by Benjamin Merhav
Behind the official false rhetoric about democracy in the USA there is this daily reality of big business rule. Hence the reluctance of Congress to impeach the Bush-Cheney gang. Hence the connivance by Congress in the continuation of USA war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the preparations for a new war : against Iran.
In return for their loyalty to big business Congress members are allowed corruption on a big scale. In addition to corruption instigated by the zionist lobby in Washington, as well as by other lobbies there, there is another form of corruption revealed by the article below, emailed to me by REAL NEWS. Titled, SECRET PORK-BARREL SPENDING, the article is by a Republican Congressman, therefore straight from the horse's mouth.
I looked up the dictionary for the definition of "pork-barrel spending", and I found a reference to http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=policy_Pork_Barrel_Spending
which describes the corrupt practice, concluding as follows :
"Pork-barrel spending amounts to nothing more than bribe-taking, where politicians use their constituents' tax dollars to support their reelection. It's a game of hide-and-seek that harms our representative form of democracy and threatens our fiscal stability."
The question why would the article's author still remain a member of the Republican Party and a member of a corrupt Congress is similar to the question which has been addressed to Ron Paul, the Republican "messiah". Both refuse to support the impeachment of the Republican Bush-Cheney gang.
GENUINE DEMOCRACY IS A DIRECT, PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY !
POWER TO THE PEOPLE NOW (before it is too late) !
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"CONGRESS USED TRICKERY TO STEAL SECRET, SELF-SERVING
SPENDING WITHOUT ACTUALLY READING OR VOTING
By John Shadegg, U.S.Congressman, Arizona
January 11, 2008
As they left town for Christmas, Congress passed an unprecedented
end-of-the-year appropriations bill with billions in wasteful spending
designed principally to benefit incumbent members of Congress. This bill
includes thousands of self-serving Member-directed spending projects and
displays total disregard for both legislative process and the
Constitution.
Though civics teaches that both Houses of Congress must
pass a bill before it can be presented to the president for his signature
to become law, this did not happen. Instead the House, fearful of
political fallout, used trickery so members could avoid voting on the
actual bill as it passed the Senate. A dangerous precedent.
The 3,417-page bill (34 pounds) was dropped barely 20 hours before
final consideration by the House. It included 9,170 member-directed
spending projects. Over 300 of these had never been made public, seen by
rank-and-file Members, or passed by either House. Combined with the
2,161 passed earlier, Members gave themselves a total of 11,331
self-serving projects, costing Americans over $20 billion this year.
During a season of goodwill, this bill, and those who crammed it through
Congress, showed none toward American taxpayers, their children, or
grandchildren.
This legislation continues an embarrassing trend in government
pork-barrel spending, funneling untold billions into pet projects
designed to reelect incumbents. Most such projects are not requested, or
even supported, by the departments obligated to deliver them. Many are
outright corrupt -- directing funds to members' contributors, former
staffers, and even family members.
The Democrat leadership promised to
"make this the most honest, ethical, and open Congress in history," yet
under their guidance members of both parties continue brazenly using tax
dollars to benefit themselves.
Senator Ted Stevens matched his "Bridge to Nowhere" with $20 million
for a "Ferry to Nowhere" that appears to benefit his brother-in-law and
former staffers. Congressman Jim Clyburn, the Democrat Whip, obtained
$229,000 for the Drew Wellness Center, a physical fitness center where
his daughter works. In 2003, Clyburn obtained the $900,000 to construct
the center. Clyburn also obtained $3 million for a private charity
associated with the "James Clyburn Golf Center" he established at
taxpayer expense in 2002. Charles Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and
Means Committee obtained $1.95 million for a center bearing his name and
bragged on the House Floor that he deserved it. The bill even restored
the now-infamous Hillary Clinton-Chuck Schumer Woodstock museum.
Members devote huge amounts of time to these projects and openly
acknowledge the funds are being used -- not for the larger public good --
but to ensure incumbents' reelection. In a letter to Speaker Pelosi, the
leader of a prominent Congressional Member caucus complained that caucus
members weren't receiving enough projects to ensure the reelection of its
incumbents in "highly contested races." At this rate, members will soon
complain they aren't receiving sufficient bribes to maintain their
lifestyle.
While the short-term ramifications of Washington's corruption and
fiscal promiscuity are disturbing, the long-term consequences for our
children and grandchildren should give every American cause for serious
concern. Because Congress chooses to spend far more than is collected in
current taxes, the government must borrow money to fund our largess.
And borrow we have, to the point where our current national debt is a
whopping $9.2 trillion dollars -- or more accurately $9,193,315,468,
899.43 as of December 21, 2007. That translates to $30,323.94 of debt
for every man, woman, and child in America. (Actually, according to the
Comptroller of the United States, the actual national debt when the IOUs
for Social Security and Medicare are added is $53 trillion --
$53,000,000,000,000.)
Who, exactly, is lending us all this money? Well, Japan has lent us
$586 billion. We owe Communist China $400 billion. Our "friends" in
Saudi Arabia and other oil producing nations have lent us $123 billion.
And here is the really bad news: they expect us to pay them back -- with
interest. In fact, we paid $430 billion in interest on our debt last
year alone.
Of course, current taxpayers are not going to pay anywhere close to
all of that debt -- we can't possibly. So who will be stuck paying for
our wasteful and irresponsible spending? Today's wasteful and corrupt
spending will be tomorrow's obligation. Our children and grandchildren
will be forced to repay today's wasteful spending. Anyone who truly
cares about the future of their children and grandchildren must demand
that Washington put an end to this corrupt and economically disastrous
practice.
One recent survey put Congress's approval rating at eleven percent.
Given the self-serving, wasteful conduct Congress continues to engage in, it is shocking the number is not lower.
There was celebration and back slapping in Washington pre-Christmas
as members congratulated themselves for a job well done. But I suspect,
as Americans learn once again that members of Congress devote more energy
to looking out for themselves than the nation's and our children's
well-being, congressional approval ratings will sink ever further, and
deservedly so."
- John Shadegg is a Republican congressman from Arizona. For more on
member-directed spending projects, see this Congress Daily article.
(Emphasis added - B.M.)
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