On Thursday, December 11, 2008, 35 U.S. Senators voted to kill a $14 billion bailout bill for three US automobile manufacturing companies. One of the reasons most often given for their negative vote was the feeling that government should not interfere in our free enterprise economy. Since I've watched the U.S. government actively promote exporting American jobs, especially our manufacturing jobs, overseas for the past 35 years or so, I was curious. How did these same senators vote on previous bailout bills?
I chose to look at the U.S. Agricultural Industry, which has a long history of subsidized Rural Welfare that dates back at least as far as The Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933. The most recent revision to this particular "bailout" is the 2008 Farm Bill. H.R. 6124, "A bill to provide for the continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2012, and for other purposes" according to US Senate records, passed into law June 5, 2008. How did our non-interference Senators vote on this insult to their free-enterprise philosophy?
As it turns out, of the 35 senators who voted against considering a $14 billion emergency bailout bill for U.S. automakers already passed by the House, 26 senators had voted to extend Agricultural welfare, 7 voted against, and 2 did not vote. Individual senator's votes on rural welfare were as follows:
Allard, Colo - Yea
Barrasso, Wyo. - Yea
Baucus, Mont. - Yea
Bennett, Utah - Nay
Bunning, Ky - Yea
Burr, N.C - Yea
Chambliss, Ga - Yea
Coburn, Okla. - Nay
Cochran, Miss. - Yea
Coleman, Minn. - Yea
Corker, Tenn. - Yea
Crapo, Idaho - Yea
DeMint, S.C. - Nay
Ensign, Nev. - Nay
Enzi, Wyo. - Yea
Grassley, Iowa - Yea
Gregg, N.H. - Abstained
Hatch, Utah - Nay
Hutchison, Texas - Yea
Inhofe, Okla. - Yea
Isakson, Ga - Yea
Kyl, Ariz. - Nay
Lincoln, Ark. - Yea
Martinez, Fla. - Yea
McCain, Ariz. - Abstained
McConnell, Ky. - Yea
Murkowski, Alaska - Nay
Reid, Nev. - Yea
Roberts, Kan. - Yea
Sessions, Ala - Yea
Shelby, Ala. - Yea
Tester, Mont. - Yea
Thune, S.D. - Yea
Vitter, La. - Yea
Wicker, Miss. - Yea
It would appear that some U.S. Senators have an inconsistent commitment to Capitalism, Free-enterprise, and the American Way.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment