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| ABQ Journal: After Wreaking Havoc Congress Takes A Rest |
March 17, 2008 |
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Editorial
Thank goodness it's Sunday. Congress is no longer in session, and can't inflict any more damage for a while. In case you missed it, a recap of the marathon sessions on a $3 trillion budget blueprint for 2009:
· Democrats in the House effectively raised taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars at the end of 2010, voting to eliminate all the tax cuts initiated under President Bush. The Senate version of the budget plan eliminated more than half the Bush tax cuts— some $376 billion of them. This comes just weeks after Congress approved a $168 billion tax rebate plan to stimulate the economy.
· Meanwhile, the House ramped up spending on domestic programs, effectively locking in years of higher spending.
· In a rare bipartisan effort, the Senate repudiated both parties' presidential candidates by refusing to give up the pork barrel spending known as earmarks.
As if that weren't enough, the House approved an economic stimulus for trial lawyers, opening the door for 40 lawsuits against telecommunications companies that cooperated with the government in the wake of 9/11. The Senate has approved retroactive immunity for the companies.
Look at the opportunities missed here: A chance to extend tax relief, which both parties recently declared vital to economic stimulus. A golden opportunity to make good on vows by the Senate's presidential candidates to eliminate wasteful earmarks, like the infamous "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska that would have allocated $200 million to serve an island of about 50 people. A chance to stand behind telecommunication companies that thought, in the face of an unprecedented attack, they were serving their country.
Now Congress heads home for a two-week spring break. Good luck facing the voters, ladies and gentlemen.
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