“We are blowing away the fog of anonymity,” said Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Rules Committee. “The goal is to pull back the curtain on earmarks to the public.”

…And replacing it with a deluge of information – through which few mere mortals can reasonably be expected to navigate. Charming.

But, some representatives say “Not so fast!”

“Democratic leaders complained about the earmarks change yesterday. Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-N.Y.) called it “shameful” and “a sham.” She said that the measure would not end the abuse of the earmarking process and was filled with loopholes that would still permit anonymous projects to be inserted into law without public scrutiny.”

Loopholes in this day and age; whod’ve thunk it? Typical political demagoguery: Draft a bill with some sort of innocuous label that suggests some sort of political accountability, and load it with carve-outs, exceptions, and loopholes.

If the politicians elected to “represent” us are drafting bills that imply they are incapable of performing their functions (legitimacy aside) why should we trust them to fix the system? If your doctor told you that, ‘in the absence of ethical standards imposed upon me by various institutions which grant me license privelege, I’d be a quacksalve,” would you trust him to be on the board of governors who writes those very same ethical standards?

Methinks not.