(Conservative Review) -- Today, some Republican members of the House of Representatives are going to push a vote — by secret ballot — in the Republican Conference to bring back earmarks.
Earmarks are provisions inserted into reports accompanying appropriations bills that direct spending to specific projects requested by a member. They allow well-connected members to funnel projects into their own districts as a way for the member to curry favor with constituents and get re-elected. These projects are usually brought to the member’s attention by a home-state lobbyist.
Bringing back the practice of earmarking will allow lobbyists to give money to members — with a wink and a nod — to ensure they get the special project funded, then get paid a hefty sum.
Only in Washington could politicians think it a good idea to return to earmarking right after the American people rejected the establishment of both parties and elected the presidential candidate who campaigned against the leadership ... of both parties. It appears that some in Congress learned nothing from the vote by millions of unemployed and underemployed Americans, who hate Washington for wasting money and self-dealing. Earmarks are a shining example of well-connected elites in Washington using taxpayer money for wasteful spending.