Some Georgia lawmakers cautious about the fine print

Here’s what members of the Georgia congressional delegation said Monday about the proposed $700 billion plan to shore up the financial system:

REPUBLICANS

> Sen. Saxby Chambliss: “We must do something because the cost of doing nothing is too great. You never want to see the government have to bail out certain entities, and this bill cannot become a Christmas tree for every special interest out there.”

> Sen. Johnny Isakson: “I eagerly await the details of the legislation Treasury will propose. I believe congressional action is not only necessary but essential.”

> Rep. Paul Broun of Athens: “I am extremely skeptical about the federal government nationalizing a huge section of our financial services. … Socialism has never worked and will not work.”

> Rep. Nathan Deal of Gainesville: “I am cautiously optimistic, provided that appropriate reforms are attached.”

> Rep. Phil Gingrey of Marietta: “All too often, when Congress tries to enact a ‘quick fix,’ it causes more harm than good. At the end of the day, we’ve got to make sure that if the federal government is going to spend $700 billion of taxpayer money, then it better be the right plan.”

> Rep. John Linder of Duluth declined to comment “until he sees a final proposal,” a spokesman said.

> Rep. Jack Kingston of Savannah: “I’m leaning against it. I want to learn more about it. My problem is we’re told it’s a disaster if we don’t do this, but nobody has defined what that means.”

> Rep. Tom Price of Roswell: “The gravity of this situation cannot be understated, and I am working diligently to ensure the taxpayer is protected.”

> Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Coweta County: “I get that there’s a crisis. I get that there’s urgency. But we need to slow up and put this through subcommittee, then committee, then the full House, where it needs to be open to amendments. … If this is rushed through without scrutiny, I will oppose this bill.”

DEMOCRATS

> Rep. John Barrow of Savannah: “We need to fix this problem. We need to fix it as soon as possible, and we need to work together to do it. … Whatever we do to try to bail ourselves out of this mess, we need to make sure that we include the kind of regulations necessary to prevent something like this from happening again.”

> Rep. Sanford Bishop of Albany: “We’ve got a serious crisis, and everybody is feeling the need to do something quickly. … Without knowing the details —- because they haven’t been written yet —- it’s hard to comment on the specifics.”

> Rep. Hank Johnson of DeKalb County: “Like most Americans, I am not comfortable with an economic ‘bailout’ for the failings of Wall Street. It is clear that the Bush administration has been asleep at the switch while the nation’s economic infrastructure crumbled.”

> Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta: “We know this is a very serious crisis. We cannot run and hide. Even so, we must not and should not give Wall Street a blank check. … e must protect the resources of the American people to ensure that their tax dollars are available to give them the services they require, not siphoned off to pay for the failures of private industry.”

> Rep. Jim Marshall of Macon did not respond.

> Rep. David Scott of Atlanta: “Two things are very, very important —- that we do it quickly and also with the thought, the seriousness and the intellect so there is no rush to do something that’s this earth-shaking. … We’ve got to have oversight. We can’t bail these folks out and then reward these companies with these stratospheric [CEO] salaries of $125 million.”