Meddlesome Bureaucracy

Democrats and Republicans take different views of bureaucracy. Democrats see it as an unfortunate but necessary organization to maintain accountability and facilitate programs. Republicans think it's the antichrist--unless, that is, they want to obstruct something.

The Austin American-Statesman (link by the indispensable Daily DeLay) reports that a bill introduced in the Texas legislature will give the state ethics commission veto power over local prosecutors who wish to prosecute election law violations. In simple terms, it adds a layer of bureaucracy between prosecutors and their jobs (IE, prosecuting criminals).

Now, the commission is bipartisan, so one might think that it wouldn't succumb to political temptations. That's true in a sense--but only because the commission lacks any spine and thus will be an equal oppurtunity enabler of corruption for both parties. Since the commission's formation in 1991, according to the Statesman, "the agency...has never subpoenaed a witness or documents to investigate a complaint or referred a criminal case [to prosecutors]." So basically, giving this commission power over election law will render the law unenforcable. Which is exactly what Tom DeLay and his cronies want.