The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act

It is about time that some legislation get passed in Washington that limits the rampant and flagrant incest between lobbyists and law makers in Washington. Our nation's legislative process has been twisted and contorted by lobbyists more with each passing year. Finally congress is acting now that polls suggest on 14% of Americans express confidence in them and yet another congressman's house is raided Alaska in a corruption investigation. This bill is long overdue, and I have to question the sincerity of the legislator is waiting until now to pass the bill.

I believe that the structure of this bill probably still allows for loopholes that lobbyists and congressmen can pass through. I believe that the limits on money that lobbyists can "bundle" is still too high (I think that it should be totally eliminated.) I believe that the limit for former senators to lobby being one and two years for the house and senate is far to short. Senators should never lobby. It is a practice that invites corruption. These are some of the deficiencies that I would expect to find in a bill passed by this congress.

However, I disagree with the republican senators who oppose this bill. They correctly point out the deficiencies to this bill and say that it isn't good enough. While they are right, it is better than not passing anything at all. And it is long overdue. If these republicans who think that this bill in not sufficient, pass legislation in the future to tighten up the laws, but do not shore up the progress that could be made now.

Perhaps their dissent is simply a way to call attention to the deficiencies to make it easier to improve in the future. Perhaps they know that it will be passed but choose to make a scene. I doubt it though, although this is what they will accomplish--if congress sincerly wants to clean up it's act and will pass more legislation in the future.