Senate Votes to Disclose Pet Projects (AP)

[Eugene]

Senate Votes to Disclose Pet Projects


Wednesday January 17, 2007 2:16 AM

By JIM ABRAMS

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate voted Tuesday to shine more light on
thousands of expensive pet projects buried in legislation every year after
the new Democratic majority bowed to a successful push by Republicans
to make new disclosure rules even tougher than originally planned.

The vote was 98-0 to require senators to reveal the water projects, hiking
trails, defense contracts or tax breaks for specific industries they insert
in legislation. That unanimity came five days after Democrats, holding a slim
majority, were thwarted by a GOP-led rebellion in advancing their own version
of "earmark" reform.

Bringing transparency to earmarks is a major objective of the ethics and
lobbying reform legislation that the Senate has been debating since the new
congressional session began.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who last week led opposition
to the Republican approach, lauded the final product, saying it "combined
the best ideas from both sides of the aisle."

-snip-

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6350225,00.html

[napi21]

1. That's terrific! Also did you see Lou Dobbs tonight?

He had a segment on describing how Senators have secretly eliminated import taxes on 512,000 products just last year! He showed a lady who has a family business in the US making leather Dog collars and although it's very difficult competing with the the Big Box Importers, they have been able to survive because of the impor taxes.She's so afraid some Senator will quietly make themgo away and she'll have to go out of business.

Lou also asked his assistant to try to find out just what products and businesses benefited by each of those 512,000 import tax eliminations last year!