YouCut: We Need An Earmark Moratorium
Tired of the run away spending in Washington? Concerned we are spending ourselves off a cliff? Me too, that’s why I feature this regular installment on YouCut, an interactive way for YOU the taxpayer to get involved in the budget process. YouCut allows you, the citizen, to cast an online vote to let your voice be heard by stopping the runaway spending in Washington.
In a letter from Eric Cantor, House Republican Whip:
House Republicans took an unprecedented stand in March, imposing an immediate moratorium on earmarks for the remainder of the Congress. Yet, because the governing rules of one Congress cannot bind the next, this moratorium will expire on Jan. 3, 2011. I do not believe that should be allowed to happen.
That is why the next Republican Conference should immediately move to eliminate earmarks. Should Republicans be elected as the majority party, I believe that we should extend the moratorium to the entire House - to Democrats and Republicans alike. And I encourage President Barack Obama and the White House to take a similar step.
Earmarks are a symptom of a disease - and that disease is Washington's runaway spending. There is no silver bullet. For us to successfully eliminate the sickness, several prescriptions are needed. One is to apply the current House Republican earmark moratorium to all House members.
Click here to read Cantor's full op-ed on earmarks.
Read More for last week's cut and five more choices to vote on:
In a crystal clear sign that citizens like you demand the government trim the fat, last week's chosen Cut was to Reduce Government Employment to 2008 Levels ($35 billion Savings).
This week, you have five more choices to vote on. What would you like to see trimmed out of the federal budget?
1. Terminate the TARP Program Prohibiting Any Additional Bailouts
Save taxpayers potentially several billion dollars over the next ten years
2. Terminate the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation
Save taxpayers $10 million over ten years.
3. Eliminate Government Funding for Auto Research that the Private Sector is Already Doing
Save taxpayers $2 billion over ten years
4. Terminate Department of Agriculture High Energy Cost Grants
Save taxpayers $180 million over ten years.
5. Reduce Funding for the Wild Horse and Burro Program to Previously Projected Levels
Save taxpayers approximately $280 million over ten years
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Might wanna exempt _valid_ (have a criteria checklist, YOU have the leadership and combat experience to draft an intelligent one!) Defense earmarks from moratorium because they are the last-ditch way for legislators to route around bad DoD procurement decisions.
Earmarks expedited HMMWV uparmoring and fielding of MRAPs, for example. They are also one of the few ways new, small firms can get their products kickstarted, since venture capitalists aren't exactly fond of high-risk military research/development/prototype efforts. That said, there needs to be some guidance for legislators so they can sort what may be good programs to back without prior DoD support. You can help "reduce the stupid".
Good luck with your campaign! If we don't get a reasonable number of combat veterans into office, our government will not be able to make INFORMED military decisions. There is no substitute for experience.
An earmark moratorium would have been good to see in the Pledge to America (unless I missed it). Earmark spending is not the total problem, but is sure is part of the problem. For our Congressman to brag about how many earmarks he has sponsored to bring our money back to our district doesn't pass the common sense test. If I pay a dollar in taxes and he barters with his vote on one of the Speaker's pet issues to give a nickel back to the district, that's a good deal??? It's like each one of those guys in the House is in competition to see who can spend taxpayers' money the fastest. Earmarks are a travesty, and all bills should be single subject up or down votes. That would eliminate the wheeling and dealing that goes on none of us that actually fund these "crack deals" really knows the true depth of. As for this week's choices, I say quit messing around and cut all five. Let's quit talking about making decisions and get on with it.
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