Posted on 02/10/2006 1:27:57 PM PST by neverdem
Sen. McCain and I are serious about getting spending under control.
John McCain and I recently delivered a letter to our colleagues announcing our intention to challenge every individual earmark on the floor of the Senate. Many senators, staff and reporters have asked if we are serious. The answer is yes.
I am convinced that forcing hundreds or, if necessary, thousands of votes to strike individual earmarks is the only way to produce meaningful results for American taxpayers. Bringing the Senate to a standstill for as long as it takes would be a small price to pay for shutting down what Jack Abramoff described as Congress's "earmark favor factory." The battle against pork is crucial. Pork is the root cause of the unholy relationship between some members of Congress, lobbyists and donors. Inside Congress, the pork process is effectively a black market economy: Thousands of instances exist where appropriations are leveraged for fundraising dollars or political capital. It is delusional to claim Congress can redeem its relationship with K Street without eliminating earmarks. The problem is not lobbyists. The problem is us.
Those who argue that fighting pork distracts members from the more costly challenge of entitlement reform don't understand human nature. Earmarks are a gateway drug on the road to the spending addiction. One day an otherwise frugal member votes for pork, the next day he or she votes for a bloated spending bill or entitlement expansion: A "no" vote might cut off their access to earmarks.
The most vocal opponents to a zero-tolerance approach toward pork are, sadly, the bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, to his credit, has issued only a mild defense of earmarking...
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
And you know what? I believe you, too.
It really is...do remember that the mandatory spending though dwarfs the discretionary by over three to one. If at this point the pork helps get generally conservative (not necessarily fiscally but politically) Republicans elected and re-elected, we will make progress on both...
Their are plenty of voices like yours to make the big spenders toe the line (or at least realize what they are doing), while the SC evolves and a way is found to reign in the relics of LBJ. The heart of big government is the liberal interpretation of the Commerce Clause, and until it is changed, not much overall will change.
However, we are a lot better off than we were with Dems in charge, and the last thing anyone should do is hand those fools the keys to the Congress.
Just the way I look at it inquest...
... You probably would, you need to throw your hat in the ring.
GWB gave Congress the green light to spend as much money as they wanted with his "new tone in Washington" philosophy.
I believe GWB has had more important things to deal with than vetoing his own party's budgets. You know...war on terror, 9/11, stock market crash, Enron and related business screw ups, recession, tax cuts, two elections, about 12 hurricanes and one flooded major city, two wars, two supreme court appointments....
Once again, just my opinion on it.
Theoretically, but our practical experience with GOP rule hasn't given much encouragement in that direction. Sacrificing progress on a long-term cancer (pork) for the sake of a largely imaginary short-term gain is not good strategy.
The heart of big government is the liberal interpretation of the Commerce Clause
Actually that's secondary to the real heart of the problem, which is the liberal interpretation of the "general welfare" clause, which sanctifies federal spending on virtually anything. It's these purse strings that enable the federal government to extend its control over society even more effectively than direct regulation under the commerce clause. Taxing and spending have to be the Numero Uno target for conservatives of all stripes (at least as regards purely domestic policy).
Now there's one clear advantage to having Congress and the White House controlled by different parties than by the same party.
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