MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'earmarks'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:55:30 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399498&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fm1WgjR9G_1E%2F By Jim HarperIn the state of the union speech last night, President Obama said with great force: [I]f a bill comes to my desk with earmarks inside, I will veto it. This appeared to settle the earmark question once and for all. The Republican House and Republicans in the Senate had already sworn off earmarks. Senate Democrats, who may have been holding out hope for preserving this prerogative, will not get to do earmarks. So says the president of the United States, veto pen in hand. But late last night the White House may have begun to modify the president’s pledge. A “government reform factsheet” circulated by White House staff says, “The President intends to veto bills with special interest earmarks.” (emphasis added) This appears to create a class of earmar... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399498 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 15:26:11 +0100 4399498 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4318318&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6mUrYebcNh0%2F By Tad DeHavenFederal taxpayers helping foot the tab for renovations to a local wine bar? It sounds crazy, but that’s par for the course with HUD’s Community Development Block Grant program. A Connecticut newspaper recently ran an article on CDBG money being used to spruce up storefronts in the town of Putnam: The Small Cities Community Development Block Grant money slated for Cohen’s building comes shortly after a similar grant project finished across the street, said Economic Development Director Delpha Very. Facade improvements to the Glimpse of Gaia florist, Pangaea Wine Bar and Panache consignment shop finished last month, said building owner Sean Marchionte, of Providence-based Blue Dog Investments. The building’s owner — go figure — thinks it’s just great: “I... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4318318 Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:43:17 +0100 4318318 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4298614&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F2Em8Cq_NXMM%2F By Tad DeHavenAs a former advisor to one of Congress’s most ardent foes of earmarking, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), I’ve served time on the front-lines of the battle to end the corruptive practice. Yet, I never felt quite comfortable about the mission. At the same time I was assisting the senator in his floor battles against the likes of ex-Sen. Ted Stevens (Porker-AK), some of my other colleagues had been instructed to help Oklahomans get “their fair share” of subsidies from various federal grant programs. There just isn’t much difference between the activities funded via earmarking and the activities funded by standard bureaucratic processes. The means are different, but the ends are typically the same: federal taxpayers paying for parochial benefits that are properly the domain of ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4298614 Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:31:55 +0100 4298614 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265679&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Ft-yjBfmZUvk%2F By David BoazThe Washington Post reported yesterday that Republican senators were turning their back on a massive spending bill stuffed full of their own earmarks. Those earmarks, the Post noted, included quite a few to benefit Mississippi, the home state of Senators Roger Wicker and Thad Cochran: Wicker, along with Cochran, had by then already sponsored earmarks in the spending bill that would fund an airport expansion in Tunica ($1.75 million), new riverwalk lights in Columbus ($300,000), improvements to a hiking and biking trail in Hattiesburg ($700,000) and improvements to an assortment of bridges, highways, trails, railways and streets across Mississippi. A burgeoning Tea Party revolt against earmarks caused the bill to be withdrawn. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid held a press conf... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265679 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 17:29:22 +0100 4265679 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265680&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F9OUF4u0l76g%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThere’s a lot of attention being paid to yesterday’s landslide vote in the House to prevent a big tax increase next year. If you’re a glass-half-full optimist, you will be celebrating the good news for taxpayers. If you’re a glass-half-empty pessimist, you will be angry because the bill also contains provisions to increase the burden of government spending as well as some utterly corrupt tax loopholes added to the legislation so politicians could get campaign cash from special interest groups. If you want some unambiguously good news, however, ignore the tax deal and celebrate the fact that Senator Harry Reid had to give up his attempt to enact a pork-filled, $1 trillion-plus spending bill. This “omnibus appropriation” not only had a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265680 Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:09:25 +0100 4265680 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4245290&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FB3kZLGLHMRY%2F By Tad DeHavenHouse Republican leaders went with Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) – a.k.a. “The Prince of Pork” – to chair the House Appropriations Committee. As I wrote last week, the prospect of Rogers chairing Appropriations is about as inspiring as re-heated meatloaf when it comes to his potential for pushing serious spending reforms. Republican leaders in the House chose to ignore the concerns of tea party activists and other proponents of limited government, who were more supportive of Rep. Jack Kingston’s (R-GA) dark-horse push for the chairmanship. Kingston’s plan to “change the culture” on Appropriations offered a lot of positive ideas suggesting that he was more in tune with the voters that gave Republicans