Poor, poor, Kenneth...
We need to increase the troop level in Iraq so we will have to borrow some more money and increase the debt further. I know that is OK with Bushies. They love more debt.
Try reading this:
cagw.org
Or this:
cagw.org
Looks to me like BOTH parties spend TOO much. Although, with respect to being "Tax Payer" friendly, the Dems. don't do real well:
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste 2002 Congressional Ratings
Every year since 1989, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), has examined votes in Congress to determine which members are for or against wasteful spending. We are pleased to present our 2002 Congressional Ratings.
The economy traveled a bumpy road in 2002. Lower-than-expected tax receipts and corporate profits had a chilling effect on the economy. Private sector organizations responded accordingly by reducing new investment and jobs. Unfortunately, members of Congress, facing budget deficits after three years of surpluses, failed to demonstrate the same restraint. Lawmakers spent tax dollars as if the good times were continuing. In fiscal 2002, non-defense discretionary spending rose 12.3 percent. While facing a $200 billion deficit, appropriators still stuck 9,362 projects into 13 appropriations bills, at a cost of $22.5 billion.
The nation has reached the point where fiscal restraint, so often lacking under the Capitol dome, is no longer an option but a necessity. With a projected $480 billion deficit for fiscal 2004, there is even more reason to applaud the taxpayer heroes and denounce the free-spending villains of Capitol Hill.
CCAGW publishes its annual Congressional Ratings to provide a comprehensive look at waste votes during each session of Congress. In its 2002 Congressional Ratings, CCAGW examined 24 key House and 16 key Senate votes in the second session of the 107th Congress that had the potential to save taxpayers billions of dollars and bring the federal budget back in line. In this edition of our ratings, we examine votes relating to everything from taxpayer protection and IRS accountability, to coral reef mapping off the coast of Hawaii, to permanent repeal of the death tax in order to determine where each member stands when it comes to spending your hard-earned tax dollars.
If a representative or senator receives a rating of 80 percent or more, CCAGW designates that member as a "Taxpayer Hero," while "Taxpayer Superheroes" are lawmakers with a perfect 100 percent. There were eight members of Congress who achieved a perfect 100 in 2002. Top honors were shared by Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), Rep. John Duncan (R-Tenn.), Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.), Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), and Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.). In addition to the Taxpayer Superheroes, 80 House members scored at least 80 percent, earning them Taxpayer Hero status.
On the flip side, three members of the House scored a perfect zero. Reps. Bob Filner (D-Calif.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), and John Lewis (D-Ga.) voted against cutting government waste in every CAGW-rated vote. Next to the bottom were 15 House Democrats, who voted correctly only once, a paltry 4 percent rating.
There were 24 Taxpayer Heroes but no Superheroes in the Senate during 2002. Senators Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) John Ensign (R-Nev.), John Kyl (R-Ariz.), Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), and Bob Smith (R-N.H.) all scored the highest with 94 percent, followed Sen. Phil Gramm (R-Texas) with 93 percent.
A record 13 Senators had the dubious distinction of a zero percent score in 2002: Sens. Joe Biden (D-Del.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), Mark Dayton (D-Minn.), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.), Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.), and Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.).
The dramatic difference between party leaders was evidenced by the contrast in leadership ratings. House Speaker Dennis Hastert scored a perfect 100 percent, followed closely by Majority Leader Dick Armey, who scored 92 percent. Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) only scored an 8, while Minority Whip Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) scored a 13. Both Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Senate Majority Whip Harry Reid (D- Nev.) were at zero, whereas both Minority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and Minority Whip Don Nickles (R-Okla.) reached Taxpayer Hero status, each scoring 88 percent.
The highest scoring House Democrat was Rep. Ken Lucas (D-Ky.) at 79 percent, which is 46 points higher than the lowest scoring Republican, Rep. Connie Morella (R-Md.), who managed to achieve at lowly 33 percent rating. Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.) was again the highest scoring Democrat, with a score of 50 percent, while Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) was the lowest scoring Senate Republican at 44 percent.
CCAGW’s nonpartisan approach to its Congressional Ratings includes a review by the organization’s Board of Governors, a bipartisan group of current and former elected officials. As in previous years, the board was given the opportunity to offer recommendations and suggest modifications to the 2002 list of waste votes. In addition, CCAGW wrote letters to Congress notifying members of each of the votes CCAGW would consider in its annual ratings. Other votes considered reflect long-standing and well-known CCAGW positions.
CCAGW commends all 112 Taxpayer Superheroes and Heroes, and urges Americans to thank them for their attempts to cut government waste. The public should also make their opinions known to those lawmakers who did not make the grade, reminding them that they were elected to represent the increasingly overburdened taxpayers of this country, not to waste the people’s money.
cagw.org
But don't let the facts get in your way. :) Spin away!
Diz- |
