The FlashReport would like to congratulate the three members of California’s Congressional delegation who have been tapped with ‘high honors’ from the National Taxpayers Union — receiving their coveted "Taxpayer Friends" rating… And the winners are… Dana Rohrabacher, Ed Royce and our own FR Beltway Correspondent John Campbell!!
It should come as no surprise to FR readers that among the many "F" recipients (all Democrats) from the NTU for 2006 were our two United States Senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, and of course our new Speaker, Nancy Pelosi.
Here is how each of the Republicans from California scored, since we follow GOPers most closely here at the FR:
Brian Bilbray: *n/a – Bilbray was elected in a special election in 2006 and so was not rated.
Mary Bono: C-
Ken Calvert: C+
John Campbell: A
John Doolittle: C
David Dreier: B-
Elton Gallegly: C
Wally Herger: B+
Duncan Hunter: B
Darrell Issa: B
Jerry Lewis: C+
Dan Lungren: B+
Buck McKeon: B-
Gary Miller: B
Devin Nunez: C+
Richard Pombo: C
George Radanovich: B
Dana Rohrabacher: A
Ed Royce: A
Bill Thomas: C+
You can see all of the ratings for the 435 Members of Congress and 100 members of the United States Senate by going here.
Here is what NTU says about scoring:
Taxpayer Score
The Taxpayer Score measures the strength of support for reducing spending and opposing higher taxes. In general, a higher score is better because it means a member of Congress voted to spend less money.
The Taxpayer Score can range between zero and 100. We do not expect anyone to score a 100, nor has any legislator ever scored a perfect 100 in the multi-year history of the comprehensive NTU scoring system. A high score does not mean that the member of Congress was opposed to all spending or all programs. High-scoring members have indicated that they would vote for many programs if the amount of spending were lower or if the budget were balanced. A member who wants to increase spending on some programs can achieve a high score if he or she votes for offsetting cuts in other programs. A zero score would indicate that the member of Congress approved every spending proposal and opposed every pro-taxpayer reform.
NTU believes a score qualifying for a grade of "A" indicates the member is one of the strongest supporters of responsible tax and spending policies. We are pleased to give these members of Congress our "Taxpayers’ Friend Award."
A score qualifying for a grade of "B" represents a "good" voting record on controlling spending and taxes. A "B" grade indicates that the member voted for taxpayers most of the time, but slightly less than those who attained the grade of "A."
A score qualifying for a grade of "C" represents a minimally acceptable voting record on controlling taxes and spending. To qualify for a grade of "C" a member must have a Taxpayer Score of at least 50 percent. While such a score may be "satisfactory," there is clearly room for improvement.
We also issue pluses and minuses for the grades of "B" and "C" in order to better recognize the differences in the voting records of members with these grades.
A score qualifying for a grade of "D" indicates the member has a "poor" voting record on controlling taxes and spending.
A score significantly below average qualifies for a grade of "F." This failing grade places the member into the "Big Spender" category.
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