the majority. Politico reported that Kingston received “the cold ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4245290 Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:30:42 +0100 4245290 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4237870&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FR393-Dap7PM%2F By Jim HarperThis morning, a database of FY 2011 earmark requests was released by Taxpayers Against Earmarks, Taxpayers for Common Sense, and my own WashingtonWatch.com. With House Republicans generally eschewing earmarks this year, members of Congress and senators still sought over 39,000 earmarks, valued at over $130 billion dollars. Learn more on the relevant pages at Taxpayers for Common Sense, Taxpayers Against Earmarks, and WashingtonWatch.com. This is transparency. The production of organized, machine-readable data has allowed these differing groups—an advocacy organization, a spending analysis group, and a “Web 2.0″ transparency site—to expand the discussion about earmarks. The data is available to any group, to the press, and to political scientists and res... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4237870 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 20:19:23 +0100 4237870 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4219734&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FiA6aPbmuWSk%2F By Tad DeHavenAn indicator of the incoming House Republican majority’s seriousness about cutting spending will be which members the party selects to head the various committees. Many of the members in line to chair committees leave a lot to be desired from a limited government perspective (see here and here). In particular, the top candidates in line to chair the critical House Appropriations Committee, Reps. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) and Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), are about as inspiring as re-heated meatloaf when it comes to their potential for pushing serious spending reforms. According to the Wall Street Journal, appropriator Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), is eyeing the chairman’s gavel even though he’s only fifth in line in terms of seniority. Kingston has put together a spending restraint plan in... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4219734 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 15:35:10 +0100 4219734 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214076&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmarilpebhqQ%2F By Jim HarperThis morning the full Senate voted down a proposed rule that would have barred earmarks for the next two years. Part of the reason? Earmarks are transparent. Here’s Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), quoted in a Hill article: There is full disclosure in my office of every single request for an appropriation. We then ask those who have made the requests to have a full disclaimer of their involvement in the appropriation, so it’s there for the public record. This kind of transparency is virtually unprecedented. Senator Durbin doesn’t know transparency. Take a look at Senator Durbin’s earmark disclosures. Yes, you can read through them, one by one. But can you make a list of recipients? Can you add up the totals? Can you search for common words in the brief exp... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214076 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:22:49 +0100 4214076 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4190135&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsJ3FWjNyh7c%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI haven’t commented much on earmarks, but an oped in today’s Washington Post was has goaded me into action. A former Reagan Administration appointee (the Gipper must be spinning in his grave), who now makes a living by selling our money to the highest bidder, made several ridiculous assertions, including: …earmarks are largely irrelevant to balancing the budget. The $16.5 billion Congress spent on earmarks in fiscal year 2009 sounds like a lot, but leaves a minuscule footprint – about 1 percent of 2009′s $1.4 trillion deficit. Those seriously concerned about deficits should look elsewhere for meaningful spending reductions. …On Capitol Hill, party leaders must appeal to lawmakers’ interests as well as their principles to get th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4190135 Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:48:36 +0100 4190135 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4172041&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCr7lxjibcXo%2F By Brandon ArnoldI have an op-ed in Politico Wednesday about “earmark donor states.” It’s a term I invented to highlight a rarely discussed side of earmarking: public choice economics. As public choice theory would predict, the earmarking process operates under a system of concentrated benefits and diffuse costs.  Based on an analysis of 2009 data, 16 states receive a disproportionately large percentage of the earmark pie and can be labeled “earmark beneficiary” states. The other 34 states and the District of Columbia are “earmark donors,” as they receive fewer earmark dollars than they proportionally should. To determine which states win and lose in the earmarking game, I looked at the share of taxes each state sends to Washington and compared it to the share of earmarks th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4172041 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 21:05:34 +0100 4172041 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4172043&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FaSxpZRJqyno%2F By Daniel GriswoldRepublican leaders in Congress announced Monday that they are all on board to ban spending “earmarks” when the newly elected Congress convenes in January. That is all to the good. While not a large share of the federal budget, the designation of tax dollars to fund specific pet projects in member districts has come to symbolize out-of-control spending in Washington. Those same leaders should clarify that the earmark ban applies only to spending projects—not to the kind of tariff suspensions including in a recent miscellaneous tariff bill. The U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act approved by Congress in July suspended tariffs on hundreds of imported items of special interest to U.S. manufacturers. House Republican leaders made the mistake earlier this year of including... