Hypocrisy Rules!
According to a story I saw in Yahoo! News "indicted Rep. Tom DeLay, forced to step down as the No. 2 Republican in the House, scored a soft landing Wednesday as GOP leaders rewarded him with a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee." It looks like he also has a cushy seat on a subcommittee responsible for one of the biggest employers in his district, NASA.
Thank goodness I'm not the only one who sees the hypocrisy in this. "Allowing Tom DeLay to sit on a committee in charge of giving out money is like putting Michael Brown back in charge of FEMA. Republicans in Congress just can't seem to resist standing by their man," said Bill Burton, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (ibid).
So yet another politician has violated the public trust and gets away with a slap on the wrist. Apparently, power not only corrupts, but does so extantly. It is hard for me to sound anything other than pessimistic because as even a casual student of American political history knows our leaders have been in a regressive slide for some time and the slippery slope has no handholds. The only salvation I see is a massive and complete overhaul of representation. This would get rid of many good and trustworthy people in the public trust, but the collateral damage would be justified by the renewed purpose and spirit that would result.
In other words, it is time to vote the bums out.
