CNN: Giffords to Resign from Congress

You do realize she was shot while performing the duties of her office--meeting with her constituents

Those were her offices with her staff and they are being closed.

By Steve Kozachik

The voters elected Congresswoman Giffords to represent Congressional District 8. As everybody knows, through no fault of her own, she has been forced to step down. That istrict now needs a caretaker until November. Ideally, the Congresswoman would select somebody from within her inner circle to carry out her agenda through the end of her term. The logical names that come to mind are Ron Barber or Mark Kimble, both of whom have been loyal and reflect Gabby’s principles.

Both Democrats and Republicans should stand down on campaigning for the D8 seat. In November, it will dissolve and become embedded within the new District 2. There will be plenty of candidates competing for the new District seat, but 8 belongs to Ms.Giffords. That was the will of the voters as expressed in 2010.

The Congresswoman’s staff has been doing the heavy lifting of constituent work, lobbying on behalf of causes that are important to the Congresswoman, and keeping the D8 office afloat during the course of her recovery. That work should be honored and if there exists within that staff one who is willing to step up and take on the duties of being her arms, legs, and voice on the House floor through the end of the term, that staff has earned the right. They are the staff she chose. They are the staff who knows the issues.

In fairness to the D2 candidates, I understand that there are built in advantages to running for office as an incumbent. For that reason, my use of the word ‘caretaker’ was intentional. Whoever steps into her shoes must do so with the open commitment that this is for the remainder of her term. At that time, the will of the voters will have been honored and the ‘caretaker’ Representative will step down. Afterwards, the District boundaries will change, the constituents will change and the campaign for that new seat should be conducted on a level playing field; no advantage of incumbency.

If D8 is filled through the Special Election in a competitive race, candidates will have to run 2 simultaneous campaigns (one for the Special Election, and one for the new D2 seat,) they will need to raise money for 2 campaigns, the winner of D8 will take office and have to continue to focus on the D2 campaign for the rest of the election cycle, and in the process money will be wasted, attention to the needs of the D8 constituents will go unaddressed, and the work of the current D8 staff will be dishonored.

In the event the current D8 staff members simply want to ride out the remainder of the term doing the fine work they have been doing, I would still propose that Gabby offer up her strong choice for a caretaker candidate. That person would be honor bound to retain her entire staff, pursue her Congressional agenda through the remainder of the term, and step aside in November for the newly formed D2 Representative. If she were to do that, I would hope both Republicans and Democrats would stand down on running for the D8 seat and simply allow her choice to run unopposed.

Gabrielle Giffords was elected to an office that will end in November, 2012. Her staff has been focused on the needs of her constituents, despite the tragic events that threw her plans off course. We don’t need people running simultaneous campaigns for her seat, with the unspoken, but real intent of gaining an advantage by virtue of being called an ‘incumbent’ in what is rightfully her seat. She should be
given the opportunity to select her successor – and that person must take on that role with the expressed intent of stepping aside at the end of her term.

There are those who will say that it is the electorate who is to choose the Representative for D8. In fact, they did. Gabrielle Giffords was the choice of the voters in 2010. Her staff has shown it can ride out the storm and finish the term. Candidates should not subvert the will of the voters by taking advantage of the tragic events of January 2011.

Republican Tucson City Councilman Steve Kozachik represents Ward Six. He’s the director of facilities for the University of Arizona Department of Athletics.

"We won't be able to answer the phone, 'Office of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.' We'll have to answer the phone, 'Office of the 8th Congressional District.' Just that small change, really is huge for us. We're so proud to serve her and work for her. Not to be able to use her name as representing her is going to be hard I think," says Communications Director, Mark Kimble.

Constituents care more about that sort of direct assistance then they care about whether the representative is in Washington voting on a bill that doesn't pertain to them in any way.

It is the unwillingness/inability to carry out the functions of representing the people that matters, not the reason or the excuse there-of.

The cynics have long claimed that most people care more about their representative bringing home the pork than they do about doing good works for the nation on the floor of the House

The office is still funded, the staff is going nowhere right away, not till July at the earliest.

In the event the current D8 staff members simply want to ride out the remainder of the term doing the fine work they have been doing...

She was not unwilling to carry out her functions

Those district offices are a major source of assistance for constituents who have problems with Social Security, Medicare, and any other benefit program, or department, involving the federal government

Show me the proof of that. That article you posted says nothing of the sort.

Those were her district offices, and her staff--and the funding for them was allotted to her.

The ten staff members in Tucson and two in Sierra Vista will remain employed in Congressional District 8 until a new representative is elected to office, "after tomorrow we won't be able to answer the phone 'Office of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.' We'll have to answer the phone, 'Office of the 8th Congressional District," Barber explained

THis is also something that you would know if you were educated on how the Congressional districts are run.

House of Representatives

Each Member of the House of Representatives is provided with three allowances to spend on official duties, office, staff, and mail. These allowances are: personnel, official office expenses, and official mail (franked mail). In 2003 the total amount of allowance provided to Members of the House ranged from $701,136 to $1,636,750. Members do not have to use all of the money alloted to them in their allowances.

Personnel: Each Member is alloted $748,312 to hire up to 18 staff and four additional temporary, part-time, of shared staff. Staff can not be paid more than $151,974 per year.
Official office expenses: Each Member begins with a base allowance of $187,236 to spend on office expenses. Office expenses may include travel costs, office equipment, district office rental, stationary and office supplies, telecommunications, printing, postage, computer services, and other office-related expenses.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Congressional_Offices_and_Staff

So, how are the staff and the rental fees on offices being paid without a Member in the House from that district? Who's paying them? Are you even sure they are being paid?

