An ethics reform bill has passed in the US. I think those bullet points will help improve legislative governance. It is a shame the Australian Senate is not independent enough from the executive presently to pass similar laws which enforce process on the Senate.
Earmarks are quite small in terms of dollars, especially in relation to budgets and appropriation bills. The issue with earmarks is that they are repugnant because they are so cynical. Revoltingly so.
The lobbying stuff I am not so concerned with as long as it is transparent. However the dead of night additions - which are an attempt to subvert the liberal democratic process - and anonymous holds will be good to be removed. A Senator placing a hold on a bill should be proud to do so if they are protecting minority rights.
Something had to be done after the US Republican Party behaved like children when they controlled the legislative. It was not pleasant. So I am not surprised that a law of this nature has passed the Senate.
One of the problems with the Rovian form of governance was the government existed for the party, not the nation. So we got a very cynical and lop-sided view of policy; it was essentially for executive aggrandisement and to make a natural party of government through controlling the branches of government.
It failed. The public is not stupid. But it informed government at levels other than the national level. I cannot say that county governance has been good where I am. Rovian style politics was conducted which had little care for separation of powers and constitutionality.
The state had a mixed record. The Governor, Mark Warner, provided good governance. But the legislature and most recent governor have not. The result is an unconstitutional law to raise monies through unjust punishments on drivers. Mark Warner campaigned to raise taxes to pay for the transport issues.
People in the area know something has to be done, and are willing to listen to a method to achieve it, even if it involves raising taxes. But the legislature and present government won't do it. It will just put the issue off into the future for someone else to deal with.
The Town I live in has provided good governance and has met its responsibilities without raising taxes in contrast to the county who has got drunk on increasing property taxes - in the same way states in Australia have over stamp duty.
Warner started a run for President but then opted out to spend time with his family (yeh right). I suspect he knew he couldn't raise enough money to win. The scuttlebutt was that he was going to run for Governor of Virginia again. Virginian Governors are not term limited but cannot serve consecutive terms. I think that is a bit silly, I would be more comfortable with consecutive terms but a maximum of two terms.
With the retirement of Republican Senator John Warner, the former Democrat Governor, Mark Warner is now running for the national Senate. He was a good executive, but will he make a good legislator?
