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HELP UNMASK THE
"SECRET SENATOR"
August 21, 2006
OK, I'm nestled amongst the tall pines under the
stars, camping with the kids at Lake Tahoe this week
while Congress is still adjourned and not doing too
terribly much damage to the republic. In the
meantime, there's a new Washington "who dunnit"
mystery to be solved, as explained in the Wall
Street Journal editorial found below. See if you
can help unmask the identity of the "Secret Senator"
while I'm gone...
- Chuck Muth, Editor
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REVIEW & OUTLOOK
"Senate's Most Wanted"
August 21, 2006; Page A10
There's a desperate new manhunt
across the country, and the suspects are no less
than 91 Members of the world's greatest deliberative
body. One of these Senators has a big secret, and we
should all have some fun as the foes of government
pork try to run the mystery politician to ground.
Here's the forensic background: In
April, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn introduced
legislation that would set-up a database to track an
estimated $1 trillion in federal grants, earmarks,
contracts and loans. Americans would be able to
perform Google-like searches to track how their tax
dollars are spent -- or frittered away, as the case
might be. Twenty-nine Senators have co-sponsored the
bill, and it's a testament to how concerned some are
about Washington's miserable spending reputation
that the list includes a who's who of Presidential
hopefuls, from Hillary Rodham Clinton to George
Allen to Bill Frist.
Yet most Senators clearly have no
desire to shine a light on their spending practices,
and at least one -- perhaps more -- has placed a
"secret" hold on the legislation. Normally the
architects of these holds are exposed within a few
legislative days, but with Congress on recess the
masked spender has so far evaded capture and public
scrutiny.
Porkbusters, a grassroots outfit that
fights government waste, found this untransparent
move to stymie government transparency a bit rich,
and last week launched a campaign to unveil the
blocker's identity. It has asked its members to call
on their Senators to disavow the hold, and the
responses are trickling in. The group, which is
tracking the results on its Web site (www.porkbusters.org),
still has the pictures of 91 Senators under its
"Suspect" list. The nine Senators who have denied
placing the hold are now listed as "In the Clear";
they are Senator Coburn, Barack Obama, Mary
Landrieu, David Vitter, John McCain, Ron Wyden,
Richard Shelby, Jim Inhofe and Jeff Sessions.
If Congress insists on spending like
there's no tomorrow, at least the Members could let
the voters see what they're spending it on by
passing Senator Coburn's reform. Will the real
secret Senator please stand up?
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