Thursday, February 02, 2006
House Republicans - Second Thoughts About Reform
Business as usual. "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". That explains the Republican lawmakers now in the process of electing a new majority leader to replace the scandal-plagued Tom DeLay. Roy Blunt (MO), who was DeLay's deputy, is the frontrunner. Blunt's wife and daughter are reported to be lobbyists ! "Just two weeks after House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) pledged to pass far-reaching changes to the rules of lobbying on Capitol Hill, House Republican members pushed back hard against those proposals yesterday, charging that their leaders are overreacting to a growing corruption scandal. "
Insanity Fair -"Poor, Elderly and Students to Feel Pinch (Washington Post).
The same lawmakers passed largely symbolic budget cuts without touching the president's tax cuts. "The House yesterday narrowly approved a contentious budget-cutting package that would save nearly $40 billion over five years by imposing substantial changes on programs including Medicaid, welfare, child support and student lending.
"Let me see: four times five is twelve, and four times six is thirteen, and four times seven is -- oh dear! I shall never get to twenty at that rate!" (Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll)
