Imagine walking into Best Buy, strolling over to the television department, and grabbing a brand new Tivo unit. You then take this big, rather obvious box, and go right past the checkout stand, and out the door. On the way out, the guys who check to make sure you have paid for things start to approach you, and like Obi-Wan Kenobi’s Jedi Mind Trick in the original Star Wars, you tell the guy, "I don’t have a Tivo in my hand" — and they look at you funny, but are forced into silence as you stroll out with your stolen merchandise.
I know, you are wondering how this little parable is going to somehow translate to something going on in politics. Well, it does! I was reading a story from The Hill newspaper this morning, and apparently under the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the House of Representatives has adopted a new twist on their House rules that is so unbelievable that, even when reading it, you don’t believe it!
Apparently if you bring forth an earmark laden bill up for a vote, as the maker of the motion, you can simply file a "declaration" that the earmarks just aren’t there (even though they clearly are). Under Rules adopted by the Democrats, it is literally out of order to then question them. This apparently was done in the recently passed continuing resolution to keep the doors of the federal government open.
Here’s a choice excerpt from the story:
As long as the manager of the bill states on the House floor that it is earmark-free, as Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) did with the continuing resolution, it cannot be challenged with a point of order, Flake said. “I’ve learned around this place, as good as your rules are — and we have some good rules — as long as you can simply waive them, they don’t mean much,” he lamented.
Talk about craziness. If you take this rule to its natural extension, soon they will simply declare that there is no tax increase in a bill massively increasing taxes…
I have asked our Washigton Correspondent, Congressman John Campbell, to get us more information on this ludicrous and very serious matter…
Care to read comments, or make your own about today’s Daily Commentary?
Just click here to go to the FR Weblog, where this Commentary has its own blog post, and where you can read and make comments.