In November 2006, Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi, (D-CA) said, “This leadership team will create the most honest, most open, and most ethical Congress in history.” She has not made good on that promise.
Less than three months later, full of herself after the results of the 2006 elections had elevated her to the position of House Speaker, and unhappy over her transportation arrangements, Pelosi demanded, at taxpayer expense, a larger aircraft to fly her and her entourage between Washington, D.C. and her own district in San Francisco. Her request was denied, and it was pointed out to her that the plane assigned to her was the same one provided to the former Speaker, Dennis Hastert (R-IL).
Undaunted, this self-styled commander-in-chief and secretary of state, embarked on a visit to the Middle East, at taxpayer expense, where she received a warm welcome from Syrian officials, most of whom are complicit in fomenting unrest in Lebanon and Iraq. In a prior day, she'd have been accused of “negotiating with nations hostile to our country;” i.e., treasonous behavior. It didn't occur to her that her actions were contrary to the President's stated Middle East policy, nor that he, constitutionally, has sole power to conduct American foreign policy.
Meanwhile, back in those hallowed halls, led by Democrats, the work of Congress has ground on - to a screeching halt amid news of one scandal and potential scandal after another, while attempting to embarrass George W. Bush and handcuff his administration, it constantly debates the Iraq war, fails to confirm judicial nominations, and wastes time and taxpayer's money on over 300 investigations of the executive branch.
“Americans have been disappointed by a majority leadership that stages one show debate after another, while the only consistent legislative work getting done is the renaming of post offices,” said Jon Kyl (R-AZ) in July. “We really ought to be asking why this Democrat leadership won't allow Congress to move forward on serious policy debates.”
In fact, despite Democrat promises to pass a comprehensive legislative program in their first 100 hours in office ? think Republican's Contract with America in 1994, which promised ten significant initiatives in 100 days ? only one significant piece of legislation, the minimum wage increase, has become law in more than 200 days, as Democrats focus on the Iraq war with all-night troop-withdrawal debates and non-binding resolutions, while delaying more important issues, such as the Defense Department's authorization bill.
“Well it's certainly the lowest point I can recall in my 20-some-odd years here, and I think it is an illustration of why this new majority has sunk to a14% approval rating in the polls,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said, after Harry Reid ((D-NV) pulled the bill from the floor. “There are a whole lot of other extremely important things in that bill which need to be dealt with, and apparently we're just going to put it aside.”
Meanwhile, in a classic case of Nero fiddling while Rome burned, this past Easter, Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS), took nine other Democrat Congressmen and two Republicans on a junket through the Caribbean, Honduras, Mexico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, at taxpayer expense, using military aircraft for transportation. When challenged about this extravagance, Thompson claimed he'd been fiscally responsible, staying at the Caneel Bay resort, at $1,000+ per night, rather than at more expensive vacation spots, and stating that he'd received a special government rate, something which Caneel Bay representatives denied.
And how about Rep Eliot Engel (D-NY)? He, his wife and four other Democrats journeyed to the Caribbean recently, and while there, took several side trips to Trinidad and Grenada, all at taxpayer expense.
This type of fiscal irresponsibility and unethical behavior was exactly what Republicans addressed during the 2006 session of Congress, in passing earmark reform. That bill would have allowed lawmakers to vote on individual earmarks, defined as specific funding requests attached to larger bills. This is a procedure Democrats promised they would not used during the process of considering the twelve major annual spending bills. However, in order to keep their pet projects away from the “prying eyes” of voters, Democrat leaders have attempted to reverse the work of Republicans on this matter.
But House Minority Leader John Boehner, who was there in 1994 when voters handed over Congress to Republicans after 40 years of democrat control, introduced a resolution on July 24, 2007, which would actually move Congress in a more ethical direction by restoring Republican earmark reforms. Here's what Boehner said:
“Democrats, led by Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-WI), have gutted those earmark reforms this year, refusing to allow members to challenge potentially wasteful spending on the House floor and instead setting up multi-billion dollar slush funds for secret earmarks.
