Vern Buchanan: Deficit Peacock

Vern Buchanan is a Republican deficit peacock. Buchanan cited a Congressional Budget Office report that tort reform would save $50 billion over ten years. Buchanan is making up that number. A 2008 CBO report said tort reform would only save 0.5 percent from health care costs. A 2004 CBO report found that tort reform would only save 2 percent. Republicans support tort reform because attorneys tend to donate more to Democrats than Republicans. Grover Norquist spelled that out.

"And rather than negotiate with the teachers' unions and the trial lawyers and the various leftist interest groups, we intend to break them."

Buchanan spent more than any member of Congress on mailers to his constituents.

In the first quarter of 2011, House records show, Buchanan spent $142,198 on mailings and other means of mass communication. That was more than any other representative, and about 19 times the average expenditure of $7,500. Among his colleagues, 209 representatives got by without spending any money in that quarter, according to House records.

That is $142,198 Buchanan spent is federal tax dollars.