San Francisco Examiner Editorial: Democrats' plan to usurp naming rights is absurd

As printed in the San Francisco Examiner

Most major sports have a hall of fame, but what Congress needs now is a Wall of Shame, with these five charter members: Reps. Louise Slaughter of New York, James McGovern of Massachusetts, Doris Matsui and Dennis Cardoza of California, and Florida’s Alcee Hastings.
In the past half-year, these five Democrats voted for naming military construction projects after sitting members of Congress, but against naming new infrastructure projects after military personnel or domestic "first responders" who died in the line of duty. Their votes on these two proposals should forever be enshrined as monuments to their own outsized egos and as examples of what is wrong with Congress today.
On July 31, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, offered a simple amendment to the Military Construction spending bill for 2009 banning use of federal funds for a defense project or program named after a sitting member of Congress. The amendment passed easily, 329-86. (McCaul has offered bills to accomplish the same ends for all government programs, not just military construction, but the Democratic leadership buried them.) Slaughter, McGovern, Matsui, Cardoza and Hastings, however, were among the 86 who insisted that sitting Congress members should be able to use tax money to name buildings after themselves.
It gets worse. Last week, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Mich., sought to offer an amendment to the stimulus package to require naming new federally funded infrastructure projects in the economic stimulus bill "after (1) a member of the Armed Forces who died of a combat-related injury; or (2) an emergency response provider who died of an emergency response-related injury." What better way to honor those who gave the last full measure of devotion, right? Yet, all nine Democrats on the House Rules Committee voted to refuse to let McCotter’s amendment be considered, thus killing the amendment entirely. Among those nine Democrats were Slaughter, McGovern, Matsui, Cardoza and Hastings.
"Especially in a time of war and economic recession, it is better to honor the people who defend our liberty than the people who spend our money," McCotter told The Examiner afterward.
Exactly. If Democratic congressional leaders have any sense of proportion, they will move quickly to revive McCaul’s bills and McCotter’s amendment, and approve both as quickly as possible. Our tax dollars should honor real heroes, not pompous politicians.