John Dean... "Why Senators Daschle and Byrd Were Right to Decry..."

[salin]

The Ominous Omnibus Appropriations Bill
Why Senators Daschle and Byrd Were Right to Decry The Lowdown, Dirty Tactics That Led to It
By JOHN W. DEAN
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Friday, Dec. 19, 2003

In Article I of our Constitution, the legislative branch is listed as the first branch of government. That was neither accident nor chance. In a nation where the people are sovereign, their collective representation in the United States Congress is the heart and core of our system. In light of this basic truth, it pains me to see what is happening in Congress today.

Friends working on the Capitol Hill, and doing business there, have been telling me for months they have never seen it so bad. More than ever, business is being done behind closed doors, and dubious deal making -- you give me this and I'll vote for that sort of arrangements -- is going on. Members of Congress are using one legislative ploy after another to write laws for the few, at the expense of the many, and much of it has been proceeding unnoticed by anyone -- especially the press.

Before the Senate adjourned, Democratic Senators Tom Daschle and Robert Byrd went to the Senate floor, and blew the whistle, demanding a stop to these corrupt procedures. They have called public attention to these offensive tactics, refusing to countenance Republicans' (at the behest of the White House) flouting the legislative process .

more: http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20031219.html