Mark one up for the people, as local officials in Florida decided last Friday, August 17th, to send back a $10 million Coconut Road earmark that Alaska U.S. Rep. Don Young slipped into the 2005 highway bill. Earmark reform has been getting a lot of debate and press lately, mostly in favor of reform.
The people, however, have much work to do on their end. "Earmarks" are better known as "grants" on the local level, and grants have become increasingly sought after by cities, colleges and others who have the money to send lobbyists to their respective representatives.
Beginning this Session, many Congressmen have voluntarily posted to the public their earmark proposals. Now constituents, make sure your Representatives to do the same, and help turn the tide in favor of earmark (grant) reform. Federal dollars should stay with federal concerns, not local.
No comments:
Post a Comment