Earmarks are bad. Earmarks are the currency of corruption, and they fuel spending growth. Washington does not need any more ‘help’ spending taxpayer funds.
Earmarks – federal funds controlled by leadership and used by members of Congress to fund pet projects – fuel corruption and spending growth.
Democrats think that renaming “earmarks” as “community project funding” will fool Americans, but we know a cute name doesn’t change the fact that members of Congress will once again be able to spend our money to buy votes from other members, in order to pass legislation that can’t get enough votes on the merits.
For a decade, House Republicans opposed this unique form of special-interest spending, this currency of corruption. That stance is no more. A majority of the members of the House Republican Conference just voted to permit Republican members of the House of Representatives to once again request earmarks – and this is from the party that claims to be the party of fiscal responsibility!
The following is a letter that we are sending to as many members of Congress as we are able.
Dear Member of Congress:
On behalf of the three million members, supporters, and activists of Tea Party Patriots Action, I urge you to oppose earmarks. Just because other members of the House of Representatives have decided to throw in their lot with the big spenders does not mean you have to. Your constituents – who grow increasingly worried about the tens of trillions of dollars of debt we are racking up – are certainly hoping you will not join the big-spending bandwagon.
For a decade, House Republicans opposed this unique form of special-interest spending, this currency of corruption.
With House Democrats and, now, a majority of House Republicans, determined to reinstate the practice, your opposition to it would establish you as one of the leaders in the movement against reckless spending.
Your constituents will not be fooled. They know that “community project funding” is simply Washington-speak for “earmark.”
The fact is that as we move forward over the coming months, having just appropriated several trillions of dollars of borrowed money in the last twelve months, and having raised our national debt to astronomical heights, we don’t need to find new ways or reasons to spend more money; in fact, we need quite the opposite – we need to find new ways or reasons not to spend money. Reinstating the practice of earmarking taxpayer dollars is not going to help keep spending under control. It’s going to encourage more irrational borrowing, and more reckless spending.
To help Americans understand more easily who’s on their side in the fight against reckless spending, we at Tea Party Patriots Action have created a “No Earmark Pledge.” It reads as follows:
As government spending grows, individual liberty shrinks. Earmarks, federal spending allocations for pet projects, fuel corruption and spending growth.
I, ________, pledge to the constituents of the ________ district of the State of ________ and to all Americans that I will not request any funding considered a congressional earmark or any “member-directed community funding” project.
We plan to promote this No Earmark Pledge through our nationwide grassroots network, and we’ll be communicating with your constituents to let them know whether you’ve signed it or not.
Please, take a firm stand against earmarks. Your constituents – and future generations – will thank you.
Sincerely,
Jenny Beth Martin
Honorary Chairman
Tea Party Patriots Action
Below, you will find ways to engage and stand against earmarks (a.k.a. “community project funding”), whether you are a member of Congress or an everyday citizen. We encourage every American to unite against this currency of corruption.
Some have suggested that Americans no longer seem to care about Washington’s reckless spending. We disagree. And we are making a bet that when next year’s midterm elections roll around, we will be proven correct.
Sign the Letter
Add your name to this letter to let your Representative know that you oppose earmarks, no matter what name Congress gives them, and that you want him or her to sign the No Earmarks Pledge.
ARE YOU A MEMBER OF CONGRESS?
Take a stand for your constituents against wasteful spending and the currency of corruption. Your constituents elected you to represent them, and that includes being prudent and protective of their hard-earned money. They, and future generations, will thank you!