Last week, we noted that Scott Garrett was yet again the lone NJ Representative to vote against the COPS bill. And while (putting on my Scott Garrett “government and spending is bad” hat) I can see how he could conceivably make an argument that “even the ACLU” sees a better way to use the funding to accomplish the goal of crime reduction, I’m sure he voted against it for reasons different from the ACLU, but let’s leave those assumptions aside for now.

There was another bill passed last week, HR 1145, the National Water Research and Development Initiative of 2009, which passed the House by a stunning 403 vote margin, leaving Garrett as one of only 10 Congressmen/Congresswomen to vote against assuring that the US has adequate water supplies and clean drinking water, and to streamline the 20+ agencies responsible for US water policy. Even for someone that claims to be against government spending (notwithstanding his consistent votes for hundreds of billions to Iraq with no oversight, despite widespread reports of waste and fraud), this Bill would actually reduce duplicate activities, efforts and resources, and therefore save money.

When this country has been faced with natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, tornadoes across the Midwest, droughts in the south and west, wildfires in California and toxic spills contaminating our water supply around the region and country, it is absolutely baffling why this would be something to vote against. At a time when our food and water supplies are at risk – when there are shortages around the country and when we hear of chemicals infiltrating the water supply what does this say about the priorities of someone who doesn’t think protecting our nation’s water supply from contamination is important?

Consider the following:

• The water supply in Ridgewood just tested for levels of arsenic that were in violation of acceptable levels;
• Water test results for towns in Warren and Sussex counties were falsified over a number of years, leading to jail time; and
• This has been a documented problem in NJ with over 50,000 homes being noted as having potentially contaminated drinking water over the past few years, including a hundreds in Bergen, Sussex and Warren counties.

I may not see eye to eye with Garrett on most issues. But there are times where I can understand why he is voting the way he votes.

When it comes to protecting our water – a homeland security issue, I am at a loss for words.