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4172043 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:47:21 +0100 4172043 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4172045&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F8BK0vjYKfFI%2F By Roger PilonToday POLITICO Arena asks: Is Senate Minority Leader McConnell’s announcement yesterday that he will support a moratorium on earmarks a sign that establishment Republicans are caving in to the tea party faction of their party? My response: Far from a sign that ”establishment” Republicans are “caving in” to the Tea Party faction soon to arrive here, Senate Minority Leader McConnell’s announcement yesterday that he “will join the Republican Leadership in the House in support of a moratorium on earmarks in the 112th Congress” suggests that Republicans may be rediscovering their roots in limited government, however reluctantly for some. At the same time, McConnell’s unusually long press release brings out two main diffi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4172045 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:08:37 +0100 4172045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4172046&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmgcUL0WIJiU%2F By Caleb O. BrownSen. Mitch McConnell’s quick reversal on the subject of earmarks was a surprise, but that quick, largely symbolic win against profligate spending certainly won’t translate into a more permanent movement without sustained effort. Shortly after McConnell made his speech supporting a “moratorium” on earmarks, I spoke with Matt Kibbe of Freedomworks about turning the enthusiasm for smaller government into that enduring force. He said understanding public choice gives lawmakers a better shot at turning popular anger at government into reductions in its size and scope. Freedomworks recently held orientation sessions for freshmen members of Congress. A primer in public choice was on the agenda. Cato’s Government Failure: A Primer in Public Choice is... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4172046 Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:08:36 +0100 4172046 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4159206&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJ8qZIcL_iVg%2F By Jim HarperWith a key vote on earmarks slated for next Tuesday in the Senate Republican Conference, Republican leaders are having it out on whether their party should eschew earmarking or continue the practice. The debate centers on the division of power between Congress and the executive branch. On NRO’s “The Corner” blog, Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.) calls earmarks a “phony issue.” Doing away with earmarks doesn’t reduce spending. It simply transfers authority for spending decisions to the executive: Earmarks have been part of the congressional process since the founding of our country. As James Madison, the father of the Constitution viewed it, appropriating funds is the job of the legislature. Writing in the Federalist, he noted that Congr... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4159206 Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:59:54 +0100 4159206 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4155228&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F8bi5Y7IawoE%2F By Jim HarperRepublicans’ hands have been strengthened by a wave of voter angst about big-spending and business-as-usual in Washington, D.C. But have they landed on their limited-government feet? The first test of that question comes next Tuesday. That’s when Senate Republicans will likely vote on a proposal to bar themselves from requesting earmarks. Last year, House Republicans adopted that policy for themselves the day after House Democrats limited their earmarking to non-profits and government bodies. The Senate Republican earmark ban is championed by Tea Party favorite Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). Its strongest opponent is Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Senator McConnell may have won his race in 2008 thanks to bringing home the bacon, but politics seem to have chang... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4155228 Wed, 10 Nov 2010 21:43:22 +0100 4155228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4151757&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FbqJ7Qd5olO4%2F By Tad DeHavenFollowing last week’s electoral victory, the House Republican leadership has been talking up its pre-election pledge to return federal spending to 2008 levels. As I’ve previously discussed, the Republicans are only talking about non-security, discretionary spending. This category of spending represents a relatively small portion of the overall federal budget, and would only shave about $100 billion off of what the president wants to spend. A better idea would be to cut total spending to 2008 levels. Excluding interest, the president has proposed spending $853 billion more in fiscal 2011 than the government spent in fiscal 2008. The following table shows the increases by department. As the chart shows, federal spending for the Pentagon alone is set to increase by $126 bil... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4151757 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:01:44 +0100 4151757 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4097901&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fay4GkX_ipyA%2F By Tad DeHavenFlorida Times-Union reporter Matt Dixon deserves kudos for his detailed exposé of Congresswoman Corrine Brown’s (D-FL) corruption-tainted earmarking. Since 2008, Brown has sought millions for a non-profit in Jacksonville that employs a lobbying outfit that just happens to have Brown’s daughter Shantrel on its staff. Brown and her daughter have tried to secure $1.1 million for “streetscape improvements and renovations” at a plaza leased by the non-profit. Rep. Brown is currently requesting a direct appropriation of $1 million for it, but interestingly says on her website that “I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any financial interest in this project.” Okay, but what about her daughter? As the article explains, this isn’t the first time the Browns... