A Citizen's Guide to Indiana

Masson's Blog

IN-02: Donnelly, Chocola, and Medicare D

by 7 Comments

There was an article from May 19 by James Wensits in the South Bend Tribune on the debate between Joe Donnelly and Chris Chocola on the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit plan.

Donnelly’s main critique of the plan was the provision that forbids the federal government from negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to obtain a lower price for the drugs. He is also in favor of eliminating penalties for seniors who did not sign up for the complicated plan by the May 15 deadline. Chocola apparently was unwilling to take a strong stand on whether he was for or against such an extension.

Chocola criticized Donnelly’s criticism, suggesting that Donnelly would have voted against the plan had Donnelly been in Congress at the time. While Donnelly has retorted that he would have worked for a better plan, the suggestion that Donnelly might have voted against the plan may actually endear him to erstwhile conservatives in Chocola’s district.

One of the recurring criticisms I hear about the Republicans in power from my fiscally conservative friends is that the President and the Congress are spending like drunken sailors. The Medicare Part D prescription drug program is Exhibit “A” in their indictment of the fiscally reckless spending policies of the past few years. Hearing from Chocola that Donnelly would have voted against the program would be music to their ears.

Chocola O.K. with federal government warrantlessly monitoring tens of millions of American phone calls

by 3 Comments

James Wensits has an article in the South Bend Tribune primarily focused on reaction to Bush’s immigration press conference on Monday. More interesting to me, however, is the aside about Rep. Chocola’s reaction to news that the National Security Agency had obtained, without a warrant, billions of phone records of tens of millions of American citizens. Among other things, the federal government is using such phone records to track down reporters’ confidential sources.

In a separate issue, [Chris Chocola] said he understands concerns that have been voiced in the wake of revelations that the National Security Agency has been tracking telephone records of domestic calls, but believes the administration has the “right intent to protect Americans.”

While he is comfortable with the present situation, Chocola said he would be opposed should he learn that government agents were monitoring domestic phone conversations without a warrant.

“I would have a problem with that,” he said. “That’s illegal.”

So he’s o.k. with the executive branch using a dragnet with no court supervision or other form of accountability that lets them get records showing that a citizen called their bookie, their mistress, their local reporter, their church, a political action group, a phone sex chat room, or whatever; just so long as the federal government doesn’t listen to what was actually said until they get a warrant. What a nice wide view of the liberties bestowed upon us by the Founding Fathers and, if the Founders were correct, our Creator. Chocola is apparently willing to sell his liberty cheap for the illusion of security. I’m not.