Central Coast congressional representatives had differing votes and opinions on Friday's bailout approval.
Republican Rep. Elton Gallegly voted no while Democratic Rep. Lois Capps cast a vote in favor of the $700 billion plan.
Gallegly, who voted against the plan for a second time in as many votes, said in a statement the bill is “fundamentally flawed,” and Congress should have stayed in Washington D.C. until the “right solution” was reached.
“There is no doubt our economy faces a crisis. To resolve it, we need a solution that addresses the core reasons for the crisis,” he said. “As I have said repeatedly, while I do not like government intervention, if we are to intervene, we must do so correctly.”
Gallegly, whose 24th District includes inland parts of Santa Barbara County, said provisions added in the Senate - including a $192 million tax break for Puerto Rican rum and a $148 million tax break for wool fabric producers - will do nothing to solve the financial crisis.
He also said the reasons at the root of the economic problem, such as Wall Street greed, consumer debt, and devious mortgage brokers, aren't tackled in the bill.
Gallegly was flying back to California from Washington, D.C., and couldn't be reached for comment, a spokesman said.
In voting for the bailout, Capps said in a statement, the bill is an “important step to protect our economy and the financial livelihood of all people on the South and Central Coasts.”
Capps' 23rd Congressional District stretches along the coast from Oxnard in the south to the Monterey County line in the north.
She said the bill addresses the financial crisis and protects middle-class taxpayers, supports alternative energy, and requires insurance companies to handle mental-health coverage like other diseases.
Capps couldn't be reached for comment.
October 4, 2008