Wayne Gilchrest: Fiscal Responsibility, My Foot

Wayne Gilchrest is arguably one of the most liberal Republican representatives in the United States Congress. On the Club for Growth’s 2006 scorecard, he ranked 206th out of 228 Republicans. That’s not a record to write home about.

But now Gilchrest is using taxpayer dollars to try to present himself as an economic conservative. Using congressional franking priviliges, Gilchrest is sending letters, funded by taxpayer dollars, to his constituents that say, “Government spending is out of control, and that’s why Congressman Gilchrest supports common-sense measures to eliminate wasteful, pork-barrel spending — he is a leader in ending earmark abuse. This year, 50 anti-pork amendments were offered on the House floor to strip outrageous pork projects from the appropriations bills. Gilchrest voted against every single one that he was present for. Last year, Jeff Flake offered 19 anti-pork amendments, and Gilchrest voted against every single one. Hmm, sounds like a pattern.

A Mule and Packers Museum in California? Gilchrest voted for it. A Lobster Institute at the University of Maine? Gilchrest voted for it. A prison museum in Kansas? Gilchrest voted for it. A zoo in Texas? Yup, Gilchrest voted for that too. Funny, these votes don’t sound like “common sense measures