Big Dogs Weblog

Senate Fails to Control Spending

by Big Dog on May 20, 2008 at 12:01 Political

The Senate has added projects worth millions of dollars to the war funding bill. The items added are not related to the war with the exception of a GI Bill which had earlier been reported to involve a 1% surcharge on people making more than half a million dollars a year. While adding items to bills is a legal procedure doing it in this fashion continues to be unethical and underhanded at best. The Senate has added million of dollars for urban schools (as if education does not waste enough money, millions for immigrants to work in agriculture, millions for levee repair in Louisiana (have we not wasted enough money there yet), millions to track down child predators and millions to fight western wildfires.

None of these items have anything to do with the war and this process is just a way for Senators to get items through without going through the proper process and without legislative oversight. These are all domestic items and they should be introduced separately so that they can be passed or rejected based upon their own merits. Adding this kind of stuff is how we end up buying $600 hammers toilet seats.

The Senators know that these items are not likely to be brought up in this year’s session so they are circumventing the regular process to push them through despite the threat of a veto. In essence, the people we pay about $170,000 a year cannot come up with the time to properly introduce these items involving spending our money so they have taken the quick route and added them to the one bill that is certain to get to the president. If these items are deserving then they are strong enough to be introduced on their own and should not be in the war funding bill.

I wonder why it is that there is not enough time for them to do things the right way? Perhaps it is because, despite promises to the contrary, they still have a three day work week (on a good week). Perhaps it is because they are busy jetting around the country either running for office or helping someone who is. Perhaps it is because they work fewer than 100 days per year and they are woefully inept.

I want a Senator to add term limits to the bill. It should be an add on that states people elected to the Senate may only serve two terms and then are barred from serving in either House of Congress. If anyone knows a Senator who favors term limits leave the name in the comment section and I will contact the office with a request.

Whatever happens, and I suspect it will be vetoed, the add ons are wrong and demonstrate a complete lack of fiscal responsibility and leadership on the part of our elected (so-called) leaders.

Source:
My Way News

Tags: domestic spending, fiscal irresponsibility, Senate, war funding, wasteful spending