UPDATE: Thanks to FR Friends Michelle Malkin and Doug Bandow for linking to this post.
Once we get past California’s Presidential Primary, we’ll be able to devote a lot more attention to the goings on in Washington, D.C.
That said, we did want to take a moment to pass along a hearty THANK YOU to four California Republicans and one California Democrat for voting against the so called Bush-Pelosi "Stimulus" Package in Congress.
For FR readers, you need not look past the main element of this package to scratch your head and wonder how so many Republicans could vote for it.
The center piece of this package is a huge "tax rebate" to Americans — it’s like $600 for a single individual, $1200 for a couple, and an additonal $300 per child. Without getting into the question of how a bit "bonus check" for Americans is going to substantively "stimulate" the economy, you have to appreciate these two important points:
1) MILLIONS of Americans WHO DO NOT PAY FEDERAL TAXES are getting this "rebate" — which, in our book, makes this BILLIONS of dollars in welfare payments.
2) MILLIONS OF Americans WHO PAY "TOO MUCH" IN FEDERAL TAXES get… ZIP. No "rebate" at all — which makes this an old fashioned government redistribution of wealth.
Given the BILLIONS of dollars of welfare in this bill, there isn’t enough "sugar" elsewhere in this package to make this into lemonade.
So a big thank you to Republican Congressmen John Campbell, Duncan Hunter, Dana Rohrabacher, and Ed Royce for standing tall. The other GOPers in the delegation can all pop some Tums, knowing that they shelved basic GOP principles to accamodate the desires of a lame-duck President to work a "deal" with the Democrats in Congress.
Oh, an honorable mention goes to Democrat Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez. I am sure that she had her own reasons for being one of the 35 "NO" votes on this bad bill, but we thank her none-the-less.
Below is the lonely floor speech of Congressman John Campbell against this bill. It’s about 3 minutes long and worth a watch…
January 30th, 2008 at 12:00 am
I would also note that once again Rep Ron Paul stood tall for taxpayers and also voted against this wealth redistribution bill.
February 1st, 2008 at 12:00 am
Thank you John.
I am guessing my congressman John Doolittle voted for it? Unfortunately we have dimwits like Lew Uhler supporting former Congressman Doug Ose as Doolittle’s replacement, and if Ose wins, we will just have a Democrat voting Republican replacing Doolittle.
February 4th, 2008 at 12:00 am
Loretta Sanchez voted NO, because she is running for Governor in 2010. (Candidate Declaration is on the Secretary of State homepage)!
Does this make her an alternative to Jerry Brown for the Democrats?