Ethics? Is there teeth for it?
I am all for ethics reform. As an engineer, however, I am for simple elegant solutions. I am sometimes mystified by politicians speaking politicalese that truly believe that we are stupid by pawning off legislation as landmark. One of my NH Representatives, Paul Hodes, is doing just that:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Hodes released the following statement today on the Honest Leadership, Open Government Act of 2007, which President Bush signed into law late Friday afternoon:
"The Honest Leadership, Open Government Act is a real step towards draining the swamp in Washington," Congressman Hodes said. "Everyone remembers the lobbying and pay-to-play scandals that rocked Congress in recent years. It is past time that we limited the influence of lobbyists over legislators and started rebuilding the American peoples’ trust in their leaders. We are putting the Jack Abramoffs of the world out of business."
This new law is the most sweeping lobbying and ethics reform in a generation and has been hailed by reform groups and newspapers as a "sea change" and "landmark reform" and "the most sweeping overhaul of congressional ethics rules since Watergate."
"Last year, I said that I would do everything I could to put an end the culture of corruption in Washington," Representative Hodes said. "This legislation delivers on that promise."
Hardly.
Now for what that legislation allows (always remember your Sunday School lessons and the difference between comission and omission). Politicians can be a cagey bunch - always on the tightrope :
The editors of The Examiner urge President Bush to veto the "fake" ethics reform legislation passed by Congress. As The Examiner notes, Congress "effectively gutt[ed] the legislation of virtually all meaningful reforms." Specifically, among other things, Congress
removed a provision requiring lists of all earmarks contained in legislation to be posted in searchable format on the Internet for public examination;watered down the provision banning earmarks that benefit relatives and staffers of senators and representatives;
gave the Senate Majority Leader the power to exempt earmarks from public disclosure; and
allowed passage of bills stuffed full of earmarks without prior public disclosure of those earmarks.
Loopholes large enough to float earmarks though as large as an aircraft carrier....or this.
Comments
Posted by: judy paris | September 22, 2007 8:06 AM
Posted by: Eric Shirley | September 22, 2007 5:48 PM
Posted by: doug | September 23, 2007 7:42 AM