Here’s the canned response Saxby is sending those who contacted him about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009:
Thank you for contacting me regarding H.R. 1, the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.” It is good to hear from you.
On January 28, 2009, the House of Representatives voted along party lines to pass this bill and send it to the Senate. As lawmakers worked to amend the legislation, the majority repeatedly discouraged efforts to find solutions that would truly stimulate the economy.
Instead of focusing on creating jobs, boosting the housing sector and lending a hand to Americans who have lost jobs through no fault of their own, this massive bill morphed into a bloated government giveaway. It is one of the most expensive pieces of spending legislation ever created. It also expands an already enormous deficit.
Therefore, I voted against cutting off debate on the legislation, and against its passage in the Senate. However, the bill passed by a vote of 61-37. On February 13, 2009, I also voted against the conference report of the bill, which ultimately passed by a vote of 60-38.
The majority in Congress has been in runaway mode when it comes to spending taxpayer dollars. This legislation is yet another sign that Washington is more concerned with pet projects than with taxpayers’ concerns.
If we do not get a handle on federal spending – including both discretionary and entitlement programs – and make reforms now, we will pass this burden to our children and grandchildren. We must reform our budget process, put an end to wasteful spending and implement the fiscal responsibility that taxpayers demand and deserve.
I read that, and all I really saw was “Now that there’s a Democrat in the White House, we need to get a handle on spending.”
Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that both of our Georgia Senators voted against the bill. The problem I have is that neither of them seemed to have a problem with spending when it was a Republican pushing the insane spending bills.
I’ve heard that Saxby got the message after his and that he’s going to be a real conservative going forward. I haven’t heard it from him, but I’ve heard it a lot. I hope that’s the case, but so far I’m not convinced we’ve got anything more than a couple of RINOs representing Georgia in the Senate.
