Destroying America One Moronic Step At A Time

Is there no end to the list of ways Bushco can rape the American public? Just when I think they've done all the damage they can, they come up with some new way to destroy US.

Apparently rushing to lock in a long-sought goal before the fall elections, GOP congressional leaders may bring to a vote within weeks a proposal that could literally wipe out any federal program that protects public health or the environment--or for that matter civil rights, poverty programs, auto safety, education, affordable housing, Head Start, workplace safety or any other activity targeted by anti-regulatory forces.

With strong support from the Bush White House and the Republican Study Committee, the proposal would create a "sunset commission"--an unelected body with the power to recommend whether a program lives or dies, and then move its recommendations through Congress on a fast-track basis with limited debate and no amendments.

Three leading proposals have been introduced and are being winnowed into a final version. They would give the White House some--or total--authority to nominate members to the commission. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has confirmed that his office is coordinating development of a final version for prompt floor action.

Sunset commissions have been proposed, and defeated, before. But public interest veterans say the current situation is unlike any in the past, because the House Republican Study Committee, which includes some of the most anti-regulatory members of Congress, has secured guaranteed floor consideration of a sunset bill.

If such a bill should become law, the sunset commission could be packed with industry lobbyists and representatives from industry-funded think tanks, and could conduct its business in secrecy. Two of the sunset proposals under consideration would mandate that programs die after they are reviewed, unless Congress takes action to save them. [emphasis mine]

At the least, this is a very expensive idea. It would mean that every bill voted into law on environment, public health, worker safety and so on would have to be voted on again whenever this almost certainly big business controlled "sunset commission" decides to kill one.

Folks, bear in mind energy companies were involved in setting US energy policy and now they'll be given the power to kill legislation unless overruled by Congress. Then ask yourself if this is government "by the people and for the people"?

(read more)