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VernBuchanan uploaded a new video
(10 hours ago)
Buchanan And Panama Ambassador Discuss Jobs At Port Manatee
Palmetto, Florida U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan (FL-13) and the Ambassador of Panam...
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Buchanan And Panama Ambassador Discuss Jobs At Port Manatee
Palmetto, Florida U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan (FL-13) and the Ambassador of Panama to the United States discussed economic opportunities associated with the ongoing expansion of the Panama Canal today at Port Manatee.
As the closest deep water port to the Panama Canal, Port Manatee is in great geographic position to benefit from the on-going expansion of the Panama Canal, said Buchanan. That is going to help create good paying jobs and diversify our economy.
Ambassador Jaime Eduardo Aleman Healy said the Panama Canal will double its capacity by 2014. The project will create larger locks that will be able to handle larger cargo vessels hauling cargo to the United States.
Port Manatees proximity to the Panama Canal is a built in advantage, said Aleman. The port is clean, organized and efficient. There is a lot we can do to compliment one anothers efforts.
Port Manatee currently has a $2.3 billion economic impact and supports more than 20,000 jobs. They are working to double their current capacity, which could add more than $4.6 billion annually in regional economic impact and support more than 40,000 jobs.
The Congressman is also working as a member of the Congressional Panama Caucus to ratify the U.S. Panama Trade Promotion Agreement.
Panamanian products have open access to U.S. markets, said Buchanan. The free trade agreement would eliminate nearly all of Panamas tariffs on American goods.
Panama has a weighted average tariff of 7% on U.S. products.
Buchanan and Aleman spent the weekend in Panama where they toured the Panama Canal and met with President Ricardo Martinelli and the Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture of Panama.
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VernBuchanan uploaded a new video
(5 days ago)
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VernBuchanan uploaded a new video
(1 week ago)
ABC 7 Reports:
Congressman Buchanan talks about Chinese drywall concerns
VENICE - More and more homeowners on the Suncoast are finding out their hou...
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ABC 7 Reports:
Congressman Buchanan talks about Chinese drywall concerns
VENICE - More and more homeowners on the Suncoast are finding out their house is built with it -- Chinese drywall. What they're not finding are answers and solutions. We talked with local congressman Vern Buchanan about what state and federal agencies are doing to help.
Jim Silverblatt's Venice home has Chinese drywall. As his house and health problems go on, still nobody will help. "We've been let down by every agency. Everybody points the finger at somebody else. We are just going in a circle."
Jim is far from alone. It's believed more than 36,000 homes built between 2004 and 2007 just in Florida could have the possibly toxic drywall.
The numbers on the Suncoast are growing.
"It's a big problem and we are trying to do everything we can." Congressman Buchanan says it's time for the government to step in. Builders are out of business or would be if they had to fix the problem. Homeowners don't have an option. "They've got nobody to turn to. We have to see what can be done at the state and federal level."
Buchanan has joined the congressional Chinese drywall caucus and sponsored legislation, trying to get attention from the top. "I think the biggest thing is we have sent a letter to the President before he met with the Chinese Premier, asking the Chinese to step up and handle the problem."
Chinese companies who built the product have not responded. Buchanan says he supports a drastic measure used for instances like a hurricane. "They should declare it a state of emergency. There are a lot of people that are hurting as a result of this all over Florida. There are a lot right here in my Congressional District."
In just the past few weeks other local governments like the City of Venice have also sent the governor letters asking him for the deceleration. Buchanan says the time has come. "I am hoping they will take it serious and step up and do something quickly. We need to resolve it now."
A stance the Governor has yet to take and those living or dying everyday with the drywall don't understand says Silverblatt. "We don't know that. I wish I had an answer to that."
Buchanan says they are also working with lenders to lessen mortgage payments and to provide low interest disaster loans to repair and replace the drywall.
One of the major issues is how to go about fixing it even with the money.
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VernBuchanan uploaded a new video
(1 week ago)
Washington, D.C. U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan (FL-13) and Tom Rooney (FL-16) called today for House passage of Buchanans Military Tribunals for Terror...
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Washington, D.C. U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan (FL-13) and Tom Rooney (FL-16) called today for House passage of Buchanans Military Tribunals for Terrorists Act (H.R. 4463). Two high-profile terrorists with links to al Qaeda are being processed through civilian courts instead of a military tribunal.
Terrorists with ties to known terror organizations such as al Qaeda should be tried by military tribunals, not our civilian court system." said Buchanan, Al Qaeda is waging a war against America. Why would we want to treat an al Qaeda terrorist like an ordinary criminal?
Military tribunals are better designed for these kinds of cases, continued Buchanan. Al Qaeda members have sensitive information and contacts we need to examine. Military tribunals give us the opportunity to keep classified information safe while conducting trials. Not to mention the security costs.
