An Exposion Of Earmarks

The Washington Post reveals the total number of earmarks that members of Congress are trying to insert into funding bills this year:

32,684. An average of 75 requests for each politician on Capitol Hill.

BEFORE LAST week's recess, Republicans and Democrats went at each other over earmarks. The flash point was a plan by House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey (D-Wis.) not to put earmarks in individual spending bills this year when they were considered on the House floor. Under the Obey plan, now abandoned, the earmarks would have been added only after the measure was in conference. This was a problem, as Republicans legitimately pointed out, because conference reports aren't subject to amendment, just an up-or-down vote. Republicans accused Democrats of backtracking on their promise to usher in a new era of transparency and accountability. The outrage was a bit hard to take from a crowd that presided over an explosion of earmarks and excelled in last-minute provisions airdropped into conference reports. But the Democrats were right to back down: Two spending bills passed without earmarks, but the remaining ones will have the specific projects included.

Howls of outrage from all quarters forced the Obey plan to be abandoned. It is time to start howling even more. This has got to stop. Regardless of what party, if any, you belong to, this kind of spending is irresponsible and needs to be halted. Insane spending under the Republicans is one factor that led to their defeat in 2006. It would be a good idea for the Democrats to remember that.