Jim Bunning: “Mr. President, this is an unusually bad bill, and I have opposed it from the very start. The course it has followed…”

“Mr. President, this is an unusually bad bill, and I have opposed it from the very start. The course it has followed almost guarantees that it will be filled with the worst kind of gimmickry, and it is. The Senate may be the most deliberative body in the world, but this bill is anything but the product of deliberation. It is a jumble of disjointed ideas, unlikely to solve the crisis at hand, and it is unpopular. It turns out that the American people do not like the idea of bailing out banks and their neighbors who gambled on home prices. The voters understand what is going on in Washington better than we do. What is more, several of the complicated tax provisions in this bill never benefited from a full review by the Senate Finance Committee. Normally, this is a critical part of the Senate's deliberation. One example of a provision that could use more review is the new deduction for State property taxes. While it may be well intended, this new provision will complicate life for millions of American homeowners who will have to calculate their taxes twice to find out which method results in a lower tax. This complicates tax filings, and any Senator who has said the Tax Code is too complicated should be ashamed to vote for this provision.”