| Cheney should be pressed to defend his Congressional voting record. |
| Cheney Voted Against Head Start. In 1984, Cheney was 1 of only 10 House members to vote against an amendment that reauthorized funding for Head Start and other social services. In 2000, Cheney said, “Just because something had a fancy title doesn’t mean it merited support.” [H.R. 5885, 1984 CQ Almanac, p. 75-H, #238; ABC affiliate, Lawrenceburg, KY, 6pm, 8/10/00; Journal & Constitution, 8/11/00]
Cheney Voted Against Creation of Department of Education. In 1979, Cheney voted against the House passage of the bill and the conference report that created the Department of Education. [H.R. 2444, 1979 CQ Almanac, p. 87-H, #289; S. 210, 1979 CQ Almanac, p. 137, #468] Cheney Voted Against MLK Holiday; Against Calling For Release of Mandela. In 1979, Cheney voted against the legal observance of Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday. In 1986, Cheney voted against a resolution expressing the sense of the House that the President should urge the South African government to grant immediate and unconditional release to Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners. [1979 CQ Almanac, CQ vote #578, 11/13/79; 1979 CQ Almanac, pg 584; 1986 CQ Almanac, CQ vote #304, 8/13/86; Washington Post, 7/28/00] Cheney Voted Against “Plastic-Gun Bill,” Banning Guns Undetectable to X-Ray Machines and Metal Detectors. In 1988, Cheney was 1 of only 4 members to oppose the “Undetectable Firearms Act of 1988,” which made it illegal to manufacture, import, possess, or transfer a firearm that is not detectable by walk-through metal detectors or airport x-ray machines, such as plastic guns. The legislation was intended to crack down on arms for terrorists. Even the NRA refused to oppose this bill. [1988 CQ Almanac, p.40-H, vote #118; Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/28/00] Cheney Voted Was One of 8 House Members to Vote Against Meals on Wheels for Seniors. According to Bette Cooper, communications director of the National Council of Senior Citizens, “[Cheney’s] voting record on senior issues was a disaster.” In 1987, Cheney was one of only 8 House members to vote against the final bill funding the Act, and one of only 7 House members to vote against the conference report. [Cox News Service, 7/26/00; 1987 CQ Almanac, vote No. 155, No. 430] Cheney Supported a Massive $1 Trillion Gas Tax and Opposed Reducing Gas Prices. In 1986 and 1987, Cheney sponsored the “Energy Security Policy Act,” that imposed a 25 cents per gallon tax on gasoline, heating oil and other petroleum and, through an import fee, established a price floor for oil. Cheney’s plan estimated to cost consumers $1.2 trillion. In 1986, Cheney said, “Let us rid ourselves of the fiction that low oil prices are somehow good for the United States.” [HR 5318, 99th Congress, 1986; AP, 12/16/80; New York Times, 12/17/80; HR 5667, 99th Congress, 1986; HR 1066, 100th Congress, 1987; New York Times, 4/6/04; 1979 CQ Almanac, Vote #124, 42-H; 1980 CQ Almanac, Vote #128, 38-H] Source: "Cheney’s Bad Votes" - JohnKerry.com [H]e voted against affirmative action; against the `Head Start' program for impoverished children; against the Clean Water Act and against sanctions on air polluters. However, he was not always Mr No-no: he did vote in favour of easier access to handguns. Cheney's shameful record continued in foreign-policy voting (the area of `expertise' on which Bush will supposedly draw). He voted (not just once but ten times) against economic sanctions on apartheid-era South Africa. And he was one of only two US Congress members who voted against a resolution calling for the release of Nelson Mandela from prison. Asked to justify his egregious voting record, Cheney adroitly side-stepped the issue. `The American people want to hear about the future, not the past,' he quipped. Source: "Dick Cheney - New Internationalist" - April, 2001 by Alan Bisbort In 1981, Cheney Voted Against Raising Military Pay for Senior and Junior Enlisted Personnel. In 1981, Cheney voted against an amendment to increase the pay of senior enlisted personnel by 18-22 percent and the basic pay of junior enlisted personnel by 7-9 percent. The amendment was rejected 170-232. In 1982, Cheney Voted Against Authorizing Military Pay Raise. In 1982, Cheney voted against the "Uniformed Services Pay Act" which would have authorized a pay raise in FY 1983 for uniformed members of the armed services. The bill would have also restricted the hiring of private contractors to perform Department of Defense services. The vote was a motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill. The motion was rejected 214-186. As Congressman, Cheney Consistently Voted Against Veterans Administration Funding. In 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1987, and 1988, Cheney was one of a small number of House members to passage of bills that provided funding for the Veterans Administration. In 1983, Cheney voted against bringing a bill to the House floor and paired against House passage of a bill that provided funding for the Veterans Administration. In 1981, Cheney was one of only 41 House members to vote against House passage of a bill that provided business loans and additional educational benefits to Vietnam veterans. In 1983, Cheney was one of only 30 House members to vote against House passage of a bill that would have provided $54 million for Agent Orange studies and $75 million for the Emergency Veterans Jobs Training Act. When Rep. Dick Cheney voted against a 1986 resolution calling for the release of Nelson Mandela and recognition of the African National Congress, Americans did know this man had been waiting decades for his freedom. In a larger sense, so had all black South Africans. The tenets of American democracy -- one man, one vote -- were denied to the majority of citizens, along with the most basic economic and educational needs. Yet Republican vice presidential candidate Cheney still defends his vote, saying on ABC's ``This Week'' that ``the ANC was then viewed as a terrorist organization. . . . I don't have any problems at all with the vote I cast 20 years ago.'' What, then, does this tell us about what information Cheney considers before he takes a decision? And what the long-term consequences are likely to be, and on whom? By no means were Mandela or the ANC universally viewed as ``terrorists,'' evidenced by the fact that the vote on the resolution was 245-177 in favor, but still shy of the two-thirds needed to override President Ronald Reagan's veto. -- He was one of just 21 members of Congress, in December of 1985, to vote against a ban on armor piercing bullets -- called cop killer bullets. -- Three years later he was one of only four members of the House voting against a ban on plastic guns that could slip through airport security machines undetected. The National Rifle Association did not oppose this ban. -- Also in 1988, Cheney voted to scrap a proposed national seven-day waiting period on handgun purchases. Source: "Since Cheney's bringing up voting records…" - from blah3.com - July 05 2004 |
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