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DEL.ICIO.USRepublicans on earmarks: The Democrats did it!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Congressional Republicans and Democrats both use thousands of earmarks every year to siphon billions of dollars out of the federal budget to pay for their own projects back home.
But House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled a new website dedicated to showing America why Democrats are at to blame for the earmark process and are the chief obstacle to fixing a system that’s become emblematic of the Capitol Hill corruption and partisan hypocrisy against which voters are now revolting.
The first step in the campaign came last week when the House GOP forced a vote on legislation introduced by Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) and supported by the Georgia’s six other Republican congressmen that would have put an immediate moratorium on earmarks.
Democrats, who wanted to prevent Republicans from claiming credit for reforms Democrats have already put in place, killed the bill, allowing Republicans to attack them as obstructionists.
Democrats argue that they have already reduced the number of earmarks by nearly half of what they were when Republicans ran Congress and made public information previously hidden from the public, including who would benefit from the earmark and what stake a House member has in the project.
Yet, the Republicans smell an election advantage in earmarks, made clear on a website packed with their own press releases about corrupt Democrats.
One thing the new website doesn’t do, however, is list the actual earmarks that for the first time this year are public record.
Maybe there isn’t enough room on the internet for the whole list. Or maybe the list would tell a different story, one along the lines that earmarks are really the last bastion of bipartisanship left in Congress.
Comments
By the truth
February 12, 2008 8:00 PM | Link to this
Time for third parties. Enough of the nonsense. Both parties are big spenders.
By RJ
February 12, 2008 8:55 PM | Link to this
This sham effort is just another example of how far off base Georgia’s Republican Congressional delegation is with the issues confronting the average Georgian. Notwithstanding their hypocracy on the Earmarks issue, they are trying to divert attention from the dire situations that now afflicts the average Georgian. It will not work!
Half decent opposition within the Republican ranks against the current crew may enhance the prospects of keeping some Republican Congressmen from Georgia because the majority are at risk. Kingston and the rest share a lot of responsibility for the current situation of the average Georgian.
A Republican Congressman is not good for Georgia this year and will not be for some to come. Georgia needs a Congressional Delegation that can deliver, not posture.
By Alan
February 12, 2008 9:18 PM | Link to this
I think it is irrelevant which party attaches the earmarks. The problem is that that this has become a common method in congress. It really is cymbolic how both reps and dems really are detached from their constituents. I would vote for any presidential candidate that would veto any bill containing earmarks!!! These are not even voted on in committee folks. They are snuck in at the last minute to rob US of our tax dollars!!
By BillW
February 12, 2008 9:51 PM | Link to this
Wow, what a spin by the AJC staff against an honest effort by some GOP congressmen to curb earmarks. The Democrats voted against this effort to put an immediate moratorium on earmarks, and it’s spun as an effort by the GOP to “steal the thunder” from the Democrats? What thunder? The Democrats in reality haven’t done a damn thing beyond cosmetic window dressing to stop earmarks.
By RJ
February 12, 2008 10:52 PM | Link to this
BillW, Facts are stubborn things.
The new Democract congressional majority has taken some noteworthy steps to clean up the earmarking process. They have established new rules that (1)Prohibit members of Congress from using earmarks to reward or punish other members for their votes on matters before the House; (2) Require disclosure of the name and address of any intended recipient, the purpose of the earmark, and whether the member has a financial interest in the organization or entity receiving the earmark or would otherwise benefit personally from the inclusion of the earmark; (3) Require that all matters before a conference committee (including earmarks) must be subject to full and open debate and that a final version of a conference report must be voted on by a meeting open to all members of the conference committee; and (4)that no item (including earmarks) may be added to the legislation after the conference committee has adjourned.
The new Democrat Congress has also completely excluded all earmarks from the nine fiscal year 2007 appropriation bills that were enacted in January 2007; agreed to cut the amount of funding provided for earmarks in each of the fiscal year 2008 appropriation bills by 50 percent below the levels contained in the appropriation bills passed by the Republican controlled Congress; and, established a policy requiring the publication by the Government Printing Office of all letters requesting earmarks be included in an appropriation bill prior to floor consideration of the bill.
Open your eyes, do not be fooled again.
By Zathras
February 12, 2008 11:28 PM | Link to this
Not to throw cold water on the latest reform in Congress, but of the list provided upthread, (1) is obviously unenforceable, (2) does not extend to members’ relatives or campaign contributors, (3) is already the rule (requiring only that a member ask for debate) and (4) is already against the rules.
Democrats in Congress have taken the earmark mania established by the former Republican majority and prettied it up so they can say they’ve cracked down on earmarks. That’s all.