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In one of their first moves of the new Congress, House Republicans have voted to gut their own independent ethics watchdog — a huge blow to cheerleaders of congressional oversight and one that dismantles major reforms adopted after the Jack Abramoff scandal.
Monday's effort was led, in part, by lawmakers who have come under investigation in recent years.
Despite a warning from Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Republicans adopted a proposal by Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) to put the Office of Congressional Ethics under the jurisdiction of the House Ethics Committee.
The office currently has free rein, enabling investigators to pursue allegations and then recommend further action to the House Ethics Committee as they see fit.
Now, the office would be under the thumb of lawmakers themselves. The proposal also appears to limit the scope of the office's work by barring them from considering anonymous tips against lawmakers. And it would stop the office from disclosing the findings of some of their investigations, as they currently do after the recommendations go to House Ethics.
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/house-republicans-gut-their-own-oversight-233111
The Office of Congressional Ethics was established in 2008 under House Democrats, in response to the era of lobbying scandals made notable by Jack Abramoff, the former lobbyist who went to prison on corruption charges.
It is the first independent body to have an oversight role in House ethics. There is no Senate counterpart. The OCE independently reviews allegations of misconduct against House members and staff, and if deemed appropriate refers them to the House Ethics Committee for review. The OCE cannot independently punish lawmakers for any ethics violations.
Update: House Republicans pull plan to gut independent ethics panel after Trump tweets
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Tuesday January 03 2017, @05:49PM
Ah, good old "both sides are bad" from a hyperpartisan who's quietly hiding that he's in favor of every shitty thing about to happen. Fuck your "centrist" false persona mighty buzzard. You need to own the shit salad you foisted on us.
Sure, one side is actively circumventing measures in place to prevent the selling out of our republic to powerful interests and is putting multiple actual neonazis on a presidential cabinet, but but but Obama didn't successfully shut down Guantanamo over an obstructionist congress.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 03 2017, @06:12PM
I'd rather you had respect for each individual, rather than respect for this thing you call "our republic".
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Tuesday January 03 2017, @06:19PM
Oh, good. I'm glad you're here to protect the mighty buzzard from mean words and keep us from worrying about the actual real-world consequences of a (admittedly still kinda hypothetical) collapse of liberal democracy in the United States.
Got your priorities in order there.
No really, it's okay to think that politeness is important, but fuck I've seen so many vile opinions hidden behind a scant facade of polite discussion. This is generally what I think of such arguments [ngfiles.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 03 2017, @06:25PM
> neonazis
> neonazis
> waah
> waah
Blow it out your anus, nigger, before I find something else for you to blow.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 03 2017, @06:34PM
You sound triggered.
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Tuesday January 03 2017, @06:35PM
Help the world, make a Nazi bleed.
Fascism is a loser ideology. You're a fascist because you're a loser and you're a loser because you're a fascist. If you'd made half an attempt to understand the world around you, you'd be neither.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday January 03 2017, @08:34PM
You obviously cannot grok that libertarians are not centrists. We are radicals. We just do not fit into your two-party, one-axis thinking.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Tuesday January 03 2017, @08:45PM
Oh, no, see, I'm not concerned with your political affiliation. I'm concerned with the stated opinions you've had all over this website that establish a pretty clear pattern of Trump support and general right-wing delusions.
That you don't take the label isn't particular important in my thinking you're a shithead. You could share my party affiliation, hell, have voted for several of the same people as me, and you'd still be a shitty, unthinking, hard-right ass.
Also I got a nice lol at the idea of libertarians being radical. Regurgitating the freedom rhetoric we all get beat into our heads in school but without any critical analysis doesn't make you a revolutionary.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 03 2017, @09:32PM
Regurgitating the freedom rhetoric we all get beat into our heads in school
Huh? Where? Schools don't promote freedom that much, and are in fact quite controlling and authoritarian. In fact, a lot of details are missing from so many history classes, to the point where it can make authoritarians look like decent people and horrendous policies look justifiable. The message I got from schools was that you should be obedient and trust your government.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by ikanreed on Tuesday January 03 2017, @09:48PM
Oh yeah, please tell me the lesson plans that included trusting the government.
No really. Tell me about the days you went into class and had a teacher tell you that your government was looking out for your best interest. It was never once for me. I guess they taught kids to call 911 for emergencies? Does that count?
Because I can tell you, up and down my school career.
