Bush Earmark Reform That Could Actually Work

Today, President George W. Bush is expected to sign an 'Executive Order' forbidding government agencies from enacting congressional earmarks that have not been voted on by the Congress. This idea is so simple that I am amazed that no President before George W. Bush ever considered trying it. Of course, enacting such an Executive Order in a Democrat controlled Congress is bound to be an easier decision for President Bush to make than when the Republicans were in charge. Put simple, most congressional Earmarks steal money from the American people and that money is used for 'pet projects' of individual Members of Congress, usually in their own districts or state to bolster their reelection chances back home.

For most of my adult life I knew little about congressional Earmarks because they were not used that often as a way for Members of Congress to obtain money for their districts or state without Congress voting on whether the Earmark was a good idea or not. In recent years, Earmarks have gone from a seldom used perk for leaders in Congress to business as usual as almost all legislators used them to personally enrich their own pet projects. I personally believe that President Bush is on firm legal ground with his new Executive Order to slow congressional Earmarks because his order points only to federal spending that was not voted on by all Members of Congress.

I believe it would still come as a shock to most taxpayers that their tax dollars are being spent without as much as a single vote on the merit of that spending taken. Since Earmarks have been in existence, billions of dollars of federal taxpayer money has been wasted in order to build bridges to nowhere and produce four lane highways in locations that see little traffic. Recently, Senator Hillary Clinton tried to get a one million dollar Earmark for a new museum to celebrate 'Woodstock'. With President Bush's new Executive Order forbidding government departments from enacting Earmarks that have not been voted on by the Congress, these previously hidden pieces of 'pork barrel spending' will be brought into the light of day for a vote. Since all votes in the US Congress are made public for all to see, it will be interesting to see how many of these Earmarks will receive a majority vote in the US House of Representatives and US Senate when every Member of Congress is forced to attach their own name to that pork barrel spending project.

Read more about President Bush:

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Did You Know President Bush Was In The Middle East?
George McGovern Wants President Bush Impeached
Is President Bush Arrogant In Private Talks?
President Bush Controls Democrats Better Than Republicans