Should Congress eliminate or change the process of earmarks, criticized by many as pork-barrel spending?
I favor full disclosure and transparency of earmarks and lobbyist activities in order to deter and expose illegal influence peddling by lobbyists and special favors for campaign contributors by members of Congress. I also support a more fundamental reform: revenue sharing of progressive federal taxes with states, municipalities and school districts on a per capita basis. Efficient centralized collection of progressive taxes and decentralized local administration of spending meets local needs better than centralized earmarking by members of Congress. Revenue sharing will also reduce the dependence of municipalities and school districts on the excessively high and regressive property tax. 7. What is your position on the federal deficit? What specific steps would you take to control government spending or reduce the deficit? If we don’t deeply cut wasteful, redundant military spending, there will be no money for the people’s necessities or resolving the planetary climate crisis, let alone
Related Questions
- When can the process be made public without raising the concern of our authorizing stakeholders (OMB, Congress) and without driving up the site costs?
- Why not just eliminate earmarks and pork from the budget and give the President the line-item veto on unnecessary spending provisions?
- How do differences between Democrats and Republicans affect Congress, the president, and the policy-making process?
