How Does He Sleep At Night?

What an awful vote to take.

However, Charlie Dent voted March 29th to support the Ryan Budget. This budget hurts seniors and the middle class while enhancing tax cuts for corporations and the the 1% that don't need anymore tax breaks.

10 Republicans did not vote for this budget. Charlie was a good solid vote for his GOP masters and voted to pass this horrible budget plan.

So on this tax day I thought I'd highlight what Charlie Dent voted for:

• $2.4 trillion in reductions from Medicaid and other health care for people with low or moderate incomes.
• At least $291 billion in cuts in low-income discretionary programs, like Head Start, child care, K-12 education, job training, Pell grants and services for the elderly.
• $134 billion in cuts to SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program.
• At least $463 billion in cuts in mandatory programs, such as farm programs and federal employee retirement.

Charlie reaffirmed that vote today by "deeming" the Ryan budget as being passed by Congress. So the Appropriations Committee (which Charlie is on) will use the Ryan Budget as a guideline to plan for Fiscal Year 2013.

Even the Catholic Bishops have criticized this budget. The news article points out:

In a letter to the House Agriculture Committee, the bishops say the budget fails to meet certain “moral criteria” by disproportionately cutting programs that “serve poor and vulnerable people.”

Regardless of whether you think Jackson Eaton or Rick Daugherty should be the nominee, it's important to pester Charlie for these votes. I generally agree with Rumblings' assumption that beating Dent is a real long-shot. I also think it's a shot worth fighting for. Charlie is that bad. This is not the vote of a moderate, but the vote of an extremist, and he took it because he feels safe. That's the shame of gerrymandering.