Wednesday, June 14, 2006

The Real Record


The folks over at What's Right in Montana want to have a discussion on Tester's voting record. They are calling him a "Tax & Spend" kind of guy. I call it fiscal responsibility, if you are going to spend then you have to get the money from somewhere. This is counter the current administration's policy, which is to spend spend spend and lower taxes on the wealthy until we now have the largest deficit in history. I would remind my constant readers that just 6 years ago, democratic president Bill Clinton handed Bush a balanced budget. That did not happen with Reagan or Bush SR., it was started and finished in the Clinton administration.

So, lets really look at voting records for Senator Conrad Burns. Today, we will start with Taxes and Budget issues.




S Amdt 3071 to S Con Res 83: To increase funding for Title I grants and reduce debt by closing corporate tax loopholes.
Voted No

This bill added 3.9 billion for education and training services, while raising federal revenue by $180,000, all by closing tax loopholes for corporations. It passed 49-51 despite Mr Burns vote in favor of corporations.



S Amdt 2602 to S 2020: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide tax benefits for areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma and to extend certain expiring provisions, and for other purposes.
Voted No

This one explains itself.
http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?vote_id=3706&can_id=S0521103



S Amdt 2626 to S 2020: To impose a temporary windfall profits tax on crude oil and to use the proceeds of the tax collected to fund programs under the Low-Income Energy Assistance Act of 1981 through a trust fund.
Voted No

This would have created a Low income energy trust fund from a windfall profit tax imposed on crude oil companies that produce 500,000 barrels per year. Note that a windfall profit is when a business earns unusually high profits due to some event not controlled by that business. The measure failed.
http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?vote_id=3709&can_id=S0521103



S Amdt 2371 to S 1932: To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide the authority for negotiating fair prices for medicare prescription drugs.
Voted No

Would have allowed the Secretary of Health and Human Services the right to negotiate cheaper meds for old people. This passed, not thanks to scrooge Burns.
http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?vote_id=3663&can_id=S0521103



S AMDT 210 to S Con Res 18: To repeal the tax subsidy for certain domestic companies which move manufacturing operations and American jobs offshore.
Voted No

What this bill did was to say "If you are an American company and you take our jobs over seas, we are going to stop giving you free money." Every job taken overseas reduces our tax base, but yet we are still giving them subsidies?? Looks like the only people that Burn's is representing are actually corporations.
http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?vote_id=3499&can_id=S0521103



S Amdt 177 to S Con Res 18: Relative to education funding.
Voted No

Budget resolution ammendment that would adjust education funding while still reducing the deficit by $5.4 billion. Closes $10.8 billion in corporate tax loopholes, increases Pell grants, stops cuts slated for vocational schools and so on. Again, an educated public is Burns' worst enemy.
http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?vote_id=3490&can_id=S0521103



S AMDT 172 to S Con Res 18: To restore the Perkins Vocational Education program and provide for deficit reduction paid for through the elimination of the phase out of the personal exemption limitation and itemized deduction limitation for high-income taxpayers now scheduled to start in 2006.
Voted No

Again, the guy knows he is doomed if people are educated.
http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?vote_id=3491&can_id=S0521103



S Amdt 220 to S Con Res 18: To protect the American people from terrorist attacks by restoring $565 million in cuts to vital first-responder programs in the Department of Homeland Security, including the State Homeland Security Grant program, by providing $150 million for port security grants and by providing $140 million for 1,000 new border patrol agents.
Voted Yes

Tough on terrorism? Big on homeland security? The record doesn't bare it out, now does it?
http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?vote_id=3492&can_id=S0521103



If we analyze this, we see a pattern emerge that shows our junior senator does not have our interests at heart. He has voted against education, help for seniors, national security over and over while voting consistantly in favor of corporations. This is his tax and budget legacy.

I encourage you to educate yourself at Project Vote Smart.

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