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Originally Posted by magictoy
Aided, if the past is any indication, by the corrupt Democrats who wish to cover their own tracks. Harry Reid, for example, whose ties to Abramoff are finally out in the open.
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Magictoy....there is plenty of corruption (or lesser unethical behavior) to go around. If you have evidence of Reids "ties to Abramoff" that have been found to be illegal, perhaps you can post it.
For the record, Harry Reid's only ties to Abramoff are from campaign contributions from an Abramoff client, the Corshotta Campaign, which also contributed to 11 Repubs, including the current Speaker of the House Hastert, the current majority whip Roy Blunt, Tom Delay, Senators Burns, Ensign, Grassly, Cochran and Lott and 3 Repub House committee chairs. The last I heard, the only ones still under active FBI or Justice Dept investigations are Sen Burns (who just lost his relection) and Congr. Doolittle. The others, while maybe unethical, have been cleared of any criminal violations of campaign finance or other laws.
The new Dem leaders are planning major ethics reform AND spending reform early in the next session:
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Despite divisions among Democrats over how far to go in revising ethics rules, House leaders plan a major rollout of an ethics reform bill early next year to demonstrate concern about an issue that helped defeat the Republicans in the midterm elections.
But they will do it with a twist: Instead of forwarding one big bill, Democrats will put together an ethics package on the House floor piece by piece, allowing incoming freshmen to take charge of high-profile issues and lengthening the time spent on the debate. The approach will ensure that each proposal -- including banning gifts, meals and travel from lobbyists as well as imposing new controls on the budget deficit -- is debated on its own and receives its own vote. That should garner far more media attention for the bill's components before a final vote on the entire package.
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New rules mandating the disclosure of all contacts with lobbyists would be another vote, as would a rule requiring that the sponsors of funding for home-state pet projects be identified. The House would also vote on whether to reinstate budget rules, known as pay-as-you-go, or "paygo," requiring that any new spending or tax cuts be offset by equal spending cuts or tax increases.
While there is broad support for reform, Democrats face divisions on how far to go on some issues, such as whether to establish an independent board to enforce ethics rules. But leaders are eager to show that they are serious about tackling the corrosive influence of lobbyists and money, so much so that they are willing to spend days working on the issue. They may even let the divisions play out in public, with amendments allowed that may or may not pass, on issues from campaign finance to independent oversight.
full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...112001233.html
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While none of this excuses past actions, and some Dems will oppose, it is a step in the right direction. We shall see if the Repubs join in or fight it.