UPDATED: Running Start: GOP Dismantles Office of Congressional Ethics
UPDATE: As Juanita Jean has already pointed out, Congressional Republicans reversed themselves on dismantling the Office of Congressional Ethics after withering criticism from everyone including Cheeto Jesus. An embarrassing start to what promises to be an embarrassing Congressional session.
Oh, and BTW – Best Tweet of the Day:
Well, we now know how this is going to go. In it’s first action of the new Congress, Republicans dismantled the independent Office of Congressional Ethics which was put in place after the Jack Abramoff scandal. You remember Jack, don’t you? He was the guy who confessed to multiple counts of corruption during the GWB administration leading to the conviction of 21 officials all the way up to the White House. I guess we don’t need no oversight anymore, yes?
Government by Vogons: “When he heard the word “ethics”, he reached for his dictionary, and when he heard the sound of ready cash he reached for the rule book and threw it away…”
1– Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
What? “GOP Dismantles Office of Congressional Ethics”??? Does this mean the GOP has decided to give up dissembling and will now just “let it all hang out”?
2“Ethics is for losers. So sad.” Anonymous
3SnacilbupeR party to American people, “We don’t need no stinkin’ ethics. Erm, what we meant to say was we don’t need nobody lookin’ over our shoulders. We’ll do just fine on our own. Right up till some reporter catches us. And for THAT, we’ve got our very own Donnie Boy to point fingers and call the entire press-corpse [no, no sic here] crooked and threaten to lock ’em all up.”
What could possibly go wrong?
4It was only the second of January, 363 left in just this year of 2017, imagine how ‘productive’ they are going to be this year and the next three, to start…their goal is nothing less than to dismantle and destroy everything reasonable and progressive ever done on behalf of average Americans since, perhaps, the Civil War.
BTW, that ‘Ethics Act’ wipe out was merely a necessary prelude to all the other ‘wonderful’ things they have in mind for us, and have been plotting and planning for decades.
One minor little item, not only the ACA is at risk.
The US Federal government owes most working citizens a huge sum of money in the form of Treasury bonds issued to OUR Social Security, Medicare, and a few other, plans formed on behalf of most of “the people”.
Some of that money paid by most workers in the form of SS and Medicare ‘taxes’ (more like an annuity premium) was to be set aside for that demographic anomaly called the “Baby Boomers”. As a planned surplus that would be drawn upon when the actuarial BB demographics require, like now and the next decade or two. The SS balance has accumulated as foreseen, the Federal government is expected to redeem the T-Bills on demand.
Those T-Bills make up a significant portion of the National Debt, perhaps ~$8 Trillion of the total ~$15 Trillion outstanding currently.
Do any of y’all trust these people and their crony friends to not steal as much of that $8 Trillion of OUR money as they can, as quick as they can?
And there is ssoooo much more waiting to be scammed away, Abramoff has nothing on these gRifteRs.
(a .45 for #45 and his ‘people’…)
5I’m a little confused. I never knew the R’s could spell “ethics”. For that matter, I thought they had been inoculated against it.
6This move gives more power to the DOJ. Who knows what Sessions will do with this new gift of power. Of course I am hoping that he is not confirmed but that is a different story.
7Interesting:
Trump expressed skepticism over the move by House Republicans to gut the independent Congressional ethics arm, tweeting today the GOP has “so many other things of greater importance” to focus on.
“With all that Congress has to work on, do they really have to make the weakening of the Independent Ethics Watchdog, as unfair as it … may be, their number one act and priority. Focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance! #DTS,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/trump-tweets-disapproval-of-gop-move-to-gut-congressional-ethics-office-233124
8Chloe Bear–That’s the first rational thing I’ve heard from the man, but a little ironic that it comes on the heels of the Rs complaining that they couldn’t get anything done because of the Democrats: now it’s 1 of their own.
Of course, he follows his rebuking them about the Ethics Commission with by urging them to get on with the business of “tax reform, healthcare, and so many other things” just hurries along the R efforts to do as much damage as possible to the rest of us, so back to business as usual.
9Chloe: my suspicion is that the vulgar talking yam (thanks to the great Charlie Pierce for that one) and the predators in the House are playing “good cop, bad cop”
10*Smack* 119-to-74 vote serving notice to Lyin’ Ryan the Granny Snuffer and Crooked Kevin McCarthy that they’re not in charge.
Nancy, do NOT take their calls! 😀
11Wingnuts rescind ethics changes Tuesday afternoon after Miss Lindsey Graham said it is the dumbest, fricking thing he ever heard. Then he proceeded to tell wingnuts to make Americans lives better by cutting taxes and killing ISIS. I noticed in Kansas, Wisconsin, Chokelahoma, South Dakota and other red states that their economies are absolutely not thriving due to taxcuts.
12Headline last night:
House Republicans vote to rein in independent ethics office
Remark to my husband:
13I could have a heart attack and die from that surprise.
Trump is recommending using the DeLay tactic.
14That tweet from The Twatwaffle was far too well written and articulate. I’m thinking someone else got hold of his phone and tweeted that comment.
Besides it wasn’t done at 0300 hrs when he goes potty.
15