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In 2008, candidate Barack Obama campaigned against the practice of earmarks. Earmarks are provisions in spending bills to fund specific projects in specific districts. It was one of the downfalls of the years under W Bush w/ Speaker Dennis Hastert (R, IL). The poster child was the 'bridge to nowhere' in Alaska. It was a $400 million bridge that would have connected to an island with 50 part time residents.
In March 2009, Pres. Barack Obama was presented with a spending bill from the D-controlled Congress containing 8,570 earmarks. Pres. Obama threatened a veto. in line w/ campaign promises. Harry Reid told him to sign the bill. On March 11, Obama signed, while saying that the earmark-laden bill must signal an "end to the old way of doing business." Much like the alcoholic who says, I'm going to take this one last drink so that I can start the process of quitting drinking.
In Nov 2010, Obama finally got his wish(???), as Republicans took back the US House. One of the first things announced by Speaker Boehner and Whip Eric Cantor was the wholesale elimination of earmarks. And unlike Obama, they actually followed through.
Now 3.5 years later there is an effort to bring back earmarks from both R's and D's---people like Lisa Murkowski (R, AK) and Harry Reid (D, NV). Speaker Boehner is having none of it. He says flatly that as long as he remains Speaker, the ban on earmarks remains in place as well. John Boehner bans a return to earmarks - Burgess Everett - POLITICO.com
This is yet another example of how Boehner has done a good job, and gotten little credit from conservatives (not to mention all the Democrats who claimed to be deficit hawks during the W Bush era). Boehner is not as conservative as I would like. No one who championed Ted Kennedy's 'No child left behind' can be called 'conservative' with a straight face. But overall he gets at least a B+ as speaker, compared to an F for his predecessor Pelosi, and at best a D for her predecessor, Dennis Hastert.
In 2008, candidate Barack Obama campaigned against the practice of earmarks. Earmarks are provisions in spending bills to fund specific projects in specific districts. It was one of the downfalls of the years under W Bush w/ Speaker Dennis Hastert (R, IL). The poster child was the 'bridge to nowhere' in Alaska. It was a $400 million bridge that would have connected to an island with 50 part time residents.
In March 2009, Pres. Barack Obama was presented with a spending bill from the D-controlled Congress containing 8,570 earmarks. Pres. Obama threatened a veto. in line w/ campaign promises. Harry Reid told him to sign the bill. On March 11, Obama signed, while saying that the earmark-laden bill must signal an "end to the old way of doing business." Much like the alcoholic who says, I'm going to take this one last drink so that I can start the process of quitting drinking.
In Nov 2010, Obama finally got his wish(???), as Republicans took back the US House. One of the first things announced by Speaker Boehner and Whip Eric Cantor was the wholesale elimination of earmarks. And unlike Obama, they actually followed through.
Now 3.5 years later there is an effort to bring back earmarks from both R's and D's---people like Lisa Murkowski (R, AK) and Harry Reid (D, NV). Speaker Boehner is having none of it. He says flatly that as long as he remains Speaker, the ban on earmarks remains in place as well. John Boehner bans a return to earmarks - Burgess Everett - POLITICO.com
This is yet another example of how Boehner has done a good job, and gotten little credit from conservatives (not to mention all the Democrats who claimed to be deficit hawks during the W Bush era). Boehner is not as conservative as I would like. No one who championed Ted Kennedy's 'No child left behind' can be called 'conservative' with a straight face. But overall he gets at least a B+ as speaker, compared to an F for his predecessor Pelosi, and at best a D for her predecessor, Dennis Hastert.
I happened to read that earlier today, when looking for ideas for this thread. And I think it shows just how effective Boehner's ban on earmarks has been. Notice that the language inserted by the congress critter does not stipulate how much will be spent on the ladders, nor where it will be spent. There are plenty of companies around the country that are making stuff out of carbon fiber. There's no guarantee that a certain company in a certain district will get the business. They will have to compete for it.
And note that according to the article, the US military is already using this type of ladder. So the language inserted by the congressman requesting that the military consider the use of such ladders verges on meaninglessness.
Nice job, Speaker Boehner!!! You lefty anti-military-spending types out there ought to be giving Boehner a tip of the chapeau on this one as well.
Why end earmarks? At least the state gets to spend it instead of the executive branch. There is more transparency in earmarks. One knows where it's supposed to be going right off.
Why end earmarks? At least the state gets to spend it instead of the executive branch. There is more transparency in earmarks. One knows where it's supposed to be going right off.
It turns into a game of you vote for my pork, and I'll vote for yours. It's a recipe for spending bloat. Without them it becomes much more difficult to engage in this 'logrolling' (term used by public choice economists), and the incentive to binge spend is automatically reduced.
btw, my info on Pres. Obama's record on earmarks comes from The Price of Politics by Bob Woodward. Candidate Obama had campaigned strongly against earmarks in 2008. Obama: No earmarks for 2009 - CNN.com
But within less than 2 months of taking office in 2009, he had signed the earmark-laden bill of Mar. 11, after Harry Reid talked him into it. Reid in particular was and is openly pro-earmark:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Woodward
In a meeting with Obama, Reid said, Look, this is our prerogative. I understand you don't like earmarks, but they serve an important purpose, and if you get rid of them all, you're not going to get anything else done.
There is doubtless some truth in this, but those of us who like the idea of limited government tend to like it when Washington DC is unable to get things done.
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