"Progress" According to Joe

Joe Knollenberg has very little to say about the war in Iraq. He has been a follower on the issue, not a leader. He rubber stamps whatever George Bush says.

At most he explains that he wants to see "progress" in Iraq.

He has been saying that for months. How long do we have to wait until we know if they are making progress?

Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki Supports Militias & Not the U.S.
According to the Washington Post, Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki is actually working against us, not with us. He is firing army and police officers who are too aggressive in combating militias:

A department of the Iraqi prime minister's office is playing a leading role in the arrest and removal of senior Iraqi army and national police officers, some of whom had apparently worked too aggressively to combat violent Shiite militias, according to U.S. military officials in Baghdad.

The problem is that Maliki is merely a puppet for Al Sadr and his militas. How can we possibly train Iraqi troops and quell violence when they are not really working with us, but instead are taking the training and the weapons we supply and using them against Sunnis and even American troops. Is that progress?

U.S. Has Given Up on Goal of Training Iraqi Troops to "Stand Up"

For years we have heard Bush say that our troops will "stand down when the Iraqi troops stand up". And that we have been training the Iraqi troops so they can stand up. Bush has been saying that since before the elections in 2004.

Well, apparently we've given up on that goal:

Military planners have abandoned the idea that standing up Iraqi troops will enable American soldiers to start coming home soon and now believe that U.S. troops will have to defeat the insurgents and secure control of troubled provinces.

Training Iraqi troops, which had been the cornerstone of the Bush administration's Iraq policy since 2005, has dropped in priority, officials in Baghdad and Washington said.

Is that progress? Is giving up on training Iraqi's progress? If we don't train them, how will they ever stand up so that we can stand down?

How Many More U.S. Troops Have To Die Before We See "Progress"?
Bush announced the escalation of the war in Iraq in January and began increasing the troop levels in February. The results so far? More U.S. troops died in April than any other month this year.

Joe Knollenberg Has Failed To Show Any Leadership on Iraq

Knollenberg has never once stood up for changing policies or strategies in Iraq. He has done nothing but quiver in Bush's shadow.

If this is progress, then how much more progress can we bare?

How many more U.S. troops Have To Die before we know if we are making "progress"?

We Deserve A Leader in Congress. Retire Joe Knollenberg.

Knollenberg Never Lets Facts Get In His Way

Joe Knollenberg doesn't let facts get in the way of his decision making.

He has given his full support to Bush's escalation of the war in Iraq. He says we have to give the new "strategy" time to work.

But, the expert of all experts -- General David Petraeus already predicts that the surge will fail to quell the violence in Iraq.

Petraeus spent the last 1 1/2 years rewriting the military manual on counterinsurgency. Field Manual 3-24 was co-written by Petraeus and published last December. In an article last month on the manual, Airforce magazine notes:

It usually takes a while for a government to realize that an insurgency is under way, Petraeus and Amos wrote. The insurgents “take advantage of that
time to build strength and gather support.” When the fight erupts, defenders “have to ‘come from behind'" and catch up to the situation.
In short, counterinsurgencies don’t go too well at first. Western militaries “falsely believe that armies trained to win large conventional wars are automatically prepared to win small, unconventional ones” and fight COIN with a similar mind-set.

But here is the real money quote from the manual:

During previous conflicts, planners assumed that combatants required a 10 or 15 to 1 advantage over insurgents to win. However, no predetermined, fixed ratio of friendly troops to enemy combatants ensures success in COIN. The conditions of the operational environment and the approaches insurgents use vary too widely.

A better force requirement gauge is troop density, the ratio of security forces (including the host nation’s military and police forces as well as foreign counterinsurgents) to inhabitants. Most density recommendations fall within a range of 20 to 25 counterinsurgents for every 1000 residents in an AO. Twenty counterinsurgents per 1000 residents is often considered the minimum troop density required for effective COIN operations

Petraeus says there should be 20 to 25 combat troops for every 1000 residents. According to the CIA Factbook, Iraq has a population of 27,499,638. That means, according to Petraeus, there should be 549,993 - 687,491 combat troops in Iraq. Even with the surge, the troop level will be somewhere around 150,000. That is just a little over 25% of the troops needed.

Heck, Bush didn't even give Petraeus enough troops to secure Baghdad!

How can Bush say he supports the troops when he won't train or equip them properly?

How can Bush say he supports the General when he won't give him the troops he needs to get the job done?

Apparently Knollenberg is unfamiliar with Petraeus's work as a General -- Knollenberg certainly hasn't said the number of troops in the surge isn't enough to succeed.

Joe Knollenberg. Uninformed. Out of Touch.

Given The Chance To Support the Troops -- Knollenberg Voted NO

Once again, Joe Knollenberg has voted against our troops.

On April 25, 2007, Congress voted on legislation that would have guaranteed that troops in Iraq were properly trained and equipped before being deployed.
But Joe Knollenberg voted NO.

This bill, HR 1591, gave the military $2 billion more than the President requested so as to improve military readiness.
But Joe Knollenberg voted NO.

This bill provided for non-binding timelines for the President to begin withdrawing US troops from Iraq.
But Joe Knollenberg voted NO.

This bill provided funds to improve our Homeland security.
But Joe Knollenberg voted NO.

Once again, Joe Knollenberg has voted against our troops, and against the wishes of the people in Oakland County.

Joe Knollenberg is too EXTREME for Oakland County

Rubber Stamp Knollenberg condemns more troops to death in Iraq

There he goes again. After saying his patience was running out on the disaster in Iraq, Rubber Stamp Joe Knollenberg votes against funding the troops in Iraq. Even though the Iraq Accountability Act fully funds the troops, Joe Knollenberg voted against funding the troops because it has a goal of bringing our troops home to their families, hopefully alive, rather than in a coffin.

When does Joe Knollenberg finally vote to end the madness that is going on in Iraq?

Even though a recent survey conducted in downtown Birmingham, at the heart of the most Republican part of Joe's district, showed that 79% of respondents are against the escalation of the war in Iraq, Joe refuses to represent his district. Joe continues to vote against the vast marjority of his district. Why does he refuse to take his head out of his rear end and take a breath of fresh air?

Maybe it's a lack of oxygen to Joe's brain that is causing him to continue to Rubber Stamp President Bush's disasterous policies in Iraq.

