Rep Ron Paul said it "cost us" $50B in promises for CAFTA Votes.......WTF

[cthrumatrix]

http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2005/tst080105.htm

snip>

Late-night arm-twisting by House leaders to get votes is of course nothing new. We witnessed far worse when Congress passed the ruinous Medicare prescription drug bill in the dead of night two years ago. Yet even after months of unprecedented wheeling and dealing by corporate lobbyists, congressional leaders, and the White House, the Washington establishment still failed to pass CAFTA in the US House. That’s right, when the 15-minute voting period expired last Wednesday evening, CAFTA seemingly had been defeated.

Here’s how. As the vote progressed, the tally was neck and neck. When the 15-minute period ended, CAFTA had gone down in flames. But pro-CAFTA forces were so determined to get what they wanted, they broke the rules. House leadership ignored the time limit and kept twisting arms and making deals until they finally had the votes to pass CAFTA nearly an hour later.

What kind of deals? Well, one member of House leadership told reluctant legislators, “We've got to have you; you tell us what you want.” And tell they did. Lawmakers in textile producing states were bought off with promises of textile subsidies. Lawmakers in sugar-producing states were bought off with promises of special treatment in the 2007 farm bill. On and on it went, with promises of new bridges, parks, and whatever else it took to pass CAFTA.

Rest assured that you will pay dearly for these bribes used to buy votes. Every favor granted and every pet project funded comes on top of the pork-laden appropriations bills already passed in the House this year. These new goodies will be added to the final House-Senate versions passed later this year. One of my colleagues estimated that the price tag for buying the CAFTA vote will be at least $50 billion. That’s right, $50 billion to win a vote. Is this what you want from your representatives in office?

more....

When is Tweety going to cover this BS..?

[indepat]

1. Our institutions have failed the people

[napi21]

2. Assuming this is true, how do they KNOW those promises will be

kept?

I accept what's posted here is fact, because I watched the clock expire on the 15 min. vote, and although you couldn't hear or see what was being said, even I assumed at the time, there was lots of arm twisting going on there. HOWEVER! All those promises were verbal! How do they REALLY KNOW that those committments will be kept? The vote is over now. I assume these promises were not part of the CAFTA bill, so what's to prevent the liars who promised all those things to simply forget, or add it to some future bill, and then "have to cut it out"?

[Booster]

3. I was really pissed off that they used the taxpayer's money to

bribe votes, but am just as pissed off at the Lawmakers took the bribes gladly. I'm convinced that almost everyone in Washington on both sides is corrupt, and the ones who aren't (very few) are powerless and have no voice at all.

[evil eggplant]

4. 50 billion?

Shit, we could finance Iraq for 10 months with 50 billion

[AlCzervik]

5. Just like the medicare drug bill-like deja vu all over again

"For the people, by the people" Bullshit!

[Javaman]

6. Welcome to 18th century British America

[bloom]

7. Nancy Pelosi

I think it was - said it was like a big "Let's Make a Deal" game.

But it's interesting to have a number on it.

Ron Paul has been telling it like it is - about the neo-cons and what-not.

Seems more out-spoken than most Democrats. What's up with that?

[lyonn]

8. Rep Ron Paul's spoken words

Another msm shut-out of what congress is doing and saying. Paul made a terrific speech prior to the invasion of Iraq. The guy is one of my favorite repubs. and just about the only one that I can listen to for more than a few minutes. He may be a closet Libertarian/democrat.

[cthrumatrix]

9. that is soooo true...Let's see Russert with Ron Paul

[dcfirefighter]

10. he's an out of the closet libertarian

Unfortunately, a Royal Libertarian.

[PurityOfEssence]

11. Okay, Ron, so why do you still side with the Republicans?

They're much more for foreign entanglements than the Democrats. They're much more intrusive when it comes to personal freedoms. They're much less concerned about living within our means.

I guess it's your deep, selfish libertarianism, and anyone who wants to get rid of regulation and governmental oversight is your true personal friend. Damn those other people. They just fuck up the libertarian's god-given right to never have to be bothered with other human beings.

You're a fool and an asshole, Ron Paul. You are completely right about the abusive world-conquering of these thugs, yet you side with them. You are such an anti-government ideologue that you'll side with them even though they increase government to a much bigger size than the Democrats ever would.

For all your sense and intelligence, the deep selfishness of your adolescent political beliefs shows through as the guiding light of your primitive idiocy. It's so sad.