You gotta love Tom Coburn. This man is truly what a citizen-legislator should be. He has remarked that Republicans’ huge losses are due to thier abandoning the small-government principles of Reagan and Goldwater. I believe he is right.

Coburn, however, is in a position to do something about it. He and his ally, Jim DeMint of South Carolina, are continuing to throw up major roadblocks the the earmark-laden budget proposals for next year.

OpinionJournal reports that until next year’s budgets pass, the Congress has been passing Continuing Resolutions which fund the government at last year’s levels. And talk about a hissy fit, some federal agencies and departments–not to mention legislators–are ticked. For example, Alaska Senator, Ted “Bridge to Nowhere” Stevens is whining that “important projects” in his state are going undone.

In response:

“Any agency that can’t figure out how to function under a one-year CR is incompetent,” a Coburn spokesman tells Congress Daily. “If appropriators took this seriously they wouldn’t be wasting time earmarking and putting stoplights in their districts. The hypocrisy is astounding.”

Their message: stop the earmarks and we’ll vote on the budget.

If the earmarks don’t go, Coburn and DeMint are prepared to offer amendments that will keep Congress in session until long after Santa has started work on next year’s toys. Hooray for Coburn! This is EXACTLY why I voted for the man!

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Obscure reference:

When a President [Senator is close enough] goes through the White House [Senate Chamber] door,
An’ does what he says he’ll do.
We’ll all be drinkin’ free bubble-ubb,
Eatin’ that rainbow stew.