GOP "reforms" are formalities for more of the same

Congressional Democrats yesterday laid out a plan to change what they called a GOP "culture of corruption" in Washington, even as Republicans pointed to ethics lapses on their antagonists' side of the aisle...
Rather than limiting the value of a gift to $20, as House Republicans are considering, Democrats would prohibit all gifts from lobbyists. Democrats also take direct aim at some of the legislative practices that have become established in the past 10 years of Republican rule in Congress. They vowed to end the K Street Project, under which Republicans in Congress pressure lobbying organizations to hire only Republican staff members and contribute only to Republican candidates.

from Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/18/AR2006011801760_pf.html

The GOP's answer is limiting the value of a gift to $20? That doesn't even make sense, what is the significance of $20 when compared to the tens and hundred of thousands of dollars that Jack Abramoff fundraised and directly donated to the Republican party? The answer almost seems too obvious.

They've created a system of "accountability" that is filled with even more loopholes, but loopholes that can prove to be legal. Have you ever looked at grocery coupons?



Notice how they say that the value of the coupon is either "no cash value" or something really small like a fraction of a cent.

Lobbyists could continue to give Tom DeLay millions in gifts but say that they have a cash value of less than $20. Sneaky. Why wouldn't I be suprised that something like that would happen if Republican lobbying "reforms" were passed?