Capitol Connection Newsletter
Washington, Nov 4 -
House Passes Private Property Protections: For more information about the president's plan, visit Congressman Miller's website.
The House on Thursday approved a measure that prohibits states and local governments from
using eminent domain to seize land for private development purposes. The measure is in
response to the recent controversial Supreme Court ruling, Kelo vs. City of New London, that
upheld the right of a city to bulldoze private homes to make way for a private development to
increase tax revenue. Congressman Miller supported the measure, which moves to the U.S.
Senate for their consideration.
Included in the bill was an amendment offered by Mr. Miller that allows cities to responsively use eminent domain to redevelop potentially polluted, vacant commercial sites, commonly known as brownfields.
POLL: A “Fair” Price at the Pump:
Think Americans are the only ones dishing out a lot of money at the gas station? A recent AP/
Ipsos poll asked people in different countries what they think is a fair price to pay for gasoline.
The average answer per country, converted to per gallon:
United States: $1.99
Canada: $2.72
France: $4.08
Germany: $4.87
United Kingdom: $5.16
Congress is working to lower gas prices in the United States by reducing the cost of crude oil and
increasing our domestic refining capacity. For more information, visit Congressman Miller's
website or read his quarterly newsletter due in mailboxes mid-November.
President Bush Announces Flu Plan:
President Bush announced Tuesday he is requesting $7.1 billion from Congress in emergency
funding to protect Americans from a pandemic flu, like the potentially dangerous avian flu.
Although the avian flu cannot pass from human-to-human contact, experts say it could mutate
into a highly contagious and fatal virus. As outlined by the president, the government will focus
on quickly detecting outbreaks, expanding our domestic production of vaccines and stockpiling
anti-flu and anti-viral drugs. Specific funding points include:
Outrage of the Week:
Greenpeace is under investigation after its flagship Rainbow Warrior II destroyed 1,722 square
feet of fragile coral reef off the Philippine coast. Experts say it'll take the damaged reef,
designated a UN World Heritage site, hundreds of years to recover since coral in the region
grows about an inch a year. The damage occurred after the crew of the environmental group's
180-foot motor-assisted schooner sliced through the reef formation at the Tubbataha Reef
Marine Park . Greenpeace was in the area studying the effects of global warming on the reef, but
only found healthy, “unbleached” coral. That is to say, the reef was healthy until they showed up.