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4097901 Fri, 22 Oct 2010 14:47:37 +0100 4097901 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074044&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FtSnuybvMHAg%2F By Jim HarperPolitical gamesmanship has never seen a clearer illustration than in this CQ Politics article, “Locals Split on DeMint’s Earmark War.” South Carolina Republican senator Jim DeMint opposes earmarks. Fellow South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham supports earmarks and regularly requests them. (See a list of all 136 of his earmark requests for FY 2010 here.)  Senator Graham’s request for a $400,000 earmark for the Port of Charleston hasn’t been awarded—perhaps because of DeMint’s opposition to earmarks. Refusing to go along has a price. And in the article it’s a Republican operative who sinks the first shiv, suggesting that DeMint’s failure to earmark hurts South Carolina. “What you’re hearing [in the state... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074044 Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:09:29 +0100 4074044 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4022898&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F_E_IdPd2c-U%2F By Jim HarperTaxpayers Against Earmarks is a new effort to rid the federal legislative process of some of its most acute horse-trading: earmarks. Find it at the cleverly named URL, EndingSpending.com.   There’s little doubt that many spending earmarks are part of a subtle—or not-so-subtle—quid pro quo in which federal legislators buy votes by directing funds to favored home-state or home-district interests. Taxpayers Against Earmarks has a well-produced web site that invites people to sign up and join the anti-earmark effort. Earmarked spending is a small part of the overall budget, of course, but earmarking is emblematic of the “favor factory” that Congress has become as the federal budget and federal power have bloated. Federal spending is appropriate in ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4022898 Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:20:58 +0100 4022898 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3911687&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFS6JoVLjfkU%2F By Jim HarperJudging by his earmark disclosures, Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) seems to have said “To hell with you!” to the Senate Appropriations Committee and its earmarking rules. But the committee is doling out money to him anyway. It seems rules were made to be broken. In March, the committee issued a press release reiterating its rules about earmarks—funding requests for special projects that go into Congress’ annual spending bills. Among other things, the rules say: The Appropriations Committee will consider no request for spending on congressionally directed items … unless a description of the items proposed—including their purpose, location, the recipient of the funds, and an explanation of why the spending is in the interest of the taxpayers&#82... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3911687 Fri, 27 Aug 2010 13:53:29 +0100 3911687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3581592&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3z4vMafTiZA%2F By Jim HarperI’ll present a short paper and lead some discussion on federal spending transparency today at an OMB Watch conference entitled “Strengthening Federal Spending Transparency: A Working Conference to Develop a Plan of Action.” My paper is called “Federal Spending Transparency: Unlocking the Power of Abstraction.” It builds on lessons I learned from developing the Earmarkdata.org model aimed at getting earmark information out of Congress. Information scientists will find the paper amateurish and riddled with imperfections. Policy people will find it obscure and dense. That’s what you get when you translate between two languages and cultures. The goal: Each piece of the policy making process—the budgets, bills, votes, etc.—should originate ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3581592 Thu, 20 May 2010 12:35:24 +0100 3581592 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3560213&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQzJptxsNiBA%2F By Jim HarperA bill introduced in the Senate yesterday would require Congress to bring earmarks out of the shadows, producing earmark data in a format that the public can easily use. S. 3335 calls for a “unified and searchable database on a public website for congressional earmarks.” This is something President Obama called for in his 2010 State of the Union speech, though we haven’t heard much more from him about it since then. Importantly the bill is not just about a web site. The bill would enable the public to “programmatically search and access all data in a serialized machine readable format via a web-services application programming interface.” That gobbledegook means that people could access the data for themselves, slicing and dicing it to learn whatever they want or to... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3560213 Wed, 12 May 2010 19:48:46 +0100 3560213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3463576&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FGc3yNwm3Qa0%2F By Mark A. CalabriaThe extent to which government spending either complements or crowds out private investment has long been one of the most heated debates in economics (and politics).  Generally economic theorists posit that an increase in government spending drives up interest rates, which increases the cost of private investment, accordingly reducing such investment.  Most macroeconomic models are build on this relationship.  In an interesting new working paper, a trio of economists attack the question from a different angle.  They measure the impact of increased earmarks on the local economy receiving those earmarks, and compare the impact to areas not receiving the increased earmarks, which allows them to control for the overall macroeconomic environment.  Their finding: even in... