One year later, we're still reeling form the effects
cagw.org
CAGW's "Porker of the Month" award is a dubious honor given to lawmakers, government officials and political candidates who have shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers. Previous recipients of the award include First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton (D) and Senate Appropriations Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).
January 2001
PORKER OF THE MONTH
RAP SHEET
Name: William Jefferson Clinton
Party: Democrat
The Clintons spent their last month in the White House battling deadlines. While Hillary rushed to help her friends give her as many pieces of fine china as possible from her registry at Borsheim's Jewelers before the Senate's gift ban took effect on January 3, husband Bill has been a "busy beaver" (so described by a Bush spokesman), approving federal regulations and issuing executive orders on the environment and business before leaving power. The president, apparently vexed at Congress's refusal to enact his program through normal channels, is using every day up to Jan. 20 to accomplish his agenda through these backdoor methods.
It is estimated there will be more than 29,000 pages of so-called midnight regulations put in place before Clinton leaves office. While the rush to finalize a spate of new regulations is a tradition whenever an administration transitions out, as with so many other things, this administration has far surpassed the wasteful activities of its predecessors. Jimmy Carter currently holds the record of 24,531 pages of these last-minute rules, nearly 4,500 pages less than Clinton's record level.
The administration's rush on new rules not only reflects a serious disregard for fair and open methods of passing regulations, but also poses a serious financial threat to taxpayers and small businesses. The National Federation of Independent Business calls the newest Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules "vague and confusing," and claims that one rule, pertaining to "repetitive-motion" injuries, will be the costliest rule ever imposed on small business.
While the president has accused Republicans of heartlessness when it comes to the nation's most needy, Clinton's eleventh-hour designs to make millions of acres of exploitable land off limits will raise prices for wood, natural gas, and oil, all at a time when high energy prices, a soft economy, and a colder than normal winter are making fuel supplies more crucial than ever. Clinton's ill-considered regulations will leave many Americans out in the cold this season.
Though the incoming Bush Administration is expected to oppose many of the rules, once they are written into law by Clinton, any reversal of them would entail starting the process over again, at a huge cost to the new administration.
For leaving the president-elect with a larger bureaucracy to untangle and for costing taxpayers, small business and the new administration more time and money, we name President William Jefferson Clinton Porker of the Month, for the last time. We hope. |
