Americans for Prosperity and Porkbusters.org Unite in Effort to Highlight Government Spending

Ahh, bloated government, every country has one. United States lawmakers have created one of the most opulent. For years, U. S. taxpayers have attempted to place the morbidly obese structure on a diet, but its members will have no part of any reduction. Instead, lawmakers continue to gorge on a menu rich in taxpayer money.

On June 12, 2007, two organizations, Americans for Prosperity and Porkbusters.org, joined forces to bring to light a dilemma facing Congressman Obey, his staff, and fellow House Appropriations Committee members. Signers of a petition, located at porkbusters.org, are offering their services to the over-loaded Representatives. They are willing to sift through the 30,000 plus requests for funding that lawmakers have submitted because Congressman Obey said that he and his staff do not have time to do it.

The requests, known as earmarks, are waiting to be reviewed so that they can be attached to bills that Congress will vote upon. The bills may, or may not, be related to the earmarks, but that doesn't matter to USA lawmakers. Each one is concerned only with making sure that their special projects are funded. In turn, few are willing to stand up against even the most ridiculous of requests.

Americans for Prosperity and Porkbusters.org want to help dwindle the piles of paperwork for the lawmakers. Citizens are signing up by the hundreds to help determine which request should move forward, and which are nothing but the traditional "pork barrel spending" that U. S. lawmakers are famous for pushing through.

A rash of criticism flowed after Congressman Obey announced that he would send bills through the House of Representatives without revealing which of the earmarks will be attached to them. The move would essentially go against the Democrat's own rules to provide "transparency and openness" to taxpayers. Disclosure of the projects would not occur until after the House of Representatives already pass the bills that would carry them.

According to Congressman Obey, full disclosure will occur in August when the earmarks are published in the Congressional Record. Critics argue that, although this is correct in theory, revealing the details more than a month after the bills pass is not what Democrats promised they would do, nor does it allow lawmakers to make an informed decision. The only chance Members of the House of Representatives will have to voice dismay will be after the House and Senate negotiate versions of the bills that will be acceptable to both. Once this occurs, Representatives can no longer remove earmarks.

Congressman Obey has threatened to pull all requests if Republicans "demagogue" the issue. Republicans, on the other hand, vow to hold Democrats to their promise of disclosing the requests before bills are presented to the House of Representatives. Let the games begin!

Source:
Richard Wolf, USA TODAY "House Democrat warns GOP on earmarks"
URL: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-06-11-congress-earmarks_N.htm?csp=34 Accessed June 13, 2007

Associated Press "House Democrat warns Republicans against earmark demagoguery, offers new disclosure schedule"
URL: http://nctimes.com/articles/2007/06/12/news/politics/111107142020.txt Accessed June 13, 2007