Spending bill not representative of district priorities

The late, great comedian/philosopher George Carlin wisely quipped that, "bipartisan usually means that a larger-than-usual deception is being carried out."

This adage is exemplified by the $1.1 trillion, 1,700-page "CRomnibus" brought to us courtesy of the duopoly parties in the waning days of the lame-duck 113th Congress.

Rep. Jason Smith's excuse for his CRomnibus spending bill vote (Southeast Missourian, Dec. 16) is condescending. I am positive that we have the ability to recognize another in a long, endless line of expensive federal spending bills that adds to the $18 trillion public debt.

The primary reason that Rep. Smith has publicly disclosed for his CRomnibus vote is to prevent something that hasn't happened -- President Obama's "executive amnesty" order. Why this couldn't be accomplished with another continuing resolution as opposed to a massive $1.1 trillion spending package is beyond me. It also boggles my mind that President Obama would support and sign legislation that is actually a plan brilliantly designed to thwart his "unconstitutional actions." President Obama is a shrewd politician who is playing the GOP like a fiddle. In February, the newly sworn-in Republican majority Congress will be forced to fully fund DHS.

However, there are plenty of CRomnibus "winners." In addition to the $1.1 trillion in discretionary spending, $64 billion in funding is provided for overseas military operations. CRomnibus includes a rider that allows a single donor to give $324,000 per year to the Democrat National Committee or the Republican National Committee. Citibank literally wrote a CRomnibus provision that overturns part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Law which had prevented banks from making risky bets on financial derivatives with federally insured deposits. This will put taxpayers on the hook for future bailouts if security trading goes belly up (again). There is also a special deal for Blue Cross/Blue Shield pertaining to Obamacare regulations, and subsidies for U.S.-owned overseas businesses tucked into the leviathan spending bill.

Cronyism in Washington is "a big club, and we ain't in it," to once again quote George Carlin.

In addition to rewarding special interests for their support by voting for the CRomnibus, Rep. Smith further exposed his preference for a large, centralized top-down government. The CRomnibus contains a section designed to overturn the citizens of Washington, D.C.'s overwhelming vote (by a margin of 2:1) to legalize marijuana. Clearly this is not the federalism that the Founders envisioned.

As the dust has settled around CRomnibus, regular people have had a chance to read the bill, and decide for themselves what it really contains. Something that caught my eye in Rep. Smith's defense of his vote was a claim that the CRomnibus "helps stop the NSA from snooping on Americans' personal communications."

What I have discovered is that an amendment (Lofgren-Massie, House roll call No. 327) that would prevent surveillance by the NSA was approved by the House on June 19. This amendment was intended to be included in the spending bill. Unfortunately, this amendment was removed without debate before the CRomnibus was voted on. Apparently Rep. Smith and his staff didn't receive the memo before they "read through the entire bill."

Even Rep. Smith's routine safety valves: abortion and guns, do not survive the sniff test.

RH Reality Check, a daily pro-choice publication, isn't worried about the effect of CRomnibus on abortion. Their response in an online column is that "lawmakers had little appetite this year to even consider lifting several long-standing prohibitions on federal funding for abortions." (http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2014/12/12/cromnibus-bill-affects-womens-health/). The Gun Owners of America, a pro-gun lobbying organization, was online urging its members to contact Congress to "defeat the anti-gun CRomnibus" due to several "anti-gun provisions."

The CRomnibus is just another bloated, pork-filled federal law that increases the public debt, continues to fund Obamacare, and fails to address our spending problem. It is bad for the taxpayers. Unfortunately, the Missouri 8th Congressional District is viewed as nothing more than an automatic "yes" vote for the Republican Party status quo which has dominated local politics for decades.

Rick Vandeven is the chairman of the Missouri Libertarian Party 8th Congressional District Committee and is a member of the Missouri Libertarian Party Executive Committee.