The City of New York estimated that the cost for security operations would be close to $1 billion .
Rooney is an original cosponsor of the bill, which would mandate that any terrorist who attacks the United States or its people be interrogated, prosecuted and tried in military court, not civilian court.
Dangerous terrorists who are captured trying to do harm to the U.S. or its citizens do not belong in the civilian criminal justice system, said Rooney. The most important function of the government is to ensure the safety of our citizens. We must also make sure that our intelligence officials are protected and terrorist should not be afforded the same rights as American citizens. As a former Army JAG officer I fully believe the military tribunal system is a better venue to provide due process yet still provide protection the American people expect. This bill will go a long way to making our country a safer place.
Rooney served over four years in the U.S. Army Judicial Advocate General (JAG) Corps., taught Constitutional and Criminal Law at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and worked as an Assistant Attorney General.
The bill is cosponsored by a total of 37 House members including three leading, national security experts: the top Republican on the Select Committee on Intelligence, Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI); the vice chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX); and the vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Howard Buck McKeon (R-CA).
Alleged Terrorists slated to be tried in civilian court include Al Qaeda-trained Nigerian terrorist, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who tried to blow up a U.S. airplane in Detroit on Christmas Day and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the admitted mastermind behind the September 11 attacks that killed more than 3,000 people in New York City.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein of California , Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Jim Webb of Virginia and U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez of New York joined the growing bipartisan list of elected officials pressuring the Obama Administration to move September 11 terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammeds trial our of New York City and into a military commission.
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VernBuchanan uploaded a new video
(1 week ago)
Buchanan Announces Five Point Jobs Plan
Calls for Tax Relief, Debt Reduction, and Legal Reform
Sarasota, Florida U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan called toda...
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Buchanan Announces Five Point Jobs Plan
Calls for Tax Relief, Debt Reduction, and Legal Reform
Sarasota, Florida U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan called today for tax relief, debt reduction and legal reform to help create jobs and boost the economy. Buchanan announced his five point jobs plan during a visit to Jobs Etc.
Priority number one is getting Americans back to work, said Buchanan. My legislation will help create jobs and help unemployed Americans get by in these tough times. Although there have been some positive signs of recovery, with a national unemployment rate of 10%, it is a jobless recovery at best.
Instead of spending trillions of dollars on Wall Street bailouts and big-government programs that continue to increase the deficit, we should enact targeted measures to help small businesses and working families, boost the economy and put people back to work, added Buchanan.
Buchanan called for tax relief for small business investments and capital gains, the one year elimination taxes on unemployment benefits, using repaid TARP funds to help pay down the debt and legal reforms to curb frivolous lawsuits.
Im a businessman not a politician, said Buchanan. I have experience with starting businesses and creating jobs. We need to scrap job-killing policies that are causing small businesses to hold off on hiring and enact legislation that will help put people back to work.
The Suncoast Workforce Board and Jobs Etc. provide is a wide range of employment services to both employers and employees.
This week Buchanan plans to introduce the Job Creation Act of 2010.
Buchanans Five Point Plan to Create Jobs
Tax Relief for Small Business:
The bill would extend a provision that allows small business to deduct all or part of the cost of a business investment in one year, instead of spreading the tax savings across several years. This would increase capital to expand, hire new workers, and purchase new equipment.
One year elimination of the capital gains tax for small businesses:
This important provision will help small businesses gain access to capital. With this incentive, investors will gravitate toward and invest in small business. This provision will help small business grow and create jobs. President Obama supports this initiative.
Make unemployment benefits tax free for 2010:
Millions of Americans are unemployed and struggling. Currently, the federal government imposes income taxes on individuals receiving unemployment benefits. As a result, approximately 11% of their unemployment benefits go to the federal government.
In extraordinary times like now, we should make unemployment benefits tax free so that individuals between jobs can focus on providing for their families.
All repaid TARP funds immediately used to pay down the debt:
We need to prove to the global investors that finance America's debt that we are serious about becoming fiscally prudent and reducing our deficit. This is key to strengthening the dollar, reducing the threat of rampant inflation and holding down interest rates
Curb Frivolous Lawsuits:
Lawsuit abuse threatens jobs and raises prices for all consumers. We can boost our economy and protect American jobs by enacting legal reforms to curb frivolous lawsuits.
The bill would help reduce the number of frivolous lawsuits filed against small businesses by: Imposing mandatory sanctions against attorneys or parties who file frivolous lawsuits; Removing a safe harbor provision that allows plaintiffs and their attorneys to avoid sanctions for frivolous suits by withdrawing them within 21 days; and Reducing court-friendly shopping by requiring that plaintiffs in civil tort actions sue only where they live or were injured, or where the defendant's principal place of business is located.
For more information, please visit: http://buchanan.house.gov/
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