Friday, October 30, 2009
"End this earmark racket "
I haven't read much about earmarks lately and that's bad.
It signals our elected officials that it's not in the spotlight any more.
That means a return to earmarks as usual...
It signals our elected officials that it's not in the spotlight any more.
That means a return to earmarks as usual...
This quote is from the PostAndCourier.com website:
"The House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee dispensed $636 billion this year to the Pentagon. Its members must look on the $103 million they earmarked for favored projects as mere crumbs from the table.
Outside the defense budget, however, $100 million a year is a tidy sum, and getting a piece of the action is a regular part of Washington's political culture. At the center is a mutually beneficial connection between members of Congress, their former staff members turned lobbyists, and corporations or non-profits seeking federal money -- what some social scientists call "relationship circles."
In this instance, it's better described as a blatant conflict of interest.
Money holds these relationships together. Organizations looking for federal money hire lobbyists with connections to legislators in a position to sponsor earmarks. To promote good will, the lobbyists and the petitioners frequently make campaign contributions to the legislators. One hand, as the saying goes, washes the other.
Except for rare legislators like Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., most members of Congress from both parties apparently don't view the cycle as necessarily corrupting, despite the obvious conflicts. "
