The House Creates New Ethics Board

  Don't you generally have to know what ethics are before you can create a board to investigate any lapses in ethics that House members may have?

  USAToday 

An independent ethics board created by the House of Representatives this week is meant to put some teeth into a self-policing process that has been all-but-dormant for years.

The six-member board, which will be split equally between Republican and Democratic appointees, will have the power to investigate ethics allegations if at least one board member from each party agrees. After an investigation, a majority board vote could send the matter for further action to the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct — the long-standing ethics committee.

  This group will be called the Office of Congressional Ethics and they can actually start up ethics investigations against our representatives and/or their own staffers. Let us just see how much investigating this group does in the coming months or years. You won't see to much unless one party pisses the other party off or there is some political gain to be made.

Technorati Tags: Office of Congressional Ethics, Congress, ethics committee

Bush's Permanent Tax Cuts And The Economy

  Not going to say anything here. We are just going to look at the rhetoric from Bush and the facts. This is basically just a little observation.

"I think when people take a look back at this moment in our economic history, they'll recognize tax cuts work."
-- President Bush, 3/12/08

VERSUS

"[M]aking the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts and Alternative Minimum Tax relief permanent would add $4.3 trillion to deficits and debt over just the next ten years and would substantially worsen the nation's already serious long-term fiscal problems."
-- Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 1/28/08 American Progress

  I'm trying to figure out what George Bush's tax cuts have done for me. Hmmm. Due to those cuts and the mess in Iraq, my food supply costs have gone up. The dollar has gone down in value, Exxon is making a killing while the price of oil goes upwards to close at $110.33 today. My work hours have been cut back and my salary can't keep up with all of the food, gas, and medical supplies that I use.

   Thanks for those tax cuts George! Instead of stimulating the economy and creating jobs, you have shot it dead! I'll bet that even the stock market closes lower when Bush leaves office than it was when he entered the office.

Technorati Tags: George Bush, tax cuts, economy, inflation, oil