Well, we're about to find out. Five Ohio representatives have been named to the newly created House Financial Services Committee, one of the largest and most powerful bodies in Congress. Among them is 4th District Congressman Michael Oxley, who has been named chairman of the committee. For the past decade, the chairmen of the House Banking Committee have made it a non-issue by refusing PAC money. However, Rep. Mike Oxley, the committee's new chairman, is known for his fund-raising abilities and involvement with PACs.
Fund raising is a necessary skill in modern politics.
But Rep. Oxley's history of receiving funds from financial lobbies concerns me, particularly since he will soon receive a great deal of attention from very powerful and wealthy groups. With five of Ohio's representatives on this influential, heavily lobbied committee, I am concerned that their priorities could shift towards the big money and away from those who elected them. Get the audiobooks you want for less at Audio Book Club. Choose 4 audiobooks for only 1 penny when you become a member. This week in 1892, Triangle magazine in Springfield, Mass. published the rules for a brand new game.