Every day: "Liberty and justice for all"
Sports events: "Land of the free"
Early elementary school: You should be glad to live in the USA, we've got freedom. The pilgrims arrived seeking religious freedom at Plymouth rock.
Middle school: The American Revolution was about freedom from tyranny.
High school: Settlers went west seeking more freedom. Texas seceded from Mexico for freedom.
It's not until college that serious lesson plans about how freedom isn't the best and nicest thing ever start appearing. They absolutely beat that word into your head. They don't teach you jack shit about what it actually, seriously means.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday January 04 2017, @02:20AM
Every. Single. Morning.
And if your history/social studies teachers didn't drum pro-government propaganda into your head, why are you such an authoritarian asshole?
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 04 2017, @03:35AM
And if your history/social studies teachers didn't drum pro-government propaganda into your head, why are you such an authoritarian asshole?
I dunno, why are you?
What, you don't think you aren't one of the most authoritarian people on soylent? You believe in liberty and constitutionally protected freedom! Its all those libtard SJWs who are the real fascists!
If fascism comes, it will not be identified with any shirt movement, nor with an insignia, but it will probably be wrapped up in the American flag and heralded as a plea for liberty and preservation of the constitution. —James Waterman Wise, Jr. (1936)
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday January 04 2017, @11:03AM
Which is a bloody stupid quote because of the absolute truth that liberty and authoritarianism cannot exist together as they are each other's antithesis. Show me once where I have argued for the curtailing of liberty in the name of liberty or the constitution. Once will do fine. I'll wait.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 04 2017, @02:42PM
What you argue for on a regular basis is perpetuating an inegaliatarian status quo for no other reason than it is the status quo.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday January 04 2017, @03:58PM
No, what I argue for is equality of treatment rather than equality of results. The former is actual equality while the latter is just bigotry rebranded.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 04 2017, @04:58PM
Get back to us when you are ready to support a 100% inheritance tax and the raising of children in creches where they all receive equal treatment.
Until then you are just another bullshitter picking and choosing which people deserve 'equal' treatment and which deserve special privileges.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday January 04 2017, @08:00PM
That's equality of outcome. See above re: bigotry poorly masquerading as equality.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2, Flamebait) by ikanreed on Wednesday January 04 2017, @04:03AM
Naturally the reason I'm an "Authoritarian" is because you've immersed yourself so deep into libertarian ideology you've separated yourself from common and/or accurate defintions of words and redefined them to simply be anyone not as batshit as you.
The reason I'm an asshole is because, holy fuck, American is voting in goddamn white nationalists, seizing partisan control of watchdog organization, and deluded conspiracy theorists are babbling about how "both" sides are the same, because they've become separated from reality into tiny little ideological bubbles where words don't even mean anything anymore.
Go fuck yourself, you goddamn child.
(Score: 1, Troll) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday January 04 2017, @05:34AM
> why are you such an authoritarian asshole?
You blew every last fucking fuse in the ol' Irony-o-meter with that one, Uzzard. Do you have any idea how expensive those are?
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Thursday January 05 2017, @03:41AM
Awww, a troll mod for that? Man, you RWAs get triggered really easily. My previous offer of Midol should you need one still stands :)
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday January 04 2017, @02:17AM
Okay, you've clearly missed the multiple times I've disparaged Trump then. You've also obviously missed every post I've made in support of individual liberty and equality. If those make me hard-right in your eyes, you really need to rethink your scale.
That I despise Democrats and progressives more than I do Republicans and conservatives is your real problem. And it's one with an easy solution. Stop being corrupt, fascist hatemongers and I'll stop calling you corrupt, fascist hatemongers. Yes, you absolutely are the more hate-filled and anti-liberty of the parties. And yes, you absolutely have sold your souls more thoroughly than any Republican. You feed minorities hate and promises of free shit in exchange for votes when you should be working to make every American's lives better regardless of identity politics. That's what equality means. It means you under no circumstances treat any group special because of unearned traits.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 03 2017, @09:28PM
but but but Obama didn't successfully shut down Guantanamo over an obstructionist congress.
He didn't even try that hard, but at least he made some gains. Even worse than that, he actively advocated for conducting mass surveillance on the populace in numerous public speeches, so you can't blame an obstructionist congress for everything. Obama was an authoritarian piece of shit, and that remains true even if Republicans are worse. Both sides are absolutely terrible and that is irrefutable.