Young Guns, by Rep. Paul Ryan, Rep. Eric Cantor & Rep. Kevin McCarthy: on Technology

Eric Cantor: Why should other states care about bridges in Alaska?

In retrospect, the signs that the Republican Party had become the party of Washington--instead of the party that wanted to change Washington--had been around fo some time. What had gone wrong?

Corruption is at the heart of every political machine. Any notion of a common good--or a principle more important than the perpetuation of the machine itself--is lost. Power becomes the object of governing.

When Republicans finally achieved a measure of control in Washington, they became what they had campaigned against: arrogant and out of touch. The GOP legislative agenda became primarily about Republican members themselves, not the greater cause.

Kevin McCarthy: Legislative transparency: post bills on Internet for a week

One area where Congress has a lot of room to improve is legislative transparency. Why must the public and, frankly, many members of Congress and their staffs, have to wait until the day of the vote to read the text of spending bills? These bills can and should be posted on the Internet at least a week before the vote. And why must the powerful Rules Committee, which sets the ground rules for debate and amendments to bills, be one of the few committees to not regularly televise its hearings? Shining sunlight on the process promotes accountability and public trust in government.