When the chickens come home to roost

A quick review roll call at lunch came up with a few stories that are beginning to appear more often.  Most get swept under the rug and disappears after a few days.  But, they are showing up more often.

House Orders Up Three Elite Jets

August 5, 2009
By Paul Singer
Roll Call Staff

Last year, lawmakers excoriated the CEOs of the Big Three automakers for traveling to Washington, D.C., by private jet to attend a hearing about a possible bailout of their companies.

But apparently Congress is not philosophically averse to private air travel: At the end of July, the House approved nearly $200 million for the Air Force to buy three elite Gulfstream jets for ferrying top government officials and Members of Congress.

Democrats Block GOP Health Care Mailing

By Jackie Kucinich
Roll Call Staff

July 23, 2009, 12 a.m.

Democrats are preventing Republican House Members from sending their constituents a mailing that is critical of the majority’s health care reform plan, blocking the mailing by alleging that it is inaccurate.

Appropriations Panel Routinely Destroyed Old Earmark Requests

By Paul Singer
Roll Call Staff

July 14, 2009, 12 a.m.

The House ethics committee has announced that it is investigating the links between earmarks and campaign contributions, but if investigators are looking at any activity prior to 2007, they could run into a problem: The documents underlying those earmarks may have been destroyed.

While it is a common business practice to maintain records on legislative activity, House Members are not obligated to maintain documents from their offices. The papers of a Member’s office are considered the lawmaker’s personal property and can be disposed of as he or she sees fit.

http://www.rollcall.com/

Chicken come home to roost

Definition: earlier actions come back to cause trouble for a person; haunt

Explanation: Used when speaking about someone being punished at a much later date for earlier bad acts. Very similar to the idea of karma.

Examples: Well, I guess the chickens have come home to roost. I wish I had never done that. - He's paying for his sins now, the chickens have come home to roost.

I think it’s about time that Reality sets in…

There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle

Alexis de Tocqueville