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Pigging Out - by Chris Kelley @ Media Watch

Friday, April 07, 2006

First things first. I was watching C-SPAN's morning show today, and they had a discussion on the current legislation in Congress to amend the "Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act," or "McCain-Feingold." The amendments are meant to lasso 527s in order to bring them under federal elections laws. The part I was watching featured Indiana Republican Mike Pence and Delaware Republican Michale Castle. After hearing Pence talk, I can only conclude that he is delusional. When a caller took him on about the fiscal irresponsibility of the Republicans, he took great pains to note that only the Democrats are the Party of big government and staggering deficits. When the caller mentioned the deficits of Bush and Reagan, he claified by telling us the Democrats controlled the Congress in the 1980s, and Reagan did what he could to keep the deficit from growing even larger. My jaw dropped. First, just because he says the Democrats are the Party of Big Government spending while Republicans are for fiscal discipline does not make it true. I am really gaining a sense that no Republican of any prominence ever took a logic course. You do not start with a thesis and then go right to the conclusion. Somewhere in between we need evidence. And the evidence is clear: the Republicans have been poor stewards of the treasury. Supply side economics, which Pence also triumphed, only work when you cut spending. If you cut taxes while increasing spending, you only push catastrophe off for another day. Second, all of us know that the President is the leader of Congress. During the 1980s, Republicans controlled the Senate until 1987, which left only one chamber of Congress under control of the Democrats. Finally, all of us know that the massive deficits in the 1980s came from Reagan's budget of 1981. Massive appropriations for defense, national security, and intelligence--cuts in social spending, and massive tax cuts (sound familiar?). I hold the host of this show responsible. He didn't dare remind Pence that he was crazy. This is where I don't think C-SPAN is all it is cracked up to be. There are times when you need something of a filter to put in context the sheer craziness you get from politicians.

Next, I don't care if Katie Couric goes to CBS since I don't care about either of them. But I am sure that if it hasn't already happened, it will. Cries of how CBS will continue the liberal tradition of Cronkite and Rather. This will then lead to a heavy denial by CBS and will try to prove it is conservative. My advice to both. Embrace it. You will never prove other wise to these knuckleheads on the Right, so why even try? Don't be like Brian Williams who secretly wishes he could hawk for Fox. There always seems to be a shift in direction when this country senses politics has gone too far in one direction, and I am willing to think that this administration and this Congress has left a bad taste in the mouths of many Americans. Maybe not.

OK, finally and to the point of my headline. Every year for probably 20 years, the organization Citizens Against Government Waste has once again released its "Big Pig" book, which documents the porkbarrel projects in appropriations bill. I have never been one to fawn, particularly when it publicizes who is praising it--Cal Thomas and John Stossell--and this year is no different. This always makes the newspapers and certainly the nightly news where reporters and anchors can giggle at all the silly projects that are "wasting our money," as the yahoos at ABC continue to remind us. Not put into context is how not all of this is Pork. Each member seeks to bring back projects for their district and states--projects that often mean hiring people to work and tax revenue for the states and districts. This book is used to frame Congress as bloated, out of touch, greedy, irresponsible, ...you get the point, when in fact that most often is simply not the case. Any rate, enjoy the read!