Looks Like Bush & Cheney Were Telling Tales To Get Us Into Iraq

We've been hearing it for awhile now.

That Bush & Cheney & complicit Congressman like Joe Knollenberg dragged us into this war in Iraq under false pretenses.

We have been hearing about them cherry picking intelligence that supported their position and ignoring intelligence that was contrary.

We also know from former Bush Administration officials that this Administration was planning to invade Iraq well before 9/11.

Paul O'Neill, Bush's Treasury Secretary, 60 minutes interview:

At cabinet meetings, he says the president was "like a blind man in a roomful of deaf people. There is no discernible connection," forcing top officials to act "on little more than hunches about what the president might think."
* * *
And what happened at President Bush's very first National Security Council meeting is one of O'Neill's most startling revelations.

“From the very beginning, there was a conviction, that Saddam Hussein was a bad person and that he needed to go,” says O’Neill, who adds that going after Saddam was topic "A" 10 days after the inauguration - eight months before Sept. 11.

“From the very first instance, it was about Iraq. It was about what we can do to change this regime,” says Suskind. “Day one, these things were laid and sealed.”

British Government Memoranda (Known As the Downing Street Memos)
The Downing Street memo is really a copy of the minutes of a meeting on July 23, 2002, where British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Senior Minister's met to discuss a recent meeting with the Bush Administration and their plans to invade Iraq.

One of the most damning indictments of how the Bush Administration was lying to the public is contained in this paragraph of the memo:

Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.

George Tenet Was in Bush's Inner Circle & He Now Confirms we Were Mislead
But much of this has not gotten much attention. Maybe it will now that George Tenet, former head of the CIA, has written a book about how the war came about. According to MSNBC:

White House and Pentagon officials, and particularly Vice President Cheney, were determined to attack Iraq from the first days of the Bush administration, long before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and repeatedly stretched available intelligence to build support for the war, according to a new book by former CIA director George J. Tenet.

Why Hasn't Joe Knollenberg Challenged The Administration on Any of This?
Because Joe Knollenberg is a rubber stamp that just does whatever Bush tells him to do. And if Bush isn't telling him what to do, then the lobbyists are.

Joe Knollenberg Still Supports Bush's Failed "Stay the Course Strategy" in Iraq.

Joe Knollenberg is Out of Touch With the Voters of Oakland County.

This Says It All

This 30 second video says it all. The Democrats in Congress voted to bring our troops home. Bush needs to sign that bill.

Unfortunately, Joe Knollenberg voted to give George Bush a blank check, an open-ended commitment for troops and money.

Joe Knollenberg Is Wrong on Iraq.

Joe Knollenberg's Unconditional Support for George Bush's War in Iraq: Part 5

In the face of mounting evidence that staying in Iraq will only lead to more US Troops being killed, Joe Knollenberg is steadfast and resolute in his support of George Bush's War in Iraq. [HR 1591, Rollcall #265, April 25, 2007]

The public on the other hand, knows better. In the most recent WSJ/NBC poll, 49% of us realize that the situtation in Iraq has been getting worse over the last 3 months.

And 55% don't believe "victory" (whatever Bush defines as victory this week) is possible.

Perhaps most interesting, 56% of voters think the Democrats should impose timelines withdrawing the troops!

Joe Knollenberg Voted To Keep Troops in Iraq Indefinitely
Once again, is acting contrary to the interests of the voters in Oakland County.

Joe Knollenberg voted NO on legislation that would have fully funded & equipped the troops and imposed tentative guidelines for withdrawal. By voting no, Joe Knollenberg is once again giving George Bush and the failed Iraqi government a blank check to continue with their failed strategy.

Joe Knollenberg is out-of-touch & too extreme for Oakland County.

Knollenberg Fails to Protect Our Health and Safety

FDA Fails to Protect Our Food Chain
Many of us are asking where the FDA was when the wheat gluten that contained the poisonous melamine was being imported and put into the food of our dogs and cats. (Many more of us are going to be wondering where the FDA has been once they finish their investigation and find out that the wheat gluten in human food has been similarly contaminated.)

First of all, why do we import wheat gluten? Don't we grow wheat and export it to countries like China?

Second, why does the FDA either not have adequate standards or does not conduct adequate inspections, etc. to find out that our food supply has been poisoned -- BEFORE people and pets get sick.

We know for example, that FDA knew about the problem with e. coli contamination of spinach long before the outbreak last year resulted in at least 3 deaths and hundreds of people getting sick. FDA took no action except to "urge" the industry to take appropriate actions.

OSHA Fails to Protect Worker Health
Today, the NYT reports that OSHA has done nothing to protect workers (or consumers) from exposure to diacetyl, a dangerous chemical that is put in microwave popcorn.

Seven years ago, a Missouri doctor discovered a troubling pattern at a
microwave popcorn plant in the town of Jasper. After an additive was modified to produce a more buttery taste, nine workers came down with a rare, life-threatening disease that was ravaging their lungs.

Puzzled Missouri health authorities turned to two federal agencies in
Washington. Scientists at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health, which investigates the causes of workplace health problems, moved
quickly to examine patients, inspect factories and run tests. Within months,
they concluded that the workers became ill after exposure to diacetyl, a
food-flavoring agent.

But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's response has been to say that they plan to prepare a safety bulletin on the matter! That is it! Oh, and they may do some inspections. Inspections for what? If they aren't regulating the material or the process what are they inspecting for? And why haven't they done anything for 7 years?

And if this chemical is so horrible for the workers lungs, what makes them think it is okay for us to eat!?!

Knollenberg Fails to Do Anything
So what has Joe Knollenberg done about these problems?

Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
He doesn't discuss them on his website.
He hasn't proposed a single piece of legislation regarding these issues.
He has done nothing.
Nothing.

Joe Knollenberg Is A Do-Nothing Congressman. We Deserve Better.

Joe Knollenberg's Unconditional Support for George Bush's War in Iraq: Part 4

Like George Bush, Joe Knollenberg is ignoring the expert's advice on the Iraq war. According to General Petraeus,

"There is no military solution to a problem like that in Iraq, to the insurgency of Iraq," Petraeus told a news conference, adding that political negotiations were crucial to forging any lasting peace.

