Statement by U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA)

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-LA) issued the following statement addressing Sen. John Kerry's travel to Louisiana:

"John Kerry's plans for the energy industry would cost Louisiana countless jobs. When Kerry referred to oil and said 'that black stuff is hurting us,' he revealed how out of touch he is with an industry that employs thousands of Louisiana workers and powers the state's economy.

“Kerry voted to impose excise taxes on petroleum and has opposed our state's delegation on many issues important to Louisiana's energy industry. Kerry even supported a fifty cent per gallon tax increase on gasoline and attacked the President for pulling out of the Kyoto treaty that would harm American families while exempting India and China. Clearly, he does not understand what's really important to a majority of Louisianans."

BACKGROUND: KERRY IS WRONG FOR LOUISIANA

Bush Leads Kerry 52% to 38% in Louisiana. "The poll also surveyed the candidates running for President. According to the poll, President Bush leads. The pollsters asked, 'If the election for President of the United States was held today between Republican George Bush, John Kerry and Ralph Nader, for whom would you vote?' Bush captured 51.7 %, John Kerry received 37.6% and Nader picked up 1.7 percent.' Interviews for the statewide poll were conducted by telephone with 700 registered Louisiana voters on Wednesday, March 17, Thursday, March 18, and between Monday, March 22 and Monday March 29, 2004. The overall margin of error for the statewide statistics obtained from the survey of 700 Louisiana voters is not greater than plus or minus 3.8% at the 95% level of confidence." (Stephen Sabludowsky, "SMOR Releases Poll on Presidential, Louisiana U.S. Senate Race and Governor Blanco," BayouBuzz.com, 4/13/04)

Louisiana Democrat Refuses To Endorse Kerry. Rep. Rodney Alexander: "They've all endorsed John Kerry, and I'm not going to do that." ("Rep. Alexander may switch to Republican Party," The Advocate, 3/10/04)

Kerry Has Voted At Least Six Times Against Banning Partial-Birth Abortion.

Kerry Says, "There Is No Such Thing As A Partial Birth." (Glen Johnson, "Kerry Hits Ban On Abortion Procedure," The Boston Globe, 11/6/03)

Kerry Disagreed With Breaux And Landrieu On Partial Birth Abortion Ban: Kerry Voted Against, Breaux And Landrieu Voted For.

Kerry Voted Against Final Passage Of The Unborn Victims Of Violence Act (UVAA). This new law acknowledges a common-sense proposition: When a crime of violence against a pregnant woman kills or injures her unborn child, there are two victims, and two offenses that should be punished.

Kerry Received An "F" Rating From National Rifle Association In 2002. (National Rifle Association Website, www.nra.org, Accessed 1/24/04)

Kerry Said Democrats Make "The Mistake Of Looking South." "Everybody always makes the mistake of looking South ... Al Gore proved he could have been president of the United States without winning one Southern state, including his own." (Katharine Q. Seelye, "Kerry And Edwards Face A Critical Test In The South," The New York Times, 1/29/04)

At Least Ten Times In Last Decade, Kerry Opposed Or Voted To Block Medical Liability Reforms.

Kerry Missed Vote On Energy Bill, Which Was Supported By Louisiana's Senators. Senators Breaux and Landrieu voted for cloture on the energy bill.

Kerry Voted To Impose Excise Taxes Petroleum. The amendment would reinstate the Superfund excise taxes on petroleum and various industrial chemicals. Louisiana Senators Breaux and Landrieu voted against the amendment. (S. Con. Res. 23, CQ Vote #97: Rejected 43-56: R 1-50; D 41-6; I 1-0, 3/25/03, Kerry Voted Yea, Breaux and Landrieu Voted Nay)

But In 2003, Kerry Voted Against Off-Shore Natural Gas Exploration. Kerry voted for an amendment to strike an energy bill provision requiring a survey and inventory of possible off-shore oil and natural gas deposits by the Interior secretary. Louisiana Senators Breaux and Landrieu voted against the amendment.

Kerry Blasts Administration's Walking Away From Kyoto. "[T]he second President Bush's declaration that the Kyoto Protocol was simply Dead on Arrival spoke for itself - and it spoke in dozens of languages as his words whipped instantly around the globe. What the Administration failed to see was that Kyoto was not just an agreement; it represented the resolve of 160 nations working together over 10 years. It was a good faith effort - and the United States just dismissed it. We didn't aim to mend it. We didn't aim to sit down with our allies and find a compromise. We didn't aim for a new dialogue. The Administration was simply ready to aim and fire, and the target they hit was our international reputation." (Sen. John Kerry, Remarks At The John F. Kennedy Library, Boston, MA, 2/9/03)

2 posted on 04/21/2004 4:43:29 PM PDT by OldFriend (Always understand, even if you remain among the few)

A vote John Kerry equals a vote to destroy America and all of the ideals we as Americans have stood for more than 200 years.

3 posted on 04/21/2004 4:45:36 PM PDT by ChevyZ28 (Most of us would rather be ruined by praise, than saved by criticism.)

Nice valedictory for ole Billy.....you know, perhaps the one single thing that showed that the stunning GOP victory in 1994 wasn't a one-term wonder was when Tauzin crossed the aisle...

4 posted on 04/21/2004 4:47:04 PM PDT by ken5050 (Ann Coulter needs to have children ASAP to propagate her genes.....any volunteers?)

I would also add that GUNOWNERS of AMERICA rates JF Kerry at 'F'

Of course his "Uncle Teddy," AKA Chappaquiddick Fats rates an 'F-' from GOA...

5 posted on 04/21/2004 4:48:02 PM PDT by donozark ((I fought in the Kimchi Valley...but I don't like to talk about it))

I'm in South Louisiana. As I was driving today, I kept hearing local news reporters talk about Kerry being in New Orleans today. They claim that he will be here often over the next few months because he says that Louisiana in "in play" for him.

7 posted on 04/21/2004 5:33:40 PM PDT by alnick (Mrs. Heinz-Kerry's husband wants teh-rayz-ah your taxes.)

I heard (from Reuters) that he rhapsodized at length over his Vietnam service. Because the hydrology, topography, and geology of Louisiana (Mississippi River delta, the Bayou State, with some 46% [if I recall correctly] of the 48 states' wetlands) resembles that of the Mekong Delta, where he served in Veitnam, he is uniquely qualified to capture the state's electoral votes in his quest for the Presidency. Apparently--and revealingly--he did not discuss his religion in his quixotic quest to capture this heavily Catholic state.

9 posted on 04/21/2004 6:17:00 PM PDT by dufekin (Eliminate genocidal terrorist military dictator Kim Jong Il ASAP)

10 posted on 04/21/2004 7:11:39 PM PDT by Mel Gibson (Suffer from Allergies, Asthma or Adversely Affected by Foul Air ? See "About Me")

Tauzin is being contradicted by his former Democrat colleagues -- Governor Blanco, Lt. Gov. Landrieu, Treasurer Kennedy, Attorney General Foti, and most saintly of all, Senators Breaux and Landrieu. All are enthusiastic for Kerry, who they see as a Second JFK from MA. An "L" and "M" are only one letter apart. MA or LA?

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