Scott Garrett has been involved in the bailout debate in Congress since it began in late September. He has been one of many Congressmen, from both parties, opposed to bailing out the big businesses whose incompetence helped lead us into the economic crisis. He has effectively expressed what has been on the minds of many people since the collapse of Wall Street and the meltdown of the “Big 3″ automakers.

Yet Congressman Garrett’s voting record since his 2002 election disputes the stances he has taken on the bailouts and economic crisis. His votes, speeches, and media appearances regarding the bailout and economy are dishonest.

The evidence speaks for itself:

• Congressman Garrett has consistently opposed government regulation of businesses since his 2002 election. Whenever a bill was proposed that held businesses accountable for how they earned their money, Garrett voted against it. His philosophy has been to let businesses act according to their own rules.

• The Congressman voted for decreasing government oversight of the Credit Rating Agencies. Many experts have blamed the lack of government oversight of Credit Rating Agencies for misleading investors, contributing to the collapse of Wall Street (Project Vote Smart).

• Even though he has aggressively criticized the CEO’s of failing Wall Street banks and Detroit auto companies, Congressman Garrett actually supported out-of-control CEO salaries and “Golden Parachutes.”

• The Congressman was a vocal critic of a bill that would have required publicly owned companies to fully disclose the salaries of their top executives as well as the payments made to departing executives, also known as “golden parachutes.” (Los Angeles Times)

• Incredibly, the Congressman supported a $4,700 pay raise for himself and the rest of Congress that will be enacted in the  middle of the current economic crisis, with taxpayers footing the bill.  Garrett already earns $169,300 annually, which is the average for the rest of Congress.

• A bill co-sponsored by 34 Congressmen would have blocked the $4,700 pay raise from occurring. The bill had Republican and Democratic supporters, but Scott Garrett opposed it (Fox News; govtrack.us)

There are many other bills I do not have the space to cite that prove Scott Garrett does not genuinely support the best interests of 5th District residents and the rest of the country. Visit Project Vote Smart to view the Congressman’s abysmal voting record on Business and Consumer issues.

Scott Garrett claims he wants whats best for his constituents and the rest of American taxpayers. He says he did his best to hold Wall Street and Detroit accountable for their business practices. He has declared that he will fight to get the country out of the current economic crisis. Scott Garrett maintains there is a bridge in Brooklyn for sale at a bargain rate.