So, knowing that, what has been Joe Knollenberg's proposal to resolve the most serious foreign policy matter facing this country?

Nothing.

Joe Knollenberg has no policy on Iraq. No proposal. No ideas. No nothing. He doesn't even list "Iraq" as an "issue" on his official website.

We deserve a representative in Congress who is willing to address the tough issues like Iraq, the economy, healthcare, etc.

Joe Knollenberg is a Do-Nothing Congressman. We Deserve Better.

Joe Knollenberg's Unconditional Support for George Bush's War in Iraq: Part 3

Joe Knollenberg continues to support Bush's war in Iraq. If you read any of the quotes in the local press about Knollenberg's position on the war, he generally makes milquetoast comments like "he is concerned" or he wants to "see progress".

But when given a chance to actually impose any means of measuring progress on Bush or on the Iraqi's, Knollenberg voted NO. Knollenberg's position on that legislation -- that funds and equips the troops while also establishing goals for a phased withdrawal -- is contrary to that of many military experts.

"This bill gives General Petraeus great leverage for moving the Iraqi government down the more disciplined path laid out by the Iraq Study Group. The real audience for the timeline language is Prime Minister al-Maliki and the elected government of Iraq. The argument that this bill aides the enemy is simply not mature - nobody on the earth underestimates the United States' capacity for unpredictability. It may further create some sense of urgency in the rest of our government, beginning with the State Department."

--Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, USA, Ret.

"The bill gives the president a chance to pull back from a disastrous course, re-orient US strategy to achieve regional stability, and win help from many other countries -- the only way peace will eventually be achieved."

--LT GEN Wm. E. Odom, USA, Ret.

"Supporting the Iraq Supplemental Bill not only reflects the thinking of the Iraq Study Group but puts teeth to the phrase "Supporting the Troops". By establishing timelines it returns the responsibility of self preservation and regional sovereignty to the people of Iraq and their government."

--Maj. Gen. Mel Montano, USANG, Ret

"This important legislation sets a new direction for Iraq. It acknowledges that America went to war without mobilizing the nation, that our strategy in Iraq has been tragically flawed since the invasion in March 2003, that our Army and Marine Corps are at the breaking point with little to show for it, and that our military alone will never establish representative government in Iraq. The administration got it terribly wrong and I applaud our Congress for stepping up to their constitutional responsibilities."

--Maj. Gen. John Batiste, USA, Ret.

"We must commence a coordinated phased withdrawal of U.S. combat troops and condition our continuing support of the Iraqi government on its fulfilling the political commitments it has made to facilitate reconciliation of the contending secular factions. Otherwise, we will continue to be entwined in a hopeless quagmire, with continuing American casualties, which will render our ground forces ineffective."

--Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, USA Ret.

So, once again, Joe Knollenberg is on the wrong side of an issue.

Joe Knollenberg is too Extreme for Oakland County.

Knollenberg still unconditionally supports Bush's War in Iraq -- Part 2

As we reported in Part 1, Joe Knollenberg has been a rubber stamp that just approves everything President Bush wants regarding the Iraq war. Michigan voters however strongly disagree with how Bush is handling the war in Iraq.


Joe Knollenberg supports An Open-ended commitment of U.S. Troops

It only took American's 3 1/2 years to defeat the Nazis in WWII, but we have already been in Iraq for over 4 years. And there is no end in sight.

Ever since voting to authorize the war in Iraq in October 2002, Joe Knollenberg has given Bush unflinching support for his "STAY THE COURSE" approach -- even though that approach has failed miserably by all accounts.

Knollenberg even supports Bush's current escalation of the war in Iraq. Knollenberg and Bush are sending over 40,000 new troops into Iraq this year alone.

But Michigan voters disagree with Bush and Knollenberg's plan to leave U.S. Troops in Iraq indefinitely. In fact, 49% of Michigan voters support withdrawing our troops over the next 6 months! [April 13-15 survey by Strategic Vision LLC.]


Knollenberg Does Not "Support The Troops"

Last month, Joe Knollenberg voted NO on a bill that provided supplemental funding to the troops in Iraq. President Bush requested $96 billion in additional funding for the troops and the Democratic Congress approved a bill that provided that funding. But Joe Knollenberg voted NO.
[HR 1591, Roll Call Vote 186]

In addition, the bill provided that troops are entitled to a year in between tours in Iraq and that they must be properly trained and equipped. But Joe Knollenberg voted NO. [HR 1591, Roll Call Vote 186]

Joe's Friends Are Abandoning Him On CAFE Standards

Detroit Faces Bipartisan Fire Over Fuel Economy
Even Auto Industry Allies Seek Change

By Sholnn Freeman and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, April 24, 2007; D01

For more than 20 years, the American automotive industry has deflected attempts to force improvements in vehicle mileage. Now Detroit is getting battered on the issue from almost every side, and even industry-friendly lawmakers say change is looming.

Read More

Knollenberg's Online FEC Report is Still Wrong

We reported last week that Knollenberg's report on the FEC website was wrong.

We have been checking to see when it gets corrected. That hasn't happened yet.

The information has been changed, but it still isn't correct!

Such blatant errors and the inability to correct them seem to be a hallmark of both Bush & Knollenberg (e.g., Iraq, Katrina, US Attorney scandal, etc.)

Knollenberg's report still shows that he received $74,800 in contributions from Political Action Committees (PACs). (These PACs represent special interests and are usually very closely tied with lobbyists.)

But when you click on the link to see where the individual PAC contributions came from, they only list $23,000 in donations. So they report $74,800 in contributions, but only show $23,000. Where did the other $52,800 come from?




If Knollenberg is this careless with his FEC reports, does that mean he is this careless when it comes to making decisions on how to vote on key issues in Congress?

Knollenberg Still Unconditionally Supports Bush's War in Iraq -- Part 1

Joe Knollenberg has given Unconditional Support to George Bush's war in Iraq.

In one of his most recent statements, Knollenberg said he was supporting Bush's "STAY THE COURSE", but add more troops plan.

Specifically, Knollenberg said, "I am hopeful that the Administration’s new policy [the additional 21,000 troops] will bring an end to the sectarian violence in Iraq. . ." (March 23, 2007 statement.)

