Repubicans are shocked, SHOCKED, that this could happen!

[Thomas Veil]

Looks to me like somebody in the GOP is getting just a leeeeetle drunk with power...


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said Sunday that "accountability will be carried out" against whoever slipped a provision into an omnibus spending bill that would have allowed two committee chairmen to view the tax returns of any American.

"I have no earthly idea how it got in there," Frist said on CBS's "Face The Nation." "Nobody is going to defend this."

The language was caught and removed in the Senate on Saturday, but the House will have to approve the fix before the spending bill can be sent to the White House for President Bush's signature.
Nice to know that under this provision, someone in Congress could look into, oh, say, anyone's IRS file. Wonder how it got there, hmm?


Some Democrats implied that the measure was inserted for political gain.

"Does anyone believe that some staffer without permission thought up a scheme by which a chairman's 'agent' could have access to every IRS facility everywhere in this nation and every single IRS filing of every citizen of this nation?" said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat.

"I mean, you know, we weren't born yesterday."
"Now youse don't wanna oppose dis here bill, or me an' Rocco here is gonna have to audit youse. Inn't dat right, Rocco?" http://users.adelphia.net/~tjveil/images/yeahright.gif

Link (http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/11/21/tax.provision/index.html)

[miloblithe]

Drunk with power indeed. Just plain evil.

[zimv20]

well, i'm glad it was removed.

this highlights what imo is a long-standing problem, and that's how things are snuck into bills just before they go to print and the senators and their staffs have to race to make sure they understand what they're voting on.

i'd hope that the priority of any bill is to educate all the congresspeople on the content, not try to slip something past them. but maybe that's just me.

t'veil, i'm going to assume that the misspelling in the thread title was accidental :-)

[Thomas Veil]

It was. I corrected it on this page, but apparently that doesn't correct it on the forum's main page. :o

[blackfox]

well, i'm glad it was removed.

this highlights what imo is a long-standing problem, and that's how things are snuck into bills just before they go to print and the senators and their staffs have to race to make sure they understand what they're voting on.

i'd hope that the priority of any bill is to educate all the congresspeople on the content, not try to slip something past them. but maybe that's just me.

t'veil, i'm going to assume that the misspelling in the thread title was accidental :-)
What this also highlights is the inability of a Republican controlled Senate (with a Republican Administration) to get the job done. I have heard there have been anywhere from 8-13 spending bills floating around (I forgot the exact number) and many of them have not even seen both houses.

So we have an Omnibus bill with everything but the kitchen sink. Whether this is by some nefarious design, simple incompetence or inability to play-nice-with-others, our government is not working very well lately.

On a related note, it is interesting to see the Republican Party, now firmly in control of the reigns of Government, start to completely fracture and divide from within. Ironic that under such a scenario, it is the "defeated" Democrats who will hold the deciding votes.

[Desertrat]

There was a thread over at THR which named the senator who snuck in the IRS provision...

Same stuff, different day, though, We've had this same crapola since--probably--before FDR, if I was a guessing fella. I know for sure it's no different over the last 40 years.

For perspective: Back when I worked in Austin, I remember reading that it was common for some 4,000 to 4,500 bills to be introduced into the legislature. Of these, typically, some 400 to 500 were passed. It was often admitted by legislators that they had voted on bills they hadn't read, with their vote based on a colleague's "advice". (The numbers are greater, today; apparently it's up to some 600+ bills passed.)

I see no reason to believe the Congress is any different from a state legislature in this regard.

Overall, the behavior has zilch to do with which party is in power.

The amount of pork seems to be down a bit, but that's just an impression, not necessarily correct.

'Rat

[IJ Reilly]

Overall, the behavior has zilch to do with which party is in power.

As you are so fond of saying, without providing any actual examples.

[Desertrat]

Well, IJ, I guess that some examples might be needed for those who have never watched Congress in action. The old "assume" thing again: I assumed most folks here have paid a bit of attention to Congress, these last several years. Folks have spoken knowledgeably about Clinton's era, so I didn't any reason to elaborate...

:), 'Rat

[mactastic]

Yeah, it's always been that way so there's no need to get outraged about it eh?

[IJ Reilly]

Sarcasm noted, 'Rat -- but your argument stands or falls on providing examples of Congressional rule making excess to counter the current one, not sweeping generalizations. What you are offering is an apology, not a counterpoint.

Knowing enough about how Congress works (or doesn't), I can say it works differently when one party is in control and does not feel the need for restraint of any kind.

[shadowfax]

the historically democrat-controlled state legislature of Oklahoma has a constitution and legal code infused with countless stupid random provisions inserted into bills (like above) against everything from whaling (seriously) to eating while walking in public with a green T-shirt on (made up, but that just about fits the bill).

Another good example would be "alphabet soup" from FDR's "regime." They packed the legislature so full of random, silly crap. A lot of it maybe helped. And nobody ever went back and cleaned up all that legislation.

What about the US tax code?

Burgeoningly massive legislation that's replete with random/conspiratorial bullcrap is nothing new in America. Men are C-O-R-R-U-P-T. This is not special to the Republican Party in the least, and everyone knows this.

[Desertrat]

Sorry. I didn't know I was apologizing for anything.

Look: This sort of stuff goes on without regard for parties. Since I don't know of any way to change it, I see no point in getting my knickers all knotted up. Since the only people who could solve the problem are the people creating the problem, my expectations are between slim and none, and Slim just left town.

I do have a bit of resentment about folks here noting some such doing in Congress, and phrasing their complaints as though nobody but Republicans would ever dream of doing such Evil Deeds. Me, I'm more for equal opportunity in my griping.

And again: That I do not rail against some action does not mean I condone it or support it.

The Democrats toyed with the rules when they had the power. Now, the Republicans are doing it. When the Democrats regain power, they'll toy with the rules as they perceive a need.

Plus ça change, plus ça meme chose...

'Rat

[Xtremehkr]

That doesn't mean it was right to do it. This is the party that ran on values, hypocrisy comes to the forefront again.

If you are going to say that it is quid pro quo than at least back it up with some real, verifiable examples.

The fact that the Democrats have lost power equates to solid determination that they did not do everything above and below board to retain it. Doesn't it?

[IJ Reilly]

Sorry. I didn't know I was apologizing for anything.

You are apologizing for the status quo. The Republican Party came to power in Congress with a promise to end "business as usual" in the halls of government (remember the "Contract with America?"). Instead of cleaning up the town, it seems they took whatever dirty dealing ways the Democrats were alleged to have practiced and ratcheted them up a few notches. As far as "equal opportunity griping" is concerned, I'll reserve my sharpest rebukes for those who promised reform but produced more of the same.