Hopefully this isn’t controversial, but this writer would like to believe thatmost— if not all — Americans fully believe that politicians of all stripes, persuasions, and parties should not be allowed to enrich themselves through a stock market on which they have outsized influence.
It’s not just a dereliction of duty when government fat cats do this — it’s a full-on betrayal to the Americans who elected them.
Given that reality, when a group of House Democrats introduced a bill Thursday dubbed the “No Getting Rich in Congress Act,” you’ll have to excuse me for giving them a tiny droplet of credit.
Now, make no mistake, this bill is very much intended to denigrate President Donald Trump and his administration.
The Hillreported that the bill “would ban the president, vice president, members of Congress, candidates for federal office, and their spouses and dependents from buying and selling individual stocks.”
Apart from stocks, however, the bill makes specific mention of banning the buying and selling of “futures, commodities, and cryptocurrency, with strict reporting and enforcement mechanisms, including penalties for violations.”
The “cryptocurrency” mention is a pretty clear jab at Trump, whose family has embraced the concept.
The fact that the bill very obviously includes a reference to Trump shouldn’t be a surprise, given that it’s the brainchild of Democratic Reps. Haley Stevens of Michigan, Derek Tran of California, Eric Sorensen of Illinois, and Andrea Salinas of Oregon.
But let’s be honest. Trump made most of his fortune off the back of real estate. Whatever monetary gains he may be getting from cryptocurrency are likely to be a drop in the bucket compared to his previously accumulated wealth.
The reason I’m willing to give these Democrats a smidgen of credit for this move — even if it’s made with Trump in mind — is because it’ll actually hamstring some of the most suspiciously rich members of their own party.
Source: VidNews » Feed