Instead, as we have seen, as more and more troops are added, the violence in Iraq just increases as well. Although only half of the additional troops have even arrived in Iraq, last month was the bloodiest month in the history of the conflict.


Vast Majority of Voters in Michigan Disagree with Knollenberg

But voters in Michigan disagree with Knollenberg on the war. In an April 21, 2007 article, the Detroit News reports that 67% of voters disapprove of Bush's handling of the war.

A full two-thirds of us disapprove of Bush's overall job performance! That is a remarkable statistic.

With only a third of us approving of the President's job performance, one would think that our Congressional representatives would feel similarly. Not because they would be following the polling, but simply because it seems they would be well aware of the same failures and problems of which the rest of us are aware and concerned about. But Knollenberg continues to vote with Bush over 90% of the time -- including unquestioning support for the war in Iraq.

Joe Knollenberg's Position on Iraq is Too Extreme for Oakland County.

What does Joe have against the people of DC having full representation?

Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed H R 1905 District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act, which gives the District its first full seat in Congress. Joe voted against the legislation. It may not have enough votes to pass the Senate, and the president has promised to veto the bill if it reaches his desk. Why don't Republicans want residents of Washington, DC to have full representation? They claim it's because it's unconstitutional -- that only states have the right to representation. But we know the real reason -- the seat will certainly be a sure Democratic seat. However, the compromise for passage included adding a representative to Utah, a heavily Republican seat.

The people of DC do pay taxes, so shouldn't they be entitled to have a voice in Congress? Perhaps a load of teabags on the WH lawn would be in order.

Source: Washington Post
By Mary Beth Sheridan and Yolanda Woodlee
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, April 20, 2007; Page A01A

Bill giving the District its first full seat in Congress cleared the House yesterday, marking the city's biggest legislative victory in its quest for voting rights in nearly three decades.Democrats on the House floor burst into applause, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) grabbed the arms of the District's nonvoting delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, as the 241 to 177 vote was announced.

"There was nothing but joy in the chamber this afternoon," Norton said.

But the bill faces considerable obstacles. Democrats don't appear to have enough votes in the Senate to avoid a filibuster, and the White House has threatened a veto. If the measure becomes law, it probably will be challenged in court.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...

Knollen-omics Strikes Again

Joe Knollenberg's positions on economic policies may help his lobbyist friends, but his positions hurt voters in Oakland County.

According to today's Free Press,

After decades of double-digit growth in property values of residential, commercial and industrial properties, Oakland County's assessed value rose by a mere 1.17% in the past year -- the smallest margin in nearly 40 years.

Knollenberg's positions on economic issues favor the super-rich, but hurt middle-class families. When the economy is strong, it can handle bad policy decisions without having as much impact on families. But eventually these bad policy decisions will have an impact -- and they always hurt middle class families the most.

Joe Knollenberg's Economic Policies Hurt Middle-Class Families.

Michigan Democratic Party Launches Knollenberg Watch

The Democratic party of Michigan has joined the clarion call to the public to be looking at Joe Knollenberg's record, as this blog has been doing for months. Welcome aboard. Click here to view the MDP Knollenberg Watch page.

Once Again Joe Knollenberg Shows Neither Leadership Or Vision

Leaders lead.

Joe Knollenberg is not a leader.

Joe Knollenberg is a follower.

We've already discussed how he "follows" the direction of lobbyists and George Bush when it comes to voting on legislation.

But glancing at his new blog illustrates Knollenberg's lack of leadership and vision. The majority of his blog posts start with phrases such as "great column in the Detroit News today" or "The Detroit News has a great story..."

In short, his blog posts are nothing but links to newspaper articles.

Leaders are people with original thoughts. If Knollenberg had any vision or leadership skills, he would use his blog to discuss what is going on in Congress. He would tell us what his positions were and why. We don't need his help to read the local papers.

We need a representative in Congress who understands our concerns and will fight for our best interests. We deserve someone better than Joe Knollenberg.

How Much Does Knollenberg's Chief Lobbyist Cost Taxpayers?

Joe Knollenberg's Chief of Staff is Trent Wisecup, a Washington D.C. lobbyist.

We know that Washington DC lobbyists like Jack Abramoff make millions of dollars a year.

The only reason someone like that would give up a lucrative job like that would be because working on the inside would give him influence over a Congressman's votes and also because it would give him a network of people to call on later when he went back to lobbying. In DC they call it the "revolving door".

But how much does Knollenberg charge taxpayers for his lobbyist's salary? Wisecup isn't listed as an employee for Knollenberg for the last reporting period that ended on 12/31/06. So we don't know his exact salary, we can only guess it must be more than the $105,505 paid to his Constituent Services Director.

Here is what Knollenberg's other staffers make for 3 months work:

Payee Name	Start date	End date	Position	Amount	Notes
Betz, Steven V	10/01/06	12/31/06	Field Representative	$17,750.00
Brown, Eric K	10/01/06	12/31/06	Staff Assistant	$10,000.00
Ciavattone, Shawn	10/01/06	12/31/06	District Staff Director	$23,900.00
Elrod, Ruth R	10/01/06	12/31/06	Staff Assistant	$8,250.00
Foster, Stuart	10/01/06	12/31/06	Congressional Aide	$9,125.00
Geibel, Karen Sue	10/01/06	12/31/06	Executive Assistant	$28,375.00
Goff, Jeffrey	10/01/06	12/31/06	Legislative Associate	$18,999.99
Hallmark, Jessica	10/01/06	12/31/06	Staff Aide	$12,625.00
Hing, Jennifer L	10/01/06	12/31/06	Communications Director	$20,000.00
Johnson, Kathleen I	10/01/06	12/31/06	Constituent Services Director	$26,376.33
Last, Jeffrey M	10/01/06	12/31/06	Staff Assistant	$8,750.00
Lee, Lindsay A	10/01/06	12/31/06	Legislative Correspondent	$10,499.99
Mitchell, Mildred I	10/01/06	12/31/06	Part-time Employee	$8,000.34
Onizuk, Jeffrey M	10/01/06	12/31/06	Assistant to Rep. Knollenberg (P)	$15,455.01
Orear, Mary M	10/01/06	12/31/06	Field Representative	$18,500.00
Schwarz, Lindsay	10/01/06	12/31/06	Legislative Correspondent	$12,689.17
Wilson, Heather	10/01/06	12/31/06	Staff Assistant	$15,250.00
17 results

Knollenberg Keeps His Lobbyist's Very Close & Their Money Too

We have reported numerous times about how Joe Knollenberg's Chief of Staff, Trent Wisecup, is a Washington, DC Lobbyist who used to represent drug companies & who fought to prevent Seniors from being able to import less expensive medication from Canada. We have also reported on Knollenberg's links to other lobbyists such as Mark Valente and Paul Welday.

