Mark Kirk, a Republican "independent"?

2006-06-26

On June 22nd the House of Representatives passed the Permanent Estate Tax Relief Act. This single bill will forfeit yearly government revenue of over $70 billion, over ten years an estimated $800 billion.

Given the Administration's inability to find a long-term answer to the many internal needs the country faces, such as the 44 million without health insurance, the current huge budget cuts slated for college tuition loans, the many other social and human services cut or unfunded, not to speak of the massive infrastructure needs created by Katrina, global warming, homeland security, environmental pollution, and the unreal ballooning federal deficit -- it is an ongoing mystery why Congressman Mark Kirk who claims to be an "independent" would vote with his party to support this short-sighted bill, passed on behalf of the richest 18 families in America, who, incidentally, strongly lobbied for this bill. (And a tax cut such as this in war time is unprecedented in our history.)

Eliminating the estate tax obviously sacrifices fairness for the many on behalf of special favors for the very few. But this is just another example, among many, of how Congressman Kirk's party loyalty takes precedence over benign more sensible public policy. Kirk an independent? Hardly.