[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 22647]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             HOUSE OF SHAME

  (Mr. PALLONE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, Republican cronyism here in Washington is 
something that has become quite evident to people outside the Beltway 
in recent weeks. I just wanted to reference today an article in the 
last issue of Newsweek magazine by Jonathan Alter called ``Tom DeLay's 
House of Shame.'' It talks about how Mr. Alter a decade ago called on 
Tom DeLay in his ornate office in the Capitol and what he found there.
  Alter goes on to say, and I quote, ``Thus began what historians will 
regard as the single most corrupt decade in the long and colorful 
history of the House of Representatives. Never before has the 
leadership of the House been hijacked by a small band of extremists 
bent on building a ruthless shakedown machine, lining the pockets of 
their richest constituents and rolling back popular protections for 
ordinary people.''
  He goes on to say that ``the 21st century radical Republican agenda, 
that is today, repeals health and safety regulations and spends 
billions on shameless pork-barrel projects to keep the GOP at the 
trough.''
  The bottom line is that Republican cronyism is now evident to 
everyone.

                          ____________________