Well, today we would like to show you a graphical illustration of the donations that Knollenberg gets from his lobbyist friends.

If you look at the charts below, you will see the names of all of Knollenberg's campaign donors for the 1st quarter of 2007. The lines highlighted in red are lobbyists. You'll see some names scattered around on the charts that are highlighted in red -- until you come to page 4 -6 when you'll see a long block of lobbyists and special interest donors.

No wonder Joe Knollenberg votes the way the lobbyists tell him to vote. They pay for it.

What is Wrong With Knollenberg's FEC Reports?

What is wrong with these pictures?








Knollenberg's Federal Election Commission (FEC) report for the 1st Quarter of 2007 is wrong.

There is money reported as having been collected from special interest Political Action Committees (PACs), but according to the FEC, Knollenberg doesn't reveal from whom it was collected.

Click on the document to the left to enlarge it.

You will see that that the FEC lists Knollenberg as having collected:

Total Receipts: $264,311
Transfers From Authorized Committees: $0
Individual Contributions: $187,530
Non-Party (e.g. PACs) or Other Committees: $74,800


But if you went to the original FEC page for that document, and clicked on that last line item, the FEC link to "non-Party (e.g., PACs) or Other Committees", it only lists 4 PACs that contributed for a sum of $9,500. But the line item above clearly shows receipts of $74,800.

That is a difference of ($74,500 - $ 9,500 =) $65,000. In other words, we only know the source of $9,500 of those special interest PAC funds. Where did the $65,000 come from?

Did Knollenberg and his Chief Lobbyist fail

to properly report $65,000

that they got from special interest PACs?

To be fair, and we are always fair, this error could be the fault of the FEC. If it is, then we would expect Knollenberg's campaign staff to make certain that the error is corrected quickly.

Democrats go after Knollenberg Oakland Press 4/17/07

Democrats clearly have Joe in their sights, not because they're "playing politics" as Trent Wisecup likes to repeat again and again and again. Joe Knollenberg is clearly out of step with his constituents, so much so that he won't let anyone that doesn't see things like the war his way even in his office to talk to him, an office taxpayers pay for. Joe thinks people that disagree with him are "liberal agitators." I think beacons for change is a better way to describe those of us that want to see Joe sent back to Bloomfield Hills permanently.

He's so out of touch, he doesn't even mention Iraq as an issue on his web site. And he doesn't acknowledge the 79% of those surveyed in a Birmingham survey that think the escalation in Iraq is bad policy.

I expect we'll see a letter to the editor any day now from a family member of Trent Wisecup, defending Joe's positions.

I wonder if Joe's heard about the water powered car

Someone sent me this video and I can hardly believe it. This car actually runs on water. They also have a web site, Water Powered Car. I checked it out on Snopes.com and I can't find anything that says it's a hoax. The video is of a news report. Joe, do you think the Big 3 could manufacture this or it could be mass produced here in Michigan? I've forwarded the information to Governor Granholm for further investigation. Not to worry, Republicans wouldn't run with a good idea if it hit them upside the head.

The Sunday, April 15th, 2007 edition of the Oakland Press has a great letter to the editor from Thomas Bem of West Bloomfield Township. Tom hits the nail on the head on Joe Knollenberg's backward thinking. It's nice to see that other constituents are catching on to Joe's lack of leadership on important issues, like having our car manufacturers making cars that are cleaner and get better gas mileage. After all, why are we REALLY in Iraq? Could it be the oil? Just asking.

Where Did Knollenberg's PAC Contributions Really come from?

In just 3 months, Joe Knollenberg raised $264,311 in campaign contributions. That is an average of nearly $90,000 per month. (Clearly Knollenberg spends more time fundraising for himself than he does doing the people's business in D.C.)

His biggest contributors are from PAC funds and lobbyists -- all of whom are associated with special interests.

Over 28% of Knollenberg's funds came directly from PACs. This is actually low for Joe -- he usually gets at least a third of his contributions from PACs alone.

From the FEC:

AMERICAN BANKERS ASSOCIATION PAC (BANKPAC)	03/23/2007	1000.00	27930489071
GENERAL DYNAMICS VOLUNTARY POLITICAL CONTRIBUTION PLAN (GDVPCP)	03/23/2007	5000.00	27930488307
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE	03/27/2007	1000.00	27930490134
RED PAC	03/28/2007	2500.00	27930461881

This raises a question in itself.

The FEC reports Knollenberg got $74,800 from PACs.

But when you follow the link to the PAC contributions, the only PAC donations listed are the four listed above which only total $9,500. Where did the other $65,300 in PAC funds come from? Is Joe hiding something from the FEC?

Knollenberg Voted to Make Medicare MORE PROFITABLE For Insurance Companies

When Congress passed the Medicare prescription drug bill, they debated various provisions that would help make medication more affordable.

For example, they discussed allowing Seniors to import medicine from Canada where it is significantly less expensive. But, Knollenberg's current Chief of Staff, Trent Wisecup, was the lead lobbyist for the Pharmaceutical companies at the time and he led a campaign to keep Congress from allowing Seniors to import their medicines from Canada.

Joe Knollenberg voted to Stop Seniors from
Importing Less Expensive Medications.

Congress also discussed allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies. Other government programs such as the Veteran's Administration and Medicaid negotiate drug prices. Such negotiations would have saved Seniors and taxpayers billions of dollars.

Joe Knollenberg Voted To
Prohibit Medicare From
Negotiating Lower Prices on Drugs.

As a result, the Medicare prescription drug program has become just another big profit machine for insurance companies. And insurance companies don't even try to hide the fact that Medicare can pay big profits.

An April 1, 2007 article in a magazine for insurance company executives starts out with the following paragraph:

Most Medicare Advantage and Part D sponsors share a common goal: make Medicare a more profitable line of business.

