G.O.P. Spells "Pork"

From the Washington Post:

"If you look at fiscal conservatism these days, it's in a sorry state," said Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), one of only eight House members to vote against the $286.5 billion transportation bill that was passed the day before the recess. "Republicans don't even pretend anymore."

Last week, Congress approved transportation and energy bills that burst through the president's cost limits. Annual spending bills are inching above caps set by Congress itself in its budget plan for 2006. And a massive water projects bill passed by the House last month authorizes spending that would exceed current levels by 173 percent.

Lawmakers have seen little to fear from a political backlash, some acknowledge, and Bush has yet to wield his veto pen. In fact, the White House has proved itself largely unable to overcome the institutional forces that have long driven lawmakers to ply their parochial interests with cash.

Indeed, Congress has exceeded the allocations or assumptions in its budget resolution four times -- and the year's legislative work is far from complete. According to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, those budget violations have raised spending through 2010 by roughly $2.2 billion above Congress's limits and tacked $115 billion onto the federal budget deficit through the end of decade, including $33 billion in 2006 alone.

When lawmakers return in the fall, they are almost certain to vote for more tax cuts. They also will vote on a huge new defense spending bill. But proposals for cutting entitlement programs including Medicaid have yet to pick up much support.

This week, House GOP leaders sent their legislators 52 pages of talking points, some addressing fiscal discipline, others touting the spending. The final page lays out 12 "Ideas for August Recess Events," none of which trumpets small government.

"You have to be courageous to not spend money," said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), "and we don't have many people who have that courage."

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"Do as I do, not as I say", the wise men advise. Now, when the Democrats take back Congress, we won't have to listen to all that "tax and spend" nonsense. Proof's in the pudding that, like many revolutionaries, the problem the GOP wasn't a matter of principle, it just a matter of power. Spending like a German tourist in Bangkok is just fine when you're the one doing it.

Now that they have the keys to the national safe, well, they're true to form. It's just one corporate welfare bill after another. While "welfare momma" is told to get her lazy butt down to Wal-Mart or starve, Halliburton gets license to spend whatever and whenever in Iraq. And if we don't pay up, well, the good people of Iraq will have to, according to Donald Rumsfeld, although they never had any say in turning over their hard-earneds to Cheney's boys in the first place. Haven't you Americans ever heard of "No taxation without representation?" they must wonder.

Then there's the energy bill, which gives fat energy companies gazillions in tax breaks because the free market rise in energy prices just ain't good enough. Since that money that's not going into the federal treasury will have to be made up by borrowing and borrowing and borrowing, it's a backdoor subsidy without the efficiency of just handing them the money directly.

Then there's the prescription discount for seniors. Ridiculously pricey because the government can't haggle for bulk rates under the law. You know, like a business would. (Whatever happened to "running government like a business?")

The economic cost of this will be felt for years to come. LBJ tried to run a cosmetics-and-cannon fiscal policy during the Vietnam year and we paid for it with 1970's "stagflation." Bush, Jr.'s borrowing and borrowing and borrowing, in good part on an equally pointless war, certainly risks the same. If we're "at war", where's the call for sacrifice? Americans willingly paid an extra charge on plane tickets for airport and related security. Where are the Iraq war bonds? Where's the call to duty on foreign shores and deserts?

Nowhere. The result is spend on useless armaments for a war with no reasonable goal and domestic transfers like energy and prescription drugs which could be left to the market or direct government subsidy. It's nothing for nothing, and we're all going to pay for it.

I believe most Americans want their government to take in and spend the way they do, take in what goes out, with credit used for long term and/or extraordinary expenses. The Dems need to remind folks that "tax and spend" is a problem when spend exceeds tax for no reason, and when spend is spent on stupid stuff, like corporate giveaways instead of Humvee armor.

Who would have thought that one of George Bush, Jr.'s legacies would be to turn the Democratic Party into the land of fiscal responsibility? Perhaps we should erect an inexpensive statue in his honor outside DNC HQ in 2009. It is, indeed, a pretty fundamental realignment and he should be. Something made of tin, several statues, with George taking a hammer to a child's piggy bank while a much bigger pig labeled "Greed, Inc." stands by waiting for the result, ought to do nicely.