ROLLING STONE EXPOSE: The Courageous Fight Inside the U.S. House of Horror

[Jon8503]

Rolling Stone magazine today released an absolutely awesome and epic piece that sheds light on how Congress really works - or doesn't work - these days. The narrative follows four bipartisan amendments authored by Vermont's Independent Congressman Bernie Sanders (a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2006) who the writer notes "is the amendment king of the current House of Representatives." That's right - "since the Republicans took over Congress in 1995, no other lawmaker -- not Tom DeLay, not Nancy Pelosi -- has passed more roll-call amendments than Bernie Sanders."

The magazine takes us on a one-month journey in which Sanders almost passed four separate amendments. We get an up-close and nauseating view of how Congress - which purports to be a democracy - now resembles a corrupt third world politburo. Only instead of an authoritarian ideological dictatorship running the place, it is Big Money that calls the shots on every issue.


What is particularly interesting is how these amendments actually passed by wide margins when they were brought to a vote. Yet, because the Republican leadership has hardwired ways to kill even the most well-supported bills, these amendments were ultimately stripped out behind closed doors. Consider this excerpt about just one of Sanders' bills - legislation to prevent the American government from giving taxpayer subsidies to a British-owned company to transfer nuclear technology to China:

The Ex-Im loan was a policy so dumb and violently opposed to American interests that lawmakers who voted for it had serious trouble coming up with a plausible excuse for approving it. In essence, the U.S. was giving $5 billion to a state-subsidized British utility (Westinghouse is a subsidiary of British Nuclear Fuels) to build up the infrastructure of our biggest trade competitor, along the way sharing advanced nuclear technology with a Chinese conglomerate that had, in the past, shared nuclear know-how with Iran and Pakistan."

Yet, even though Sanders' amendment blocking the money passed the House with broad bipartisan support, politicians of both parties - even the ones who claim to be "pro-national security" - felt compelled to kill Sanders' bill and allow the subsidy after a fierce corporate lobbying campaign.

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/7539869

[ixion]

1. our so-called 'elected officials' have made themselves unaccountable

to We, Their Bosses.

They should all be getting a pink slip rather than a pay raise. :grr:

[Canuckistanian]

2. The most amazing part for me

Was the power that the Republicans have in either changing bills, adding parts in, taking parts out or even outright replacing 100% of a bill at the last moment. So, in essence, all these bipartisan committees wrangling over issues and language who spent countless hours crafting compromises are useless.

Then they can (and do)send it for an immediate vote without a chance for any member to review any changes made.

What we have here is pure unadulterated one-party rule. Stalin and Mao would be impressed.

[pretzel4gore]

3. stalin and mao were trying to steer broken nations

through frigging mindfields we really have no idea of today (the nuke bombing of hiroshima/nagasaki happened at height of the 2 tyrant's watch).....both men have been relentlessly demonised by same 'hushstory' that says lee harvey shot jfk! (a fukking lie! -lee harvey oswald was the valerie plame of that time)... but both china and the ussr were countries no one screwed with after stalin and mao did their thing even freepers admit that. reagan and bush haven't a fraction of the excuse that stalin and mao had for being brutal, no nonsense political thugs, yet ultimately reagan and bush will destroy alot more then stalin or mao, and for no reason but some twisted idea of anglo supremecy(?) or something....
btw i agree with you that stalin and mao would have been impressed by the mepublican schemers.....i only want people to remember the crazy world stalin and mao, even more then hitler, inhabited, and that neither man became rich ...suggesting they, at least, thought trhey were public servants (something reagan and bush never, lol)

[Octafish]

4. Kick to the pants of the BFEE!

Thanks for the heads-up on the article, Jon8503!

[faithnotgreed]

5. people need to see this (if you can take any more that is)