Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Politicians - Pork is a way of life (votes)
Throw the bums out.
That has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?...
That has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?...
Club for Growth's Pat Toomey writes about it in the Wall Street Journal:
"The idea that bringing home federal dollars is integral to a politician's job and essential to getting re-elected is a favorite of Republicans and Democrats alike. Three months ago, Hillary Clinton told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, 'I'm very proud of my earmarks. It's one of the reasons I won 67% of the vote, because I took care of my people.' Alaska Republican Rep. Don Young, a professional earmarker, sees a direct correlation between earmarks and political longevity. 'I listen and I provide. That's what I'm elected for. You show me a congressman who says, I'm not going to have any earmarks, and I'm not going to listen, and I'm not going to provide, and I'll show you a short-timer.'
There is just one problem with this theory. It is dead wrong.
The Club for Growth recently conducted a nationwide poll on government spending, and the results were exactly the opposite of what most politicians have been saying for years. Voters are fed up with Washington's out-of-control spending. Politicians aren't representing the will of the people when they bring home the bacon. They are really representing the will of their special-interest cronies. And it's not just conservative voters who feel that way. Voters across the board have finally found something they can agree on even if their elected officials can't: It's time to cut the fat, even if that means fewer projects for their own districts."
