Of corruption and pork

The Jack Abramoff indictment is just the tip of the iceberg…

The stench from Washington has been growing worse, but maybe the current round of scandals will provide the exposure needed to force behavior, and the system, to change. Heck, even Newt Gingrich has jumped on the reform bandwagon.

Sadly, the Repulicans have created a shameful legacy during their years in power, supported by President Bush’s failure to veto even one spending bill. I have supported, and will continue to support, the President’s handling of the War on Terror, but he’s blown it on controlling spending in general, and pork in particular.

George Will writes on the subject:

A surgical reform would be congressional term limits, which would end careerism, thereby changing the incentives for entering politics and for becoming, when in office, an enabler of rent-seekers in exchange for their help in retaining office forever. The movement for limits — a Madisonian reform to alter the dynamic of interestedness that inevitably animates politics — was surging until four months after Republicans took control of the House. In May 1995 the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that congressional terms could not be limited by states’ statutes. Hence a constitutional amendment is necessary. Hence Congress must initiate limits on itself. That will never happen.

Unfortunately I think he’s right about that.

Which means that any changes will likely be superficial at best.