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Lit_Match

Dennis J. Kucinich

Current Office: U.S. Representative
Current District: 10
First Elected: 11/05/1996
Last Elected: 11/07/2006
Next Election: 2008
Party: Democrat

Committees:
Education & Workforce [House]
Government Reform [House]

Background Information
Gender: Male
Family: Wife: Elizabeth
1 Child: Jacqueline.
Birth date: 10/08/1946
Birthplace: Cleveland, OH
Home City: Cleveland, OH
Religion: Roman Catholic

Education:
MA, Speech Communications, Case Western Reserve University, 1974
BA, Speech Communications, Case Western Reserve University, 1973.

Professional Experience:
Consultant, Publicly Owned Electric Systems, 1979-present
President, Marketing and Communications Firm, 1985-1995
Teacher, Communications and Political Science, Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University, 1991-1994
Professor, Political Science, Case Western Reserve University, 1982-1992
Communications Entreprenuer, Software and Public Relations, 1982-1992
Clerk of Courts, Cleveland Municipal Court, 1976-1977
Sportswriter.

Political Experience:
Representative, United States House of Representatives, 1997-present
Candidate, President of the United States, 2003-2004
Senator, Ohio State Senate, District 23, 1994-1996
Democratic Candidate, United States House of Representatives, 1972, 1988, 1992
Member, Cleveland City Council, 1970-1975, 1981-1982
Mayor, City of Cleveland, 1977-1979
Independent Candidate, United State's House of Represenatives, 1974.

Organizations:
Member, Croation American Lodge
Member, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees [Cameramen's Union]
Member, National Guard and Reserve Components Organization
Member, Polish National Alliance
Member, Pioneers
Member, St. Paul's Catholic Church
Member, West Side Irish American Club.

Caucuses/Non-Legislative Committees:
Co-Chair, Baltic Caucus
Children's Task Force
Vice-Chair, Congressional Aerospace Caucus
Chair, Congressional Progressive Caucus
Vice-Chair, Executive Committee, Congressional Steel Caucus.

Contact Information
Key Staff Contacts

Washington DC Address
2445 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-3510
Phone: 202-225-5871
Fax: 202-225-5745

District Address - Lakewood
14400 Detroit Avenue
Lakewood, OH 44107
Phone: 216-228-8850
Fax: 216-228-6465

District Address - Parma
Parmatown Mall, 7904 Day Drive

Parma, OH 44129
Phone: 440-845-2707
Fax: 440-845-2743


Dennis J. Kucinich's issues positions from Project Vote Smart

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Donation links to NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) | MPP (Marijuana Policy Project)

 

Lit_Match

THE KUCINICH PLAN FOR IRAQ -- (House of Representatives - January 17, 2007)

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, Congress is beginning to focus on the necessity to take a new direction with respect to Iraq. There are some in the administration who are saying well, there is no plan. What can we do? We have to stay the course. We have to send more troops. We have to make a renewed effort.

Once again I am offering for the attention of this Congress a plan that I put together that meets the requirements of being able to bring our troops home and create stability in Iraq and reunite the United States with the world community in the cause of peace and security.

Here are the elements of the Kucinich plan:

First, the U.S. announces it will end the occupation, close military bases and withdraw.

The insurgency has been fueled by the occupation and the prospect of a long-term presence, as indicated by the building of permanent bases. A U.S. declaration of intention to withdraw troops and close bases will help dampen the insurgency which has been inspired to resist colonization and fight invaders and those who have supported U.S. policy. Furthermore, this will provide an opening for parties in Iraq and in the region to set the stage toward negotiations and peaceful settlement.

Second, the U.S. announces it will use existing funds to bring the troops and the necessary equipment home.

Congress appropriated $70 billion in bridge funds on October 1 for the war. Money from this and other DOD accounts can be used to fund the troops in the field over the next few months and to pay for the cost of the return of the troops, which has been estimated at between 5 and $7 billion while a political settlement is being negotiated and preparations are made for a transition to an international security and peacekeeping force.

Number three, order a simultaneous return of all U.S. contractors to the United States and turn over all contracting work to the Iraqi government.

The contracting process has been rife with corruption with contractors stealing from the U.S. Government and cheating the Iraqi people, taking large contracts and giving a few percentages to Iraqi subcontractors. Reconstruction activities must be reorganized and closely monitored in Iraq by the Iraqi government with the assistance of the international community. The massive corruption as it relates to the U.S. contractors should be investigated by congressional committees and Federal grand juries. The lack of tangible benefits, the lack of accountability for billions of dollars while millions of Iraqis do not have a means of financial support, nor substantive employment, cries out for justice. It is noteworthy that after the first Gulf War, Iraqis reestablish electricity within 3 months despite sanctions. Four years into the U.S. occupation, there is no water or reliable electricity in Baghdad despite massive funding from the U.S. and the Madrid Conference. The greatest mystery involves the activities of private security companies who function as mercenaries. Reports of false flag operations must be investigated by an international tribunal.