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3463576 Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:38:20 +0100 3463576 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3416014&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-S2KOa-aqCk%2F By Jim HarperAs required by rules instituted last year, members of Congress are posting their earmark requests online. And in a small improvement over past practice, the House Appropriations Committee  is posting links to all those pages (in alphabetical order and by state). The Senate Appropriations Committee is doing the same. So, great. You can go line-by-line and figure out what ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3416014 Mon, 29 Mar 2010 12:39:19 +0100 3416014 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3370394&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F_NVLPsSsUb8%2F By Jim HarperYesterday my government transparency site WashingtonWatch.com rolled out a transparency campaign (along with many collaborators) called “Just Give Us the Earmark Data!” Visitors to Earmarkdata.org are encouraged there to sign a petition asking Congress to publish data about earmarks in formats that are useful for public oversight. Developers can also participate in perfecting the data schema that will capture the “earmarks ecosystem” in the best possible way. After a surprisingly successful effort at “crowdsourcing” earmark data last summer, the push for earmark transparency gained steam in January, when President Obama spoke about it in his State of the Union speech. A White House “fact sheet” issued the same day called for ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3370394 Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:41:18 +0100 3370394 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3322590&cid=t_229419_136_f&fid=37852&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdonnatrussell.com%2F2010%2F03%2F02%2Fof-ethics-and-earmarks%2F New cartoon by Trussell & Trussell on AOL’s Politics Daily. Of Ethics and Earmarks. Filed under: Politics Daily Tagged: chaos theory, congress, earmarks, ethics, political cartoon (Source: Donna Trussell) Donna Trussell blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3322590 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:05:56 +0100 3322590 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3243774&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFOHwFBdaL9s%2F By Tad DeHavenSenator Kent Conrad (D-ND) has a reputation for being a “deficit hawk.” But the bar is apparently so low in Washington that merely paying lip service to “fiscal responsibility” is enough to earn you the hawk title in the press. In reality, Conrad is a tax and spender as a story in today’s Wall Street Journal demonstrates. These examples illustrate Sen. Deficit Hawk’s commitment to deficit reduction and fiscal responsibility: “Like many in Congress, he is conflicted. He boasts a 23-year record of looking after North Dakota voters with ample farm subsidies, aid for drought-hit ranchers, defense spending and scores of pet projects. He has done little to help rein in Medicare and Social Security expenses—the U.S.’s biggest budget busters.” “He has bee... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3243774 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:17:42 +0100 3243774 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3204840&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Ff2PsNEkFQuA%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThis new video from the Center for Freedom and Prosperity explains how last year’s so-called stimulus was a flop – and also reveals why politicians are pushing for another big-government spending bill. Interestingly, since last year’s stimulus was such a disaster, the redistributionists in Washington are calling their new proposal a “jobs bill.” But as I say in the video, this is akin to putting perfume on a hog. For further background, here is a video explaining why Keynesian economics is wrong and another predicting (in advance!) that last year’s stimulus would be a mistake. And just in case anyone actually wants the economy to grow faster, here’s one about policies that actually increase prosperity. (Source: Cato-at-liber... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3204840 Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:11:28 +0100 3204840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2858618&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsRlDB2iw6f0%2F In a profile of Virginia Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Creigh Deeds, the Washington Post tells us about the grandfather from whom he got his unusual first name — and his interest in political power: Creigh Tyree mattered. While serving as chairman of the Bath County Democrats, during the Depression, Tyree’s house was the first private home in the county to receive electricity from the federal Rural Electrification Act, proof of the power of government, he told his grandson. Or at least proof of the practice of government. And that is in fact the lesson that young Creigh learned: Watching the elderly man work the circuit of county shops and farms, the boy saw the power of political maneuvering, the influence it brought a man, the way it enabled the well-connected to pick up a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2858618 Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:57:13 +0100 2858618 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2820201&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FD9w1gr1WBjE%2F An editorial in the New York Times the other day reminded me that it’s a good time for another look at the Obama administration’s record on transparency. The editorial lauded a new policy of disclosure for the Secret Service’s logs of White House visits, naming the visitor, who set up the meeting, where it was held, and how long it lasted. The Times gushed: “[T]he administration is well on course to be the most open in modern times, with such earlier initiatives as the online Data.gov to allow citizen access to huge amounts of federal agency information.” These things are good—and the White House certainly means well—but I’m a little less enthusiastic, and I think the Times set the bar at the wrong height: A ham sandwich is more transparent than... