How Did Your Congressman Vote On 2nd Bailout?

Florida Alabama Alabama's Jo Bonner was the only local Congressman to vote for the $700 billion bailout the first time around. Did he or the other lawmakers have a change of heart this time around?

by WKRG Staff

Published: Fri, October 03, 2008 - 3:01 pm CST

Yes
Rep. Jo Bonner
(R) Alabama
“My responsibility is to always try to do what I believe is in the best interests of the people of South Alabama. Regretfully, this job doesn’t come with a crystal ball where we can know, with certainty, what that is.

Frankly, I believe America is in the early stages of a true, full-blown economic crisis. The warning signs are everywhere. Banks are closing or merging, businesses are finding that credit is drying up, savings are disappearing and there is widespread concern that we haven’t seen the worst of it yet.

While we may never know whether this legislation was the right medicine for an ailing country, one thing I do know for certain is this… doing nothing was simply not an option.”

No
Rep. Jeff Miller
(R) Florida
“We are now confronted by a serious crisis in our financial markets. American and world financial markets are reacting to corporate greed, corruption, and the failure of this administration to protect the American taxpayer.

The panic in the market did not have to happen. Secretary Paulson brought a request to Congress for a blank check with no oversight. He then spread panic throughout the marketplace, basically begging for Congress to bail out his friends at Wall Street. He should be ashamed. So should SEC Chairman Chris Cox who “threw fuel on the fire” when he changed the rules to all the gamblers on Wall Street to game the system, make millions, and dump the problem on the backs of the taxpayers.

Many of my Conservative colleagues in the House worked hard to make this bill better than the Paulson proposal. But the fact remains; this legislation fundamentally changes the relationship between the government and the free market, and burdens the taxpayer with a $700 billion price tag.

We cannot sacrifice the long-term freedom of this country for short-term financial gain. For these reasons, I voted ‘No’ on this legislation.”

Rep. Gene Taylor
(D) Mississippi

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