| I was a part of Dennis Shulman's campaign to unseat Congressman Garrett and now am collaborating with Blue Jersey contributors clammyc and Matthew Jordan on the Retire Garrett blog (retiregarrett.com). I was first introduced to bluejersey on Dennis' campaign and really enjoyed seeing the campaign's name in print so often here. I hope to stay involved with your blog as our campaign to unseat Garrett progresses.
I recently posted this abbreviated article on "Retire Garrett." It's about the Congressman's opposition to the bailout packages and his role in the current economic crisis:
Congressman Garrett's voting record since his 2002 election disputes the stances he has taken on the bailouts and economic crisis. His votes, speeches, and media appearances regarding the bailout and economy are dishonest.
The evidence speaks for itself:
* Congressman Garrett has consistently opposed government regulation of businesses since his 2002 election. Whenever a bill was proposed that held businesses accountable for how they earned their money, Garrett voted against it. His philosophy has been to let businesses act according to their own rules.
o The Congressman voted for decreasing government oversight of the Credit Rating Agencies. Many experts have blamed the lack of government oversight of Credit Rating Agencies for misleading investors, contributing to the collapse of Wall Street (Project Vote Smart).
* Even though he has aggressively criticized the CEO's of failing Wall Street banks and Detroit auto companies, Congressman Garrett actually supported out-of-control CEO salaries and "Golden Parachutes."
o The Congressman was a vocal critic of a bill that would have required publicly owned companies to fully disclose the salaries of their top executives as well as the payments made to departing executives, also known as "golden parachutes." (Los Angeles Times)
* Incredibly, the Congressman supported a $4,700 pay raise for himself and the rest of Congress that will be enacted in the middle of the current economic crisis, with taxpayers footing the bill. Garrett already earns $169,300 annually, which is the average for the rest of Congress.
o A bill co-sponsored by 34 Congressmen would have blocked the $4,700 pay raise from occurring. The bill had Republican and Democratic supporters, but Scott Garrett opposed it (Fox News; govtrack.us)
Scott Garrett claims he wants whats best for his constituents and the rest of American taxpayers. He says he did his best to hold Wall Street and Detroit accountable for their business practices. He has declared that he will fight to get the country out of the current economic crisis. Scott Garrett maintains there is a bridge in Brooklyn for sale at a bargain rate.
-Michael Simonson |
