Free Republic

Beware of the lame-duck Congress. With the midterm election behind us, the 115th Congress only has a few legislative days remaining before the new Congress is sworn in. Must-pass items are often left to the lame-duck period, when members are freer to vote as leadership needs, absent the pressure of representing their constituency and defending their votes. Recently, another legislative boondoggle has appeared on the radar. Retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch, the Utah Republican and outgoing chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has an expensive idea. Bloomberg News reported on November 13 that Mr. Hatch said in an interview that “an...