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Politics : I Will Continue to Continue, to Pretend.... -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sully- who wrote (22638)	9/1/2006 3:09:12 AM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

Suitably Flipping the Byrd Posted by Flip Suitably Flip I've just received confirmation from Senator Byrd's office that he was the second secret holder on S2590, but that he has now released the hold. According to Byrd's Press Secretary Tom Gavin: <<< There was an effort to pass a bill (S. 2590) on an important subject without debate just before the Senate recess. Senators have an obligation to their constituents to know what they are voting on before signing off on any proposal. The American people ought to demand that bills receive scrutiny by Senators before those bills are approved. We have seen the consequences of rushing legislation through the Senate without any time for review or understanding. On August 2, the last day before a month-long Senate recess, a Senate committee gave its approval to a brand new piece of legislation, cosponsored by Senator Obama and Senator Coburn. That same day, there was an effort to rush the legislation through the Senate without any Senator having the chance to ask questions. Senator Byrd wanted time to read the legislation, understand its implications, and see whether the proposal could be improved. Now that there has been time to better understand the legislation, Senator Byrd has released his hold. Senator Byrd believes that the bill should be debated and opened for amendment, and not pushed through without discussion. >>> Will Senator Stevens follow suit? suitablyflip.blogs.com

To: Sully- who wrote (22638)	9/1/2006 3:09:19 AM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

It Was Byrd posted by Ace Ace of Spades HQ So, his spokewoman lied. Just as I suspected. My guy always comes through. <<< West Virginia Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd admits that he placed a "secret hold" on legislation that would make uncovering the Byzantine world of federal contracting as easy as typing a Google search. Tom Gavin, spokesperson for Byrd, confirmed to Cox Newspapers that the senator placed the hold on legislation introduced by Sens. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., before voting on the measure. Byrd joins Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, for holding up the bill right before Congress left town on August 4. Byrd merely wanted more time to evaluate the legislation that would create a new database of some $2.5 trillion in federal spending on contracts, loans, financial assistance and insurance. "Senator Byrd wanted time to read the legislation, understand its implications, and see whether the proposal could be improved," Gavin said. Byrd has released his hold, now that there "has been time to better understand the legislation," Gavin said. "Senator Byrd believes that the bill should be debated and opened for amendment, and not pushed through without discussion," Gavin said. "There was an effort to pass a bill on an important subject without debate just before the Senate recess," Gavin said. Senators have an obligation to their constituents to know what they are voting on before signing off on any proposal, he said. "On August 2, the last day before a month-long Senate recess, a Senate committee gave its approval to a brand new piece of legislation, cosponsored by Senator Obama and Senator Coburn," Gavin said. "That same day, there was an effort to rush the legislation through the Senate without any Senator having the chance to ask questions," he said. >>> Uh-huh. Thanks to Deep Stoat. ace.mu.nu palmbeachpost.com

To: Sully- who wrote (22638)	9/6/2006 9:30:05 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

The Hill Plays Grab-Ass With S2590 By Captain Ed on Pork Barrel Captain's Quarters When we started the day, the Coburn/Obama bill to establish a searchable database for the federal budget, a great new tool to keep appropriations above board and to establish accountability for how our money is spent, had no holds and looked ready to receive a vote by unanimous consent. By the end of the day, two politicians from each side had placed holds on the legislation, one from each party. No one knows who the Democrat is, but the Republican is rumored to be Ted Stevens, who had just released his previous hold after an avalanche of criticism. Bill Frist has made it clear that the bill will receive a vote this month, regardless of how many holds it receives: <<< My Democrat colleagues have not yet cleared this legislation ... but I'm confident that they will do so promptly or pay the consequences of continued obstruction. Now is the time to act on S. 2590. And we will act this September to pass this bill and bring the bright light of public scrutiny to the federal budget. Update from Senator Frist: As soon as I blogged this, I received word that a Republican Senator has not cleared the bill. Let me be clear, hold or no hold, I will bring this legislation to the floor for a vote in September. >>> Let's once again revisit what holds mean. A hold is just a tip-off to caucus leadership that they intend to object when a bill is introduced to the Senate floor. It's supposed to be used to slow the process enough to allow all members to review the material in detail, but often it's used for petty revenge against a bill's sponsors. However petty and maddening these holds are, they cannot stop legislation from coming to the floor. As many Senators who have holds can object and deny unanimous consent -- but it can only stop the bill once. After that, the bill will have to face as many as three cloture motions, which will take six legislative days to complete, but after that the bill must come to the floor for a vote. At this point, it makes no difference whether there are one hold or a dozen. Any number will invoke the need for cloture, and a multiplicity will not make it any worse. Of course, we can still hold them accountable for their holds -- and we hope the Senate leadership will reveal the gameplayers if they do not cease. captainsquartersblog.com volpac.org

