Poetry in Motion
January 23rd, 2007Last Sunday I didn’t post because the Bears made the Super Bowl and I was busy celebrating with friends. Today, I won’t be posting too much as I’m feeling weak in the legs, from a heavy baseball workout, and I am tired from Finals, which end tomorrow. Bush’s State of the Union Address was today, and I’ll get into it tomorrow, but for now, let me say that I’m happy to see this.
With the rhetoric of reformers bent on sweeping corruption from the Capitol, the House voted unanimously yesterday to deny federal pensions to lawmakers convicted of bribery, perjury and other related felonies. “Corrupt politicians deserve prison sentences, not taxpayer-funded pensions,” said freshman Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-Kan.), chief sponsor of the bill. But the punishment of those who betray the public trust will not be far-reaching.
The measure is similar to one approved by the Senate last week and comes in the wake of major congressional scandals last year that led to the conviction of former Republican congressmen Randy “Duke” Cunningham (Calif.) and Robert W. Ney (Ohio). The House passed the bill 431 to 0, with four members not voting. The bills passed by the House and the Senate are not retroactive, which means that Cunningham and Ney will collect substantial pensions for the rest of their lives, courtesy of taxpayers.
Very good.
In other news, E. Howard Hunt of Watergate fame died. I’m conflicted: I’d like to know what else he knew, what else he did, but now we might not find out. But then again, he’d never tell, so he might as well burn in hell, no?