Rick Renzi: Student at the JD Hayworth School of Oratory?

Rick is in fine form this evening. He proposes an amendment to HR 5672 to take $5,000,000 from funding for the UN and give it to law enforcement on reservations in his district.

His rhetorical support for his amendment?

He cited (actually, almost yelled) that his district is the 'largest land mass of poverty in the country" before going into some examples of that poverty (paraphrase: you don't need to go to Africa to see starving people with distended bellies) before closing with "Before you spend it overseas, spend it at home!"

With that, he wants to give the money to law enforcement on the reservations. Do they need more support? Hell yeah. No question about it.

Of course, if he was worried about poverty on any reservations, he could have tried to earmark the funds for poverty-fighting programs.

Or is that too obvious?

Additionally, why attack the UN, which is a powerful ally for fighting poverty worldwide? Why not take the 5 mil from Halliburton's Iraqi oil-acquisition fund....err, the War to Find Weapons of Mass Destruction, err...the War to Fight Terrorism in Iraq (terrorism that wasn't there until it came out that the WMD intelligence that the White House based it's justification for invading Iraq was false)...err...well, you know... :) . That money is spent overseas. At least the UN is based in New York City.

Many of his colleagues complimented Congressman Renzi on his passion (I thought he was just doing his Hayworth as Blowhard impression). My question to him about his passion - is it for helping some of your constituents (though, based on your own arguments, NOT helping them in the ways they need most) or is your passion for putting the screws to the UN?

Rick, if your passion is for helping the poorest of your constituents, where is your passion the rest of the year? Or during non-election years?

BTW - the Renzi amendment passed on a voice vote.

Personal note:

One of my screen names on Yahoo's message boards is "ilovehypocrites."

My affection for the AZ Congressional delegation grows each day.