3 days, 5 hours, 9 minutes

NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA DEMOCRATIC PARTY

For Immediate Release: Jan. 21, 2010

3 days, 5 hours, 9 minutes

That's how long it's been since Attorney General Bill McCollum came under scrutiny for Congressman Bill McCollum's opposition to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  

3 days, 5 hours, 9 minutes.  

That's how long we've been hearing Attorney General "Bill McCollum not talking straight" about Congressman Bill McCollum's record in Washington.

3 days, 5 hours, 9 minutes.

That is how long candidate Bill McCollum has had to clear up his inconsistent statements about Congressman Bill McCollum's record. How much longer do Floridians have to wait?

ATTORNEY GENERAL MCCOLLUM'S EXCUSES ABOUT CONGRESSMAN MCCOLLUM'S MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY VOTE DON'T ADD UP

ATTORNEY GENERAL MCCOLLUM SAID HE VOTED AGAINST MLK DAY BECAUSE OF CONCERNS OVER THE FEDERAL BUDGET...

Attorney General McCollum Said The Basis Of Congressman McCollum's "Concerns Over Creating A Federal Holiday" Were "Adding To The Cost Of The Budget".  "'I voted against it back in 1983, a long time ago, and I did it on the basis of my concerns over creating a federal holiday where we had federal employees who would be given a day off work with pay, which is adding to the cost of the budget," McCollum told reporters."  (Orlando Sentinel, 01/19/10)

Attorney General McCollum's Reasons Don't "Jibe" with Congressman McCollum's Vote Record. "McCollum's stated reason for voting against the holiday - that he was concerned about the cost to taxpayers and "debt" - doesn't necessarily jibe with his later voting record in Congress in 1995 and 1996, when he voted to increase the national debt limits." (Miami Herald, 01/20/10) 

YET CONGRESSMAN MCCOLLUM VOTED FOR THE $17.2 BILLION SPENDING BILL THAT MLK DAY WAS PART OF & HE VOTED AT LEAST 4 TIMES TO INCREASE THE NATIONAL DEBT LIMIT

Yet Congressman McCollum Voted For The $17.2 Billion Appropriations Bill That Included The Funding For The Martin Luther King Holiday.  Bill McCollum, on October 26, 1989, was one of 323 U.S. House members who voted for "a $ 17.2 billion 1990 spending bill for the departments of Commerce, Justice and State and the federal judiciary" that included $300,000 annually for the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission. It was "the first time" Congress provided "federal money for its operation." (H.R. 2991, Approved 323-81, 10/26/89; The Washington Post, 10/27/89 and UPI, 05/09/89)

And Congressman McCollum Voted At Least Four Times To Raise The Debt Limit.  From 1995 - 2000, McCollum voted four times to raise the national debt limit. (Vote 743, 10/26/95; San Francisco Chronicle, 10/28/95; Vote 812, 11/17/95; Vote 820, 11/20/95; Vote 102, 3/28/96; USA Today, 3/29/96)

And During Congressman McCollum's Time In Washington, The Debt Increased By 4.7 Trillion.  During McCollum's time in Washington, America's debt increased by $4.7 trillion from $907 billion in 1980 to $5.66 trillion in January 2001 (when McCollum left office).  (US Treasury)

ATTORNEY GENERAL MCCOLLUM SAID CONGRESSMAN MCCOLLUM REGRETTED IMMEDIATELY 1983 VOTE...

Attorney General McCollum Said Congressman McCollum Was Naïve To Oppose MLK Holiday In 1983 And Regretted His Vote "Even Though It Does Cost A Lot Of Money."  McCollum said he was 'naïve' in 1983 to oppose MLK holiday. "When did he come to that realization? 'In the '80s after the vote,' he said. 'Shortly after the vote. I couldn't tell you the exact year, but this is what? Twenty-five years later? It was very apparent to me upon reflection soon after that that it was not a good vote even though it does cost a lot of money.'"  (Palm Beach Post, 01/19/10)

BUT IN 1989 CONGRESSMAN MCCOLLUM WAS ONE OF A VERY FEW WHO VOTED AGAINST FUNDS FOR MLK DAY...

Congressman McCollum Voted Against The Commission To Promote The Observance Of A Federal Holiday In Honor Of Martin Luther King.  Bill McCollum, on May 9, 1989, was one of only 42 U.S. House members who voted against "a five-year extension of the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission", a commission established "to promote the observance of the federal holiday in honor of King."  The "House, in a 359-42 vote, passed the bill in the same form approved by the Senate ... 90-7." The bill gave "the commission a five-year budget of $1.5 million," "providing federal money for its operation" for the first time.  (HR1385, Roll Call Vote 45, 5/9/89; Motion agreed to 359-42; AP, 05/10/89 and Los Angeles Times, 05/10/89)

1989: St. Petersburg Times Called McCollum's Opposition "An Embarrassment To Florida" And A Demonstration Of How Far Out Of The Mainstream He Is.  The St. Petersburg Times opined:  "only three Floridians" in the U.S. House voted "to kill all federal funding of the commission."  They were: "Mike Bilirakis, Andy Ireland and Bill McCollum. President Bush has indicated that he will sign it, which demonstrates just how far out of the mainstream are Mack, Bilirakis, Ireland and McCollum."  The Times called their opposition "An embarrassment to Florida".  (Editorial, St. Petersburg Times, 05/10/89)

Attorney General Bill McCollum not talking straight on Congressman McCollum's Record. "McCollum's explanation yesterday that he had a come-to-Jesus moment soon after [the 1983 vote] just doesn't wash with the record." (Miami Herald, 01/20/10)

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