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we have a say interesting spectacle wearer john bainer is invested in at
least seven companies that will see their stock go up and AC is wealth go up
if the Keystone XL pipeline is approved
why is that an OK thing
in american politics Brian Baird congressman Brian Baird
Washington State discovered
time delays in Tom DeLay's offices back some years ago
that they were day trade in the back room because cart Congress had carved
out an exception for itself
and a they were if they you know making trade on inside information members of
Congress and their staff members
and without any penalties and so they were doing it
and then he discovered a whole bunch of other republican members the house
representatives took it to Nancy Pelosi
she had no literally had no idea was horrified
I brought this to the floor in spoke about it they passed a law to put an end
to it
it got to the house representatives who is passed when nancy is plus he was
Speaker the house
and got over to the senate and it was filibustered by the republicans why
is this a partisan issue Bradley Smith as well as chairman and cofounder the
center for comparative politics former chairman
the federal election commission campaign freedom dot
or D is the website brother welcome back to the program
thank you pressure be here thank you it's Tom
but thats I'll take it I tell you however
hearing it's funny because once a year i preciate the fact that you
a yeah it's a pleasure for you are my favorite guys do you actually have
different views on entry well so I like
told thank you um I E you know I know that the in this there's the center for
comparative politics you know but one of the things for example that we disagree
on as you think corporations
should have past that the constitutional right to free speech to engage in
political action because they're aggregations a person's
for example and I I disagree with that and in world you know we can just leave
that word is but arm
why would we disagree on this
for why I don't know that we do with that we disagree except for you know
maybe some
this year on particulars for example I to be honest I'm not really familiar
with what was in
I the bill that was passed out by the house and
and block it is simply said that the standards for
a have for insider trading though the insider trading laws
that those standards that there is no longer congressional exemption from
those standards
and any objection by the republicans
was that we handle so much business and so many things
that we would have to put you know pretty much all of us would have to put
our money in blind trusts
which I is sounds reasonable to me I mean that's how it used to be
that's what do you know dwight eisenhower did yeah I don't think that
that's a
necessary partner rich people want to to go blind trust personally I don't think
we have a problem with that is probably a good thing
well point out is that this is something that is
for endemic to I modern congress that the
when they say are we have our hands and so many things you know we can't
we always have conflict of interest in a sense that's right
and it's worth the cost I think that goes with and
you know large government me write a project in a star requiring you know
every staffer in congress to do every investment
and it becomes very very difficult for people to survive
in in exile environment in case over my view is that Congress should
a that be tighter about saying you're put your
a assets in a blind trust I think harris also be tighter bout with spouses are
doing that is
and you know we've had many cases where spouses pop
a prominent harassment senators are actually go RBS
and go around lobbying well you know I'm some justice on my own told you know
nobody knows my spouse's you know I have very powerful senator
and I don't think there should be tolerated either but
a quarter this is not a a partisan issue either in the sense of who's doing it
I mean you know you have people like dianne feinstein should has been has
enormous contractures federal government I
you have that folks all through
government who have you know spouses who are working with government
cases when tom daschle senate Majority Leader his white wife as well as people
who is a lock up and I can give you a list to republicans have done the same
thing in phil gramm's wife when he was on the board of Enron which is why we
got the Commodity Futures Modernization Act gramm-leach-bliley which blew up
glass steagle on Wed right to the crash
you know and in created a $700 trillion dollar a
you know for grey market for commodities that never existed before 1999
are not so much and I can say that that's right but I would said that's
right if you'd stop just after yeah this is this is a republican think
to in years when the Crimson except sure okay very busy here's the
hear you say it's cuz a big-government it are a big government as a percentage
of GDP in the United States is
is more less twenty percent in our government spends a little over 20 per
cent brings in a little under 20 percent mister it's been roughly fit our economy
its more likes 40 percent in Canada
it's well over forty percent in most European countries
it's in the neighborhood a fifty-percent in most of them arm
II's so if big government is the problem
why is it that we have this problem with corrupted politicians and by and large
those countries don't
I i would disagree with that supposition I think it's if you look at most to
those countries
if anything the problem is worse and so bad
the people even think twice about the the intertwining of government and
business in countries like France and and
much of Europe I ily and so on is just
astronomically bad I it in the ghetto Italy I'll give you I think burlesque
only as a case in point
this is a case in which you know it's it's not to me
but for this recession I think in the end this is a
side effect a big-government does not per se an argument that we should have
begun arriving there are downsides to having small government as well
ways in an argument out closer to be there bi-xenon are good enough for big
or small government but for an argument for ethical government
that if somebody wants to you know serve the goddess you know the goddess of
democracy Columbia if they want to come to the District of Columbia
and and and and serve the public
that they that there's a certain price to pay for that you have to give up self
via aggrandizement and solve well for me you know I Allison Grimes is gonna be
running against Mitch McConnell just released an ad that basically raises the
question
how is that much work on a one off to washington DC not a millionaire is now a
multi-millionaire
and he gets a 160 does know you're sorry how'd that happen
well we're gonna find that from an awful lot of people yen
perceptions in DC and I think that you're you know this year I think this
is part of the long-term dissatisfaction with the Seas is feeling that they are
operate as a separate you know kind of group
from the rest of us no a it when I was at the FTC
you know again I was quite deregulatory generally the one area I was very tough
was on the idea get using campaign funds for personal use said
and campaign funds had to be spent on a campaign
and I think you know I used to say the same thing about the title relationships
for trying to hear people say well
for example why should my spouse have to give up his or her in a business
investment simply because I'm in the senate
my responses will washer other Americans have to give up their speech right
simply because you're in the said you know
worried about corruption that much put it on those members of congress sure
they're so
I think that you know where you end up segment by talking about the the
Keystone pipeline
I again that's not something I can say that I know you know the details about
John bears investments or any other
story's been out there for a long time I presume that he is not violated
and he asked a house or senate rules are now it's not against the law what he's
doing in fact I said something they do it pretty much
mmm well I I actually have no idea what percentage are members of Congress to
but it where the hell is the big thing is that this is a bipartisan problem
and we should put tougher restrictions I think a member of congress but
some level we are gonna run into the problem that you know there's an awful
lot of people working up there now I've got all the folks in state government
and we have issues have you're just the
connections people have with lobbyists and their hopes to get future jobs in
future things to do
and I think will be looking all that we also need direct censorship
true horribly cynical that is you're pretty much every republican supports
the Keystone pipeline
helping find very many that oppose it I don't think there's any reason to
believe that most of them
think with their think that the pipeline is a bad idea they mustn't think it is a
good idea would support it anyway
it was very tough different saying go again you know why people are actual
situation political that's a good point but I and and and and what it does is it
just takes us back to the more abstract issue
whether more solid she actually Nov you know
what do we do about what appears to be corruption in government
Bradley Smith a chairman ago founded the Center for competitive politics campaign
freedom doubt over to its I thank you brother
the talk will be