The Hightower Report

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PRESIDENT PINOCCHIO SPEAKS TO THE NATION

Gosh, so much muck to rake, so little time. I speak, of course, about George W.'s recent State of the Union pontifications. What a mess of lies!

His headline-grabber was that America is "addicted to oil" and that he'll cut U.S. reliance on Middle East oil by 75% during the next 20 years. Wow! That's a huge change, right? Wrong. Bush didn't mention that our imports from the Mid-East constitute a mere 11% of America's oil use. Also, the next day, his own energy secretary rushed out to say of Bush's 75% pledge: "He didn't mean it literally." The promise to cut Mid-East imports "was purely an example," he said. Oh.

Then there was George's proud economic boast that "America has created 4.6 million new jobs" during his tenure. Well ... yeah ... but America has also lost 2.6 million jobs under Bush, leaving a pathetic record of job creation. Plus, Bush's new jobs pay so poorly that hourly workers are not even keeping up with inflation.

Of course, a Bush speech would not be complete without another Iraq lie. This time, he gloated about his success in "shutting off terrorist infiltration" into Iraq. Well ... not exactly. In fact, just before George's speech, a top Republican wailed that the Iraqi border is "extremely porous" and that a poor job was being done to stop infiltration by terrorists.

The Bush lies just kept flowing: He bragged about reducing federal spending, for example, when in fact he's raised it about 30%, and he patted himself on the back about his response to Hurricane Katrina, yet the next day the General Accounting Office blasted his administration and Bush himself for their failed response.

This guy will go down in history as President Pinocchio!

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LOBBYISTS REJECT RESTRICTIONS

Both political parties, squirming under the spreading scandals of super-sleaze lobbyist Jack Abramoff, suddenly began posing as reformers, saying it's time to reign in the corporate influence peddlers who haunt our nation's capital. The lobbyists hunkered down like cows in a hailstorm as the leaders of the two parties piously demanded that lobbyist-paid dinners, foreign-golf junkets, and other freebies for lawmakers be banned.

But now, as the media spotlight cools, lobbyists are aggressively pushing back against any true reforms. Their tactic is to claim – believe it or not – that they are invaluable to the democratic process! John Engler, the former Republican governor of Michigan who now heads the National Association of Manufacturers, asserts that his lobbying front for major corporate powers must not be restricted in its efforts "to educate and inform our elected leaders." John insists that the ongoing trips that the NAM finances for Congress critters and top congressional staffers gives them "a very valuable firsthand education" about the legislation that NAM members want ... or don't want.

Likewise, says the head of the American Society of Association Executives. (Yes, this is the lobbying group for lobbying groups!) This guy chimes in that no lobbyist-paid junket should be banned, claiming that this would deprive lawmakers of views "outside of Washington." Hello ... you're inside Washington! Yet, he insists that paying Congress critters to attend corporate conferences is an educational function in support of America's finest democratic ideals.

Hmmmm. Democracy ... lobbyists ... junkets. In my mind, those words don't go together. When our lawmakers need information on issues, shouldn't they get it on their own or from independent sources – not from paid influence peddlers?

To push for real reforms to reign in lobbyists, call Common Cause, 202/833-1200.