The freedom index: a congressional scorecard based on the U.S. constitution

New American, The, July 21, 2008

Our third look at the 110th Congress shows how every representative and senator voted on key issues, such as economic stimulus, oil, the federal budget, mortgage relief and global warming.

House Vote Descriptions

21 Head Start. The final version (conference report) of H.R. 1429, a bill to reauthorize the Head Start program through 2012, was adopted 381-36 on November 14, 2007 (Roll Call 1090). Head Start provides educational activities and social services for children up to age five from low-income families. The program received $6.9 billion in fiscal year 2007. $7 billion was authorized in the fiscal 2008 omnibus bill, but H.R. 1429 increased funding to $7.4 billion for fiscal 2008, $7.7 billion for 2009, and $8 billion for 2010. The income level at which families are eligible to participate was raised from 100 percent of the poverty level to 130 percent ($26,728 for a family of four). Some members opposed the bill because Head Start grants will not be allowed to faith-based organizations that hire employees on the basis of religious preference.

We have assigned pluses to the "nays" because the bill advances the federalizing of the educational system, and federal involvement in education is unconstitutional.

22 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations. H.R. 3043, a bill to appropriate funding for fiscal 2008 labor, health, human services, and education programs, was rejected 227-141 on November 15, 2007 (Roll Call 1122) in a failed veto override requiring a two-thirds majority. Total appropriations would have been $606 billion. The bill included $150.7 billion--$6.2 billion more than for fiscal 2007--in "discretionary" spending, that is spending the government has not deemed mandatory, such as the big entitlement programs. It also contained more than 2,200 earmarks totaling about $1 billion.

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We have assigned pluses to the "nays" because social-welfare programs are unconstitutional.

ABOUT THIS INDEX

"The Freedom Index: A Congressional Scorecard Based on the U.S. Constitution" rates congressmen based on their adherence to constitutional principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, national sovereignty, and a traditional foreign policy of avoiding foreign entanglements. To learn how any representative or senator voted on the key measures described herein, look him or her up in the vote charts. The scores are derived by dividing a congressman's constitutional votes (pluses) by the total number he cast (pluses and minuses) and multiplying by 100.

The average House score for this index (votes 21-30) is 31 percent; the average Senate score is 26 percent. Ten House members scored a perfect 100 percent: John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Ed Royce (R-Calif.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), John Campbell (R-Calif.), Thomas Tancredo (R-Colo.), Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.), Tom Price (R-Ga.), Paul Broun (R-Ga.), and Ron Paul (R-Texas). The top scorer in the Senate was Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) with a score of 80 percent. We encourage readers to examine how their own congressmen voted on each of the 10 key measures as well as overall.

This is our third index for the 110th Congress. Our first index (votes 1-10) appeared in our July 23, 2007 issue, and our second index (votes 11-20) appeared in our December 10, 2007 issue. The current and past "Freedom Indexes" are available online at www.the newamerican.com.

We also encourage readers to commend legislators for their constitutional votes and to urge improvement where needed. For congressional contact information and a series of pre-written letters to Congress on some key issues go to www.capwiz.com/jbs/home.> 23 Children's Health Insurance.

H.R. 3963, a bill to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program, was rejected 260-152 on January 23, 2008 (Roll Call 22) when the House failed to get the necessary two-thirds majority of those present to override President Bush's veto. The bill would have authorized the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) at nearly $60 billion over five years, expanding the program by $35 billion. It also would have put an additional tax on cigarette manufacturers, would have undermined private insurance plans, and would have pushed us further down the slippery slope to socialized medicine.

We have assigned pluses to the "nays," because federal healthcare programs are unconstitutional.

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24 Economic Stimulus. H.R. 5140, the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, passed 385-35 on January 29, 2008 (Roll Call 25). It would provide about $150 billion in economic stimulus, including $101.1 billion in direct payments of rebate checks (typically $600) to most taxpayers in 2008 and temporary tax breaks for businesses.

We have assigned pluses to the "nays" because creating money out of thin air and then spending the newly created money cannot improve the economy, at least not in the long term. (If it could, why not create even more money for rebates and make every American a millionaire?) The stimulus has no offset and thus increases the federal deficit by the amount of the stimulus because the government must borrow the rebate money. A realistic long-term stimulus can only be achieved by lowering taxes through less government and by reducing regulatory burdens.