If everything goes as planned, it looks like we can finally get some movement on ethics...and not a moment too soon!

Last November, voters overwhelmingly voted to send legislators a message: ethics are important. Don't believe me? Take a look at the exit polls. 74% of voters said that ethics was either "very important" or "extremely important." Since voters made that statement, we've had scandals involving Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ), Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA), Mark Zachares, Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL)...and scandals involving the Justice Department, specifically the ousted attorneys who were investigating people like Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA). There are also the Bush Administration officials that either are under investigation or who resigned in disgrace. And finally, there is the lobbyist at the center of it all, Jack Abramoff!

I don't know about you, but this is all getting a little hard for me to keep track of. I'm beginning to wonder if there is anyone left in Washington who doesn't have a Common Blog smart tag with their name on it! It's time for Congress to finally get serious on ethics reform. Lobbying reform would be a great way to start...

Something is noticeably missing from the $463 billion spending measure the House passed 286 to 140 last Wednesday. Leaders from both parties courageously agreed to remove all earmarks! Earmarks, or special provisions that set aside money for specific purposes, have been used in recent years to funnel billions of tax dollars toward pet projects and special interests.

This measure replaces the temporary budget that had been in place since last year, when Congress failed to pass 9 out of the 11 necessary budget bills. In addition, while the bill maintains most government agencies at 2006 level funding, it also includes some additional funding for veteran health care and Pell Grants, and an additional $1.6 billion to fighting diseases including A.I.D.S.

This year, many new congressmen came to office promising to control earmarks and special interest giveaways, and it is very encouraging to see them sticking to their word. We hope the Senate follows suit when it votes on the bill in the coming weeks.