WASHINGTON (AP) – After promising unprecedented openness regarding Congress’ pork barrel practices, House Democrats are moving in the opposite direction as they draw up spending bills for the upcoming budget year.
Democrats are sidestepping rules approved their first day in power in January to clearly identify “earmarks”—lawmakers’ requests for specific projects and contracts for their states—in documents that accompany spending bills.
Rather than including specific pet projects, grants and contracts in legislation as it is being written, Democrats are following an order by the House Appropriations Committee chairman to keep the bills free of such earmarks until it is too late for critics to effectively challenge them.
Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., says those requests for dams, community grants and research contracts for favored universities or hospitals will be added spending measures in the fall. That is when House and Senate negotiators assemble final bills to send to President Bush.
Such requests total billions of dollars.
I repeat for those who forgot: THIS Congress, this Congress controlled by a Democrat majority, was to have been the FINEST, the most UPSCALE, the most ETHICAL Congress ever. Because, after all, it featured a Democrat majority and the Dems are the most ethical of all American parties.
And then there are those strange folks who believe that if the Democrats have control of the Presidency and Congress they will suddenly grow up as a party. I have a very simple counter question: Which of the last three times they had the full monte Upon the Hill have they ever DONE that? I see a bunch of A-R micromanagers that can’t figure out where the grass grows but *can* slip their fingers into my wallet and call over ‘Guido’ for an arm and a leg.
But grown up, responsible Democrats?
Where?
The last Democrat I would vote for in anything close to that is now an Independent.
Mind you the Republican side of things has convinced me that the conservatives are nowhere near to influencing that party any more and it is the party of Transnational Capitalism. Like their Transnational Progressive brethren in the Democratic Party they can likewise take a hike. Remember that it was under a Republican Congress that you got: two entire divisions in the US Army falling to the lowest readiness rating ever, lack of supplies for training and re-equipping the troops, and, with actual fighting going on in Afghanistan, stuffing billions in pork into the Defense bills for such things as a Biathlon course in Alaska when the troops could not get body armor, basic two-way radios and such minor things as *bullets*.
The Democrats are now worse in degree, not *kind* from the Republicans. One is awful, the other is god-awful… Neither stands up for America.
Perhaps we can learn from the Iraqis and put together an ‘America Awakening’ council… its starting to look like we *need one* to learn about democracy again. They seem to be getting the hang of this ‘democracy’ business…. maybe we can get the Armed Forces to teach *us* that again. I am starting to get the point of Jefferson when he put forth that ‘America really needs to fight a Revolution every 10 years’.
And Hamilton’s view on what should be done when there is *that much* corruption in National government. Damned radical this ‘democracy’ thing…. perhaps, someday, we can get that back in America. It is not the normal course of affairs in mankind and needs be safeguarded from its enemies from abroad and those wishing to undermine it at home.
That is the task of Citizens to do, not Government.
And that, too, is still as radical in 1776 as it is to this very day.
Democrats, Republicans and Independents, they’re all crooks and liars, each and everyone.
Sometimes I don’t even know why I care, does it really matter what I say, think or do?
The only thing that I know for sure is that 14 Americans died this week-end in Iraq.
If the Deocrats get control of the Presidency we may as well kiss this country goodbye. As it stands now with the immigration bill, if it is passed and I think it will be, we may as well kiss this country goodbye anyway. I’m truly getting frustrated and the only thing that keeps me from going bananas is remembering that I’m not in charge of anything other than my own actions. But it’s so darned maddening!
AJ: yep. Lieberman. And you will never, EVER find another Lieberman or another Zell Miller registered as a Democrat. Hell, they’re almost TOO right wing for the “Acceptable Right” these days.
Ranando: precisely. Which makes me wonder — CAN we get the GOP back and CAN we make it run Conservative? And what is our plan? And what is our time frame? And if we run out of patience, what then? Shrug our shoulders? Or CREATE A THIRD PARTY?
Gayle: “frustration” is kind. I’m thinking AJ is right; we as Conservatives have now been abandoned by the party we THOUGHT represented Conservative thought.
But, you are correct: I’ll STILL vote, at this point, for the person with the (R) behind their name in ’08.
BZ
Yes, and all those conservatives that wanted to punish Republicans help put them there.
Little Miss has a point. But, it’s actually a good thing in a way that they are in now because already they’ve fecked up so much that anyone that was on the fence and voted them in last November has returned to roost. They are showing their ineptitude on a daily basis.
Huh, imagine that. See my next post based on TODAY’S events with that ethical Democrat base.
BZ