Yes. Insurance companies are now talking about how to maximize their profits from Medicare. This is obscene.

Joe Knollenberg is fighting to help insurance companies, not Seniors.

The Exponential Rise in US Debt Under Knollenberg & Bush

Our economy has suffered an exponential increase in debt under Joe Knollenberg's watch.

Clinton had reined in the debt and deficit spending and in fact turned over to Bush an economy with a $127 billion surplus. By 2005, Bush & Knollenberg had turned that into over $319 billion in deficits.

Chart 1 shows how federal spending has increased dramatically under Bush & Knollenberg. Federal spending has grown from 18.5% of the GDP in 2000 to 20.3% in 2006.

Chart 2 below shows how Bush & Knollenberg have grown the federal budget. This chart shows what will happen if Knollenberg is re-elected in 2008. We can no longer afford Joe Knollenberg!

Since Bush came into office, Knollenberg has readily rubber stamped every single spending bill.

Knollenberg's fiscal irresponsibility has led to enormous debt - - over $8,887,588,819,701. That is nearly $30,000 for every one of us. Bush & Knollenberg are bankrupting this country.

We Can't Afford 2 More Years of Joe Knollenberg!

Schwarzenegger fires back at Joe, get off your butt and join us

Arnold Schwarzenegger fired back at our boy, Rubber Stamp Joe Knollenberg today, telling him to 'Get off your butt and join us.' Good for Arnold. It's about time some people in Joe's party expose Joe Knollenberg for his backward thinking. This blog is exposing Joe for who he really is and I hope that more and more voters in Joe's district are coming to know that Joe Knollenberg is not looking out for their best interests. Joe Knollenberg is looking out for the interests of the lobbyists that donate to his campaign. They've already filled his campaign coffers with $262,000. That money isn't coming from $10, $25 and $50 dollar contributions. It's coming from lobbyists that want something from Joe. For example, the pharmaceutical companies that don't want Joe to vote for the ability of Medicaid to be able to negotiate drug prices. Medicaid Part D has been a boon for the big drug companies. Medicaid is paying about 40% more than they should for drugs for seniors. The Veterans Administration get the same drugs that Medicaid does for 40% less.

When will voters in the 9th Congressional District wake up and smell the coffee? I think I know the answer, November 4, 2008.

If you'd like to help raise money to oust Joe Knollenberg, please go to Retire Joe Knollenberg and click on the Host a Retirement Party icon. Invite families and friends to your house and raise some money for the Democratic candidate. Donate directly by clicking on the ActBlue graphic and use you debit or credit card. It's past time for Joe to go.

Did We Really Invade Iraq To Help Bush & Cheney's Oil Friends?

Did we really go into Iraq to help Bush & Cheney's Oil Company friends get their hands on billions of dollars in oil?

You decide.

From the Dow Jones Newswire (1/9/07)

Iraq's massive oil reserves may be thrown open for large-scale exploitation by Western oil companies - which could end up grabbing up to 75% of the beleagured nation's oil profits.

A draft of this controversial law, which the U.S. government has been helping to craft, would give oil giants such as BP PLC (BP), Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA) and ExxonMobil Corp. (XOM) 30-year contracts to extract Iraqi crude.
Oil industry executives and analysts say the law, which would allow Western companies to pocket up to three-quarters of profits in the early years, is the only way to get Iraq's oil industry back on its feet after years of sanctions, war and loss of expertise.
* * *
Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister, Barham Salih, who chairs the country's oil committee, is expected to unveil the legislation as early as Monday and the government hopes to have the law enacted by March, according to the report.

Have our troops really been dying to make money for Exxon and Shell? Seems awful suspicious to me.

Still, Joe Knollenberg is supporting Bush's "Stay the Course" strategy. I bet Joe has a lot of stock in Exxon and Shell.

Joe Knollenberg's Positions are Out of Sync With Voters in Oakland County.

Earmarks More Than Triple Under Knollenberg

According to the Congressional Research Service, a non-partisan, government agency that does research for Congress, earmarks have more than tripled under Joe Knollenberg's reign in Congress!

That is right. TRIPLED.

Knollenberg is unapologetic about his earmarks. In one bill alone, he set aside over $2.1 million in earmarks for his friends. [109th Congress, RollCall Vote 628]

Indeed, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget, while on the Appropriations Committee, in 2005 alone, Knollenberg oversaw the adoption of 322 individual earmarks targeted for Michigan and totaling an amazing $ 293,815,000.

Yes. That is $293 Million of earmarks in a single year -- for Michigan alone!

Nationally, under Knollenberg's guidance on the Appropriations Committee, there were over 14,000 earmarks inserted into appropriation bills totaling $19,037,681,000 in 2005. Again, this is just for one year.

It is hard to even fathom what $19,037,681,000 means. It equates to nearly $65 for every American though.

Again, earmarks are not for federal budget items that are critical. They are generally included to payback friends who donated to their campaigns or others who may influence voters in the community. So, earmarks are more like graft, or bribe money. And Joe Knollenberg approves hundreds of millions of such bribe money every year.

JOE KNOLLENBERG's Wasteful Spending Habits
are Too Extreme for Oakland County!

This is sooooooo funny. Just for fun I put a poll on my web site, Retire Joe Knollenberg.


Do you think it's appropriate for Joe Knollenberg to have a lobbyist as his Chief of Staff?

Yes, lobbyists should tell Joe what his opinion should be: 80.00%

No, Joe should make up his own mind: 20.00%

I voted myself, No, Joe should make up his own mind. The thing is, Joe's Congressional office in D.C. is visiting my site 6-8 times per day, so they decided to rig the vote and vote that Yes, it's OK that Joe's Chief of Staff is a lobbyist and tells Joe what his opinion should be.

It's pretty pathetic Trent that you are controlling what Joe says and does. Just what voters in the 9th Congressional District need, another puppetmaster controlling an elected official.

We deserve a Congress person that can think for themselves.

Diabetes Cured by Stem Cell Research? Why Does Joe Knollenberg Oppose Such Breakthroughs?

Joe Knollenberg consistently opposes any efforts by the Federal government to fund embryonic stem cell research.

The importance of this type of research cannot be overstated.

The London Times has an article describing how stem cells have been used to cure diabetes Type I in children! This is a remarkable medical advance.

