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Hernando Today

Brown-Waite Misses Stimulus Vote

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By TONY MARRERO

Hernando Today

Published: January 28, 2009

BROOKSVILLE - A family member's medical emergency forced Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite to leave Washington Monday as the House prepared to debate and vote on President Obama's $825 billion economic stimulus package.

But the Brooksville Republican had planned to join her fellow party members in opposition to the bill that would specify $550 billion in spending on new projects and $275 billion in tax cuts.

The tax cuts don't go far enough and wastes billions on "on make-work government projects and pet projects of the liberal left," Brown-Waite said in a statement released a few hours before the scheduled vote Wednesday afternoon. The vote did not happen before Hernando Today's deadline Wednesday.

"There is no doubt that our economy needs a kickstart to put us back on the path to prosperity," Brown-Waite said in a statement. "What we do not need, however, is yet another pork-ridden bailout that produces few jobs, sends billions of your money to corrupt organizations like ACORN, and does nothing to put money back in the hands of American taxpayers."

She criticized Obama's administration, which she contends "feels that big government should get even bigger, and if you run the numbers, even richer."

Brown-Waite also found fault with the way the money would be divvied up under the plan, noting that Florida would get "the absolute fewest dollars per capita of any state and the second fewest dollars per capita for transportation of any state.

"If my constituents are forced to accept a bill that puts their children and grandchildren another trillion dollars in debt, they should at least get something out of this bargain with the devil," Brown-Waite said. "Instead they get shortchanged and still get stuck with the bill."

She said the government should cut personal tax rates across the board, reduce the corporate tax rate, and better fund organizations such as the Small Business Administration and the Federal Housing Administration.

A parade of Republicans voiced the same concerns, calling the bill an example of wasteful government spending and criticizing appropriations for arts programs and global warming research.

The Republicans proposed an alternate plan Wednesday that was half the cost, included more tax cuts and, according to lawmakers, would create twice number of jobs. As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Brown-Waite provided input in the crafting of that plan.

Democrats defended their plan as an effective way to avert a deeper economic crisis and that the Republican measure wouldn't do enough.

Brown-Waite took a leave of absence from the House for Tuesday and Wednesday, said spokesman Charlie Keller. She is expected to attend the Veterans Benefit Fair slated for this Saturday at Nature Coast Technical High School in Brooksville, Keller said.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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