Sanity in the Senate

By Jan A. Larson

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) attempted to bring some sanity to
the United States Senate.  Unfortunately all that happened was
that the insanity that runs rampant in Washington was once
again revealed.

One of the amendments that Senator Coburn introduced to H.R.
3058, the Transportation, Treasury, HUD, Judiciary and District
of Columbia Appropriations Act, was designed to divert $125
million from two Alaskan bridge boondoggles to repair the
hurricane-damaged Twin Spans Bridge over Lake Pontchartrain
in Louisiana.  This amendment was defeated by a vote of 82-15.

A second amendment would have blocked $1.65 million in
funding for a sculpture park in Seattle, an animal facility in
Rhode Island and a parking garage in Nebraska.  In Washington
terms, $1.65 million is chump change, but nevertheless the
Senate tabled (killed) the amendment by a vote of 86-13.

Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, one of the Senate's "kings of
pork," gave an impassioned speech opposing Sen. Coburn's
amendment, "I will put the Senate on notice -- and I don't kid
people -- if the Senate decides to discriminate against our state
and take money only from our state, I will resign from this
body."

The Senate missed a golden opportunity to send the pork-
packing Stevens back to the frozen tundra.

These amendments were about more than simply diverting funds
from unneeded pork projects to projects that have obvious merit.
Senator Coburn's amendments served to expose the true nature
of the Senate, that is, "you scratch my back and I'll scratch
yours."  Sure, we've always known that this is the way
politicians operate, but now it is in the Congressional Record.

Just six Senators, in addition to Coburn, voted for the two
amendments, Allen (R-VA), Burr (R-NC), DeMint (R-SC),
Graham (R-SC), Kyl (R-AZ), Sessions (R-AL) and Sununu (R-
NH).  All of the others apparently thought that the "bridges to
nowhere" and statues were more important than hurricane
reconstruction in Louisiana.

Senator Coburn is a breath of fresh air in Washington.  He is in
his first term in the Senate having previously served a self-
imposed limit of three terms in the House.  After leaving the
House in 2001, he authored the book, "Breach of Trust,"
documenting his experiences in the corrupt world of Washington
politics.  The Senator has pledged to serve no more than two
terms in the Senate and continues as a practicing physician in
Muskogee, Oklahoma.

In contrast to the vast majority of Senators that will fight tooth-
and-nail for their favorite pet projects from bike trails to indoor
rain forests for the sole objective of going back to their home
state and running for reelection, Coburn is fighting for fiscal
responsibility for the benefit of all Americans.

Senator Coburn's efforts have gotten some press and with many
Americans getting sick and tired of Washington "business as
usual," there are others that are starting to pay attention.  A
group of seven Senators, Coburn, DeMint, Graham, Sununu
along with Ensign (R-NV), Brownback (R-KS) and McCain (R-
AZ) have formed a group known as the "Fiscal Watch Team."
This group of senators has called upon Congress to offset
hurricane relief with spending cuts and to bring some fiscal
sanity to Washington.

The group presented an agenda that would save $115 billion
over the next two years.  Included among the items targeted for
cuts are a five percent reduction in non-defense/homeland
security discretionary spending, delay the Medicare drug benefit
for two years, freeze salaries for members of Congress for one
year and rescind all highway bill pork projects.  Too bad for
Senator Stevens.

The most important item of the group's agenda is the proposal to
appoint a commission, similar to the commission that
recommends the closing of military bases, to identify
unnecessary, wasteful or duplicate discretionary spending
programs.  Congress would then vote up or down on the entire
list of programs.  This is politically feasible because it allows
individual members to hide behind the cloak of, "Gee, I tried to
keep our bike trail, but the commission targeted it, so what could
I do?"

The members of Congress and the Senate of the United States
are driving this country into financial ruin because of their
never-ending drive to remain in Washington.  Short of
Congressional term limits (which would require a Constitutional
amendment), it is only through the actions of individual
members such as Senator Coburn that fiscal sanity has any real
hope of being realized.

If your Senators are not among those that voted for the Coburn
amendments, please use this as an opportunity to bring to their
attention the fact that while they fiddle, America is burning and
the voters are paying attention.  We need more people like
Senator Coburn in Washington.  We need representatives that
will look past the next election and put a stop to the insanity.  If
the group that is there now doesn't measure up, it is time to send
each of them into retirement.


Copyright ©2005 Jan A. Larson All rights reserved.
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Jan A. Larson publishes a weekly commentary, "What is the
Deal?" at the Pie of Knowledge
(http://www.pieofknowledge.com).  His work also appears on
OpinionEditorials, American Daily, ChronWatch, The
Conservative Voice, Capitol Hill Coffee House and NewsBull.