. VIDEO

Michelle Malkin: Independent TV documentarian Jan Helfeld asks California Democrat Rep. Pete Stark about the national debt and the economy. Stark tells him repeatedly to “shut up,

Watch Congressman Pete Stark blow up when Jan Helfeld asks him why Stark believes, "the more we owe, the wealthier we are."

I attended a Congressman Pete Stark town hall meeting today (8/15/09). It was everything I thought it would be….and that ain’t good. I arrived well over an hour before the event and there was already a line. The people in front of me actually counted the numbers of people ahead of us and there were only 72. This is important because when I entered the hall I was given a number that might be “randomly” called. That number was not 72, it was 97. Since the hall only held a couple of hundred that raised some suspicions that the event...

U.S. Rep. Fortney “Pete” Stark, D-Calif., the No. 2 man on the U.S. House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee, responsible for writing the tax code, could be the latest in a list of prominent Democrats in Washington with tax problems. According to a Bloomberg News report, he has allegedly been taking advantage of a tax break on a Maryland home he claims as his principal residence. Homeowners in Maryland qualify for a tax credit for residences they use “for the legal purposes of voting, obtaining a driver’s license, and filing income tax returns,” according to the Maryland Assessment Procedures...

Republicans danced on tabletops last week after Bloomberg News reported that longtime Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont, claims a Maryland home as his "principal residence," thereby snaring a tax break. "My message to Pete Stark," said Ron Nehring, chairman of the California Republican Party, "is that California is a wonderful place to visit — and it's an even better place to live. He should try doing that. "It's an outrage," Nehring added, "for someone to purport to represent California but take a tax deduction claiming that they don't live in California." A senior member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee,...

Maryland officials are considering revoking a property tax exemption for a California congressman, a member of a House tax-writing committee who says his principal residence is in Maryland. C. John Sullivan Jr., director of the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation, confirmed yesterday that officials are examining the property tax bill of Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), who claimed his Anne Arundel County home as his principal residence and until recently was able to have his property taxes reduced. But under recent changes in Maryland law, homeowners can claim a "homestead exemption" only if they hold a Maryland driver's license or...

Reporting from Washington -- Rep. Pete Stark (D-Fremont), dean of the California congressional delegation, has claimed his Maryland home as his principal residence to qualify for a $3,770 tax break, even though it is thousands of miles from the Northern California district he represents -- and where he is registered to vote. A senior member of the House's tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, Stark said he was unaware that he might not be eligible for the tax break. Asked whether it was questionable for him to receive it, he said, "I guess it is." To qualify, a property must be...

According to Bloomberg, yet another Congressman is cheating on his state property taxes. Representative Fortney H. "Pete" Stark, Jr. the second-ranking Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, has been claiming as his primary residence a waterfront home in Maryland for purposes of that state's property tax credit. Homeowners in Maryland qualify for the tax credit for residences they use "for the legal purposes of voting, obtaining a driver's license, and filing income tax returns," according to the Maryland Assessment Procedures Manual. Bloomberg reports that Stark, age 77 is registered to vote in California's 13th congressional district using the address...

The stimulus actually makes it harder for doctors, hospitals and pharmacies to use health IT, under the guise of "privacy." This is especially dishonest. Insurers already know the health condition of millions of Americans from claims information, which list diagnoses, prescriptions, procedures, etc. The government does too, because it pays so many medical bills through the entitlement programs. In its pure form, the primary purpose of health IT is to organize all this data in a useful way, so we can get a better sense of health trends and outcomes. Large insurers like Kaiser Permanente and others are starting to...

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Pete Stark, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee's health panel, will be an important player as Washington tackles health care next year. But his blunt criticism of opponents and his positions to the left of many other Democrats promise to make the process bumpier. The California Democrat delivered his latest zinger last week, saying he wouldn't negotiate with insurance companies on a health-care overhaul. "I think their intention is to see the Democrats fail, regardless of what it does for health care in this country," Rep. Stark told reporters. The industry, he said, has "been...

Of course Democrats in Congress support the troops. But that doesn't mean they have to tolerate being in the same building with them. From a letter an enraged Fortney Hillman "Pete" Stark, Jr. (D-CA) recently sent to the Secretary of Defense: Dear Secretary Gates: Yesterday, while voting on the war supplemental spending bill in the House of Representatives, I couldn’t help but notice a contingent of approximately 20 flag rank Army officers sitting in the House Gallery watching the debate and vote for a couple of hours. I was looking from below so I thought they were Army, but there...

This isn't a Vanity post. It is real. Below is an e-mail I received from a friend. It needs to be posted. A class of senior Army War College officers (all of whom are either Iraq or Afghanistan combat veterans with multiple deployments) were taking part on a tour of Congress. All of this was officially approved and part of the Army War College curriculum. The officers observing Congress hold multiple bronze stars between them; and other citations too numerous to mention. Congressman Pete Stark observed them in the gallery, and below is his official letter of outrage. If Congressman...

Newly-announced Obama endorser and superdelegate, Rep. Pete Stark, talking about the California gay marriage decision on XM's POTUS08 earlier today: Rebecca Roberts, XM: Congressman Pete Stark of California, a new super-delegate for Barack Obama. I wanted to get your reaction, by the way, since you're a Californian, on the Supreme Court decision to overturn the ban on gay marriage. Stark: I think that was, you know... California usually leads on these issues of human rights and civil rights. I was quite proud of our state supreme court. We're going to have a big fight, because you know, the born-again Christians...

WASHINGTON, (AP) -- An anti-war Democratic congressman is demanding to know why there were uniformed Defense Department personnel watching House proceedings from a public gallery Thursday, who they were and what they were doing. "If they were here on official duty, this was an abhorrent misallocation of our military resources at a time of war," Northern California Rep. Pete Stark asserted Friday in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Stark, an 18-term incumbent known for his liberal positions and outbursts of temper, said he observed the contingent of 20 or so officers, apparently Army generals, in the gallery for...

Just in case you haven't already noticed, whenever a policy proposal is made that would increase self-reliance and decrease dependency on government you will find the Democrats lined up against it ... every single time. These people believe that America is great because of government .. not because of the hard work, perseverance and determination of the American people. Democrats like Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama try to make you believe that they actually care about your healthcare. That's horsecrap. The truth of the matter is: they don't. They care about power. Democrats want to provide government healthcare or insurance...

Three Bay Area House members were among nine Democrats who voted against a Republican-sponsored resolution "recognizing the importance of Christmas and the Christian faith." Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, said she had opposed the bill Tuesday because using Christianity for political purposes is an affront to Christmas. Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont, invoked "Grinch" in saying the president's impending veto of a children's health insurance plan had him feeling anything but holiday cheer. And Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, said the holiday season "is a time to celebrate all religions and faiths," with Congress doing no more than wishing everyone good tidings. Rep....

Heroism: Rep. Pete Stark has apologized for his invective against President Bush and the U.S. military. For this, he deserves credit. But if he'd stop politicizing the war, he wouldn't make such mistakes in the first place. Stark is the San Francisco Democrat who berated congressional foes last week for spending to "blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement." The repugnant remark rightly triggered public outrage. But it wasn't outrageous enough to merit a rebuke by Stark's...