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Politics : The Donkey's Inn -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (5552)	12/11/2002 4:00:01 PM
From: Mephisto	Respond to of 15516

An editorial in The New York Times agrees with what you say. And so do I.

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (5552)	12/11/2002 4:05:37 PM
From: Mephisto	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15516

Keeping Dick Cheney's Secrets The New York Times Editorial December 11, 2002 In a ringing victory for special-interest lobbyists, a federal court in Washington has thrown out a lawsuit seeking access to the records of Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force. In reaching its conclusion the court dismissed the investigative authority of the General Accounting Office and, by extension, of Congress. The ruling is wrong on the law and a blow to the cause of ethics in government. It should be reversed on appeal. The General Accounting Office sued to force Mr. Cheney to release records identifying who met with his task force as it developed the Bush administration's energy policy. The accounting office is acting at the behest of members of Congress who charge that the task force met with Republican campaign contributors from big business, but with almost no environmentalists, when it drew up its package of industry-friendly energy proposals. Judge John Bates, who was named to the bench by President Bush, refused to consider the merits of the case, holding instead that the accounting office had no standing to sue. But his decision ignores the fact that the General Accounting Office was established by Congress for the express purpose of helping it to investigate and analyze matters like this. The law requires the executive branch to furnish its records when asked to do so. The Bush administration hailed the ruling as an endorsement of the president's right to "receive unvarnished advice." But the court did not say the administration had a right to withhold the information, only that the accounting office is not the proper party to raise the issue. From the beginning, the most troubling part of this case has been the administration's lack of appreciation for the concept of open government. This case is not about the advice the president receives from trusted advisers in the inner sanctums of the White House. It concerns access to basic information about a task force that took extensive testimony from members of the private sector. The public has a right to know what businesses and special interests it heard from, and whether Mr. Cheney was seeking information from every side of the issue. The dismissal of the accounting office's suit comes while another Washington court is considering a challenge to the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. Both cases focus on the disturbing role campaign contributions play in setting government policies. The administration may choose to see this week's decision as a win, but it is a crushing loss for the public's right to know. nytimes.com Copyright The New York Times Company

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (5552)	12/11/2002 6:04:08 PM
From: PartyTime	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15516

Message 18325107 By the way, it was just announced on MSNBC that Senator Kerry has called for Senator Lott's resignation. Seems prudent that other calls will follow. Who'll be the first Republican to chime in? Strategically, for the Democrats, perhaps Senator Daschle should also step down since he was willing to let Lott get away with his horrendous and oft-repeated statements. Congresswoman Pelosi had a quick and courageous stance against Lott. Why didn't Daschle?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (5552)	12/13/2002 4:09:13 PM
From: Mephisto	Respond to of 15516

The DNC sent the following information to me: --61,800 Washington workers who have lost jobs since Bush took office --82,000 Washington workers in danger of losing unemployment benefits --3.9 billion 401(k) benefits lost by Washington workers --234.5 million Lost in the Washington state pension funds due to corporate scandals --13.1 The percentage of Washington's population currently without health insurance What's more, Bush has presided over a 94 percent decline in the federal budget surplus -- that's $5.3 trillion gone in less than 2 years. Democratic National News