Are you actually suggesting that people will be working for free till July?

I think that the most senior member of the party to which the vacant office belonged to last takes over the office budget as if they were running a trust, and makes any needed staff decisions until such time as the office is again

Pork = getting money out of Washington, which is 9.9 times out of ten why anyone seeks assistance from a representatives office. Lots of bitching too, but that is not looking for assistance.

U.S. REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS' OFFICE RECOVERS $314,000 IN OVERDUE BENEFITS FOR VIETNAM VETERAN
January 18, 2012
Payment for medical problems caused by long-ago exposure to Agent Orange is largest recovery for congresswoman’s office

TUCSON – A constituent services representative in the office of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has recovered more than $314,000 in compensation for a Vietnam veteran who has multiple medical problems because of his exposure to Agent Orange decades ago.

The payment of $314,062 from the Veterans Administration is the largest recovery made by caseworkers who have been working for Giffords since she took office five years ago.

The 64-year-old veteran served in the U.S. Army in Cambodia and Vietnam where he was exposed to Agent Orange, a specific blend of herbicides. In Southeast Asia, the U.S. military sprayed millions of gallons of herbicides on trees and vegetation that provided cover for enemy forces.

Because of confidentiality issues, the veteran, who now lives in Tucson, is not being identified. He suffers from ischemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus type II, both of which were caused by his exposure to Agent Orange. He also has a thermal injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The veteran filed a claim for compensation for his service-related injuries saying they were caused by exposure to Agent Orange. But the claim of this veteran and many others was denied because at the time, ischemic heart disease was not a medical problem that the VA considered a presumptive illness due to Agent Orange exposure.

However, in October 2010, the VA added diseases – including ischemic heart disease – to the list of those that were presumptively caused by Agent Orange exposure. The veteran contacted Giffords’ office in July 2011 to ask for assistance in recovering benefits that he should have been receiving since he contracted the heart disease a decade earlier.

Patty Valera, a constituent services representative in Giffords’ Tucson office, contacted the VA on behalf of the veteran and asked them to re-examine his case. Valera exchanged numerous letters with VA officials over the ensuing months as she pressed the VA to pay the veteran his overdue benefits.

Then within the past few days, Valera was notified that the VA had ruled in favor of the veteran and paid him $314,062 in retroactive benefits. In addition, he will receive disability benefits of $2,868 per month.

The benefit that Valera received for the veteran is unusual because of its size, but otherwise is typical of the daily work done by the team of constituent services representatives in Giffords’ offices.

More than 12,000 cases have been opened by Giffords’ constituent services staff since the congresswoman took office in 2007. In recent months, Giffords’ staff members have helped:

• A 70-year-old widow of a veteran who received $70,000 in owed compensation from the VA, just in time to pay for rent and food.
• An 87-year-old World War II veteran who received $13,000 in owed compensation from the VA. He is using it to care for his wife who is sick.
• A disabled homeowner who received a loan modification that prevented foreclosure and allowed her to afford her home.
• A special education pre-school teacher struggling to make ends meet who received a loan modification that significantly reduced her interest rate.
• A family who received their Lawful Permanent Resident cards in time for Christmas after waiting for five years.

• A 90-year-old World War II veteran who received four long-overdue medals 65 years after he left the service.

“Congresswoman Giffords came into office determined to have the strongest constituent services operation in Congress – and that commitment has not waivered,” said Pia Carusone, chief of staff for Giffords. “Our staff works hard every day to help the congresswoman’s constituents in southern Arizona in any way that we can.”

Giffords’ office has handled about 2,500 constituent requests per year – almost four times the average handled by the nation’s 435 members of the House of Representatives.

Giffords’ staff receives about 60 new requests for assistance each week. Some cases are resolved quickly while others take far longer, with numerous phone calls and letters exchanged with relevant federal agencies.

The greatest number of requests for assistance comes from veterans and active-duty military, seniors and families struggling to make ends meet. There also are numerous requests for assistance with passports, visas and foreign travel problems.

Common requests for help include:

• Homeowners trying to navigate the Making Home Affordable program to prevent foreclosure.

• Active-duty military dealing with TRICARE and other concerns.

• Patients working with the high-risk pool established by health insurance reform legislation.

• Students who have issues with loans through the Department of Education.

• Taxpayers working with the Internal Revenue Service.
http://giffords.house.gov/2012/01/us-rep-gabrielle-giffords-office-recovers-314000-in-overdue-benefits-for-vietnam-veteran-1.shtml

Bullshit, not when it comes to showing up to Congress as each member does not have the authority to decide for themselves to not show up and participate in Congress

It is within the rights of each house to expel those who dont show up, so long as the rules have already been established before the infraction,

There is no current rule so there is no basis to expel Giffordss. Or do you bother to think at all?

Quote:

It is within the rights of each house to expel those who dont show up, so long as the rules have already been established before the infraction,

That just undercut your entire BS argument hawk.

There is no current rule so there is no basis to expel Giffordss. Or do you bother to think at all?

While it may be possible for the Senate to do just about anything it is as unlikely for them to fly the entire Senate to the moon as it is for them to expel a member for incapacity.

Nonsense as I can not see even that body allowing a state to loss half of it senators for up to 6 years if someone become disable shortly after winning a term.

Why would the Senate, as an entire body, even be concerned about the representation from one state? Does the absence of one Senator significantly affect the functioning of the entire Senate?

Giffords is not a member of Congress, so she can't be expelled from Congress, do you bother to think at all?

The over riding issue is that every state and that state people have a right to two senators not one.