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September 29, 2008
Georgetown - "I am proud to have earned the second-highest Senate rating on the Kentucky Club For Growth's legislative scorecard, which grades legislators on the Reagan principles of fiscal conservatism. My opposition to tax increases, work to defeat the Brent Spence Bridge tolls and effort to eliminate the unnecessary office of state Treasurer are just a sampling of my work to protect your wallet.
I've included an article from the Georgetown News-Graphic that shows the differences between a true fiscal conservative and a tax-and-spend liberal.
Always remember, THE LIBERALS WANT YOUR MONEY!! And I will never forget that IT IS YOUR MONEY!!!
If you'd like to weigh in on this debate, I encourage you to send a Letter to the Editor of your local paper.
In the meantime, I remain committed to protecting your family's hard-earned dollars from the big spending politicians in Frankfort."
Thank you for your support,
Senator Damon Thayer
Scorecard ranks area legislators
according to fiscal issues
By JEFF KERR
Georgetown News-Graphic
They were ranked at opposite ends of the spectrum but their reactions were almost identical.
 Scott County's representatives in the Kentucky General Assembly, Sen. Damon Thayer and Rep. Charlie Hoffman, weren't ranked very close together in the Kentucky Club for Growth's 2008 Legislative Scorecard, but neither one was complaining after the rankings were released last week. Thayer was ranked second out of 38 senators and Hoffman was ranked 99th out of 99 representatives
The Kentucky Club for Growth, according to the press release about the rankings, "is a non-partisan taxpayers' advocacy group. We score legislators on fiscal issues only. In other words, only those votes which affect the pocketbook of Kentucky's working families are considered
...
Thayer, who was 29th in the 2007 rankings, trailed only Sen. Kathie Stine in the 2008 figures. Hoffman was ranked 91st in the 2007 numbers.
"I rededicated myself to fiscal conservatism," Thayer said. "I opposed a bill which would have put tolls on the Brent Spence Bridge and I sponsored a bill to do away with the office of state treasurer."
Thayer said he enjoyed the ranking.
"I'm obviously very proud of my record," he said. "I'm the No. 2 conservative and I missed being No. 1 by one point. I represent a very conservative district. They accepted me, elected me and re-elected me and sent me to Frankfort to be watchdog over the taxpayers' money."
Hoffman, for his part, more or less dismissed the rankings.
"It doesn't bother me a bit," he said. "As a matter of fact, I wear it like a badge of honor. If anyone knew anything about this group and what their agenda is, they would know they are very anti-employee rights."
Their touting growth, he added, is a little misleading.
"The interest they have in growth is the growth in the wealthy's bank accounts at the expense of wage earners and working families," Hoffman said.
Thayer, for his part, says his votes reflect his constituents.
"I never forget that the money the state spends is the taxpayers' money," he said, "the money of the hard-working people of Kentucky. I spend a lot of time in my district and it's a big district. I fight to protect their money in Frankfort."
Keeping grounded in his district is important to him, Thayer said.
"Part of my job is to be accessible," he said. "It's an important part of my job. I work hard at it and I want to know what's on the minds of the people I serve."
Hoffman said his votes have never been cast to please any certain group, except the people of Kentucky.
"I have always voted for an agenda to make a better economic landscape in the state of Kentucky for everyone's benefit," he said. "I don't pay any attention to the rankings of fringe issue groups. These people make Rush Limbaugh look like a liberal."
Charlie Hoffman's Votes:
 Charlie Hoffman's low ranking is based entirely on his actions in the 2008 General Assembly Regular Session. These include:
- Voting twice against legislation that says classified government employees can't canvas for political ballot initiatives while at work (SB 64)
- Supporting $148 million in new taxes and tax increases to expand spending (HB 262)
- Spending those tax increases in the most indebted budget in state history (HB 406)
- Supporting a legislative budget that grows at over 5% per year, well above historic rates of inflation (HB 407)
- Creating extra penalties for employers who have already paid for classification mistakes made in a system that has different rules from worksite to worksite (HB 654)
- Sponsoring legislation that singles out mining for fill practices that are common in homebuilding, road construction and commercial development (HB 164)
- Supporting new mandates that make health insurance more expensive for everyone (HB 148)
Supporting a new 2% tax on wages for new businesses in 'development areas' that in only some cases offset against other taxes (HB 611)
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Thank you,
Senator Damon Thayer
District 17
Senator Thayer represents the 17th District which includes Owen, Scott, Grant, and Southern Kenton County. Along with being chairman of the State and Local Government Committee, Senator Thayer sits on the Transportation Committee, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and Licensing and Occupations Committee. He is Senate Chairman of the Horse Farming Subcommittee and the Task Force on Elections and Constitutional Amendments.
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