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2820201 Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:51:33 +0100 2820201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2807572&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FbdKEnMtt1dE%2F I’ve been poring over the earmark request data collected in WashingtonWatch.com’s big earmark hunting contest, and correlating it to the earmarks that made it into bills. It’s slow going, so far . . . But the excitement level sure builds when you take a look at what the money’s going to! Do you have your tickets to the Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up rodeo yet? It’s going on right now! And you stand to contribute $500,000 to Pendleton Round-Up Foundation, which puts it on, thanks to an earmark in the Senate version of H.R. 3288, The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. Senator Wyden (D-OR) requested $3.5 million for the facility where the rodeo is held. Senator Merkley (D-OR) requested a more modest $365,000... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2807572 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:29:37 +0100 2807572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2510273&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZOD3T40B9_U%2F The “buy America” provision in the misnamed stimulus bill was supposed to protect jobs in the U.S.  Alas, by encouraging foreign protectionism, the measure is likely to end up destroying American jobs. Indeed, the provision has all the earmarks of a grand political fiasco.  Reports the Financial Times: Confusion reins. For fear of missing out on contracts, many companies are demanding that all their suppliers are Buy American-compliant regardless of any exemptions. “Those companies that can comply are of course thrilled and are trumpeting that in their marketing. Those that cannot are in agony and are losing business and cutting workers,” says David Ralston, a government procurement lawyer at Foley & Lardner. “The many companies that find themselves in the gray area... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2510273 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:35:01 +0100 2510273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2469429&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4izedpawO2M%2F USA Today investigates how members of Congress are “working behind the scenes to try to influence how the [stimulus]  money is spent.” Congress and President Obama proudly noted that there were no earmarks in the $787 stimulus bill. But… Ten of 27 departments and agencies receiving stimulus money have released records of contacts by lawmakers under Freedom of Information Act requests USA TODAY filed in April. Those records detailed 53 letters, phone calls and e-mails recommending projects from 60 members from February through the end of May. Thirteen of those lawmakers voted against the stimulus package. Critics of the stimulus bill pointed out that government money is always politically directed. It’s little consolation to be proven right. (Source: Cato-at-liberty... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2469429 Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:25:16 +0100 2469429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2469444&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FodcEodnBsyM%2F In 2003, after a stint heading up the school of education at the University of Rhode Island, Dr. Robert Felner took the same job at the University of Louisville. Two years later, he secured an earmarked  federal government grant for $694,000 from the Dept. of Education, ostensibly for a vast study of Kentucky public school performance. According to federal investigators, the money ended up in Dr. Felner’s pockets instead. In fact, investigators allege that Felner and a partner in crime managed to defraud taxpayers of $2.3 million by promising to deliver educational assessment services that never materialized. The checks and balances you might expect to have stopped this from happening were seldom checked and never balanced. And that’s what’s so stimulating about this... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2469444 Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:35:55 +0100 2469444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2389658&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fqu-GTrriy9w%2F The coincidences that occur in Washington, D.C. are truly extraordinary.  According to the Washington Post: The headquarters of Murtech, in a low-slung, bland building in a Glen Burnie business park, has its blinds drawn tight and few signs of life. On several days of visits, a handful of cars sit in the parking lot, and no trucks arrive at the 10 loading bays at the back of the building. Yet last year, Murtech received $4 million in Pentagon work, all of it without competition, for a variety of warehousing and engineering services. With its long corridor of sparsely occupied offices and an unmanned reception area, Murtech’s most striking feature is its owner — Robert C. Murtha Jr., 49. He is the nephew of Rep. John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who has significant sway... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2389658 Wed, 06 May 2009 12:42:54 +0100 2389658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2375844&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FiHS3c0AJvS0%2F In Washington, the symbolic almost always trumps the substantive.  Thus, legislators complain, for good reason, about pork and earmarks, which ran about $35 billion at their maximum, and ignore entitlements, which entail some $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities. So it is with President Obama.  He continues the endless bailouts, which cumulatively now run around $13 trillion.  He proposed a $3.6 trillion budget and will leave us with a $1.4 trillion deficit next year–and nearly $5 trillion in additional debt on top of the massive deficits already projected over the coming decade.  But he asked his Cabinet officers to chop $100 million in administrative expenses. And he says he doesn’t need a new helicopter.  Fiscal responsibility in action. Alas, the helicopter, while... