In a stunning display of Congressional dishonest, H.R. 1586 started out as a bill introduced by embattled Representative Charlie Rangel to to impose an additional tax on bonuses received from certain TARP recipients.

And then it seemed to take on a life of its own as it went through the Congressional sausage-maker…

And it finally wound up being passed by both the House and the Senate with NO NAME and being signed into law by President Obama on August 10, 2010. 

What are they hiding?

The Library of Congress’ Thomas bill information system does not have an updated “Bill Summary” by the CRS (Congressional Research Service) – They still think that the bill is related to either the additional tax on bonuses of Tarp recipients or the FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act. There is no summary available for the “no name” bill.

The bill’s contents … (Searchable)

This is our Congress and Administration at work – creating hyperpartisan stealth laws behind closed doors, passing them at night or on the weekends, and restricting media questions during presidential signing ceremonies.

For those who really want to know what this bill does …

According to sources at WashingtonWatch.com …

“Among other things, the bill spends money on an "Education Jobs Fund" and on Medicaid funding for states. Passage of H.R. 1586 costs the average U.S. family about $125.”

While the employees of the private sector are suffering …

• Funds appropriated under this heading shall be available only for allocation by the Secretary of Education
• … funds awarded to local educational agencies under paragraph (3) --

(A) may be used only for compensation and benefits and other expenses, such as support services, necessary to retain existing employees, to recall or rehire former employees, and to hire new employees, in order to provide early childhood, elementary, or secondary educational and related services; and

(B) may not be used for general administrative expenses or for other support services expenditures as those terms were defined by the National Center for Education Statistics in its Common Core of Data as of the date of enactment of this Act.

The democrats are planning to reap the rewards of these provisions from the teachers’ unions in the upcoming election cycle – both in terms of political expenditures on the behalf of the democrats and additional voter support when turnouts might be lower than in a presidential election year.

Want to see what gutting $12 billion dollars in food stamps looks like when mandated by dishonest legislators?

Bottom line …

Perhaps the real reason this bill carries no name is because naming this legislation the “ADDITIONAL AID FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS, CUTTING THE FOOD STAMPS PROGRAM AND MISCELLANEOUS TAX INCREASES” might have a negative connotation in these contentious times.

While I do not expect readers to actually read the bill – why should they be any different from the members of Congress who actually vote on these bills – it does clearly illustrate that we need to elect “honest brokers” to serve “we the people.”

And if we don’t,  we face a clear and present danger of turning America into a European Socialist nation where the ruling elite, oligarchs and the unions run the country for their own self-interests. Think it can’t happen – look around you at the public employee unions; it’s already happening.

VOTE THE BUMS OUT IN NOVEMBER!

-- steve