One week after Donald Trump won the presidency on a promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington, House Republicans will vote on a proposal to bring back earmarks.
The vote will take place Wednesday when House Republicans meet to adopt their rules for the next Congress. The House earmark ban dates to 2010 when the GOP won control of the chamber.
>> UPDATE: Conservatives Criticize House GOP Plan to Bring Back Earmarks
Now, a trio of Republican lawmakers wants to return to the practice of earmarking, which became synonymous with government waste and pork-barrel spending during the GOP-controlled Congress of the early 2000s.
Better that these three resign than to drag down the “drain the swamp” efforts by Trump. He must indeed keep his promise to rid America of the endemic corruption in Congress represented and effected through earmarks.
“Now, a trio of Republican lawmakers wants to return to the practice of earmarking, which became synonymous with government waste and pork-barrel spending during the GOP-controlled Congress of the early 2000s.”
Considering the recent deplorable and disloyal actions of GOP leadership during this latest presidential election, if they wish to retain a voting base, they would do well to walk a fine line in the eyes of their constituency. Attempting now to embrace/enact that which they previously recognized as deplorable and wasteful in the past as being now resurrected as a new “option”….is morally pathetic.
There are two conditions that reveal the true moral fiber of individuals, or groups: (1) what they do while under discomforting pressure, and (2) what they do when their conditions are extremely favorable. We have seen what the current GOP leadership’s reaction was during Situation 1,..the most recent election revealed their thumb-nosing attitude toward their voting base demonstrating a disloyalty to and their disavowing of the people’s choice, signaling simply their disdain and disregard to their voting base. Regarding Situation 2, now at the advent of a Republican presidency, they wish to return to tactics they previously abhorred, their behavior much like that stated in Proverbs, returning “as a dog to it’s vomit and the sow to it’s wallowing in the mire”.
To borrow yet one more adage: “Actions speak louder than words”.
Which is why i contacted both senators from Ohio AND my district’s representative and gave them an earful in why this should NOT BE even considered..
Now let’s see if they hear me..
Wow, am I surprised! Politicians want to legitimize corruption? Oh, say it ain’t so. I can visualize the earnest, serious facial expressions and sanctimonious commentary from the swamp dwellers who simply can not resist the appeal of corruption, sleaze, greed, and the virtual guarantee of immunity, both from public scrutiny and accountability for swimming eyebrow deep in the poisoned waters of the infamous and deplorable D.C. swamp. Trump MUST get ahead of this outrageous move to take undue advantage of their new power by once again institutionalizing pork politics, defrauding American taxpayers, wasting government purpose, and violating just about every reason to have “representatives” when what they ultimately want to represent is their own venal interests. Let us all let them know, clearly and forcefully, that earmarks, the newer name for pork-barrel, are unacceptable and those who advocate for it will suffer consequences…real ones.
The reason so many establishment Republicans opposed Trump was the desire to keep the widespread corruption both parties participated in. He will probably be only partially successful in draining the swamp but it will be a step in the right direction.
What the hell is wrong with these people? Don’t they know we are up to our eyeballs in debt?
As long as THEIR bank accounts (more than likely hidden in the Camen islands so they don’t pay taxes) are good to go, they couldn’t give a ****..
WRITE TO EVERY CONGRESSMAN AND REPRESENTATIVE you have for your home state. TELL them all in no uncertain terms, STOP THIS earmark vote dead in its tracks… OR they will be pounding the pavement next time their seats come up for election..
clueless is as clueless does. . .
I encourage everyone to contact their congressional representative…especially if they are a Republican, and tell them in the most forceful way possible: “Don’t start that $#!t again!”….as I have just done with mine.
Do you suppose these congressvermin have ADHD? I sincerely hope Trump’s transition team is on top of this and will alert Trump on what the stakes are.
Has the GOP gone brain dead? EARMARKS ARE A NO NO, leave them alone, and go to work to straighten out the mess Obama made.
“Would a rose, by any other name, smell as sweet?” Ear marks, pork barrel, whatever. The fact is, this practice NEVER stopped, and both parties do it. They just use different methods, and call it a different name.