Should members of Congress be allowed to add earmarks to appropriations bills?

No

1 of 17

by RubyUnicorn

Write now Print Invite a writer™ Add to Favorites RSS Feed Contact this writer

No! Congress complains about CEO's and other companies that have been mismanaged and are now asking our government for help. Yet, they themselves can not balance a budget; they can not stop giving money to things that do not matter. They travel at our expense, they vote themselves a pay raise at our expense, and they are spending our country into oblivion at our expense. We have a 10 trillion dollar deficit, yet our congress is spending money like it is growing on the cherry trees in DC. When will it end? Nancy Pelosi flies around in a private jet, that costs you money, yet she makes over $214,000 a year! There is more talk about another stimulus package which won't work just like the first one didn't. Though I supported President Bush for most of his stay in office, over the past 6 months, I have been horribly disappointed in him. All of these bailouts are horrifying and in direct opposition of our constitution. Everyone is blaming President Bush for the socialist move, yet Congress is doing everything it can to encourage this. They have done nothing to try to stop it. The Republicans on capital hill have tried, but they failed. What in the world is going on here?<?xml:namesp ace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microso ft-com:office:office " />

Several years ago, there were people in the congress and the senate who warned of the housing bubble and how it was about to burst. John McCain was one of the people shouting from the roof tops that the practice of giving loans to people who could not afford them was going to cause a huge problem. Hello, welcome the housing market collapse. People like Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid kept demanding that the government help those less fortunate afford to buy a home. At what expense? We now all know the answer to that now, don't we? The people who have attempted to speak against such things are smeared by the press as racists. Something has got to give here.

When the house passed the $700 billion bailout for companies, they added so many earmarks and pork, and that there is hardly room for actually bailing out companies. So our congress just keeps adding more money to the bailout. Will they stop at a trillion dollars? Maybe they will stop at 2 trillion dollars. Where do most of you really think this money comes from? Does the federal government sell goods or services? NO! The money comes from you, it comes from me, and it comes from your local diner, your local movie theatre, your golf course, your bowling alley, your parents, your grandparents, and your entire family that works. It comes solely from tax dollars collected from the individuals and companies. You just bailed out AIG; you just bailed out GM, Chrysler, and Ford. You are bailing out all of these failing companies, who is bailing you out? All of those earmarks that they are spending, you are paying for it. That pay raise that congress just voted for themselves, you are paying for it. When was the last time you got a raise?

The government is out of money, our government, by all intense purposes, is broke. How do you think they will raise all the extra money they need for these bailouts, their raises, their earmarks, their pork, Ms. Pelosi's private jet, their fancy wining and dining, their fancy government parties, their fancy vacations, their luxurious homes and apartments, their expensive cars, and the next stimulus package? Think about this, really think about this. All of that money comes from you! Do you have a private jet? When was the last time you had a luxurious vacation abroad? When was the last time you got an entire month off in the summer and it was paid time off. When was the last time you got weeks off during the holidays off while still being paid? Do you drive an expensive car? Do you have a huge beautiful house and an apartment? That's because "they" pay for all of this with your money. As public servants go, I think they have it pretty good. Any other servant could only dream of being so well off. All of these material things are only the tip of the ice berg here, what about the power that these people in the congress and senate possess? These people decide our future without ever asking us what we want. When will any of this end? It never will unless "we the people" start demanding that it does. Call your congressmen or congresswoman, call your senator. Start demanding a balanced budget with no earmarks, no pork, and no more bailouts before it is too late. That is, if it is not already too late. What are we doing? I for one do not approve of the way congress is handling this mess, and apparently by their approval rating, neither does most of you. I feel that we should demand that they rescind their raises until the economy turns around. I do not feel they know we are in danger, because how could they? Their bills are still getting paid, their mortgages are sound, their car payments are being made, and they still take vacations. They are out of touch with the average person in America. They need a shake up. They need a really strong dose of reality. How dare they chastise CEO's of companies for mismanagement? How dare they show anger when a CEO gets a golden parachute? What audacity they have, complaining about mismanagement while voting themselves a raise while maintaining a massive debt! I am personally sickened by our government and the people running it. What have we done?

Learn more about this author, RubyUnicorn.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.