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earmarks Archive

Friday

4

March 2011

0

COMMENTS

Bureaucracy Helping Lawmakers Skirt Earmark Ban

Written by , Posted in Waste & Government Reform

Never underestimate the ability of politicians to weasel out of any restriction on how they waste our money:

A House Democrat indicated Thursday that lawmakers are getting around the new ban on earmarks by convincing Obama administration officials to fund their pet projects.

Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), an appropriator, made the remarks during an appearance on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” program.

In response to a question about whether earmark bans have “curtailed” the Appropriations Committee’s power, Moran responded, “No, and I have to say — and I’m going to be as candid as possible — the appropriators are going to be okay because we know people in agencies and so on…”

They’re going to be okay. It’s just the rest of America that’s screwed.

Monday

15

March 2010

0

COMMENTS

That’s One Way To Go

Written by , Posted in Waste & Government Reform

When the Republican House Caucus swore off earmarks recently, I noted that this didn’t necessarily mean all the Republicans behind such a move were taking a principled stance. Some probably are serious, but others are just capitalizing on the political environment.

And still others, like Senator Inhofe, have gone in the complete opposite direction:

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R.-Okla.), named by the National Journal as the senator with the most conservative voting record in 2009 and rated by the National Taxpayers Union as having the Senate’s fifth-best voting record on bills affecting taxing and spending, told CNSNews.com that he intends to lead a new effort to protect and defend the right of members of Congress to “earmark” appropriations and authorization bills.

Interesting. Let’s see what his argument is…

Inhofe said it is important to preserve earmarking not only to protect the constitutional prerogative of Congress to control where and how the federal government spends the taxpayers’ money, but also that it is particularly important for Congress to protect its authority in this area against encroachment by the Obama administration.

If Congress bans earmarks and thus restricts its own authority to direct federal programs, Inhofe said, “we would be delegating that back from Congress to President Obama to make those decisions. And I look at him, I look at his social engineering, I see the destructive forces in his administration that are tearing down every institution that has made America great, and I don’t want to put all this power in his hands.”

I find this argument wholly unconvincing. Earmarks are not the sole means by which Congress allocates funds. Senator Inhofe is confusing process for outcomes. Refusing to use the corrupt and unaccountable earmark process to disperse funds does not amount to a delegation of authority for spending from the legislative to the executive. It simply means that individual members of Congress cannot sneak in special carve-outs for district interests as a needle in the massive haystack that is typical Washington legislation.  They will have to actually make the case for their spending, and Congress will have to use a more transparent approach to funding.

I think Senator Inhofe will find that, in the end, a less corrupt process will provide Congress with more authority, as it will help restore public faith in what is now one of, if not the single, most unpopular institution in America.

Friday

12

March 2010

2

COMMENTS

Republicans Swear Off Earmarks

Written by , Posted in Waste & Government Reform

Yesterday the House Republican Conference swore off earmarks by adopting a unilateral ban on all earmarks:

House Republicans approved a conference-wide moratorium on earmarks on Thursday, one day after a House committee enacted a ban on for-profit earmarks.

The Republicans’ moratorium is more extensive than the House Appropriations Committee’s ban in that it applies to all earmarks for all members of the caucus.

The moratorium was passed via a “strong” voice vote, according to Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), who participated in the nearly two-hour-long conference meeting.

Republicans had discussed enacting a ban in the last Congress, but a vote never materialized.

Does this mean that Republicans, after years of profligate spending, have suddenly realized fiscal principles?  Probably not.

The beauty of a competitive political system is that the public, by hounding politicians long enough, can eventually force them to make the right choice for the wrong reasons.  Sure, some of the people involved have taken principled stands against earmarks consistently, but by and large Republicans just want back in power, and they’re doing what they have to do to court voters.

Just remember, they’ll betray these same principles the minute they get back into power if you let them.  That’s why the public has to stay informed, engaged and outspoken.

Wednesday

19

August 2009

0

COMMENTS