Sunday, January 18, 2009

Pelosi Has Changed Legislative Process For My Own Good

Prompted by a story in the Hill.
Committee chairmen in the house of representatives are angry at Nancy Pelosi. They are angry that she has taken the writing of legislation out of their hands. It is now being written in her office and the chairmen don’t like that. Pelosi has said that her unusual move is necessary so that ‘emergency’ bail out bill and other legislation ‘essential’ to the economy can be passed as quickly as possible.
This is PURE BS.
The federal government is already massively in debt. This debt has helped to ruin the economy. So we need to rush as fast as we can to do more of the same damage? Maybe this makes sense to Pelosi. Or maybe she wants to do this before any kind of consensus against it builds among the public.
To take such large steps without debate or discussion is contrary to American tradition and the spirit of our republican government. It might make sense if we could somehow be certain that these measures would improve the situation. But we don’t know that. And that makes this new trend especially suspicious.
I know that the chairmen of the committees don’t care about debate and discussion. They are upset about losing out on the opportunity to add spending they will benefit from to any legislation. They long ago ceased seeing themselves as employees of the people who voted for them. With campaign ‘reform’ legislation they made certain bribes to congressmen legal and now behave as if they are owned by the people and companies that give them these bribes. Feinstein used her position on a committee to give a half billion dollar contract to her husband’s company. Which also explains why Feinstein’s voting record was so much more friendly to the Bush administration than her rhetoric. Barack Obama used his seat in the senate to give a million federal dollars to his wife’s employer which got Michelle O. a six figure raise. So, I guess we ain’t seen nothing yet.

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