Dems Continue Self-Congratulatory Signage

S. Amdt. 2361 to H.R. 3288

While the rest of us are watching our dimes, the Senate just voted to continue the use of stimulus funds for self-congratulatory signage promoting the spending of taxpayer dollars on stimulus projects. Sponsored by Senator Gregg, with eight other senators co-sponsoring, the section cited as "Axe the Stimulus Plaques Act" stated, "(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) may be used for physical signage to indicate that a project is being funded by that Act." 

About spending taxpayers’ money to make these signs, Senator Judd Gregg stated, "It has to be extraordinarily frustrating to most taxpayers to see that happening and it’s certainly not a good use of their money. It’s self-congratulatory, it’s political and it’s inappropriate. These truly are the signs to nowhere." He said that it’s common sense to eliminate tens of millions of spending whenever possible. Most Democrats in the Senate didn’t seem to agree and voted this amendment down by 45-52. 

Here are the voting results. A Yea vote would have discontinued wasting taxpayer dollars on signs:

YEAs —45
Alexander (R-TN) Barrasso (R-WY) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Brownback (R-KS) Bunning (R-KY) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Crapo (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC)	Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Gillibrand (D-NY) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Gregg (R-NH) Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johanns (R-NE) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kyl (R-AZ) LeMieux (R-FL) Lincoln (D-AR)	Lugar (R-IN) McCain (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) Murkowski (R-AK) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Schumer (D-NY) Sessions (R-AL) Shaheen (D-NH) Shelby (R-AL) Snowe (R-ME) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Voinovich (R-OH) Wicker (R-MS)

NAYs —52
Akaka (D-HI) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Begich (D-AK) Bennet (D-CO) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Burris (D-IL) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Conrad (D-ND) Dodd (D-CT) Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI)	Feinstein (D-CA) Franken (D-MN) Hagan (D-NC) Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kaufman (D-DE) Kerry (D-MA) Kohl (D-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (ID-CT) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Merkley (D-OR) Mikulski (D-MD)	Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Nelson (D-NE) Pryor (D-AR) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Sanders (I-VT) Specter (D-PA) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Udall (D-CO) Udall (D-NM) Warner (D-VA) Webb (D-VA) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting – 2
Byrd (D-WV)	Rockefeller (D-WV)