To: Sully- who wrote (22638)	9/8/2006 5:50:35 AM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

Coburn-Obama Federal Spending Database Passes -- Unanimously! By Captain Ed on Pork Barrel Captain's Quarters The Senate has busted through the holds put on by members and passed S2590, the Coburn-Obama bill establishing the federal spending database we have demanded. Bill Frist announces it at his VOLPAC blog: <<< Tonight I’m proud to report that the Senate unanimously passed S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006. The passage of this legislation is a triumph for transparency in government, for fiscal discipline, and for the bipartisan citizen journalism of the blogosphere. Without the efforts of ordinary Americans empowered by the Internet, including many hardworking members of the iFrist Volunteers, this legislation might easily have been successfully obstructed. Instead, the unprecedented synergy between online grassroots activists and Senate leadership provides a new model for participatory democracy in action. >>> The bill now goes to the House, where their version exempts contractors from the database. We need to pressure House leadership to accept the Senate version as soon as possible and put this legislation in front of President Bush. Earlier today, The Hill reported on the multiple holds put on S2590 and the extraordinary efforts of the blogosphere to unmask those Senators applying the delaying tactic. I wrote a post for the Heritage Foundation Policy Blog that the best strategy for fellow Porkbusters would be to focus more on pressing forward with the vote regardless of holds: <<< [A]ctivists would be better served by channeling their energies into demanding immediate action on the bill now despite the holds. Frist has already gone on record saying that he will take all action necessary to get S.2590 passed before the election. The Hill notes that Minority Leader Harry Reid, who has offered public support for the bill, has not made any similar commitment to pushing against procedural obstacles. To see if Reid is indeed serious about increasing the transparency of federal spending, activists might ask him for a signal against the three-card monty of holds in which senators from both caucuses have engaged. >>> UPDATE: Bridgett Wagner at Heritage Foundation shares with us her favorite quote, by Sam Adams: "It does not take a majority to prevail . . . but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.” That seems very appropriate in this instance. captainsquartersblog.com volpac.org thehill.com policy.heritageblogs.org

To: Sully- who wrote (22638)	9/13/2006 2:23:15 AM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

