Please, please, please, please, please, please, please...

[misanthrope]

...let this come to pass but I'll believe it when I see it.

Mass exodus of politicians from DC

[southerncrone]

1. NOne of the other laws are being enforced, "Why do we think this one wil be?"

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended

Thanks for the thread misanthrope.

[Buzz Clik]

3. Hm. These guys vote themselves fat raises, have been bathed in gifts from lobbyists, ....

... and now we're to believe that they just wrote legislation to get themselves in trouble?

I can't put my finger on it, but something about this makes me skeptical.

[Warpy]

4. I've read about the new ethics rules elsewhere, so it's legit

and it's expected to pass the Senate, although I'm not holding my breath over it.

These rules will go a long way towards cleaning the riffraff out of elected office. Once they can no longer make as big a killing, they'll go back to jockeying for high corporate management or starting new cults, where the real dough is.

After 12 years of corrupt GOP rule, it desperately needs to come to pass. I just hope the Senate passes it.

In the meantime, they don't have to vote themselves huge pay raises. Those happen automatically, thanks to the foresight of the corrupt bastards who got there a long time ago.

[stillcool]

5. I'm thinking the federal government..

is one big money-laundering machine..and those inhabiting the swamp in DC are just like the insurgents in Iraq....every time there's a change in strategy...they change their tactics. Time to drain the swamp.

[progressoid]

6. What's she been smoking?

[KoKo]

7. From what I heard the bill was weak and I didn't know they even passed it.

House can still lobby after 1 year (it was supposed to be two) unless there was a last minute revision and they wouldn't allow an "Independent Review" for ethics they kept it in Congress.

Maybe they changed it or it was media spin that it wasn't tought enough. I wonder what Borger is up to saying folks would resign over this. She's been no friend or even moderate to Dems in years. :shrug:

[VP505]

8. I haven't read this bill

and could be talking out my a** but in keeping with what's typical in Washington, I am sure that there are enough loop holes and work around opportunities that anything they have to give up will be more than made up for in some other way. Fact is, we are talking about the worlds foremost experts on pocket lining, if they aren't proficient when they first get to Washington, they soon will be, its a very short learning curve. If I sound cynical, its probably cause I am.

[shenmue]

9. "Predicts"?

From your post, I was hoping it had already happened!

:argh:

Don't get my hopes up like that!... :crazy:

[WillyT]

10. Here's My Wacky Solution To The Problem...

Tie the ethics\lobbying problem to campaign finance reform.

If it has gotten that expensive to live in D.C, and maintain a home\office in their state of residence that they have to grub in the trough with monied lobbyists, and if television advertising dollars are creating a situation where they are continually campaigning and fund-raising for those dollars, then...

Double their salaries (one time only) and then permanently attach those salaries to yearly cost of living increases. No more raises. Force the media (TV\Radio) to give free, an agreed amount of campaign advertising time on air. Everybody gets the same amount of time, and it starts 45 days before a primary or general election. For Free Speech considerations, any candidate wanting to start advertising earlier, or more often than allowed, would be required to pay not only for their time, but for their opponent's time as well. Not production of advertising, but time on air.

After that, any congress critter found guilty of criminality, or major ethics violations, would lose their seat, their pension, all benefits, and spend 5 tears in a Federal Penitentiary.

I know this all sounds silly and unworkable, but I'd bet you that politicians from both sides of the aisle might just be willing to do something like this if it meant that their income would be doubled, they didn't have to beg lobbyists or constituents for money, and they didn't have to be constantly campaigning instead of legislating.

It's not whether they deserve this, it's about the American People laying out the final bribe to get these idiots to do their work on behalf of US!!!

:shrug: