Thieves Drunk With Power...

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan vetoed a transportation bill passed by Congress because it had 157 instances of pork — money set aside for Congress members' pet projects that would ostensibly be considered too wasteful to pass as laws on their own merit. President Reagan made a show of his veto making it a symbolic stroke against government waste.

Now in 2005, Republicans control the White House and both houses of Congress. Early on a Saturday morning in August — the day of the week, and the month of the year, least likely to attract media attention — President Bush signed into law a highway bill passed by his own party with more than 6,000 pork barrel projects. President Bush had told Congress that he would veto any highway bill spending over $256 billion. The final cost of this highway bill he signed is $295 billion. This $39 billion increase is the direct result of the Republicans “buying” the votes needed to pass that shameful sell out of the American people – CAFTA. Everyone knew that in order to get CAFTA passed there was a lot of pork promised in the highway but $39 billion is nothing less than criminal.

The Republican Party has completely abandoned the limited government principles they have stood for in the past. Government spending under the GOP's reign has soared to historic highs, any way you want to measure it. In stark contrast to President Reagan, President Bush refuses to rein in spending. He hasn’t used his veto a single time since taking office — the longest such streak in U.S. history. What is truly amazing is the sheer arrogance with which the Republicans have chosen to govern. There are no more statesmen left in Washington, only a single group of power hungry thieves…