Blue Ridge Now via Michelle Malkin -
Shuler, who twice voted against the $700 billion bank rescue and the bailout of the Big Three automakers, said he could support a stimulus package only with certain assurances.
“This can’t be a Christmas tree,” Shuler said. “It can’t be the pet projects of the House and Senate.”
Shuler said the money must go toward infrastructure construction and the expansion of broadband Internet access throughout the country. The bill should focus on job creation, he added.
“We want people to work,” he said. “We need to be building bridges. We need to be laying infrastructure.”
But Shuler said the price tag of the stimulus package is high, and he is concerned about returning fiscal responsibility to Washington. He is a member of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Caucus and was recently elected whip of the group.
I have it on good authority from a Capitol Hill source that Shuler has heretofore been an empty suit and something of a joke on the Hill who’s achievement is limited to getting one piece of legislation enacted. Shuler’s contribution? Changing the name of the Asheville, NC VA hospital.
However, I find his willingness to oppose a newly-minted popular president of his own party very encouraging. Today, I find myself not completely embarrassed that he represents my district. Kudos to Rep. Shuler.
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