Tales from LaHood

You might remember a song from a few years ago by Bill Engvall, called "Here's Your Sign!" He could add a verse or two about the Department of Transportation. While most Americans are tightening their belts, a delegation from DOT was shopping for new ones during a 17-day jaunt to photograph billboards. The 12-member delegation, which is part of the International Scam Scan Program (ISP), is said to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $300,000. And ABC News thinks it knows why. The network got its hands on a series of photos that show government workers clinking wine glasses in Australia and "driving the tulip-lined highways of Holland." Not only did the group have first-class accommodations, but they ate well too. "In Melbourne, that meant dining along the waterfront at the pricey Scusami Italian Restaurant; in Brisbane, the LAB Restaurant; in Stockholm, the five-star Fem Sma House."

Officials at DOT say the $1.2 million program has been sending employees on these swanky tours for years under the auspices of studying things like "pre-cast concrete." If that's not ridiculous enough, the last delegation wrote a 76-page report on international billboard advertising. Anyone out on the road knows that the Transportation Department should be filling potholes, not blowing bigger holes in our budget.

When ABC News contacted DOT and threatened to blow the story wide open, officials put on the emergency brakes. Yesterday, Secretary Ray LaHood contacted the network and said he was suspending ISP until he could "personally review" how his Department is spending your tax dollars. Unfortunately, he didn't act soon enough. Another delegation had already departed for a three-week "pavement" tour. With the President calling for more responsibility, this isn't exactly a credibility-booster. Voters already doubt the administration's sincerity on the issue--and the sincerity of most of Washington. In reality, these agencies should have been pouring over their budgets a long time ago, looking for places to cut. With $48,000 in debt piling up every second, the government shouldn't be waiting on reporters to expose the waste; they should be flushing it out themselves. But instead of changing Congress's lifestyle, some leaders want to impose on yours and raise taxes to pay for fluff like this.

Today, a band of House and Senate conservatives are fighting back. Together with groups like FRC Action and Let Freedom Ring, they're teaming up to debut a Cut, Cap, and Balance Pledge. If Congress tries to raise the debt ceiling without deep and meaningful reforms, you can count these signers out. They won't vote to increase America 's credit limit unless " all three of the following conditions have been met: 1. Cut--Substantial cuts in spending that will reduce the deficit next year and thereafter. 2. Cap--Enforceable spending caps that will put federal spending on a path to a balanced budget. 3. Balance--Congressional passage (not mere support) of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but only if it includes both a spending limitation and a super-majority for raising taxes, in addition to balancing revenues and expenses."

You can encourage you to sign on by clicking over to CutCapBalancePledge.com. Then, set your watches for tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m. (ET) - June 23rd as Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), Colin Hanna (Let Freedom Ring), David Bozell (ForAmerica), and FRC experts weigh in on the debt crisis. Log on to FRC Action to register today!