The Truly Needed Congressional Reform

From the Wall Street Journal with a Hat Tip to the Federalist Patriot Post.

"Amid the Jack Abramoff scandal, everyone in Congress wants to restrict the freedom of other Americans, especially lobbyists. But how hard is that, and what difference would it make anyway? The real test of 'reform' will be if the Members are willing to discipline themselves. That's a good standard for measuring the
race for House GOP Majority Leader, too. When Republicans took control of the purse strings in 1995, the federal budget was $1.5 trillion. It is now $2.55 trillion a year---or $5 million a minute---and the latest Treasury data reveal that in Fiscal 2005 federal outlays grew by another $179 billion, an 8% increase and more than twice the rate of inflation. It's naive to believe that influence peddlers in Washington won't flourish in an environment where such fountains of money never run dry. If Republicans really want to end the era of K Street Conservatism, they'll
attack the system of spending that lies at its roots." ---The Wall Street Journal

I couldn't have said it better myself, which might explain why I haven't even come close.