This list comes directly from Congress via thomas.gov:

PIPA (S. 968)

Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] (introduced 5/12/2011)

Sen Alexander, Lamar [TN] – 5/25/2011
Sen Ayotte, Kelly [NH] – 6/27/2011
Sen Bennet, Michael F. [CO] – 7/25/2011
Sen Bingaman, Jeff [NM] – 10/19/2011
Sen Blumenthal, Richard [CT] – 5/12/2011
Sen Blunt, Roy [MO] – 5/23/2011
Sen Boozman, John [AR] – 6/15/2011
Sen Boxer, Barbara [CA] – 12/12/2011
Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH] – 10/20/2011
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD] – 7/13/2011
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. [PA] – 9/7/2011
Sen Chambliss, Saxby [GA] – 11/2/2011
Sen Cochran, Thad [MS] – 6/23/2011
Sen Coons, Christopher A. [DE] – 5/12/2011
Sen Corker, Bob [TN] – 6/9/2011
Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] – 6/30/2011
Sen Enzi, Michael B. [WY] – 9/7/2011
Sen Feinstein, Dianne [CA] – 5/12/2011
Sen Franken, Al [MN] – 5/12/2011
Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [NY] – 5/26/2011
Sen Graham, Lindsey [SC] – 5/12/2011
Sen Grassley, Chuck [IA] – 5/12/2011
Sen Hagan, Kay [NC] – 7/5/2011
Sen Hatch, Orrin G. [UT] – 5/12/2011
Sen Isakson, Johnny [GA] – 11/2/2011
Sen Johnson, Tim [SD] – 10/3/2011
Sen Klobuchar, Amy [MN] – 5/12/2011
Sen Kohl, Herb [WI] – 5/12/2011
Sen Landrieu, Mary L. [LA] – 10/17/2011
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT] – 7/7/2011
Sen McCain, John [AZ] – 7/26/2011
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ] – 10/31/2011
Sen Nelson, Bill [FL] – 9/23/2011
Sen Risch, James E. [ID] – 11/7/2011
Sen Rubio, Marco [FL] – 5/26/2011
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] – 5/12/2011
Sen Shaheen, Jeanne [NH] – 6/30/2011
Sen Udall, Tom [NM] – 7/7/2011
Sen Vitter, David [LA] – 11/7/2011
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] – 5/12/2011
Sen Moran, Jerry [KS] – 6/23/2011(withdrawn – 6/27/2011)

SOPA (H.R. 3261)

Rep Smith, Lamar [TX-21] (introduced 10/26/2011)

COSPONSORS(30), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]:     (Sort: by date)

Rep Amodei, Mark E. [NV-2] – 11/3/2011
Rep Baca, Joe [CA-43] – 12/7/2011
Rep Barrow, John [GA-12] – 11/14/2011
Rep Bass, Karen [CA-33] – 11/3/2011
Rep Berman, Howard L. [CA-28] – 10/26/2011
Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] – 10/26/2011
Rep Bono Mack, Mary [CA-45] – 10/26/2011
Rep Carter, John R. [TX-31] – 11/3/2011
Rep Chabot, Steve [OH-1] – 10/26/2011
Rep Chu, Judy [CA-32] – 11/30/2011
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] – 10/26/2011
Rep Cooper, Jim [TN-5] – 12/12/2011
Rep Deutch, Theodore E. [FL-19] – 10/26/2011
Rep Gallegly, Elton [CA-24] – 10/26/2011
Rep Goodlatte, Bob [VA-6] – 10/26/2011
Rep Griffin, Tim [AR-2] – 10/26/2011
Rep Holden, Tim [PA-17] – 11/30/2011
Rep King, Peter T. [NY-3] – 11/3/2011
Rep Larson, John B. [CT-1] – 11/30/2011
Rep Lujan, Ben Ray [NM-3] – 11/14/2011
Rep Marino, Tom [PA-10] – 11/3/2011
Rep Nunnelee, Alan [MS-1] – 11/3/2011
Rep Owens, William L. [NY-23] – 11/14/2011
Rep Ross, Dennis [FL-12] – 10/26/2011
Rep Scalise, Steve [LA-1] – 11/14/2011
Rep Schiff, Adam B. [CA-29] – 10/26/2011
Rep Sherman, Brad [CA-27] – 12/7/2011
Rep Terry, Lee [NE-2] – 10/26/2011
Rep Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [FL-20] – 11/3/2011
Rep Watt, Melvin L. [NC-12] – 11/3/2011
Rep Quayle, Benjamin [AZ-3] – 12/13/2011(withdrawn – 1/17/2012)

This is passed along from an e-mail I received.  While the specific story about one chain selling something made in the U.S. and the other selling the same product made in China has not been verified by me, the concept of buying an American Made product whenever possible makes sound economic sense.

