IREY: WHERE’S JACK BAUER WHEN YOU NEED HIM?!

(MONONGAHELA, September 15) — Washington County Commissioner and Pennsylvania 12th district Republican Congressional nominee Diana Irey — reacting to Jack Murtha’s votes this week against enhanced border security, enhanced accountability and transparency in federal spending, and reform of the out-of-control practice of “earmarking” — today released the following statement:

“Where’s Jack Bauer when you need him?! In the last 24 hours, voters in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District have been given new reminders of the clear choice facing them on November 7: Jack Murtha has, just in the last 24 hours, voted (again) AGAINST enhanced border security, and AGAINST earmark reform — and if he had been forced to go on the record and cast a vote on increased accountability and transparency in federal funding (rather than have the measure go through on a voice vote earlier in the week), I’d be willing to bet he would have voted against that, too. This is rapidly becoming a crisis situation, and Jack Bauer is just the kind of no-nonsense, common sense guy we could use.

“This week, the House considered three critical measures: H.R. 6061, the ‘Secure Fence Act of 2006′; S. 2590, the ‘Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act;’ and a reform of the Rules of the House that would require the sponsors of individual earmarks to be identified.

“Each of these three measures addresses fundamental deficiencies that are reaching crisis level:

  • # “The Secure Fence Act orders the construction of roughly 700 miles of double-layered fencing along particularly porous areas of America’s unguarded southwestern border, and will help stem the flow of illegal aliens even as it reduces the threat of terrorist infiltration;
  • # “The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act mandates the creation of a user-friendly Google-like database of federal loans, contracts, and grants, so that anyone with a computer and internet access can easily find out exactly where a trillion dollars a year in federal spending is going;
  • # “Earmark reform requires for the first time the identification of the individual sponsors of the thousands of individual spending projects in federal legislation, and thereby will reduce somewhat at least some of the more egregiously wasteful spending, and will also reduce the temptation to corruption among Members of Congress.

    • “Yet Jack Murtha voted ‘NO’ on two of these measures, and likely would have voted ‘NO’ on the third, if it hadn’t been voice-voted.

    “Has anyone got Jack Bauer’s cell number? At this point, I’d even be willing to take Chloe’s.”

    From Diana Irey for Congress