by Paul Jacob

Hmmm. Democrats are sick of corruption and want to reform things so Jack-Abramoff-type scandals can't happen. Republicans are sick of corruption and want to reform things so Jack-Abramoff-type scandals can't happen.

Guess they've all been reading the funny papers while gremlins passed the laws.

Many avid reformers suggest tweaking the rules governing lobbyists. But Senator John McCain won't go halfway. He wants the ability of lobbyists to call up a lawmaker in the middle of the night and get some pork covertly slapped onto a bill at the last minute to STOP.

This is getting closer to the real problem: runaway legislators, not runaway lobbyists. But even McCain's suggestions don't go far enough. Ban gifts, ban lobbyists from paying for junkets. But still, it's not lobbyists who make law or run Capitol Hill.

Let's not just limit special projects earmarked for specific congressional districts. Make porkbarrel illegal, period. Let the federal government deal only with things that have national import, as defined by the enumerated powers in the Constitution.

That would REALLY return both power AND money to the states. It would end the game where the politicians furthest from us rake in our taxes, skim off the top, and then flip back dabs of dough to the states.

When every dime Congress currently spends in earmarks and grants to state and local governments never reaches Congress in the first place, that'll help end corruption.

Common Sense is published by Americans for Limited Government. Their website can be visited at www.limitedgov.org.