"WASHINGTON - Democratic leaders in the new Congress plan to strip funding for thousands of pet projects for individual members, a big display of fiscal discipline they say will help cut deficits and curb spending abuses.I help small communities in Washington find funds for public works projects. While I deplore much of the pork that has happened with the Republican led congress, some of these earmarks have helped communities provide clean drinking water through updating wastewater treatment facilities and drinking water systems. Small communities with low-income populations rely on these earmarks to prevent their utility rates from reaching $80-$100 a month. Granted, much of the antiquated infrastructure in our country is due to a reluctance to reinvest and maintain existing infrastructure. Nonetheless, it will be a tough pill to swallow for many.
As soon as they take control on Jan. 4, Democrats plan to impose a one-year moratorium on all special projects, known as earmarks, effectively killing those that were tucked into unfinished spending bills by the Republican-led Congress.
Although earmarks are best known for financing big public works projects, the moratorium will come with a distinct human cost."
I hope that democrats don't take a lot of heat for taking away these local subsidies, and I hope that the nation recognizes that if not for a useless military effort in Iraq, many of the problems facing small communities in Washington would not be near the magnitude that they are today. I hope that there is a recognition that Democrats are taking a responsible fiscal position, as compared to the "triple-spending" (i.e., spend, spend, spend!) Republicans.
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