So much for reform

[Tigermike 3,053]

In the House: Demos protect union buddies

Congressional Democrats are demanding greater oversight in virtually every facet of government and the private sector, but they are pulling the leash tight on the government watchdog when it comes to unions. In a none-too-subtle nod to their faithful friends in labor, House Democrats have proposed to cut 20 percent from the budget of the Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS), the Labor Department agency tasked with reviewing union-fund disclosures. Congress has added close to $1 billion to the president’s 2008 budget request for the Labor Department as a whole. Every other Labor Department enforcement agency is due for an increase, but OLMS is losing $11 million. It’s not for lack of effort; the office has aided in the convictions of 775 corrupt union officials in the past six years. By reducing its budget, the House hopes to lighten the scrutiny OLMS exercises over how unions spend their members’ dues, which often go into the campaign coffers of Demo candidates nationwide.

The House voted 357-72 Wednesday to reject President Bush’s plan to eliminate $420 million in federal funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) offered this special earmark: $2 million for the City College of New York to establish the “Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service.” Rangel’s humility is exemplary.

Income Redistribution File: Subsidizing rich farmers

After claiming to deplore unnecessary and wasteful farm subsidies by suggesting, during the run up to the last election, that it was time to end them, congressional Democrats revealed their talk was all hat and no cattle by proposing that $25 billion in pork handouts remain in place. So much for reform.

Government data reveals agriculture subsidies are mostly awarded to wealthy farmers and confer little or no benefit to poorer farmers (those worth less than $2 million with net incomes below $200,000), or the nation as a whole, thus contradicting the original rationale behind subsidies during the Great Depression. In fact, the richest ten percent of farmers have received three quarters of payments under the 2002 farm bill. Some other notable “farmers” with their hands in the cookie jar: ExxonMobil, Chevron, Ted Turner, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Rep. John Salazar (D-CO).

Subsidies are costly to both taxpayers and consumers, and they undermine our rural economy by creating surpluses in unneeded agricultural products. Two House members, Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Ron Kind (D-WI), are crafting a bill to rectify the situation. They seek to phase out most direct-cash subsidies, instead setting up “risk-management accounts” (much like IRAs), accessible only to farmers with gross incomes of less than $200,000. After 2014, government payouts would cease altogether, once private tax-free accounts were established.

Good economic news

Warning: The following may upset the psychological equilibrium of John Edwards’ groupies following his recent poverty tour.

The Dow Jones closed at a record 14,000 yesterday; the U.S. economy continues to grow; and, according to the Institute for Global Economic Growth (IGEG), the whole of planet earth is not such a bad place to live after all, either. In fact, according to Institute Chairman Richard Rahn, the world this past year actually became a better address to call home. Not only is widespread economic growth happening but also the rate of growth of the world gross domestic product has reached five percent per year. At this pace, per capita income is set to double in 15 years, and nearly every country in the world is rising with this tide. As if this promising news weren’t bad enough for the naysayers, the IGEG reports increases in literacy rates, improvements in life expectancies and decreases in the percentage of the planet’s population suffering from malnutrition.

On the other hand, just to be fair, there is some bad news. Rahn warns of a dangerous threat to the world’s well being. Identified by initiatives calling for increased taxes and government-controlled “enterprise,” this hazard could spell ruin for the world economy. Perhaps you will recognize the threat—it goes by the name of the U.S. Congress.

Belittling politics and little money

Top Demo presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John Edwards were caught on tape at an NAACP event kvetching about the large field of contenders for the Jackass Party nomination. Edwards confided that they “should try to have a more serious and a smaller group,” presumably suggesting that Bill Richardson, Christopher Dodd, Joe Biden and others should take a hike. Clinton agreed that the number of candidates needed to be cut “because they are just being trivialized.” Naturally, both denied what they said, with Clinton pointing the finger at Edwards, and Edwards using his litigious linguistic skills to refute what has been recorded for posterity, claiming he wants debates with fewer “random” candidates. They’re for the little guy, just so long as the little guy knows his place.

Hillary and the Breck Girl may think there are too many Demos running for president, but all eight of them are doing better than Republicans when it comes to raising money for the presidential stakes. Democrats raised a total of $80 million in the second quarter of 2007, with Barack Obama topping the list at $32.8 million and Clinton following him with $27 million. Edwards raised $8.9 million.

By comparison, the top Republican was Rudy Giuliani with $17 million, followed by Mitt Romney with $13 million and John McCain with $11 million. Ron Paul did the best among the second tier with $2 million and has more cash on hand than McCain. Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore bowed out of the race after raising only $182,000, saying that he was a victim of the front-loaded primary schedule. Gilmore intends to remain active in the GOP and, of course, pay off his $67,000 campaign debt.

Candidates have been spending record amounts of money as well, but Obama and Clinton still have $34 million and $32 million on hand, respectively. Giuliani still has $14 million in the bank, and Romney has $12 million, with the added luxury of being able to dip into his personal fortune should funds get tight.

[AURaptor 1,126]

Amazingly, the Dems have won back the Congress w/ out having ANYTHING new to offer the voters. " We're the same old tax/spend Liberals we always were! " is a message that incredibly has collected more votes for the Dems than the GOP, who have given us this great economy, no new al Qaeda attacks, killed or captured much of the al Qaeda 'cabinet', toppled Saddam's regime, shown quarter after quarter of growth, a low unemployment rate, etc......