Unfortunately; our politicians will not dare touch any subsidies their state gets; unless they want to be voted out of office in the next election. Most of them run their campaigns bragging about how much Federal money (aka taxpayer money) they brought home.
Say what you will about McCain, but that is one thing he will not do for Arizona. He refuses to add “earmarks” to any spending bill for Arizona. and he makes no bones about it.
We need to have a fundamental change in Washington on taxes and spending but they will never get the support from the taxpayers (actually most of them don’t pay taxes but they vote) because almost half of them get government subsidies; and with 5 million new dependents and another 10 to 20 million more on the way it will make it impossible to reform taxes and spending.
Foe of Earmarks Has a Pet Cause of His Own
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/18/politics/18earmark.html?_r=0
It is just the sort of parochial spending request that might lead Senator John McCain, nemesis of pork barrel projects, to give somebody an earful.
The bill would direct $2 million annually over five years to establish a center at a specified law school to honor a renowned jurist from the state. While the goal may be laudable, some critics say, the measure is a classic case of lawmakers’ trying to funnel money directly to a home-state institution for a project that should find financing elsewhere.
But it is doubtful that Mr. McCain will weigh in against the idea this time: the legislation to support the project is being sponsored by him and Senator Jon Kyl, Arizona Republicans who are among those aggressively promoting new rules for handling Congressional spending requests.