It looks like Ed Bryant has joined Van Hilleary in the 'I Can't Tell The Truth' club.According to yesterday's Chattanooga Free Times Press, Ed Bryant once again tried to give the impression that he is fiscally responsible and that he supports a balanced budget.
"(Spending) is a major concern," Mr. Bryant said. "It would be worse ifthe Democrats were in control."
"Mr. Bryant said he supports continued military spending, but other parts of the federal budget need to be trimmed back. "Because of the war, it may take even longer to get back to a balanced budget," he said."
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Here is Ed Bryant's real record on fiscal responsibility:
While in Congress Ed Bryant voted in favor of a total of $1.1 trillion worth of federal debt limit increases. To put that in perspective, that is a $3.7 trillion dollar difference directly tied to my future and that of my peers.
Put simply, Ed's fiscal record is abysmal.
More of Ed's noteworthy failures on fiscal responsibility:
- While Ed Bryant was in Congress, federal spending increased 43 percent and the national debt grew by $1.5 trillion or $5,800 for every Tennessean.
- Ed voted to pass on our debt to our children and grandchildren by voting for over $1.1 trillion of federal debt limit increases while in Congress. HR 2586 on 11/09/95, HR 3136 on 03/28/96, and S 2578 on 06/27/02
- Ed had the unique opportunity to vote for the first balanced budget in a generation, but instead decided to vote against it. He voted against the final version of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which passed 346-85.
This was legislation that even conservative Republicans like Tom Delay and Rob Portman hailed as a landmark piece of legislative history on the House floor the day of its passage, because of the fact that it would actually balance the federal budget for the first time in a generation :
- "I rise in support of this legislation that finally balances our Federal budget. It is about time. I have waited my entire adult life for it." - Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), Congressional Record, 07/30/97
- "I think we need to step back a moment and think about what a victory this is for the American people. For the first time in more than a generation, we are actually going to balance the budget. We are going to stop spending more than we take in every year, an immoral practice that leaves the bill for the next generation." - Rep. Rob Portman (R-OH), Congressional Record, 07/30/97
Once again, Ed Bryant has been caught lying about his record.
If people are looking for a real fiscal candidate, look no further than Harold Ford Jr.
