Ineffective "Reforms" Proposed

I agree wholeheartedly with this.  Neither party is going far enough with proposals for reform.  HT: Truthdig.

CREW QUESTIONS EITHER PARTY’S COMMITMENT TO REAL ETHICS AND LOBBYING REFORM

January 18, 2006 | Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) questioned the effectiveness of the myriad lobbying reform proposals being rolled out on Capitol Hill this week. Melanie Sloan, CREW’s Executive Director, asked today “why doesn’t a single one of these proposals include any oversight or enforcement mechanisms? Without oversight or enforcement rule changes are virtually meaningless.” Sloan noted that many of the activities engaged in by former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the Members of Congress he lobbied are already prohibited. For example, both House and Senate rules already prohibit Members from accepting meals totaling over $100 in the course of a year, and from accepting travel for recreational purposes. // read more