Posted on 08/12/2007 9:22:37 PM PDT by gpapa
WASHINGTON -- With the midnight hour approaching Saturday Aug. 4 near the end of a marathon session, Democratic and Republican leaders alike wanted to pass the Defense appropriations bill quickly and start their summer recess. But Republican Rep. Jeff Flake's stubborn adherence to principle forced an hour-long delay that revealed unpleasant realities about Congress.
Flake insisted on debating the most egregious of the bill's 1,300 earmarks placed in the Defense money bill by individual House members that authorize spending in their districts. Defending every such earmark was the chairman of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee: Democratic Rep. John Murtha, unsmiling and unresponsive to questions posed on the House floor by Flake.
Murtha is called "King Corruption" by Republican reformers, but what happened after midnight Aug. 5 is not a party matter. Democrats and Republicans, as always, locked arms supporting every earmark. It makes no difference that at least seven House members are under investigation by the Justice Department. A bipartisan majority insists on sending taxpayers money to companies in their districts without competitive bidding or public review.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
Quick, somebody tell Michael Schiavo!
Thinking about George Orwell's "Animal Farm" and the pigs for a moment... if Pelosi is Napoleon, who do you think Murtha is, Snowball or Squealer?
I lean towards Squealer, "...skipping round and whisking his tail with a merry laugh".
For goodness sake, there are only 435 congresscritters! That's 3 each!
Mark
the only solution is term limits...
Then we can hang then after the fair trail; a better treatment than the slavery they are bestowing on us through the debt that are hanging about our necks.
You are 100% correct about term limits. But how in hell are we going to get term limits from the very people who, for reasons of greed and avarice, will vote on this? Can we get a referendum? Are the voters on the take also - using a long-term critter with lots of clout to get extras for themselves that they are not entitled to? Carl Rove will soon be free - can we get him to plot this for us?
Where can you get a list of these earmarks? We could then work on individual congress criters to clean up their act.
Up until now, the only thing a President can do with a pork-laden bill is to veto it. This means foregoing the primary effects of the bill as well. It could mean shutting down the government, for example. Then it's the "blame game" to see who can convince the public it was the other party's fault. When Clinton did it he was allowed to say the Republican-controlled Congress shut down the government. That's why Monica had to deliver the pizzas. In reality, Congress had passed legislation to fund the government's operation so it was really Bubba's veto that caused the shutdown. But the press loved Bill Clinton. He was just unprincipled, a liar, a womanizer, all about appearances vs. substance, just like the people covering him.
It would be nice to see President Bush exploit his lame-duck status for a one-time victory over pork. A newly-elected President couldn't antagonize Congress so blatantly because he'd have to work with them for another three or seven years. GWB has nothing to lose. What, will his popularity fall if he takes a stand against Congress? He should veto the pork fests, tell us how much of the money is in earmarks, and then go on TV listing the most egregious examples from both parties. Start with Murtha's. He is a corrupt, libelous traitor.
I don’t always agree with Novak, but he is flipping over some big rocks and the snakes both hiss and crawl. If we believe in getting some change in the House, we need to try and keep Mr. Flake in office in ‘08; he’s making some powerful, ruthless enemies at the moment.
Why? They are doing exactly what the voters in their districts want them to do.
A wise man (might have been Joe Bob Briggs) once wrote that "Congressmen are like body odors - people can tolerate their own, but can't stand anybody else's." ;)
So what you are telling me is that the country wanted that phony amnesty program? Or, those earmarks that have added trillions to the debt? Or to be in that Iraqi shit hole for the rest of time?
You comment is similar to the old thought process “Well, we are all responsible for the problem” which is absolute horse crap; people with poorly educated minds who are not capable of thinking for themselves and thinking stupid like the comment above are responsible.
As for odors, you comment really reeked!
Maybe not...but they cared more about whether their government checks were going to arrive on time, and voted for the politicians who promised them such.
Add this little tidbit of whats to come and you’ll see this is nothing.
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http://www.gao.gov/media/video/fiscal/windows/amfiscal.wmv
My point is that ALL of these fools who are supposed to be doing the country’s business may have destroyed the only great Republic known because of their greed; and since actions have consequences, so should judgment be demanded for their failure.
Yea, most people think its everyone else’s legislator, but I am not that way. I believe we need a third party if nothing else but to scare the other two.
As for Murtha, your are right. I know people and business in Johnstown and the whole place is rolling in government fat, and even conservative Republicans there turn a blind eye when I talk about their pork barrel; you would think they were tax and spend Democrats.
I drove through Johnstown two weeks ago and I can tell you that if Murtha goes away, that whole place will disappear.
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