The Fallacy Behind Earmarks
The Everyman has been stirred up by the usual naysayers who are pointing the finger at the new Obama proposed budget. “Look at those 8,000 earmarks,” they’re saying. “What a travesty,” they’re saying. But here’s the truth. Earmarks are the only real expenditures in the budget that have a legitimate right to be there. “How can I make such a claim?” you ask. Let’s see.
There are 435 Representatives of the Everyman in the House and 100 Senators in the Senate. These politicians all represent only one constituency - us - that’s you and me. We elected these guys and we expect them to do our bidding in the sacred chambers so we get bang for our bucks. If we need a traffic light on the corner where we’ve seen kids get hit by speeding automobiles, we expect these politicos to get it for us. If we need a highway to help move traffic in our neighborhoods away from the busy streets, we expect these politicos to get it for us. If we need scientific research to help us learn about a disease that’s ravaging our families, we expect these politicos to get it for us. And yes, if we need a study to determine the effects of sewage on our local wildlife, we need these politicos to get that for us too. In short, the reason why these guys are all in Washington in the first place is to make sure that our local interests at the community, city and state levels are all looked after. And that’s why we have earmarks. Some may call them “pet projects” but I prefer to call them “necessities.” Now, among these earmarks you will find some that may not suit your appetite or interest, but without all the facts, you can’t possibly know why they’re there. And what’s more, it doesn’t matter because they have always been there and will always be there so we can all get what we pay for.
This may not all sound very appealing to Everyman, but you can be sure that without earmarks, the federal government will be spending our money on only those things that THEY think are best. Earmarks are a miniscule piece of the budget and they help ALL of us have our voices heard. The politicos of both parties spend too much time demonizing what WE believe is necessary and riling up the Everyman for purely political purposes. Tell them all to Shut It! Get us our traffic lights first and then we can worry about some guy’s bonus at AIG.
March 25th, 2009 at 5:56 am
[…] The Everyman Economist created an interesting post today on The Fallacy Behind EarmarksHere’s a short outlineThe Everyman has been stirred up by the usual naysayers who are pointing the finger at the new Obama proposed budget. “Look at those 8,000 earmarks,” they’re saying. “What a travesty,” they’re saying. But here’s the truth. Earmarks are the only real expenditures in the budget that have a legitimate right to be there. “How can I make such a claim?” you ask. Let’s see. There are 435 Representatives of the Everyman in the House and 100 Senators in the Senate. These politicians all represent only […]