Earmarks: Off the Mark?

State Sen. Gary Nodler, the latest addition to the congressional race here in the seventh district, said in his campaign kickoff last Thursday that the $25 million he secured this year for a battery manufacturer in Joplin was not an "earmark." He contends that monies appropriated during committee hearings, regardless of the purpose, are not earmarks. Needless to say, that definition is a hotly-contested one. According to today's Springfield News-Leader, his characterization is just not congruent with congressional or presidential definitions of earmarks. Nodler used the same justification for his appropriation that the Obama Administration and congressional democrats used to pass the federal stimulus bill in February - it would create jobs. His assertion could diminish his credibility with conservative voters in the district, especially on fiscal issues. He further pledged to seek earmarks through the committee process if elected to Congress. As a fellow candidate for the congressional office being vacated by Rep. Roy Blunt, my aim is to keep my campaign positive. Therefore, I will not openly criticize Nodler's logic. Nonetheless, I do want to clearly differentiate myself from him, as well as the other contenders currently in the race, on the issue of earmarks. Bottom line...I am opposed to earmarks by members of Congress in the federal budget process...period...end of story. The practice of earmarking, in large measure, has led our nation to amass an enormous national debt. Based on current projections, the federal debt could reach $20 trillion in the next eight years. This "country club" environment in Washington, D.C. has fostered an endless wave of quid pro quo wheeling-and-dealing throughout the U.S. Capitol. On any given day, I have no doubt you can hear the following diatribe being uttered numerous times, "Hey, I'll vote for your project if you'll vote for mine." We will NEVER get runaway government spending under control unless members of Congress STOP the practice of earmarking legislation. In fact, Congress should be cutting the president's budget, not inflating it. The federal budget should not be a Christmas tree, and members of Congress should not play Santa Claus with taxpayer money. Based on their own comments in today's News-Leader article, none of the other candidates in this congressional race would completely rule out earmarks in Congress. State Sen. Jack Goodman created a list of criteria, but did not specify who would make the ultimate decision about whether an earmark would meet his criteria - his office or the constituents. I make this pledge to the people of the seventh district - if elected to Congress, I will NEVER seek an earmark for a project. Furthermore, I will do everything within my power to eliminate earmarks altogether. If there's a project that warrants public support through a bond issue, competitive block grant, etc., I will provide accurate information and data to the district, enabling voters themselves to decide its fate. I would rather projects be funded and controlled by state and local entities, not federal appropriations. That's true fiscal conservatism in action.

Where Did All the Common Sense Go?

Whatever happened to common sense? I suppose it's always been there, lurking around the corner, in the halls of the U.S. Capitol Building or the White House. It just seems our elected officials chose to ignore it at some point. They put it on a shelf and said, "We have better ways of doing things now." Are politicians in Washington, D.C. somehow smarter than the rest of us? Granted, they may have their fancy degrees from Yale and Harvard, but does that mean they really know how to run a country? They seem to be running the country into the ground, that's for sure. No disrespect to those Ivy League institutions, but can one of their alums effectively relate to an average American who's trying to make an honest living and feed a family? I mean really. Many members of Congress have never run so much as a business. Here in the Ozarks, we may not have the highest percentage of Ph.D. graduates. Yet, we have some of the hardest-working individuals you will find anywhere. The seventh congressional district of Missouri is among the most conservative areas in the United States. Ironically, we still have one of the healthiest economies in the entire country as well. We are weathering the bursting of the housing bubble, the rise in unemployment, and the downturn in retail sales, all with a lower tax burden than most other locales in the country. This just proves that hard work, determination, and perseverance trumps government bailouts anytime. Why can't our elected officials in Washington understand that? It's time to dust off the common sense that politicians put on the shelf too long ago. Give our country and the government back to the people. Take less from them, give them incentives to produce and spend, and the recession is over...plain and simple. It shouldn't take a law degree to understand that, or even a lobbyist to explain it. Politicians see only common "cents" these days, not common sense. We need more bold conservative voices in Congress. I'm ready to do my part! Wisdom for Congress...because Congress needs Wisdom!!