Byrd sheds light on earmarks.
By on Apr 17th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
Byrd sheds light on earmarks.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-WV) announced new rules today requiring that “all earmarks — the footnotes in bills that lawmakers use to deliver federal bacon to their states — be clearly identified in documents accompanying appropriations bills. The requesting senator, the recipient of the earmark and its purpose would have to be made public and posted on the Internet. Senators would also be required to certify that neither they nor their spouses would benefit financially from any earmark.”
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Sounds like a good idea.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:07 pmThis IS the Democrats doing something for all the stupid trolls who keep trying to say they aren’t doing anything.
This would be called making earmarks transparent, something Bush liked to babble about when running for president.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:09 pmOpeness and accountability is all we require of the people, as the people.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:12 pmGood work Sen. Byrd. He’s also the guy who created RESPAs for real estate closings so that buyers would not longer get ripped off by lenders. And that has worked splendidly.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:14 pmI swear that the money earmarked for my swimming pool will not benefit me financially in any way.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:14 pmFinally a well-laid-out, publicized plan. But we can’t let it float down under the radar. There’s no end to the imagination of what emasculating provisions and exceptions can be added in closed-door meetings and back-room shenanigans.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:22 pmThat is the least and the minimum to curb corruption..and lobbying powers.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:24 pmWith internet power…put all these ‘behind the screen deals’ on the web…so people can read them.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) is planning to introduce a bill of impeachment in the House against Vice President Dick Cheney. (Of course, it wouldn’t be surprising if the mainstream media ignored that action, just as they’ve studiously ignored Kucinich’s campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.).
April 17th, 2007 at 6:25 pmTobey,
Do you have a link to a story about that?
April 17th, 2007 at 6:30 pmI can back this….
But I still think Pork should stand on it’s own bill.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:31 pmTobey,
I found it
April 17th, 2007 at 6:31 pmTed Stevens reaction: “NO!!”
April 17th, 2007 at 6:34 pm#8 Tobey
April 17th, 2007 at 6:37 pmAfter the hours spent by the media on Nicole Smith and ‘who is the daddy’ followed by Sanjaya and other fluff…not much time left for D. Kucinich.
How many posts will it be before some GOP attacks this because Byrd was a member of the KKK some 60 years ago and long ago renounced that?
April 17th, 2007 at 6:40 pm#14 I have been waiting for it. It will happen. If Ted Kennedy had proposed the rule you know what they would say, too. They do like attacking the messenger.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:46 pm#14, I thought they would have mentioned Byrd’s own reputation for earmarks.
OTOH, Byrd is proud of the earmarks he gets for his state. If he’s willing to go on the record and claim them, more power to him. And kudos to him for shedding light on earmarks other legislators are less proud of.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:50 pmPersonally, I think that Congress needs a “source control” system much like we use when writing software (or even a wiki). All additions, changes and edits get checked in only be people that are authorized and logged into the system. Then trying to figure out who did what is then fairly straight forward.
And while I’ll give props for Byrd for doing this, don’t forget, he was the Emperor of Earmarks and the King of Pork and West Virgina has far too many oversized train stations. We’ll just have to wait and see if he can keep his hands out of the cookie jar.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:55 pm#14, I thought they would have mentioned Byrd’s own reputation for earmarks.
OTOH, Byrd is proud of the earmarks he gets for his state. If he’s willing to go on the record and claim them, more power to him. And kudos to him for shedding light on earmarks other legislators are less proud of.
Comment by PeterW
If it is known, then we (citizens) can judge the effectiveness of the legislators and how they use their power to bring home the bacon. There has to be a stop to the ‘late night’ quiet inserting of laws and rules whereas nobody really knows what they just voted on: Patriot Act, anyone?
April 17th, 2007 at 6:55 pmIt’s about effing time something like this is enacted.
Can the appropriations committee make this happen by fiat, or does it have to go to the senate for a vote?
April 17th, 2007 at 7:14 pmThanks Senator, it’s a start, and in the right direction.
Passing out the federal buck is tough, but money should go to where it’s really needed.
There were no paved roads in our County before 1948.
April 17th, 2007 at 7:16 pmwhat’s cool is that this old guy actually wants to use those ‘internets’, obviously grasps the importance and benefits of the process…
contrast that with stevens’ outrageous and paranoid jabbering about the “tubes”…
April 17th, 2007 at 7:32 pm…
It’s about time We need more transparency in government. I for one would like to know where it all goes
April 17th, 2007 at 7:49 pmExcellent idea, Mr. Byrd !!!
April 17th, 2007 at 7:57 pmIt’s about time.
April 17th, 2007 at 8:10 pmDems have something else they are working on in their first few months in power – after a repug draught of nearly 7 years.
Wow, Byrd knows what the internet is. Cool.
April 17th, 2007 at 8:25 pmThere is another part of the seperation of powers besides Washington. The Consitution says all powers not given to the branches explicitly is reserved for the people… or their choosen representatives.
Yet “The People” cant do their oversite if we dont have the details we need to make intelligent judgements. ALL nonsecret information should be checked into, logged by, and published by a document management system as JRoyale said above. Alot of things would change in this country if that happened… that might even set us up for a major data automation revolution that could helps things like the health care industry.
April 17th, 2007 at 9:11 pmI love that old man. Hes 90 years old and still busting his ass trying to make this a better country. Anyone who disrespects him is a fool. Respect your elders.
April 17th, 2007 at 10:06 pmThis is a test comment. It will be deleted shortly.
April 18th, 2007 at 4:19 amWell I’ve never said they were doing nothing…. but I was under the impression they were supposed to have already accomplished this in their “first 100 hours” pledge.
Makes it seem as though news articles like this were a little misleading…
House Democrats Prepare To Tighten Lobbyist Rules
Washington Post – Jan 4, 2007
“My one-word reaction To these earmark transparency…”
Who doesn’t like to babble about this without implementing it ?
I’ve been reading about it for 6 months and nothing ever comes of it.
Not that bloggers-backed database. Not the original transparency bill that was quashed by Pelosi in favour of a watered down bill. Apparently not any of other mentions this has gotten.
News Archives Results 1 – 10 of about 102 for earmark transparency
April 18th, 2007 at 6:47 amPerhaps it was Reid and not Pelosi opposing full transparency a couple of months ago. I can’t recall which, but I can guarantee it received no mention on this blog.
April 18th, 2007 at 6:52 am