
 |
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon With its colorful cache of purples and oranges and reds, COLLARD GREEN SLAW is a marvelous mood booster --- not to mention just downright delish
April 18, 2014
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Clarifying one of the greatest philosophical conundrums in theology
John Ericson: Trying hard to be 'positive' but never succeeding? Blame Your Brain
The Kosher Gourmet by Julie Rothman Almondy, flourless torta del re (Italian king's cake), has royal roots, is simple to make, . . . but devour it because it's simply delicious
April 14, 2014
Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer: Passover frees us from the tyranny of time
Eric Schulzke: First degree: How America really recovered from a murder epidemic
Georgia Lee: When love is not enough: Teaching your kids about the realities of adult relationships
Gordon Pape: How you can tell if your financial adviser is setting you up for potential ruin
Dana Dovey: Up to 500,000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver disease. New Treatment Has Over 90% Success Rate
Justin Caba: Eating Watermelon Can Help Control High Blood Pressure
April 11, 2014
Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Silence is much more than golden
Susan Swann: How to value a child for who he is, not just what he does
Susan Scutti: A Simple Blood Test Might Soon Diagnose Cancer
Chris Weller: Have A Slow Metabolism? Let Science Speed It Up For You
April 9, 2014
Jonathan Tobin: Why Did Kerry Lie About Israeli Blame?
Samuel G. Freedman: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Jessica Ivins: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Matthew Mientka: How Beans, Peas, And Chickpeas Cleanse Bad Cholesterol and Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
April 8, 2014
Dana Dovey: Coffee Drinkers Rejoice! Your Cup Of Joe Can Prevent Death From Liver Disease
Chris Weller: Electric 'Thinking Cap' Puts Your Brain Power Into High Gear
April 4, 2014
Amy Peterson: A life of love: How to build lasting relationships with your children
John Ericson: Older Women: Save Your Heart, Prevent Stroke Don't Drink Diet
John Ericson: Why 50 million Americans will still have spring allergies after taking meds
Sarah Boesveld: Teacher keeps promise to mail thousands of former students letters written by their past selves
April 2, 2014
Dan Barry: Should South Carolina Jews be forced to maintain this chimney built by Germans serving the Nazis?
Frank Clayton: Get happy: 20 scientifically proven happiness activities
Susan Scutti: It's Genetic! Obesity and the 'Carb Breakdown' Gene
|
| |
Jewish World Review
July 27, 2010
/ 16 Menachem-Av 5770
The GOP's Opportunity . . . and Challenge
By
Cal Thomas
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Given what members of Congress get away with these days, it takes a lot to break House ethics rules. But that's what a House ethics subcommittee has accused 20-term Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY) of doing. Rangel might have avoided a trial had he admitted to any of the charges against him, but after 40 years in Congress, it's as if he sees himself as invincible. Rangel will face a jury of his congressional peers, which, to some, might look a lot like organized crime members trying one of their own.
According to the Washington Post, ethics inquiries are focused on Rangel's "failure to declare $239,000 to $831,000 in assets on his disclosure forms, and on his effort to raise money for a private center named after himself at City College of New York using his congressional letterhead." Voters might consider these small potatoes compared to running up the national debt into the trillions of dollars, but the public will have its say on that larger question in November.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised to stop unethical behavior if Democrats were given a majority. They were and she didn't. She said she would "drain the swamp." Instead, the swamp increasingly resembles a hot tub.
Again, it's not what's unethical, but apparently what some members consider ethical that should anger taxpayers. For example, are you OK with House members, over a nine-month period between late 2009 and early 2010, spending $604,000 for bottled water? The purchase is among a long list of questionable expenditures discovered in an audit by the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation. Taxpayers might ask why thirsty House members don't drink from the faucet like most people in Washington, D.C. If members think tap water doesn't meet their standards, they can buy cheap filters.
| FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO INFLUENTIAL NEWSLETTER |
| Every weekday NewsAndOpinion.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". HUNDREDS of columnists and cartoonists regularly appear. Sign up for the daily update. It's free. Just click here. |
|
Some Republicans are salivating over Democratic spending and ethical lapses, but before they run on fiscal restraint and personal morality, they should remember such former and current colleagues named DeLay, Cunningham, Ney, Foley, Lewis, Burns, Stevens, Craig, Vitter, Miller and Renzi. These -- and others -- were tainted by scandal while Republicans controlled both houses of Congress. Republicans had promised to clean up the "corruption" from 40 years of House control by the Democrats. Instead, many jumped into the hot tub.
There is an old disease in Washington called Potomac Fever. It does not discriminate between parties. When voters toss out one infected party and replace it with another that promises not to acquire the disease, the new guys also catch it.
The challenge for Republicans, who are ahead in polls for the November election, is to promise voters they won't repeat their mistakes of the recent past. That can be like walking into a town gripped by a communicable disease and vowing not to get it. Properly inoculated, Republicans can resist Potomac Fever. The question is how.
Term limits seems the best medicine, but unless Democrats agree to limit their terms, Republicans would rightly see this as unilateral surrender. Controlling the flow of money and the influence of lobbyists would be another form of protection and the House and Senate ethics committees have tried that to some extent, but the unethical always find a way to circumvent rules.
All trips underwritten by corporations and lobbyists should be banned. Any member who wishes to travel should seek authorization from an oversight committee specifically designated to approve such things. This would include travel on military jets, which cost more than commercial airlines. Taxpayers should only pay for travel that is necessary and relevant to the member's job. Spouses should travel at their own expense. All travel expenses, along with the purpose of the trip and the member's schedule, should be posted on a special web page for public viewing. Last May, the House tightened its travel rules, but not enough. Rules for Senate travel resemble the old and looser House rules.
If Republicans are to benefit from Rangel's alleged ethics violations, they must prove they are serious about cleaning up their own House (and Senate). "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." That admonition doesn't give Republicans permission at the moment to pick up even a pebble.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
| BUY THE BOOK |
| Click HERE to purchase it at a discount. (Sales help fund JWR.). |
|
Cal Thomas Archives JWR contributor Cal Thomas is co-author with Bob Beckel, a liberal Democratic Party strategist, of "Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That is Destroying America". Comment by clicking here.
© 2006, Tribune Media Services, Inc.
|
|
Columnists
Toons
Lifestyles
|