Barack Obama’s "Ethics" Reform

While Obama should be commended for his refusal to accept money from political action committees, the ethics reform legislation he sponsored did little to stop the truly troublesome practices in Washington, D.C.

While lobbyists can no longer buy a congressional staffer a $10 lunch, for some reason they are still allowed to spend up to $5,000 for the political action committees (PACs) of members of Congress. Yes, pretty much every member of Congress has their own PAC – its not just the labor unions and the corporations. Members of Congress can set up these committees and then beg lobbyists to hand over the big bucks at fundraisers (e.g. ski weekends, hunting trips, spas, etc.) Members in turn use these dollars to bribe their colleagues into supporting them for leadership positions. Leave it to Barack Obama to to make it illegal to have a normal business lunch – and still allow the outrageous excesses of Members’ leadership PACs. Now that’s true ethics reform.