Conservatives call for return to core Republican principles
While the Republicans captured the House of Representatives in 1994 following a popular backlash against perceived corruption in the Democratic party, the party’s conservative critics say it has now fallen prey to the same Washington culture. A group of more than 100 members organised as the Republican Study Committee is hoping to use the leadership race to rein in what they see as runaway government spending
Now that the rampant corruption within the Republican-controlled Congress has become impossible to gloss over, it seems that every career-minded Republican who hasn’t been tainted has suddenly found religion. Now EVERYONE is chanting the mantra of reform and honesty…or at least they will be for awhile, until something else comes along to distract attention and Washington returns to business as usual.
At the top of the conservative reform agenda is an end to the practice of earmarking, in which members can secretly insert into huge spending bills billions of dollars in projects for favoured companies or other constituents ‚Äö√Ñ√¨ many of whom in turn donate to the lawmakers’ re-election funds. While the practice is not new, it has mushroomed since Republicans captured Congress. Last year 15,000 earmarks were added into various spending bills.
Legislators are facing growing pressure over the practice. Jerry Lewis, the Republican who chairs the House appropriations committee, is under fire after the San Diego Union-Tribune reported he had earmarked hundreds of millions of dollars to clients of a former colleague and lobbyist, Bill Lowery.
Ain’t this a great country? Don’tcha just LOVE democracy, where every one has a voice and the little guy…is told to go pound sand? Well, we at least used to have a democracy. Now we have the best government money can buy.
So much for taking care of the People’s business, eh?
