Congressman Brady Profiled in the Houston Chronicle
Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 09:47AM
Kevin Brady is not happy. Not at all. The Republican congressman from The Woodlands, who represents the north Houston suburbs and a wide swath of East Texas, ran for office in 1996 preaching the gospel of free markets and fiscal conservatism. And over the last few years, he has watched the economy plummet.
He was unhappy two weeks after a trip to Singapore, where meetings with trade ministers, business leaders and diplomats left him convinced that the U.S. economy is slipping behind global competitors. But it was his nationally televised clash last Thursday with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner that secured his place as a grass-roots conservative superstar.
"The economic numbers keep getting worse," the 54-year-old former Chamber of Commerce executive said in an interview. "The stimulus has become a late-night comedy punch line. We're losing ground to other countries whose economies are recovering much faster than ours."
To read the full article on the Chronicle's website, CLICK HERE!
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LETTERS
Brady's record questioned
Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Dec. 1, 2009, 11:36PM
Too little, too late
Regarding “He doesn't like numbers he crunches; Low-key Brady has become vocal about economy” (Page A1, Saturday), so U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady is finally concerned about the U.S. economy. Where was he when the Republican administration had control of the White House and members of Congress stepped aside to let their friends, the Wall Street sharks, plunder the nation? I have no recollection of Brady being particularly concerned or vocal when his party was in power and might have averted the catastrophic meltdown of the financial industry before it caused the nation to fall into the worst economic black hole since the Great Depression. What did his number crunching tell him while that mess was going on (from which we are all still suffering)? Too little, too late, Kevin Brady.
DAVID J. SMITH
Spring
No truer words
No truer words were spoken than when Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, in response to Rep. Kevin Brady's request that he resign, said, “I agree with nothing you have said. What I can't take responsibility for is the legacy of crisis you've bequeathed this country.” I'm not certain if the Houston Chronicle is engaging in investigate journalism or a campaign article for Brady, but let's look at what has taken place since his election in 1996 to the House of Representatives and “his gospel of free markets and fiscal conservatism.” At least a doubling of the national debt, four years of budget surpluses turned into eight years of deficit spending, colossal failures in foreign policy and fiscal policy, conservatively managed banking and financial markets which, without massive government bailouts, would have led us into a great depression for the first time since 1929. It's hard to see how Brady is “conservative and fiscally responsible” if we just examine his voting record. He fully supported the fiasco in Iraq, without funding. He fully supported the dithering in Afghanistan for seven years, without funding. He fully supported Republican socialized medicine, better known as Medicare Part D, without funding. He fully supported tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, without spending cuts to match those tax cuts. Now Brady aspires for a leadership position on the House Ways and Means Committee. How can this country, never mind his constituency, afford the risk with a member of Congress who has shown such a lack of competence and leadership in fiscal matters? There is, however, an opportunity for Brady to show some leadership when it comes to taxation and spending. The BAE System plant in Sealy has lost its contract to a lower bidder, and since Brady is fiscally conservative and this is my and many others' tax money, he will obviously defend the closing of this plant and reassignment of its contract. Otherwise he can take his flags and tea bags and just lead, follow or get out of the way.
PAUL M. MATEJOWSKY
Kingwood
Absolute brink
I guess you just have to ask yourself where Kevin Brady was for the last nine years. What he continues to preach (unfettered markets and less taxation) has in the last decade taken this country to the absolute brink. He does not understand that he was a big party to the massive loans coming from the Far East. The debt ceiling was raised six times while he was with the majority party. He condoned it over and over and over. Countries in the Far East have financed and continue to finance our war activities. The American people have not paid a dime. It is all in notes that future generations will have to pay. You either tax the current population, or you borrow it and pay it back later. Or there is another way: You can start printing up money like there is no tomorrow.
GEORGE WEINBERG
Cypress
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/letters/6748140.html