The So-Called Congressional Record
John Stossel has exposed another little white lie in American politics. It seems that the Congressional Record, the document that preserves the words spoken in Congress, is not as accurate as we might think.
Stossel points out that politicians can add tribute statements – intended to pander to constituents – to the Record even if the statements were never actually uttered on the floor. This is quite deceptive and calls into question the authenticity of the balance of the document.
Some highlights:
The Record reports that Derek Vaught's congressman, Mike Espy, rose on the floor to give a tribute to the lad's karate skills. "I thought it was pretty awesome," Vaught said.
The Record says a congressman rose to pay tribute to rock singer Ted Nugent for being "as good with a bow and arrow as he is with a guitar."
The Record claims that a congressman said, "Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Dot Hill, who's a legend not only in her own hometown, but throughout the world." (Hill is a drum majorette.)
None of those tributes was ever made, but they're all in print, enshrined in history along with what really was said.
If the only downside of this practice were the lies I could almost understand. Seriously, if you think that politicians don't lie then I have some water front property in Arizona I would like to sell you. But, it turns out that these little pander-tisements cost us, the American taxpayers, about $675 a page.
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