Republican Congress Legacy = Current Corporate "Meltdown"

[Gimpy]

One thing that seems to have been "swept under the rug" in recent political history is the role of the Republican Congress contributing (surely the MAJOR contributing factor) played in the recent "rash" of corporate fraud cases; ie: Enron, Worldcom, Xerox, Qwest, etc., etc,.

During the past decade of unrelenting profit margins and so-called "growth" of corporate american business there were RECORD collections of an "obscure", (somewhat as yet unknown to most Americans) SEC surcharge which was SUPPOSED to "fund" the Securties and Exchange Commissions Budget "needs". This "surcharge" was begun shortly after the stockmarket colapse during the great depression of 1929 and early 1930's to PREVENT just the kind of "recent things" from happening and ensure the SEC was "staffed" and funded appropiately. During this past recent 10 year period(while the Republicans held ALL the Chairmanships of ALL the Senate & House Appropiations Committees AND a majority in BOTH Houses) a total approaching TWELVE BILLION DOLLARS ($11.7 billion) of this surcharge was collected by the Feds. No more than $3.2 billion EVER made it into the SEC budget.

Why you might ask????

ESPECIALLY, since during the eight year period of the Clinton Administration, the SEC Chairman (Clinton appointee Arthur Leavett) was continually BEGGING and PLEADING with Congressional leaders to INCREASE his departments budget to hire MORE staff and upgrade systems to help investigate and regulate the on-coming tide of "corporate growth". He ALSO pleaded his case for some of the same NEW RULES & REGULATIONS being "proposed" now by politicians. ALL to NO AVAIL! He got virtually NOTHING he asked for and guess what??

We are now paying the PRICE for Congresses "failures" to adequately fund and staff the SEC.

They (Congress) took that OTHER $8.5 billion intended for the SEC for their OWN "Pork-barrell" programs! Now I know that a lot of folks around here are gonna say---LOOK AT Senator Byrd from West Virginia, and some other Democrats who sure as hell took JUST as much as they could "wrestle away" from their Republican counterparts----BUT. And----that's a real LARGE BUT! The R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C-A-N-S held the "reigns" of the runaway "pork" wagon during this time and were ultimately RESPONSIBLE for the "leadership" (and subsequent majority of votes) of ALL COMMITTEES presenting budgetary "options"! Not to mention their own PORK projects!!

Soooooooooo if you're lookin to "place the blame" for ALL this crap that's going on now? You know WHERE to place it!

Now you've got "the whole story", HUH?

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I now return you to your regularly scheduled program of "Liberal bashing". Hosted by that paramour of "Right-headedness" and eloquent-tongued rhetoric (inconsequential as it may be), The "Super" one hisseff, SUPERSCOUT!!!

PS---DAMN I'm havin FUN with this $hit, ya know!!