Cleaning Up Washington: The Essentials
Republicans are trying to show they are no longer "dirty"; no longer hopelessly corrupted by Washington, D.C. This is what you should be looking for. As long as any of the following reforms are not voted in, any "reform" is totally unserious. The number one reform is an end to earmarks, money set aside just to please individual legislators. The last year the Democrats controlled the House, there were 4,000 earmarks a year, and they were already a sufficiently big problem they lent to the idea that Democrats were corrupt and out of control. Last year, that number had exploded to over 14,000 earmarks…which lends itself to the idea that the Republicans are infinitely more corrupt, are practically modeling themselves after Nero. Earmarks have to go; they have to go completely.
The number two reform is an end to cadging rides on corporate jets, an end to privately-financed vacations, an end to free meals, an end to gifts from lobbyists. In fact, lobbyists who give money to a Congressman shouldn't be allowed to speak to him about any group they lobby on the behalf of. This is simply explained: Get rid of the payoffs...get rid of anything that might be thought of as a bribe or payoff.
The number three reform is a 72-hour "cooling off" period between the publication of a bill, and voting on the bill. As it stands, many bills are never published. Congressmen are expected to vote on issues despite having no idea what it says. This is unthinkably irresponsible, both by those who write the bill, and those who vote "blindly".
And the fourth reform is a five-year period between a person working as a Congressman or for Congress, and working for any company that does any lobbying. Despite a current one-year waiting period between working for Congress and lobbying, many go straight to work for lobbying firms, simply getting paid for the first year as a "lawyer", and then getting paid to lobby one day later. Even if they extend the bar on lobbying for another year, it won't prevent crooked Congressmen from getting paid to do nothing for two years before they start lobbying.
There are a number of other reforms which are a good idea (barring ex-Congressmen-turned-lobbyists from ever appearing on the House floor is one), but those four are essential to a less corrupt Washington.
11:51:12 PM 
|
|