Secrets in the Senate By John Stossel Townhall.com Columnist Wednesday, September 13, 2006 Their arrogance is stunning. Sens. Ted Stevens (R-Alas.) and Robert Byrd (D-W.V.) are the acknowledged kings of pork-barrel spending. They bring billons of taxpayer dollars to their states to ensure their hold on power. But apparently, that's not enough. They also want to make certain that you and I don't see what they get away with. So secretly they tried to keep us in the dark. Fiscal hawks in the Senate, led by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), are sponsoring a bill to create a database that would keep track of government spending. You could search that database from your home and find out who got all that special-interest taxpayer largess. That seems like useful information for citizens who would like to keep their eyes on their spend-happy representatives. But what's good for the taxpayers is not necessarily good for the politicians who ladle out our money, or the feeders at the government trough who get all those contracts and grants. The power brokers would rather the people not look over their shoulders. The bill to create the database has sponsors from both parties, including Majority Leader Bill Frist and Minority Leader Harry Reid. It has support from 100 conservative and liberal government-watchdog organizations. It was approved unanimously by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The measure was headed for a vote in the full Senate when suddenly it was derailed by unidentified senators. The Senate, it turns out, has a rule that lets any member delay a bill -- without revealing his identity. It's called the "secret hold." This mystery led to several days of speculation, but finally, Sen. Stevens came forward. The next day Sen. Byrd did, too. Byrd has since lifted his hold, but Stevens hasn't. Byrd said he wanted time to read the bill and try to improve it. Stevens, who is a member of the committee that held hearings but didn't speak up at the time, now says he wants a cost-benefit analysis done before he makes up his mind. Sounds fishy to me. I think these guys just don't want us to see how they spend our money. When the Democrats held power, I confronted Sen. Byrd about his "Honorable" Robert Byrd Highway-type projects in West Virginia. His answer was as arrogant as he was: "I would think that the national media could rise above the temptation of being clever, decrepitarian critics who twaddlize, just as what you're doing right here." "Twaddlize?" I asked. "Trivializing serious matters," he explained. I persisted, "Is there no limit? Are you not at all embarrassed about how much you got?" Byrd glared at me, "Are you embarrassed when you think you're working for the good of the country?!" As for Sen. Stevens, last year, the congressional transportation bill included $450 million to build two bridges to little-populated parts of his state, Alaska. One of these "bridges to nowhere" would connect Ketchikan to a nearly uninhabited island. When Sen. Coburn proposed that the money instead be spent to repair a bridge over Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain that had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina, Sen. Stevens had a little tantrum. He stood on the Senate floor and said if his state's loot was cut, he'd resign and "be taken out of here on a stretcher!" Good! Sen. Stevens, please go. I'll help carry the stretcher. The Senate shot down Coburn's proposal 82-15. Big spenders stick together. I'm skeptical of Sen. Stevens's demand for a cost-benefit study. Congress estimates it would cost $4 million to build the database and $2 million a year to run it -- small potatoes next to the hundreds of billions Sens. Stevens and Byrd spend on pork. And the benefit? Can you put a dollar figure on the good that would result if the big spenders were inhibited because the people were watching them? Maybe we wouldn't need a user-friendly database if the government weren't so big. But it is that big. So at least let's make it visible. Let's get rid of secret holds and secret spending. townhall.com

To: Sully- who wrote (22638)	9/14/2006 3:16:33 PM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 35834

Senate, House Agree On Final Spending Database Bill Updated -- see below! By Captain Ed on Pork Barrel Captain's Quarters Senator Tom Coburn's office has announced that the Senate has just passed a new bill to replace the language of the original S.2590, which establishes an on-line searchable database for federal spending. This action will expedite the legislative process and may put the bill on President Bush's desk by tomorrow: <<< The Senate just passed an amended version of the Coburn-Obama database bill based on our agreement with the House. Following House passage of the bill the measure will go to the president for his signature. Tonight’s action in the Senate means the Senate will not need to revisit the measure as the House will vote on this identical measure tonight or tomorrow. The Senate, under Bill Frist's guidance, simply took the modified language under consideration in the House and passed it themselves first, apparently by acclamation. This eliminates the need for a conference committee and avoids any delay after the adoption of the bill in the House. That will come at the same time as their consideration of the rule change on earmarks that I noted this morning, although we have heard that some Representatives have tried to take the proposal off the agenda. If you have not yet done so, call your Representative and make sure that they understand the need for sunlight on earmarks. This fast-tracking process reflects election-year politics, to be sure. No one wants to openly oppose reform legislation, especially when so many activists come from such a wide range of political perspectives to endorse it. However, it also shows that we can change the political paradigm and that there is hope for a pork-free tomorrow. >>> UPDATE: The bill passed the House tonight, and the bill is on its way to the White House for Bush's signature already. The White House released a statement tonight, although they hadn't realized that the Senate passed the same bill earlier in the day: <<< I applaud the House for today's passage of S. 2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, and look forward to final passage by the Senate soon. This legislation demonstrates Congress' commitment to giving the American people access to timely and accurate information about how their tax dollars are spent. This bill builds on existing Administration initiatives to help ensure Federal agencies clearly reflect how they spend the taxpayers' money. Expectmore.gov is one such resource, allowing Americans to see which Federal programs are successful and which ones fall short. In addition to these reforms, I urge the Senate to follow the House in passing the Line Item Veto, a critical tool that will help rein in wasteful spending and bring greater transparency to the budget process. I call on the Senate to pass this important legislation this month. >>> Final Senate passage has already occurred, and the bill could become law as soon as tomorrow. Now, I think we can finally break out the champagne. captainsquartersblog.com whitehouse.gov