House Republicans Vote Overwhelmingly to Abandon Any Pretense of Fiscal Responsibility
RINO Republicans are just as crazy as Democrats who are spending our grandchildren's money and driving up inflation as fast as the Federal Reserve can increase interest rates.
By Norman Leahy
December 10, 2022
Capitol Hill Commentary Government
Congress has a longstanding, bipartisan addiction to spending. The federal debt and annual deficits are prime examples of how deep the problem is.
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But another, more insidious version that Republicans, at least, had sworn off was earmarks, those gateway drugs tucked inside spending bills that helped a favored few at the expense of everyone else.
At its recent meeting to set policies and rules for their new House majority, Republicans overwhelmingly voted to embrace earmarks. As The Wall Street Journal’s Kim Strassel writes, it was yet more proof that Republicans are no more serious about spending control than Democrats. But it’s the hypocrisy that makes them worse:
The vote came despite a vigorous campaign by independent conservative groups. “Earmarks are one of the most corrupt, inequitable, and wasteful practices in the history of Congress,” read a letter signed by representatives of 15 groups, including Heritage Action, Club for Growth, FreedomWorks, Americans for Tax Reform and Citizens Against Government Waste. The groups told lawmakers it was “your first opportunity to demonstrate to taxpayers that the election of a Republican majority in the House will be accompanied by a serious effort to restore and maintain fiscal responsibility.” So much for that.
The reason earmarks are so dear to politicians? It’s free money as far as individual members are concerned. The tax dollars they are able to steer back home make them look like they are “delivering” for the voters. Strassel notes the logic behind earmarks – or the more common term “pork barrel spending” – is that members have a constitutional duty to spend money. Leaving spending decisions to the president and bureaucracy is an abdication of their constitutional duty.
Strassel says this is “hilarious, considering that the GOP continues to cede all spending decisions to the administration outside the isolated pork members siphon back home.”
The payoff for pork though can be mighty tasty. It’s also easy and fun, unlike oversight, which requires a lot of work and:
…isn’t nearly as much fun as grandstanding as a constitutionalist while bagging $1 million for the St. Louis Symphony (Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt) or $650,000 for feral swine management (Arkansas Sen. John Boozman) or $4.2 million for a sheep experiment station (Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson).
Remember that the next time a Republican begins railing against government waste. Chances are, those paladins of fiscal responsibility are among the biggest pork barrel spenders on Capitol Hill.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Norman LeahyNorman Leahy has written about national and Virginia politics for more than 30 years with outlets ranging from The Washington Post to BearingDrift.com. A consulting writer, editor, recovering think tank executive and campaign operative, Norman lives in Virginia.
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A system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers
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