EC from DC - September 20, 2013

Unsubscribe|Forward to a Friend|Having trouble Viewing this Email?

Congressman Cleaver joins basketball legend Dr. Shaquille O'Neal to discuss college binge drinking

I rarely feel as short as I did the other day, standing next to The Shaq. The basketball legend joined me and others at an event I helped honorary host, to discuss a very serious topic. We talked about the problem of binge drinking on college campuses. The Century Council organized this event as a part of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 2013 Annual Legislative Conference. 
 

The Century Council organized the event to discuss how to communicate about and prevent overconsumption of alcohol on college campuses

This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart, as my best friend in college was killed by a drunk driver. Dr. O'Neal has worked with The Century Council in the past, to help develop communications strategies to reduce college binge drinking, particularly among African American students. We were also joined by experts from Morgan State University and Hampton University to listen to perspectives on the overconsumption of alcohol and strategies to prevent underage drinking. 
 

Congressman Cleaver listens as Dr. Shaquille O'Neal discusses binge drinking

This week I spoke out, again, on the House Floor to fight for food. I am sickened and saddened by this professed "Nutrition Reform" bill that the House voted on and passed. I voted against the bill.

This is not nutrition "reform". And hunger is most certainly not a game. This shouldn't be a talking point or a messaging strategy.

For more than 3 decades, farm and food policy has had bipartisan support. There was a strong alliance between urban and rural interests. Farmers and consumers have an unavoidable, symbiotic relationship. Those that produce the food also rely on those who consume it. Yet, in one fell swoop, the House has disregarded decades of this symbiotic relationship. And I strongly believe a disastrous impact will result.
 

• 1 in 7 families (almost 48 million people) faces food insecurity. They are uncertain as to when and from where their next meal will come. 

• 8 million of those people are children. 

• This action will deny food assistance to thousands of children, many of whom already show up to school hungry each and every day. 

• Many of the schools in Missouri's Fifth District – both rural and urban – have more than 50% participation in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. This bill jeopardizes school meals for almost 200,000 children because their eligibility for free and/or reduced school meals is tied to their receipt of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. How can we take away a family's SNAP benefits, along with school breakfast and lunch? 

• I have met with dozens of representatives from food banks, faith and community organizations, and others, on this issue. They are extremely concerned about the record numbers of folks they are seeing who need food assistance. And they simply aren't equipped to handle the massive wave of people they will see if SNAP benefits are taken away. 

• In Missouri, 1 in 5 children don't have dependable access to nutritious food. 

• In July of this year, more than 145,000 residents of Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties in Missouri's Fifth District received SNAP support. 

• This is an issue that knows no boundaries. For instance, Saline County had 15% of households receiving SNAP benefits, while Jackson County had 12.8%. Hunger doesn't choose between rural and urban. 

• Cutting SNAP benefits hurts our Veterans. About 900,000 veterans get SNAP benefits each month. This is no way to treat those who have sacrificed for our country. 

It is ironic that the House has taken this action this month. September is Hunger Action Month. And I believe cutting billions from the SNAP program is the antithesis of what we should be doing to fight hunger. It is a sad day – and I believe we can do so much better.

The Connie moves under its own power for the first time since 2007

It was a pure pleasure recently to join so many dedicated and hardworking area residents at the National Airline History Museum in Kansas City. I watched, in awe, as the historic Lockheed Constellation, known to all of us as "the Connie", taxied under its own power for the first time since 2007. This, and so many other accomplishments taking place at the museum, are due to the tireless efforts of museum volunteers. Just like the World War I Museum, Kansas City is the home to the only Commercial Aviation Museum in the country, dedicated to keeping old airliners flying.

As you know, Kansas City has a rich aviation history. It is a history that needs to be preserved. The airline industry in our city has been the source of so many jobs and so much economic development over the years. From the war effort in the 1940s to present day service, I want to see that impact continue. 

I will work to assist in the mission of capturing Commercial Aviation History and preserving the memories of the monumental efforts of those who helped build this city. And I hope to see the Connie return to the air someday soon.

Let me call your attention to a story told by the famous Missourian, Mark Twain. The great humorist said that on one occasion, he put a dog and a cat in a cage as an experiment to see if they could coexist peacefully. Surprisingly, they never went to war. Encouraged by the peace exhibited by these enemies, he added a bird, a pig, and a goat. Glory be to God, they all got along, albeit after a somewhat shaky start. (At this point I am taking some liberties to slightly alter Twain's story.) 

He then put a House Republican and a House Democrat in the cage with the other animals who had mastered the art of existing together, but soon there was not a living thing left. 

History will not measure this Congress' success by the bills it sent to the President's desk, the size of the deficit reduction, or the job training programs legislated. History will judge this Congress by the great opportunities we missed because of our preoccupation with tribalistic tone -- in an already perilously polarized nation.