Following Congresswoman Nancy Boyda's lead, Congressman Dennis Moore from the Kansas 3rd District has released a list of the federal funding he has requested for FY2009.
Republican Congressmen Todd Tiahrt & Jerry Moran have not (typical from the party of "fiscal responsibility). Neither have either of our US Senators.
As we've said before, Boyda has taken the lead on earmark reform, and, hopefully, will succeed in passing legislation to force her Kansas colleagues who are lagging behind to catch up to her.
Under these new, more transparent rules, the total cost of earmarks in the 2008 federal budget dropped by 42% – the first decline in a decade.No one called him a maverick, but CongressmanTiahrt did get a particularly auspicious bit of recognition recently- Citizens Against Government Waste listed him the 34th biggest "porker" in their annual "Congressional Pig Book, " which ranks Members of Congress based on the dollar amount of earmarks they've secured for their district.
Calls for further reform are quickly gaining momentum. One proposal would require Congress to list all earmarks within the text of a bill, rather than in legislative committee reports (as has been a common practice in the past). The idea is worth considering, but it seems to me that shifting earmarks from one venue to another is not enough to end corruption. Instead, we must make the entire budget process more transparent.
That's why I'm sponsoring legislation to require all Member of Congress to post their earmark requests online – not just the earmarks they receive, but every earmark they request. Taxpayers have the right to know how Congress wants to spend their money.
I began holding myself to this standard of accountability last June, when I posted my 2007 earmark requests to my Congressional website. This was a sharp break from the traditional secrecy of the budget process: CNN went so far as to call me a "maverick." Maverick or not, it just makes sense that greater transparency will lead to a more efficient, more effective federal budget.
This blog doesn't have a problem with earmarks, but we don't mind providing perspective. Tiahrt was 34th, followed by Jerry Moran at 103rd, Congresswoman Boyda at 114th, and Dennis Moore at 367th.
Hopefully Kansas Republicans (and their online minions on the blogs) will remember Boyda and Moore are both out passed in "pork barrel spending" by our two Republican members.
9 comments:
oink oink boyda.
bringing home the pork and showing it to us.
congrats piggy.
i really don't get how the republicans can rant about earmarks.
can someone explain to me how on earth it's bad she's asking for money for local law enforcement?
I'd be happy to explain. It's not bad to ask for money for local law enforcement, but it's bad to receive the money as an earmark. Earmarking is inherently unethical because it evades all budget controls designed to save taxpayers money. There aren't any congressional hearings to see if the project has merit (especially compared to other projects). There is no competitive bidding. There is no authorization (which means Congress doesn't even study the issue). Finally, there is no oversight. Was the money spent well? If not, why is Congress giving it more money?
These are simple things that Congress owes us when they spend our tax dollars. Also, Boyda and Moore aren't doing taxpayers any favors by revealing their earmarking request. It's like telling taxpayers how much money they are going to steal from a bank before they steal from a bank.
Boyda, Moore, and the rest of the KS delegation are perpetuating a corrupt process.
Funding for local law enforcement can be done, it just has to go through the proper, ETHICAL budgetary process.
i disagree fundamentally.
a common misconception about the earmark process is that it adds dollars to the federal budget. It doesn't- it only designates to an individual agency how they're to spend the money given to them by the federal government. Thus, every single regular control on "how was the money spent" are followed..unless, of course, the agency is violating the law..and that's a whole 'nother problem.
Boyda and Moore are doing us all a favor..we can see what they're asking for, and we can decide if, like boyda says, if they pass the smell test. if the project is worthwhile- great. if not, out on their asses.
earmarking is a deeply important part of being an advocate for your district, which is why it's so upsetting jim ryun has promised to not (which is the best flip-flop of the season so far).
BoydaBloc, haven't you read TheKansasRepublican, bringing home the bacon is precisely why we should re-elect Congressman Tiahrt!
but...but...but...i thought it was BAD nancy boyda got us earmarks, crazy republicans?
why is it good for Todd but bad for Nancy?
Your explanation that earmarks don't add to the deficit is technically correct, but it's a narrow intrepretation. Earmarks are used to buy votes to pass larger, more wasteful bills. Earmarks are handed out by the Approps Cardinals based on favor-trading (Murtha's Corner, anyone?). An extension of that is that earmarks are not given out based on merit. Approps members get the lion's share. The members who frequently fight with leadership or Approps get nothing.
Combined, all of these things contribute to a horribly corrupt environment. It's one of the major contributing reasons why the GOP lost in 2006.
Also, earmarks are carved out of the budget, but they are still funded without budgetary controls that taxpayers should demand the use of by Congress.
Finally, we haven't even mentioned the Constitution. If we follow it strictly, then earmarks should not exist. If we follow it loosely, then the only earmarks that exist would be those of national interest (No swimming pools or teapot museums). If we don't follow it at all, then you have the current system.
Gee, I wonder if Anons 3 and 8 are Patrick Leopold. If you're going to use your boss' stump speech to argue with bloggers, you might as well just post it under her name.
I hope Lynn will not be offering any support to or accepting any from Sens. Roberts and Brownback or Reps. Tiahrt and Moran, as they all are bigger porkers than Reps. Boyda and Moore.
If anyone is interested, Sens. Roberts and Brownback brought home more bacon than Rep. Boyda as well.
114th for Boyda? Out of 435? That's not a very good rank. I am glad to hear about her bringing transparency to the process by listing her requests on her web site! It's a good start.
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