Fourth, convene a regional conference for the purposes of developing a security and stabilization force in Iraq.

The focus should be on a process which solves the problem of Iraq. The U.S. has told the international community, ``This is our policy and we want you to come and help us implement it.' The international community may have an interest in helping Iraq, but it has no interest in participating in the implementation of failed U.S. policy.

A shift in U.S. policy away from unilateralism and toward cooperation will provide new opportunities for exploring common concerns about the plight of Iraq. The U.N. is the appropriate place to convene, through the Office of the Secretary General, all countries that have interests, concerns and influence, including the five permanent members of the Security Council and the European Community, and all Arab nations.

The end of the U.S. occupation and the closing of military bases are necessary preconditions for such a conference. When the U.S. creates a shift of policy and announces it will focus on the concerns of the people of Iraq, it will provide a powerful incentive for nations to participate.

It is well known that while some nations may see the instability in Iraq as an opportunity, there is also an ever-present danger the civil war in Iraq threatens the stability of nations throughout the region. The impending end of the occupation will provide a breakthrough for cooperation between the U.S. and the U.N. and the U.N. and the countries of the region. The regional conference must include Iran, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.

The fifth point in the Kucinich plan is to prepare an international security and peacekeeping force to move in, replacing U.S. troops who then return home.

Mr. Speaker, this is a 12-point plan, and I will be presenting more features of it in future sessions.

THOMAS (Library of Congress)

Lit_Match

* Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, during a hearing today in the Committee on Education and Labor entitled ``Strengthening America's Middle Class: Evaluating the Economic Squeeze on America's Families,' I offered the following statement on the economic issues facing workers and families in America.

* As we will hear from today's witnesses, families across the Nation are experiencing increased financial pressures and too often failing to reap the rewards of their own productivity. Many middle class workers who have labored tirelessly to support their family are now faced with job insecurity and financial concerns. Too often, the overriding themes of many workers' lives have become themes of increasing debts and diminishing protections. The pressure they now face largely stems from circumstances beyond their control, circumstances that we as Members of Congress must work to rectify.

* Many families of middle class workers now teeter on the edge of economic stability. Every American can attest to the growing costs of necessities such as home heating oil, child care, and healthcare. As wages have failed to keep pace, many workers are placed in a precarious financial situation. Forced increasingly to rely upon loans and credit cards to make ends meet, families can find themselves one extended hospital stay or temporary job loss away from bankruptcy. The system designed to protect families in these situations is broken, and must be mended by this Congress.

* Outsourcing, once primarily a concern for manufacturing jobs, is now a growing concern for white collar jobs as well. Workers in my home state of Ohio have long known the consequences for workers when jobs are shipped overseas. The effects of trade policies such as NAFTA have led Ohio to post the sixth highest unemployment rate in the Nation in the most recent numbers reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Workers and their families are left in an insecure world, with diminishing protections and in need of a helping hand.

* No longer can our Nation turn a blind eye to the effects of lax enforcement of labor laws, inadequate social support systems and faulty trade policies. This Congress must take the necessary steps to ensure that workers and their families are on stable economic ground. We have the ability to better protect and aid our constituents, and we must move towards the goal of security for workers as we begin this new Congress.

Lit_Match

AMENDMENT OFFERED BY MR. FLAKE

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I stand to support the Hinchey/Rohrabacher Amendment, an amendment to end federal raids on medical marijuana patients and providers in states where medical marijuana is legal.

Despite marijuana's recognized therapeutic value, including a National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine report recommending its use in certain circumstances, federal law refuses to recognize its medicinal importance and safety.

This amendment does not change the classification of marijuana as a Schedule I narcotic. It does not legalize marijuana, or stop law enforcement officials from prosecuting individuals for recreational use of marijuana. It does not require that states adopt laws protecting the medicinal use of marijuana. It simply extends the protections already provided at the state level in ten states to the federal level. It ensures that critically ill patients can find relief from nausea and pain without worrying that the federal government will prosecute them.

The federal government should use its power to help terminally ill citizens, not arrest them. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

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bonghits4jesus420

Kucinich ROX

 

O High O

Dennis is cool... He's just so damn little and cute(no homo). He reminds me of Mango from SNL. Or a ventriloquist puppet. With a little Mr Roger's thrown in.

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Viper420

Everyone has to have a hobby. His is running for president with no hope of winning.

bonghits4jesus420

He's pro Mary Jane so go him.

tekkenlaw

By a wide margin my number one candidate.

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"Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself." -- Jimmy Carter

Plainsman1963

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