Can you imagine what medical breakthroughs we could accomplish if scientists in the U.S. weren't so restricted by federal regulations?

Yet Joe Knollenberg continues to support severe and unnecessary restrictions on stem cell research.

Stem Cell Research. Another area where Joe Knollenberg

is Out of Touch with his constitutents.

Joe Knollenberg is too extreme for Oakland County.

'Retire Joe Knollenberg' camp activates early - Farmington Eccentric

Oakland County resident Mike Smith, left, along with "Karl Rove" and "George W. Bush" demonstrate outside of U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg's office on Northwestern Highway in Farmington Hills on Wednesday to urge the Congressman to retire.

An Oakland County grassroots group has a creative way of getting its message across.
The group, led by Bruce Fealk of Rochester Hills, stood on the curb on Northwestern Highway, outside of U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg's Farmington Hills district office on Wednesday, sporting cartoon-like images of President George W. Bush and his Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove.

The demonstration was a kick-off event of the group's "Retire Joe Knollenberg" campaign, which is fueled by a new Web site, www.RetireJoeKnollenberg.com.
Click here to read the rest of the story.

Joe, I hope your press secretary is paid overtime

Hawaii Joe Knollenberg’s press secretary is certainly working overtime these days. I hope Joe is compensating him or her by the number of articles appearing in the local papers these days. But quantity does not equal quality. Knollenberg is still the same backward thinking Congressman he was when he was lazily spending time in Congress saying nothing and only appearing in print when it was election time. So let me address two of Knollenberg’s big initiatives, his $200 tax credit for health care education in the workplace and his vocal opposition to higher gas mileage requirements for the Big 3.

Knollenberg’s proposal does nothing to address the 46 million Americans that have no health care coverage. In a recent poll, 80% of Americans said they are willing to pay more taxes if they could have a health care plan that covered all Americans. You read that right, 80%, so that surely includes a majority of Knollenberg’s constituents, even the Republican ones. Half of those polled said they’d be willing to pay $500 more in taxes to have universal coverage. I’d say that is overwhelming support for an idea whose time has come. Joe even voted against giving the government the ability to negotiate for lower drug prices on behalf of seniors. Another big giveaway to the drug company lobbyists that have Joe in their hip pocket.

Another Knollenberg policy cornerstone is opposing higher gas mileage standards for automobiles. Joe says, alternative fuels, yes. Higher gas mileage standards, no. Again, Joe is out of touch with his constituents. A recent survey in the Detroit Free Press says that 67% of those polled would pay at least $500 and as much as $2000 for cars that get higher mileage. I wonder if the Big 3 could increase sales and profits if their cars were able to get 40 mpg instead of the mandated 27 mpg. I also wonder if higher mileage would mean more jobs for Michigan autoworkers. Just wondering.

So, all I ask is that you not be fooled by the fact that Joe Knollenberg is getting his name and face in your local newspapers frequently. Do your civic duty as a voter and read about his voting record and his past performance. We need more innovative representation for Michigan’s 9th Congressional district. Let’s elect someone in 2008 that listens to us, instead of Joe Knollenberg, who keeps his office door locked and guarded from his constituents.

Bruce Fealk talks to MDP Chair Mark Brewer about Joe Knollenberg

Bruce Fealk, host of Michigan Progress asked Mark Brewer about Joe Knollenberg's campaign strategy, about 10 minutes into the show.

Joe Has Lobbyists to Tell Him What His Opinion Is

Joe Knollenberg's Chief of Staff -- who also happens to be a Washington DC LOBBYIST -- said that raising fuel economy standards for automobiles would "be the death knell for the domestic auto industry". [Oakland Press, 4/3/07]

Funny thing though, the auto industry doesn't agree with him. Earlier this week, the major trade group for the Auto industry, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, was advocating that both cars and manufacturing plants reduce emissions of air pollutants like CO2 that cause global warming.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, an industry trade group representing General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG, Toyota Motor Corp. and five others, said in a statement that "there needs to be a national, federal, economy-wide approach to addressing greenhouse gases."

Knollenberg's Positions Are Defined By Lobbyists
This week, Lobbyist Wisecup said:

CAFE (Corporate Average Funeral Economy) mandates would cost the Big Three $85 billion at a minimum, Wisecup said.

But less than 3 years ago he said:

President George W. Bush has proposed CAFE reforms based
on recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences, which would increase fuel efficiency without a negative impact on the U.S. automobile industry.

How could CAFE be a "death knell" today when just a few years ago it could have been implemented "without a negative impact"? Seems Joe just needed a phony crisis to harp on.

Knollenberg's Position is Whatever Lobbyists Tell Him It Is.

Joe & Gonzo

Calls for the resignation of the U.S. Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, are ringing out from both sides of the aisle in Congress. Members of the House and Senate -- both Democrats and Republicans -- have been calling for his resignation amidst the scandal of his firing 8 U.S. Attorneys and replacing them with Karl Rove's political cronies.

Congressman Vern Ehlers, a Republican from Grand Rapids, has called for Gonazales' resignation.

Joe Knollenberg, the Congressman with the amazing knack of finding the wrong side of every issue has yet to make any public declarations about his position on the issue. He hasn't said he supports Gonzales. But he hasn't called for his resignation either.

Why is Joe Knollenberg silent on important issues of corruption and cronyism?

Knollenberg Loses Power

The non-partisian Congress.org has put out their 2007 power rankings. Many Michigan Republicans took a big hit, especially Joe Knollenberg.

"Joe Knollenberg (MI-09) is 220th". This is HUGE considering Joe was all the way up at 12th just a year ago. We already know that Joe was fakin' the bacon, but will he be able to deliver at all for us anymore? Smart money should flock to the Democratic nominee, to deliver for our moderate district in a Democratic Congress.

How Knollenberg's Economics Have Hurt Middle Class Families

Joe Knollenberg has consistently supported economic policies that harm middle class families.

He has been a big supporter of George Bush's tax cuts for the rich -- which we were told would create jobs and drive economic growth.

Part of that is true, those tax cuts certainly drove economic growth -- but the growth was only in the net worth of the wealthiest of individuals.

Under George Bush & Joe Knollenberg's economic policies -- we'll call them "Knollenomics" -- the inequality between rich and poor has grown dramatically.

