We'll do a quick one then.....notice the bolded section below....
WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- In a memo released on Tuesday, the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Washington, DC, blasted Congress's 2004 omnibus spending bill for being "loaded with pork."
In the memo, the author, Brian Riedl, says, "The congressional spending spree of the past few years is well-documented, and this year promises to be no different."
Riedl adds that over the past four years, "federal spending has increased from $16,000 per household to $20,000 per household, the highest level since World War II."
"Congress's continued fiscal irresponsibility is clearly exhibited in the thousands of pork projects contained in the fiscal year 2004 omnibus spending bill," Riedl says. "Congress is set to bust its own budget cap in order to protect pork projects such as the Please Touch Museum and Trout Genome Mapping."
According to Riedl, Congress has historically funded grant programs and then "asked federal agencies, governors, and mayors to competitively award the grants to the most capable applicants."
"But over the past few years, Congress has aggressively begun bypassing these agencies, governors, and mayors and selecting the grant recipients themselves, such as Police Athletic League and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," Riedl explains, adding that these projects selected by Congress instead of agencies are called "earmarks, or pork projects."
According to Riedl, grant-seekers "can no longer simply submit a persuasive grant proposal to an unbiased agency."
"Now, they must master the Washington influence game and hire a lobbyist to pursue their interest," Riedl adds.
"Predictably, an entire lobbying industry has emerged to secure pork projects for those willing to pay for their services," Riedl explains. "Organizations and local governments seeking federal money can choose between dozens of powerful lobbying firms who effectively trade campaign contributions for earmarks."
Riedl says that "auctioning pork projects to the highest bidder" reduces the number of merit-based grants for distribution by federal agencies, governors and mayors. According to Riedl, these shortages induce Congress to expand these programs and then earmark those new funds as well.
"Consequently, the number of pork projects skyrocketed from under 2,000 five years ago to 9,362 in the 2003 budget," Riedl says. "Total spending on pork projects has correspondingly increased to over $23 billion."
Riedl adds that the trend continues in the 2004 appropriations bills in which there are over 10,000 earmarks.
When asked why the Republicans have not been able to resist spending, given that it is a cornerstone Republican issue, Riedl told Talon News that the top priority of congressional Republicans seems to be "keeping the majority at any cost."
"Following the government shutdown in the mid-1990s, the GOP gave up on spending restraint and decided that government spending could buy whatever votes they need," Riedl told Talon News. "So the 2002 farm bill was designed to buy farmers' votes, and the new Medicare drug benefit is intended to buy senior's votes."
"Spending cuts have become the new 'third rail' of Republican politics," Riedl added.
Riedl believes that since Republicans are "so focused on reelection" as an end in itself, they will "support spending cuts when the voters demand it."
"It may take an election cycle or two for the voters to make spending and the budget deficit a political issue," Riedl told Talon News. "If a few elected officials lose their job over the issue, then other Members will take notice."
Riedl notes that the Bush administration has not vetoed a single bill.
"The White House could better use veto threats to impose spending restraint on Congress," Riedl said.
Criticism of the current congressional spending spree is not limited to Riedl. In a recent column, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) criticized the Republicans in Congress for abandoning their "limited-government heritage to buy votes and gain political power in Washington."
"The unfortunate truth is that the Bush administration, aided by a Republican congress, has increased spending more in three years than the previous administration did in eight," Paul writes.
Paul says that there is "no excuse" for Republicans to continue the spending practices of the Democrats given that Republicans control the U.S. House, Senate, and the White House.
"Republicans who support bigger entitlement programs and bigger federal budgets have lost all credibility as advocates for limited government," Paul says.
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