House to Consider Bachmann Bill to Support Families Living with Hydrocephalus

Later today, the House of Representatives will consider my legislation to raise awareness of hydrocephalus, a serious neurological disease that affects one in every 500 births.   I’ve been working closely with the Pediatric Hydrocephalus Foundation to help them make September National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month.

Hydrocephalus is the excessive collection of fluid in the ventricles or cavities of the brain.  At any time, a ventricle could collapse and in a matter of only hours, enough fluid could build up and pub harmful pressure on the tissues of the brain.  The resulting damage could be irreversible, and it could end in death.

The current common treatment for hydrocephalus is the surgical insertion of a shunt to maintain the flow of fluid from the brain.  This is 50-year-old technology that desperately needs updating.  It is my hope that by raising awareness of hydrocephalus, we can encourage the research that will lead to new diagnoses, treatments, and cures for it, helping these children and their families live full lives without constantly fearing the worst.

Why the Census Needs to Let ACORN Go

I wanted to share with you a column that I wrote with my colleague, Congressman Lynn Westmoreland (GA), regarding our concerns about ACORN’s involvement in the 2010 Census.  It was published last week in The Hill, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

Don’t let ACORN taint the 2010 census

The Constitution doesn’t specify many duties that the federal government absolutely must carry out. For as long as our republic lasts, Americans will debate the meaning and intentions of the Constitution, but on requiring a decennial census, the Framers wrote with such clarity that no analysis is needed.

Today our nation has 100 times as many people as it did at our founding. Though much has changed, the headcount of Americans remains an essential function of our federal government. It’s how we apportion representatives in Congress and direct spending.

For such an endeavor to succeed, the process must have the trust of the American people. Unfortunately, the blatant politicization of the 2010 survey has undermined many Americans’ faith in the system.

From the get-go, the Obama administration sought to use the census for partisan gain. First, Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel — a former leader of the House Democrats’ campaign committee — tried to usurp the census authority of the Commerce Department. A public outcry killed that West Wing power grab, but the partisan undertones continued when the administration announced ACORN as a national partner in the census soon thereafter.

ACORN’s involvement casts a cloud of suspicion over what should be a nonpartisan process. ACORN has been under investigation — and at times indictment and consent decree — for various counts of voter registration fraud related chiefly to the 2006 and 2008 elections. In more than a dozen states, prosecutors and investigators have pursued ACORN for violating the public trust in one of the most critical of public functions: the electoral process. Yet, this is the organization that the Census Bureau wants to tout as a “national partner” in the collection of some rather personal information.

Just last week, Senior District Judge Richard H. Zoller, in hearing a case against an ACORN employee for voter registration fraud in Allegheny County, Pa., urged prosecutors to zealously pursue the “real culprit” in these criminal cases. “Somebody has to go after ACORN,” the judge said. A few months ago, Nevada’s Democrat attorney general, Catherine Cortez Masto, said ACORN’s own training manuals “clearly detail, condone and … require illegal acts.”

The Census Bureau says that ACORN is just one of thousands of organizations that help to promote the census. Fair enough. But no organization other than ACORN has raised as many red flags or engendered such a high level of distrust among the American people.

The Census Bureau says that ACORN won’t actually go door to door and that the bureau will thoroughly screen all the enumerators. Nevertheless, ACORN will recruit enumerators and provide space where people can fill out their surveys. In fact, on the form that ACORN officials filled out to become a partner, they also indicated that they will “appoint a liaison to work with the Census Bureau, encourage employees and constituents to complete and mail their questionnaire, identify job candidates and/or distribute and display recruiting materials, provide space for Be Counted sites and/or Questionnaire Assistance Centers, engage regional and local chapters of [its] organization” and a host of other activities.

Any organization so intimately involved wih helping Americans fill out census forms should have credibility beyond question. ACORN, a group credibly accused of filling out fraudulent voter registrations with the names of the Dallas Cowboys, utterly fails that test.

The Census Bureau alone determines who qualifies as a national partner. Unlike most rules written by government agencies, there’s no congressional involvement, no opportunity for public input and no public notice. The Census Bureau says that it will partner with any group that can encourage participation in the census. Only law enforcement organizations, tax assessors and hate groups are specifically excluded. Given the fears and concerns that many Americans have toward ACORN, its involvement may actually discourage participation.

If the Census Bureau wants to allay mistrust and encourage full participation in the 2010 census, it can take a giant step in that direction by dropping ACORN from its national partnership program. 

Bachmann Office Coming to a Town Near You

My staff regularly holds Mobile Office Hours at locations all across the district.  These are opportunities for you to come meet one on one with someone from my office who is trained to be your liaison with federal agencies.  Please bring copies of any paperwork that you might have with you when you visit.  Particularly, if you are having a problem with a federal benefit or program and have letters or documents that might help my staff get answers for you quickly.

Should you have any questions or concerns, however, you can always stop by one of my district offices between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm to talk to my staff as well.  

Woodbury                                             Waite Park
6043 Hudson Road                                110 2nd Street South
Suite 330                                                Suite 232
Woodbury, MN 55125                          Waite Park, MN 56387
651-731-5400                                        320-253-5931

Beginning in February, a new schedule of Mobile Office Hours took effect.  My staff will still be in many of the same locations, but the days and hours of these sessions may shift.  Please take a moment to check out the new schedule here.

And, please take a moment to visit my website (www.bachmann.house.gov) and sign up for my regular telephone town halls as well.  That technology allows you to speak with me from the comfort of your own home.  You’ll get an update on what Congress is doing that might impact you and have the opportunity to ask me a question about what’s on your mind.

Note: Please do not respond to this email, as this is an unattended account. If you wish to unsubscribe from this newsletter, you may do so by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of this page. If you wish to contact Congresswoman Michele Bachmann regarding a specific issue, please visit our contact web page at http://bachmann.house.gov/Contact/

VIDEO CLIPS:

7.24.09 
CNBC: FSC Hearing With Sec. Geithner on Regulatory Reform

7.21.09 
Fox Business: Bernanke Hearing - The State of Our Economy

7.20.09 
Funding Abortions With Your Tax Dollars


LATEST NEWS:

7.24.09 
Bachmann Blog: Ford Motor on the Right Track

7.24.09 
Bachmann Supports Taxpayer-Friendly Exit Strategy From Bailout Mania

7.23.09 
Organizational Chart of the House Democrats' Health Plan

7.23.09 
Bachmann Blog: Killing Minimum Wage Jobs

7.22.09 
Bachmann Blog: TARP Costs May Reach $23.7 Trillion

7.22.09 
We Need Spending Limits, Not More Gimmicks 

7.21.09 
Bachmann Statement on Humphrey-Hawkins Hearing with Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke

7.21.09 
Bachmann Blog: Administration Focused on Keeping Car Dealerships Closed

7.21.09 
Bachmann Blog: House Democrats Stand Between You and Your Doctor

7.21.09 
Honoring Heidi Reitz of Sartell, MN as an Angel of Adoption