Congress violates its own spending rule
Democrats promised discipline but haven't delivered
In 2006, as congressional Democrats geared up for a fight to regain the majority in that year's fall elections, they time and again proposed different versions of PAYGO legislation, which means that every spending bill must come with a matching revenue proposal. No money in, no money out.

The Republicans shot down every PAYGO attempt, which the Democrats bemoaned on cue. "It'll be different once we get in office,'' they told voters. "We won't spend recklessly. We won't add to the deficit."

The Democrats won the majority and put PAYGO into effect. But it's yet another Capitol Hill paper tiger. The Democrats who were shocked — shocked! — two years ago by the Republican's deficit spending now are finding every way available, and some they make up, to bypass the PAYGO rule.

First, the party exempted war spending and economic stimulus from the rule. Those are big exclusions. More than $200 billion has been requested for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan this year, and the rebate package under the stimulus banner cost $168 billion. Congress recently passed a $16 billion extension of jobless benefits and doubled education benefits for returning veterans. All were or may be exempted from the PAYGO rule. As a consequence, the deficit grew by $200 billion since December.

PAYGO looks more and more like a scam. Either the rule must be applied across the board or taken off the books. If the status quo remains, the majority Democrats likely will find more and more ways to circumvent a requirement they know, just as the Republicans know, they'll never be able to meet.

Spending is a bipartisan addiction, not only in Washington but in Albany, too. The voters are told year in and year out that discipline is just around the corner. What's really around the corner is another corner.