Congress OKs $136B Corporate Tax-Cut Bill

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CONGRESS_RDP?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME


Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., points to a chart detailing military reserve call ups in regards to a tax bill which was passed by the Senate during a news conference on Capitol Hill Monday, Oct. 11, 2004 in Washington. Landrieu won agreement for a vote on a measure giving a 50 percent tax credit to employers who compensate workers up to $30,000 in lost pay when military Reservists or National Guard members are called to active duty. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)


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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate shipped President Bush a wide-ranging $136 billion corporate tax-cut bill and a disaster aid package on Monday, letting lawmakers head home for the finale of the presidential and congressional campaigns.

Florida, a vote-rich prize that both parties covet, will be chief beneficiary of the $14.5 billion disaster measure as the state rebuilds from a battering by four recent hurricanes. Included is $2.9 billion for farmers beset by drought, floods or other emergencies, with some money headed to other electoral battleground states like Ohio and Wisconsin.

The tax bill, which the Senate approved 69-17, began as an effort to help U.S. exporters avoid European tariffs. But as Republican leaders hunted for votes, it swelled into the most profound rewrite of the corporate tax code in two decades.

The final 633-page product pared taxes for interests ranging from major manufacturers to native Alaskan whalers and ethanol producers. Other winners included fishing tackle box makers, NASCAR track owners, Chinese ceiling fan importers, and foreigners winning bets at U.S. horse and dog racing tracks.
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the bastard

But what a bunch of spineless wonders we have in the Senate. Here's a list of the Y votes, including some "liberal" Democratic Senators:
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Breaux (D-LA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Chafee (R-RI)
Clinton (D-NY)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Conrad (D-ND)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
Daschle (D-SD)
Dayton (D-MN)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feingold (D-WI)
Fitzgerald (R-IL)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
McConnell (R-KY)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Nickles (R-OK)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Schumer (D-NY)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Stevens (R-AK)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Wyden (D-OR)

It is disgusting - even our 2 (D) WA Senator voted for it so we could get the sales tax deduction back on the 1040.