The Grinch

By Staff
Dec. 21, 2003
Some politician gets tagged every year about this time as the Grinch, and Christmas 2003 is U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor's turn. Probably as a prelude to next year's congressional elections yes, 2004, is another election year the National Republican Congressional Committee targeted Taylor as opposing many of the things most conservatives believe are good, giving his constituents the Christmas equivalent of a lump of coal:
Opposed tax cuts that helped create hundreds of thousands of new jobs last quarter and led to a rebound in the stock market.
For his part, Taylor said it was false to call President Bush's proposals tax cuts when, because of the deficit and the national debt, the U.S. Treasury will have to borrow money. Taxes will only be deferred, he said, because the debt will have to be paid with interest by taxing the next generations of Americans, and every dollar of reduced taxes will be offset by Treasury borrowing.
Put 4.7 million health care jobs in jeopardy by voting against funding for community hospitals.
Voted against giving 25 million American families a child tax rebate to spend just before school started this fall.
Rejected a plan to create more than 800,000 jobs through new energy projects that would also help reduce energy and heating bills for families and businesses.
Voted to defeat Medicare drug benefit for seniors endorsed by AARP and 452 health care and patient organizations.
The Republicans put Taylor on their "naughty list" for "towing the party line for obstructionist Democrat leaders." Our guess is that the Christmas mud won't stick and that, come election day 2004, Taylor will be just as popular with his constituents as he was in 2002, when he won re-election with 75 percent of the vote.