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2375844 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:11:46 +0100 2375844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2364929&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fq5sh1BqKS0c%2F The Hill reports that Members of Congress who failed to disclose their earmark requests as required by new rules in the House will still get their goodies. Members who failed to disclose their earmarks as required by the April 4 deadline should have them rejected out of hand. But Congress makes the rules, and Congress can break the rules. WashingtonWatch.com compiled a state-by-state list of links to earmark requests recently. Because Members of Congress published their requests in different formats, information about all the earmarks that have been requested is still rather obscure. (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2364929 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:20:42 +0100 2364929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2255977&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3_a3DVK1-PU%2F You would think Barack Obama’s tsunami of federal spending would provide an easy target for Republicans.  But they apparently haven’t learned the right lessons after two successive electoral debacles. Earmarks don’t account for a lot of money in Washington terms.  You know, just a few billion dollars out of trillions or quadrillions or whatever we are now up to — it’s so easy to lose track! Nevertheless, earmarks are a powerful symbol.  So trust the “stupid party” to muff its chance.  Reports Politico: Bashing Democrats on the day President Obama signed the $410 billion omnibus spending bill was the easy part for Republican leaders Wednesday. But getting Rep. John Boehner and Sen. Mitch McConnell on the same page on earmarks will be a lot tou... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2255977 Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:34:29 +0100 2255977 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2255982&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FICXyRU1QTaE%2F In his famous book, Confessions, the 5th-century theologian Augustine wrote that he used to pray before his conversion, “Lord, make me chaste, but not just yet.” That quote came to mind as I read the news a moment ago that President Obama plans to sign the $410 billion catch-all appropriations bill even though it contains 8,500 “earmarks” that will cost taxpayers nearly $8 billion. Recall that as a candidate, Obama said he and Democratic leaders in Congress would change the “business as usual” practice of stuffing spending bills with pet projects. Those earmarks, submitted by individual members to fund obscure projects in their own districts and states, typically become law without any debate or transparency. Saying he would sign the “imperfect bill,” President Obama offere... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2255982 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 18:40:22 +0100 2255982 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2255987&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJv_oHHR-H1I%2F I’m sympathetic to the oft-repeated saying that there are really three parties in Washington: Republicans, Democrats, and Appropriators.  This situation is likely to be demonstrated this evening when Republican members of the Senate Appropriations Committee provide enough votes for Democratic Sen. Harry Reid to close off debate and proceed to final passage of the pork-laden $410 billion fy2009 omnibus appropriations bill. Greasing the skids for bigger government will be almost $8 billion in earmarks contained in the bill.  Fox News is pointing out that almost all of the Republican Senators expected or likely to support the Democratic measure stand to deliver quite a bit of pork to constituents and special interests.  Not coincidentally, all of the senators named, except Sen. Snowe... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2255987 Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:33:09 +0100 2255987 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2260153&cid=t_229419_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2FyROCp-aZhY8%2F I got this off Senator John McCain’s Twitter (yes, he now tweets). Over the last few days, the Arizona lawmaker has been tweeting his version of “The Top Porkiest Projects” in the Omnibus spending bill. Here are science/genetics projects that Sen. McCain consider earmarks or pork-barrel: “$819, 000 for catfish genetics research in Alabama” “$1,427,250 for genetic improvements of switchgrass - I thought switchgrass genes were pretty good already, guess I was wrong.” “$1 million for mormon cricket control in Utah - is that the species of cricket or a game played by the brits?” “$650,000 for beaver management in North Carolina and Mississippi” “$250,000 to enhance research on Ice Seal populations” “$209,000 to improve blueberry production and efficiency in GA”... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2260153 Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:20:00 +0100 2260153 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2249703&cid=t_229419_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fm4qZragGUB4%2F This week, a handful of fiscally conservative Republican senators have been trying to cut earmarks out of the $410 billion omnibus appropriations bill. According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, the legislation contains 8,570 earmarks worth $7.7 billion. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) has sought to strike specific items, like the $200,000 earmark for Tattoo Removal Violence Prevention Outreach Program in Burbank, California and the $1.9 million earmark to the Pleasure Beach Water Taxi Service in Connecticut. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has taken a broader approach by introducing an amendment to strike all earmarks from the bill and revert to last year’s spending levels. Not surprisingly, they have been unsuccessful. And given recent events, one must wonder if these efforts by fiscal conservative... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2249703 Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:47:37 +0100 2249703