Rep. Scott Prefers the Spirit of Christmas Over Lip Service

December 13, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA-3) voted against a resolution Tuesday night singling out Christianity "as one of the great religions of the world" to the exclusion of other religions. "The spirit of Christmas demands generosity and goodwill towards others," said Scott. He went on to point out that "instead of legislation that purports to respect the importance of Christmas, Congress in just these past few weeks has failed to override a presidential veto of legislation that would provide healthcare to 10 million low-income children and also failed to override a presidential veto of legislation that would increase education funding by $20 million. At the same time, this Administration continues to advocate for tax cuts for the wealthiest members of American society and increase the national debt."

Rep. Scott's decision to vote against the resolution was also influenced by the disingenuousness demonstrated by the resolution's sponsor and many of its supporters. Specifically, the resolution "rejects bigotry and persecution directed against Christians." Sadly, the sponsor of the resolution and many of its supporters do not extend this idea of rejecting bigotry to others outside the Christian faith. In fact, the sponsor and all but three of the original cosponsors voted to allow religious discrimination in employment in federally funded Head Start programs in May of this year; of the three exceptions, one cosponsor had not yet taken office and two did not vote. "Discrimination is wrong in any form," asserted Rep. Scott. "It's hypocritical to say ‘discrimination is wrong when it happens to me but not when it happens to you.' I can't support that."

Scott believes that the resolution will also divert the people's attention away from the real issues facing our government. "We ought to express our passion for Christmas through deeds, not words, and we should not be distracted from our responsibility to uphold the spirit of Christmas as we consider the effects our actions have on ‘the least of these' during this holiday season," Rep. Scott insisted.

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