Relatively little noticed in President Barack Obama’s recent “State of the Union” address was his comment that: “I’m also calling on Congress to continue down the path of earmark reform … And if I have to enforce this discipline by veto, I will.”
Really?
When did Congress ever “start” on “earmark reform”?
When did President Obama veto bills because they contained earmarks?
What are “earmarks? They are special spending items, often called “pork,” that are of limited importance and have a very local and very limited benefit, but “favor” some special interest. They usually are little items slipped into big and necessary bills, so the special spending favors “slip through” and become law with limited examination.
But they add up and cost lots of tax money for unnecessary spending, even as the federal budget is a trillion dollars-plus in the red and the federal government debt has passed $12.1 trillion, on which taxpayers must pay interest.
Does President Obama really intend to eliminate — or “reform” — earmark spending?
We are indebted to the Family Research Council for reporting that Congress has passed, and President Obama has signed into law, 8,570 earmark spending items in just the last omnibus spending bill!
Just think: 8,570 earmarks in one bill!
There are lots of “earmarks” in other bills, too.
We sometimes speak of these items as “pork.” They involve spending either some of “your” and “our” tax money — or adding to “your” and “our” national debt, because the spending is in excess of the collections of even too-high taxes.
How could we really get rid of wasteful “pork” and “earmark” spending?
President Obama says he will “veto” it. That’s one way. But he hasn’t done it yet. In fact, he is proposing more unbalanced budgets and some higher taxes.
Most of the “pork” or “earmarks” obviously could not be approved by Congress if each item had to “stand on its own merits” in the “light of day.” But that’s why most “pork” and “earmarks” are attached to bills of importance, so they get little if any specific attention. But they add up to the many thousands, and cost millions of dollars, unwisely and unnecessarily.
We are afraid that “8,570” items is not a full and accurate count of such unsound spending.
The costs add up, waste our tax money, increase national debt and increase our burden for interest payments.
We would love to see President Obama live up to his “earmark veto” pledge.
And we would love to see a majority of our senators and representatives oppose including pork and earmarks and other irresponsible spending in any bill.
Let’s watch. Do you believe any such vetoes are coming?