SENATOR JIM DEMINT ON EARMARK REFORM

Senator Jim DeMint guest blogs on Captain's Quarters. He talks about earmark reform. I'm not sure that I agree with Senator DeMint's comments about the Culture of Corruption. He sounds like a talking point for the DNC. but I do agree that we need to do much more to control earmarks. I have never favored eliminating earmarks, because I believe that an appropriate earmark can be very beneficial to a State or Congressional District. I also believe that they are necessary to a certain degree because they are a measure of a Senator or Congressman's effectiveness. Having said that, I firmly believe that they can't be inserted into a bill at the last minute, without everyone having an opportunity to voice objections to them, and if necessary an opportunity to vote against them. Transparency is important in earmark reform, but so is an opportunity to review them. We need to know who is proposing the earmark, how much they are going to cost, and whether they are germane to the bill they are attached to.