Indiana reps. vote 5-4 against bailout bill

By The Associated Press

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By Beth Boehne

Indiana's congressional delegation voted 5-4 against the government bailout of the financial industry Friday as it passed the U.S. House days after the chamber rejected an earlier version.

The House approved the $700 billion measure on a 263-171 vote, with Democrat Andre Carson the only Indiana member to switch sides from Monday's failed vote that rattled Wall Street. The U.S. Senate passed the revised bill Thursday with both Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and Dick Lugar, R-Ind., voting for the legislation.

Democrats Joe Donnelly and Brad Ellsworth and Republican Mark Souder voted in favor of the bill, while Republicans Dan Burton, Steve Buyer and Mike Pence and Democrats Baron Hill and Pete Visclosky voted against it.

Carson, who had voted against an earlier proposal Monday, said he supported the revamped bill because it would help thousands of small businesses in his urban Indianapolis district that rely on the free flow of credit to operate.

"While this legislation is far from perfect, it is much better than the original three-page proposal offered by the Bush Administration and the incomplete measure that failed in the House on Monday," Carson said.

"Much more needs to be done and I will continue to fight to make sure that more is done to help those working Americans fighting to avoid foreclosure and avoid bankruptcy."

Donnelly said he voted for the bill in hopes of helping stabilize the nation's economy but was less than thrilled with the legislation.

"While the bill that the House of Representatives received from the Senate is far from perfect, it is needed to stabilize our economy and spare Main Street from serious economic harm," Donnelly said.

Pence, who represents central Indiana's 6th District, said that despite improvements the bill remained "the largest corporate bailout in American history."

"With this bill we place upon the American public a responsibility which is not theirs: bailing out financial institutions after they made irresponsible business decisions. This we should not do," said Pence, who voted against the bill.

Buyer, who represents east central Indiana's 4th District, also voted against the bill, saying government intervention in the free market can be problematic.

"This bill is still a hurried and stressed solution, which in the end may not be in the best interest of the taxpayers," he said. "I am uneasy that bureaucrats will now be making valuation decisions on bad debt and using the taxpayers' money to purchase these toxic assets."

Visclosky said it is not the responsibility of Congress to bail out financial firms struggling because of greed, bad judgment and a lack of regulation.

"This crisis is a decade in the making," he said. "It is the result of cynical exploitation within an unregulated industry, and it should be addressed conscientiously and equitably."

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