Traverse City (Aug -8) Many Americans are angry at politicians playing politics with the future of our Country. They are very passionate about preserving their freedoms and liberties. The days of Congress making back room deals behind closed doors without regard of their constituent’s views is no longer acceptable by the American people. Joel Havard of VPnational.org(a website that informs constituents on legislation in Congress) observed an increase in the level of citizens’ frustration with politicians, due in part to the manner that “The Affordable Care Act” (H.R. 3962) was addressed in Congress.Mr. Havard attributes former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s comment on the health care bill, “We have to pass the bill so you can see what is it in”, as the catalyst that ignited the passion within the American people. Apparently members of Congress were not going to read the bill, and per Speaker Pelosi’s invitation, citizens decided they would find out for themselves what exactly was contained in the bill. However, locating a source that provided information on the legislation proved to be a time consuming and frustrating task. Tony Ferguson of the Speak America Coalition put it this way, “I spent hours just trying to locate somewhere on the internet where I could read the bill and see how it would affect me and my family. I did find a couple of places, but I was not sure if I could believe what I read, it made me feel like those people in Washington( i.e. Congress) didn’t want me to know what was going on. It does not matter if you were for or against the Health Care Bill; Congresses rush to pass it before they, or the people, knew what was in it-that is what upset me.”
Such sentiments being wide spread among concerned Americans is what led Joel Havard and his partner Russell Schroeder to develop the website VPnational.org When you look at the political landscape today and the agenda that is being proposed through critical legislation, you realize this is only the start. Take for example the current debate on whether or not to raise the debt ceiling; the decision our elected officials make on that proposal will monumentally impact the future of our Country. But this time the American people are saying not so fast, not without our input you don’t. They are going to learn about Senate bill S. 1340 and House bill H.R. 2560, and voice their opinion by writing their Congressman,” said Havard.
VPnational was founded in 2011 to encourage all Americans to have an active role in determining the future direction of our Country. It is our mission to empower Americans to have their voices heard and hold Congress accountable for their decisions and actions. VPnational provides consolidated unbiased information on legislation and bills in Congress including bill text, bill summary, bill sponsors, and committee assignments. Powerful tracking tools include email notification when their Congressmen vote on bills, when legislation within a specific category is introduced and more. Users identify a bill of interest and voice their opinion directly to their Congressman from the website, and then hold them accountable by viewing their lawmaker’s actual voting records.