Pork feast -- WORTH READING DJF

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Delivered-To: dfarber+ () ux13 sp cs cmu edu
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 2003 18:00:51 -0300
From:



Dave
	Financial Times has published today the following editorial comment. If 
you think it is appropriate for IP, forward it after deleting my info (I 
don't want to have problems with the renewal of my USA's visitor VISA)

http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1069493588863&p=1012571727269

For some time now the US Congress has been steadily abandoning its 
reputation as a serious legislative forum in the widely understood sense of 
the term. Instead, it has been been transforming itself into a vending machine.

It seems that the task of creating good laws to serve Americans as a whole 
has become impossibly tedious and complex, and far too risky politically. 
Far better to use the opportunity lawmaking presents to reward the special 
interests, businesses and industry groups that provide the funding 
necessary to secure a politician's re-election. Into the vending machine go 
the campaign contributions and out come neatly packaged pieces of 
legislation to repay those generous benefactors.

The degradation of the world's most important legislative body accelerated 
this week. On Tuesday, the Senate completed passage of the Medicare bill, a 
messy measure whose central aim of providing a prescription drugs benefit 
to the elderly seemed to have been subordinated to the desire to hand out 
paybacks to corporate donors from the pharmaceuticals and health insurance 
sectors. On the same day, negotiators from the House and Senate worked on 
the outlines of a new $330bn appropriations package filled with yet more 
legislative gifts to corporate friends.

It could have been worse. A few senators at least managed to summon up the 
faint memory of shame and blocked an energy bill that would have showered 
benefits on the power producers without doing the slightest bit of good for 
energy policy as a whole. But members of Congress (and the White House) are 
still threatening to bring that bill back in some form next year.

Of course, there is nothing new about pork-barrel spending. In the past, 
legislation that was passed on its merits or at least for ideological 
reasons would be stuffed with pork for constituents. But now Congress is 
mainly focused on passing pork; the principles of the legislation itself 
are wholly incidental to that greater goal.

Members of Congress no longer even feel the need to dress up their pay-offs 
to donors in the national interest. Instead they delight publicly in 
winning tax breaks or subsidies for their biggest supporters. And this is a 
rare instance of bipartisan co-operation - Democrats and Republicans united 
in pursuit of their own self-interest.

The effects on policy are wholly deleterious. Corporate hand-outs are 
exploding the federal budget deficit; rule-changing assistance to favoured 
companies means the misallocation of vital resources; craven support for 
uncompetitive exporters is swelling a protectionist tide.

It is time for those members of Congress who still care about the 
institution's reputation to make a stand. If self-restraint will not work, 
tougher campaign finance laws are needed urgently - perhaps even 
restrictions on political advertising on TV, the main source of demand for 
the money.

But, above all, the public needs to express its outrage at this perversion 
of the democratic process. Left to themselves, members of Congress will 
never be persuaded. It must become a serious campaign and political issue, 
illuminated by the media and pursued by all those in public life who care 
about the quality of their government.

It is no exaggeration to say that the way the US makes its laws is becoming 
an international scandal. At a time when the US is trying to promote the 
uplifting principles of democracy abroad, its leading politicians are 
behaving at home in ways that make a mockery of its bold aspirations for 
the world.

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