More Republicans quit...
It seems that enough Republicans have announced retirement from Congress to almost guarantee that the GOP will not retake either chamber in November. In the House, Rep. Tom Reynolds of New York became the 29th Republican to retire this session. Reynolds moved up quickly in his decade of service, starting in state politics in the Buffalo region and will leave as chairman of the House Republican Campaign Committee. However, in 2006 he won with only 52% of the vote and his reputation was tarnished when the committee treasurer embezzled millions of dollars under Reynolds’ watch. His retirement will leave the New York GOP delegation with only five of 29 seats should they not be able to defend his seat.

In the Senate, Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) agreed to step down quietly by letting the deadline for filing for re-election pass last Friday. Craig, whose shenanigans in a Minneapolis airport men’s room became national news, had vowed to fight disorderly conduct charges to which he originally pleaded guilty in June of last year. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republican Senate Campaign Committee Chairman John Ensign both supported Craig’s decision to step down, but when he made an about-face, he was stripped of his committee assignments and sent to the political wilderness. Craig, with his guilty plea on record and his reputation sullied, will now return to private life, something he should have done in the first place.

The Senate voted 54-44 in favor of an amendment sponsored by Lamar Alexander (R-TN) that would bar federal employment regulators from filing suit against small businesses that require English in the workplace. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently sued the Salvation Army and 125 other organizations because English was required on the job, except during breaks. Alexander’s amendment aims to curb such frivolous lawsuits and would require that the money used to finance the lawsuits be used for adult English programs instead.

Meanwhile, Congress is considering doubling or even tripling the H-1B visa cap in 2008 and 2009. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) introduced the Strengthening United States Technology and Innovation Act in the House, which would triple the number to 195,000. “American employers have an urgent need,” Smith said, “for highly skilled foreign workers to fill positions in specialty occupations...[in order to] remain globally competitive.” Not that companies never abuse the H-1B...

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) introduced H.R. 5616, the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act, which would repeal the unconstitutional congressionally mandated phase-out of the good old incandescent light bulb.



Corporate farm welfare...
According to a recent report by The Wall Street Journal, the House and Senate are about to pass a bill that would give farmers their largest subsidy package ever—$26 billion over the next five years. Is this because farmers are languishing in poverty as profits are down, and America’s farming community is on the verge of destruction? Far from it—last year was one of the most profitable ever for American farmers. Nevertheless, soybean and wheat farmers—currently benefiting from a surge in prices—will receive increases in subsidies. Corn producers, already highly subsidized by Congress’ promotion of ethanol, will receive $10.5 billion over five years. These aren’t emergency subsidies intended to keep small farms from closing; this is full-fledged corporate welfare, with income limits as high as $2 million per farm before the subsidies are reduced.

The bill is ostensibly intended to help America’s farmers, but the many unintended consequences loom large. Taxes will be raised on foreign investors in order to fund the subsidies, which will discourage further foreign investment. A massive quantity of land is being converted to corn production, not because of free-market forces, but because of the arbitrary whims of Congress. Conversion to corn, of course, means less of other produce and corresponding higher prices. Lower and middle income Americans will, as usual, be the ones to suffer from congressional meddling in the market, as their budgets get increasingly pinched at the grocery.

Our tax dollars at work.