Posted by
Craig Freeborn on Monday, January 15, 2007 1:58:03 AM
Isn’t technology grand? In years past, news would take weeks to travel across the country. Here in Texas, “Juneteenth” is celebrated every year on June nineteenth, the date when, in 1865, Union troops arrived on Galveston Island and made the announcement that Abraham Lincoln had issued the emancipation proclamation freeing the slaves on January 1, 1863 – two and a half years earlier.
Contrast that with speed at which last week’s front page headlines appeared across the country:
Senate Democrats to begin with proposal to change ethics laws
New House rules aimed at curbing spending
Coming within Nancy Pelosi’s first 100 hours, the casual voter is left with the impression that the Democrats are living up to their promises, preventing the scandal-ridden, budget-busting Republicans from any more scandal-ridden, budget-busting.
Never mind that the earmark restrictions would have affected only about 5% of the thousands slipped in by both republicans and Democrats in the last Congress. And never mind that most of the ethics rules had already been passed in the Republican controlled 109th Congress. And never mind again that many Democrats are already saying that it will be “difficult” to abide by the pay-as-you-go budget rules.
The important thing is they got their headlines. Now casual voters can go back into hibernation for two years, wake up in time to vote in 2008, and remember those big black headlines during the opening days of 110th Congress.
The Democrats are only doing what politicians have done for centuries – exploiting the opposition. And frankly the Republicans only have themselves to blame. They got power-hungry, they got greedy, and they got lax.
Nancy Pelosi promises the Democrats will lead the most ethical Congress in history – with a balanced budget to boot. It will be up to Freeborn Americans to pay attention and hold their feet to the fire.