I wish Florida voters had this option

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/irs010621.html


W A S H I N G T O N, June 21 — Congressional Democrats nearly succeeded in pulling Internal Revenue Service funding for a tax-refund mailing they argued was political advertising.



Democrats in the GOP-controlled House objected to an IRS plan to spend $30.5 million to send letters to taxpayers this year telling them to expect refund checks as a result of the partially retroactive tax-relief legislation pushed by President Bush and approved by the House and Senate earlier this year.
"We are pleased to inform you that the United States Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed into law the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, which provides long-term tax relief for all Americans who pay income taxes," the letter reads.

Democrats argued the mass-mailings amounted to campaign advertisements and moved to redirect funding for them to an unrelated law-enforcement initiative. They appeared to have succeeded after a roll call vote was taken on the House floor Wednesday night. But a half-dozen Republican representatives, who had initially voted for the Democratic proposal changed their votes after the time allotted for the vote expired — a practice allowed under the House rules.

The last-minute vote-switches elicited jeers from Democrats who began chanting, "Shame! Shame! Shame!" as the final 212-216 tally was announced by the presiding officer, Rep. Doug Bereuter, R-Neb.

'The Hammer' or the 'Wrong Button'?

Democrats accused Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas — whose nickname is "The Hammer" — of arm-twisting.

"It's a shame the majority whip feels so strongly about a taxpayer-funded campaign piece that he would persuade members to change their votes at the last minute in a way that was clearly against their conscience," said a spokesperson for Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Mo.


But DeLay spokeswoman Emily Miller flatly denied any eleventh-hour whip-cracking.

"Whenever Democrats lose on policy, they fight on procedure," she said. "They're sore losers crying foul."

Ed McDonald, press secretary for Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C., said the nine-term congressman simply hit the wrong button the first time around and then changed his vote after realizing his error.

"When he looked at it he meant to vote 'No' but hit the wrong button," McDonald explained. "No one asked him to change his vote."

The six Republican members who changed their votes were Coble, Mac Collins of Georgia, Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland, Wally Herger of California, Henry Hyde of Illinois and Heather Wilson of New Mexico.


I wish Florida voters who voted for the wrong person could have gone back and corrected it!


------------------
http://www.swirve.com ... more fun than a barrel full of monkeys and midgets.

 

FWIW, they can as long as they haven't submitted the ballot yet. If they punch the wrong hole and realize it, then you can throw the ballot away and ask for another.

Yes, but in the case above, they changed votes after they submitted it, and after they knew the results of the vote.


------------------
http://www.swirve.com ... more fun than a barrel full of monkeys and midgets.

 

The last-minute vote-switches elicited jeers from Democrats who began chanting, "Shame! Shame! Shame!"

That would have been hilarious to see. I mean, I can understand "Losers!" or "Dumbasses!" or "Y'all are idiots!" or even "Come on, guys!" but "Shame! Shame! Shame!"??!?!?


------------------
http://www.swirve.com ... more fun than a barrel full of monkeys and midgets.