Earmarks And The GOP

March 12, 2009 | Filed Under Budget, Congress, Dan Scott, GOP, Government, Corruption, News, Republicans, State Government, Taxes | Comments Off

-By Dan Scott

Since I have repeatedly taken the Democrats to task for their lack of transparency regarding the federal appropriations process, it is only fair that the GOP should be chastened for their part and collaboration with our dysfunctional government. What I heard recently from two GOP politicians caused me to shake my head violently in revulsion as to how my tax dollars were uselessly appropriated and my future mortgaged by a group of people who were playing the proverbial victim game instead of being in control of the budget process. Listen closely to the rationalization both these men used to justify their actions. If members of the GOP think this way, is it any wonder the Democrats are mystified at the decrying of earmarks?

Senator Robert Bennett (UT – R) made an argument about earmarks on FNC the other day which was later repeated by Representative Ron Paul (TX – R) . The premise of their argument is if they don’t earmark funds then the money allocated will not be specifically spent and the process will not be transparent! The argument advanced is the money will be spent regardless, so they want to insure some of the money goes to their district. In the case of Senator Bennett his earmark had to do with the Mormon Cricket . Every year he earmarks federal funds for eradication of the insect as a set aside from the Department of Agriculture funds. It’s ironic that the government is engaging in pest control when clearly the $375 million industry it effects has sufficient resources to deal with it’s own pest control issues not to mention it’s an annual natural phenomenon that will recur regardless of any actions taken. There is no defense for the waste of federal dollars even using the rationalization of making sure some of it is wasted in a specific geographic area under the pretense of fairness or proportionality.

Ron Paul went so far as to say Congress should earmark every penny of money Congress appropriates. So their argument is they, the Congressman, want to micromanage the spending decisions of the government, i.e. over riding the spending decisions of the bureaucracy. What this tells me is the government has more money than they know what to do with. If the Congress cannot trust the spending decisions of the bureaucrats, then why should they be given any money in the first place? Isn’t it ludicrous to make the argument they need to earmark spending to make sure some of it does some good because if they don’t it will be wasted or misspent on a non-priority? Why not stop the spending in the first place? Why not insist on a zero based budget where everything has to be justified? Clearly every department within the government must submit an operating budget for their agency, so does it not stand to reason when Congress over rides that budget, spending priorities are misplaced? Does it not raise a red flag when there is so much flexibility as to spending decisions that they are being made purely on how to spend money NOT what merit a project has? Or whether any money should be spent at all? The GOP called for a spending freeze, which ironically supports the idea that there are no spending justifications in the first place, just rationalizations to spend money.

What I see is political corruption of the most insidious manner. Congress earmarks the budget in order to guarantee a portion of federal spending will be done in their district. This tells me the federal budget is based on programmic formulas running on automatic with no one having any real control or direction. The actions of Congress suggest they are merely dipping into the till to make sure some the automatic spending will benefit someone’s interest, ultimately their own interest. We all know those interests are giving campaign contributions to the very people who are manipulating the budget process. It is any wonder why the public turned out the GOP in 2006 and 2008 after failing to make good on the Contract With America? Democrats rightly point out that 40% of the earmarks are made by the GOP and by Ron Paul’s remarks they are NOT in control of the budget but merely fiddling with the edges as evidenced by this latest financial misanthropy ($410 billion discretionary spending bill). As a conservative I say a pox on both your houses for failing to do your jobs as constitutionally mandated. Instead of doing the proper oversight of the bureaucracy, politicians are merely rubber stamping spending levels and automatic increases and then micromanaging the priorities under the trope money is being wasted anyway so at least let me take credit for spending some of it properly.

What’s the solution here? What can we, the citizen, do to turn this dysfunctional government around? Did we not repeatedly flood the switchboards with calls and overload the email servers telling Congress, We The People, disapprove of their spending? Did they listen? NO! They passed a Stimulus Bill with specious rationalizations over our objections, and they bailed out banks and auto manufacturers over our objections. They literally wasted more than a trillion dollars over our objections. They are clearly not listening and by the comments of these two politicians they are held hostage to the process instead of being in control of the process.

Given the behavior of Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the House, she is the one calling the shots on spending, not President Obama and certainly not Harry Reid. So what are we to do? Curl up in a ball and hope for the best? Should we bleat as sheep and stand meekly to be shorn? Some people have been participating in Tea Parties to drum up public awareness and motivate the spendthrift politicians to change their votes. I have suggested previously that we collectively should stop buying all US government bonds (including savings bonds) and discourage foreigners from doing so as well as a means to cut off the flow of dollars down the rat hole. I have also suggested changing the withholding on your paychecks for a zero dollar refund to cut down the amount of money going to the US Treasury and stop the zero interest loans the taxpayer is making on refunds.

But these measures are not enough. We need a civil disobedience campaign and focus on one or two politicians to make an example of them to the rest of the Congress. We need to start having sit ins around Nancy Pelosi’s offices, both in California and Washington, DC. We the People, need to give the politicians reason to believe their continued spendthrift actions will have consequences for them. After all, up to this point what negative consequences have these spendthrifts experienced? Has their pay been reduced? Have any of them been laid off? NO. They will have a job until January 2011, no matter what the outcome of any election. Can that be said of your job? I say we hit them where it really hurts, in their pockets. Nancy Pelosi either directly or indirectly derives income from Del Monte and Star Kist Tuna as her husband owns stock in this company. Stop buying Del Monte and Star Kist Tuna products, there are other brands. Nancy Pelosi owns interests in the Piatti restaurant chain, La Auberge Hotel, and a Napa Valley Vineyard (Zinfandel Lane), stop using her products and services. Nancy Pelosi has campaign contributors, let’s find out who they are, broadcast it to the public and stop using their products and services. Money makes the world go round as the saying goes, don’t you think it’s time those who make decisions be accountable for them and experience the consequences of their choices?
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Dan Scott calls himself a “Member of the Global Capitalist Cabal preaching Capitalism and personal responsibility as the economic solution to world poverty.” He is also a member of the 14th Amendment Society — victimhood is a liberal code word for denying the civil rights of others. He is also a proud member of the Global Warming Denier Cabal, insisting that facts not agendas determine the truth.

Dan can be seen on the web at http://www.geocities.com/fightbigotry2002/ as well as http://www.geocities.com/dscott8186/saidwebpage.htm, And can be reached for comments at dscott8186@yahoo.com.

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Earmarks And The GOP

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