The Litmus Test ; Real Reform Will Require a Fiscal Fix

Summary

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The Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal has Congress scrambling to drum up reform ideas, as the profligates attempt to repackage themselves as neo-Puritans. Most of these efforts, no doubt, will involve tinkering with the minutiae of lobbying rules, as if sinning lobbyists, rather than saintly members of Congress, are the problem.

An even bigger mess likely will result, as our unfortunate experience with campaign finance reform suggests. A clunky and convoluted system will be made more so, as the First Amendment takes another hit. But the litmus test of Congress' commitment to change will be whether its reform proposals focus on the K Street corridor, where the lobbyists lurk, or closer to home, on Congress itself.

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The Litmus Test ; Real Reform Will Require a Fiscal Fix

No real reform is possible until Congress addresses the irresponsible way it handles the federal purse strings, which licenses members to plunder the U.S. Treasury with near impunity. Reduce the temptation to dip into the pork-barrel and you remove on...

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