The Rich Have Gotten Richer Faster Under Knollenomics
A March 29, 2007 article in the New York Times reported on a professor's analysis of IRS data. According to the NYT, some of the conclusions are:

• In 2005, the top 1 percent of Americans (i.e., make over $348,000/yr) got their largest share of national income since 1928
• Those in the top 10% of income levels (i.e., over $100,000/yr) also got their largest share of national income. Everyone else LOST income.
• Total income increased almost 9 percent in 2005. But those gains went primarily to the top 1%

Those in the top 1% saw their incomes go over $1.1 million (a 14% increase).

There are approximately 300 million Americans now.

It takes half of them (150 million in the bottom income tier) to earn as much as the top 300,000 Americans.

The income inequality gap has almost doubled since 1980 -- with the top earners making 440 times what the average person in the bottom half earned.

We Were Warned

Remember during the 2000 Presidential campaign when Al Gore kept saying that George Bush's tax cuts were only going to benefit the top 1%. Well, the data now shows that he was correct.

The NYT article also reported that the "share of income taken by federal taxes" for middle class Americans has been essentially the same for 40 years. But the weathiest of Americans have seen their tax burdens drop by 50%.

The Bush tax cuts -- supported in full and rubber stamped by Joe Knollenberg -- have only made the very rich much richer while the middle class has been left behind.

"President Bush and "Karl Rove" show up to help launch RetireJoeKnollenbeg.com

"President Bush" and "Karl Rove" were nice enough to stop by at Joe's office in Farmington Hills to help launch www.RetireJoeKnollenberg.com today. Everyone that attended was really excited to meet Karl and President Bush. I hope you will visit the www.RetireJoeKnollenberg.com site often.

"Do Nothing Joe"

"Do Nothing Joe" Knollenberg is certainly living up to his nickname these days.

Looking back at his record over the first quarter of this year we can see that he hasn't done anything useful!!!

One could argue that given concerns over Knollenberg's competency, maybe it is better that he doesn't do much. Like his friend George Bush, Knollenberg is always on the wrong side of the issue anyway.

But there are times when leadership is important. And Joe provides no leadership whatsoever.

One such area has to do with our trade policies.

Knollenberg Supports Trade Agreements That Threaten Our Jobs & Our Health
We've reported before that Joe Knollenberg supports what he calls "free trade" with countries like China. He fails to recognize that there is no such thing as free trade. There is always a cost.

The cost to us in Michigan has been jobs. We have seen our high paying jobs -- both blue collar manufacturing jobs and the associated white collar engineering jobs get shipped overseas. And Knollenberg supports the federal policies that allow that to continue.

And we can now see another example of how Knollenberg's "Free Trade" agreements cause us harm -- look at the poisoned pet food problem that we are experiencing.

That poison has been traced back to a manufacturing plant in China that sold wheat gluten to the food manufacturers.

Not only is this tragic because it means many of us have been unknowingly poisoning our dogs and cats, but today DelMonte announced that the wheat gluten they used in their recalled foods was labeled as "human grade". That means that it may well have been used in human food products.


Another disturbing aspect of this crisis is that FDA's activities seem limited to posting information on their website and maybe helping with some forensic evaluations of the pet food.

Isn't this the sort of thing the FDA should be protecting us from in the first place? Why aren't they? Of course Joe Knollenberg has shown NO LEADERSHIP on the issue of FDA's failure to protect public health and welfare from bad drugs or bad food.

Is Knollenberg incompetent
or has he just been paid off
by lobbyists
to not do anything that could
cost their industry's money?

When is a Blog Not a Blog -- When it is Joe Knollenberg's

Joe Knollenberg now claims to have a "blog".

What is most interesting though, is that he doesn't allow anyone to leave comments on his "blog".

So, basically, Knollenberg's idea of a "blog" means he gets to censor free speech.


The Irony of it All
Of course there is even more irony on Joe's new website -- he doesn't allow you to contact him by email!!!

His "contact" page only provides snail mail addresses.

That is not a surprise to his Constituents who have tried to contact him already know that he doesn't meet with or correspond with, or even reply to constituents.

It is just ironic that he has a website, but won't allow anyone to make comments or contact him via email.


Joe Knollenberg Ignores Constituents But Meets With Lobbyists
He does meet frequently with Washington DC lobbyists from Big Oil, Pharma, etc. He particularly likes to have them host fundraisers for him. (We have more about that coming up in a future post.)

Too bad we as voters don't have a lobbyist. That would be the only way we could get Joe to listen. Well, if we had a lobbyist and we gave him lots of money towards his re-election campaign.

We have a different strategy for 2008 though. We are building a grassroots effort to replace Joe. We have been getting great support from the community.

If you want to help us
get Joe Knollenberg out of Congress,
contact us at
joe@knollenberg.org

Meanwhile, notice all the anti-Knollenberg websites that are popping up these days like www.retirejoeknollenberg.com and www.knollenberg.org. No wonder Joe is so nervous these days.

First Retire Hawaii Joe Knollenberg House Party a Success

The first Retire Hawaii Joe Knollenberg House party was held in Rochester Hills on Sunday. We had an enthusiastic group as we gathered for fun, food and politics. Here's a little video we recorded to express our feelings about Joe Knollenberg.

Joe Knollenberg's War on the Middle Class Continues

Once again Joe Knollenberg has voted AGAINST Middle Class families.

Yesterday, Congress voted on a Resolution to:

* Provide Funds for the State Children's Health Insurance Program
* Grant middle-income tax relief
* Provide funds for higher education
* Make improvements in Medicare
* Support the creation of long term energy alternatives


JOE KNOLLENBERG VOTED NO ON ALL OF THOSE THINGS.

JOE KNOLLENBERG Opposes providing Health Insurance to Children.

JOE KNOLLENBERG Opposes providing middle class tax relief

JOE KNOLLENBERG Opposes making higher education more affordable.

JOE KNOLLENBERG Opposes allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices to save Seniors and taxpayers money.

JOE KNOLLENBERG Opposes alternative energy plans that could reduce profits for Big Oil companies.


Joe Knollenberg Has Spent His Career Fighting AGAINST MIDDLE CLASS families.

Joe Knollenberg is TOO EXTREME for Oakland County.