|
|
|
Jewish World Review Sept. 15, 2005 / 11 Elul, 5765 Those big spending Republicans By Debra J. Saunders
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Conservative dean William Rusher issued this sage advice at the
University Club in San Francisco last week: Don't expect Republican
politicians to be faithful ideologues, they'll only break your heart.
My heart, I must say, never did go pitter pat for House Majority
Leader Tom DeLay. Still, he done me wrong when, as The Washington Times
reported Wednesday, he declared "victory" on congressional efforts to cut
spending and said there was no fat left in the federal budget.
DeLay personifies the most ugly reality Republican voters must
face: When a Democrat is in the White House, GOP members of Congress at
least give lip service to the idea of watching taxpayers' pennies, and
they'll oppose the president's pork barrel projects. But with a Republican
president and Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, they become
high rollers.
Expecting Republicans to curb spending when they're in power
makes about as much sense as standing between Sen. Joe Biden and a live
mike.
Not that the Dems are any better. As Tom Schatz, president of
Citizens Against Government Waste, noted over the phone, party affiliation
isn't the issue: "Anybody who is in power likes to spend money. That's
generic. And appropriators in particular."
What to do? Citizens Against Government Waste has challenged
members of Congress to sign a pledge to leave pork out of any Katrina relief
package. So far, the pledge has found six takers, according to Schatz.
They are all Republicans with good skinflint credentials: Sens.
John McCain of Arizona and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma; and in the House, Reps.
Steve Chabot of Ohio, Chris Chocola of Indiana, Jeff Flake of Arizona and
Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia. Westmoreland was one of 11 members of Congress
to vote against the $51 billion Katrina relief bill, noting that the amount
is "nearly three times the entire annual budget of my home state of
Georgia."
Said Schatz: "Everyone's opening up their wallets to help
(Katrina's victims) — except members of Congress, who are opening up our
wallets."
Six takers is pretty pitiful, when you consider that this
pledge simply asks members to promise that every dime of supplemental
spending for Katrina clean-up actually goes to disaster relief. The pledge
doesn't even address Citizens Against Government Waste's push to cut $24
billion from pet projects in the recently signed highway appropriations bill
to offset some of Katrina's costs.
In the same spirit, the American Conservative Union called on
President Bush and the GOP leadership to cut pre-Katrina pork. As union
chairman David Keene told The Washington Times, annual spending for areas
outside of military expenses and homeland security increased $303 billion
between fiscal year 2001 and 2005.
Those numbers belie DeLay's claim that the federal government is
running at peak efficiency. "Yes, after 11 years of Republican majority
we've pared it down pretty good," he said.
It's not good enough for Republicans to be equal to Democrats in
their ease in spending other people's money. The GOP is supposed to stand
for fiscal conservatism and limited government — not Katie-bar-the-door
spending. President Bush has to spend mightily to help those hurt by the
hurricane, but he doesn't have to sign off on every pork-barrel project in
GOP districts.
Unfortunately, a tight rein on spending never has been high on
Dubya's list. He should have vetoed the pork-fest farm bill in his first
term. But by failing to set the right tone, he enabled Capitol Hill to
overspend. Today, you and I are paying for that lapse. And we'll be paying
for it for years.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment JWR contributor Debra J. Saunders's column by clicking here. © 2005, Creators Syndicate |
Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
