Space is leading freshman members of Congress in calling for a
comprehensive overhaul of the ethics oversight process. Space is advocating the
creation of a nonpartisan, independent entity that will vet, initiate, and
conduct possible investigations to eliminate the systemic problems of having
members investigate other members.
“But we need to do more. We need a new system to ensure such ethics
problems are a thing of the past," Space said. "We can no longer allow the fox
to guard the hen house. We must remove politics from ethics oversight as part of
this effort to restore America's faith in our elected officials.”
"Members of Congress must know that it they break the rules, they will be caught and punished. We have a sad history of members breaking House rules and federal law because they never believed they would be caught. That must change," Space said.
But
5/22/2007
The Murtha episode began when Mr. Rogers unsuccessfully sought to remove a $23Next we have the vote to decide whether to go forward and debate censuring Mugger Murtha.
million “earmark,” or pet spending item inserted by a member, that Mr. Murtha
had tucked into an intelligence-spending bill. The money was to pay for a
drug-intelligence center in his hometown, Johnstown, Pa.
Mr. Murtha, the chairman of the defense subcommittee on the House Appropriations Committee, is not used to having his power questioned. He has been known to explain to members “the facts of life,” meaning that he will punish those who obstruct him.
So Mr. Murtha stormed across the House floor last Thursday and berated Mr. Rogers publicly. “I hope you don’t have any earmarks in the defense appropriations bills,” Mr. Murtha fumed. “You will not get any earmarks, now and forever.”
Whereupon Mr. Rogers filed the motion to censure Mr. Murtha, a motion that would have had no practical effect but might have made Democrats even more uncomfortable.
The motion was tabled (killed) by a vote of 219 – 189 with 13 voting “present”. The Space Avenger voted to table.
Congressman Zack is a quick learner (5 days from C-Span to the vote). Knowing that he’d never get funding for, say, The Space House Institute of Technology to be built in his district or any other project he wants, Space did the ethical thing and voted to support Murtha's lack of ethics.
You see, actually voting to support ethics in the House could have been hurtful to his district so his vote against ethics was actually ethical, you know, for the children.
My teacher was right. Space is a void.
HT to Barking Moonbats Early Warning System