Ever since our manufacturing base has been shipped to foreign countries our country has suffered a decline.  This decline and resulting economic impact will continue until such time as we start bringing manufacturing JOBS BACK TO THE UNITED STATES.  We can vote with our pocketbooks and our hearts by BUYING AMERICAN WHENEVER WE CAN!

Good idea .. . one light bulb at a time . .

A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn’t slow a train very much, a billion of them would. With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American.

Check this out . I can verify this because I was in Lowes the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments. They were all made in China . The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA . Start looking.

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else – even their job . So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track . Let’s get behind her!

My grandson likes Hershey’s candy . I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more.

My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico … now I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60 W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off-brand labeled, “Everyday Value. ” I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats -

they were the same except for the price .. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in – get ready for this – the USA in a company in Cleveland , Ohio.

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.

So on to another aisle – Bounce Dryer Sheets . yep, you guessed it, bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA ! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA – the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on and share it with your friends so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies whenever you can! We should have awakened a decade ago.

Let’s get with the program help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A.

It all started when I recently checked my e-mail and saw one of the typical “so and so is now following you on Twitter” e-mails.  Except this one said Maggiano’s.  It was different and it was a name that I thought I recognized. So, I opened the  e-mail to find out more about this new follower… Here is the screen I was greeted with:

I then clicked on the link in the e-mail to find out more about my new follower and was taken to their Twitter Profile:

Here is where I GOT VERY INTERESTED.  Just glancing through the feed, I noticed that they:

• Have an e-mail club where you can get discounts
• Give Club Members a free meal on their birthday
• Have daily contests
• Follow up on how people liked their experience
• Let people know in advance about delivery delays

Each of these examples on it’s own stands out as something that most businesses COULD do if they really wanted to. Doing even one or two of these things would let you stand high and above your competition in the minds of your customers and prospects.  But to see ONE PLACE DOING THEM ALL and making PERFECT USE of a social media like Twitter to do so is COMPLETELY UNHEARD OF AND TRULY OUTSTANDING!!

So, without further delay, I quickly went to their website (proving that using Twitter can drive targeted traffic to your website).  Here is what I saw there:

As impressed as I was when I visited their Twitter Page, I was BLOWN AWAY when I got to their website. I’ve highlighted the reasons why on the image.  But let me summarize:

GREAT DESIGN – I love the tasteful colors and the subtle texture effect of the background.

ONLINE ORDERING – There are services that let restaurants do this efficiently. But how many REAL RESTAURANTS actually take the time to offer it?

ONLINE RESERVATIONS – Think about it – this can be accomplished for any business. Whether it is a restaurant, tanning salon, garage, carpet cleaner, hair salon, barber shop, manicurist, etc.  Plus, you could even print out a coupon when your client makes a successful appointment.  Or a receipt – so when they walk in, they hand the receipt to a receptionist and immediately go ahead of any “walk-ins” because they have an appointment.  Then, using some other twists, how about offering them a reminder text message to their cell phone? It is certainly do-able and I can help make it happen for YOUR BUSINESS if you want.

E-MAIL CLUB – Capturing your client’s and prospect’s e-mail addresses is something you should be doing. Give them some kind of reward for joining and something on their birthday and other unadvertised bargains throughout the year. You can use any of the popular foundation services to help you manage your e-mail list. I can help you get started with that if you’d like.

SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTIONS – On Maggiano’s website you will also find the Social Media connect buttons for Facebook and Twitter making it easy for people to connect to them and get advance notice on deals, etc.

IN CLOSING…

The clincher for me was that Maggiano’s took the time to find me – someone located near one of their locations. Exactly how they did find me on Twitter could be as simple as a search for folks living in a city near one of their locations. But they made a proactive use of Social Media to get themselves a client and CERTAINLY got their name in a prominent place in my mind.  Your business can do this too! I can help make it happen! Start this year off right – just give me a call or an e-mail and we’ll get you ‘hooked up’ and on the road to success!

877-MAZIARZ

When good things happen, it’s beneficial to call them to the attention of others.  Anyway, the decision reverses an earlier stance which would have put several hundred people out of work just in time for Christmas. A real Baah Humbugger if you ask me. It’s bad to lose your job – but just before Christmas is insult to injury.

What am I talking about?   You can read the full story here.  But, I’ll summarize by saying that I tip my hat to the management and CEO of GE Capital and U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. for working together to bring about this welcomed turn of events.