It’s the Little Things that Count

Whether it’s a couple million for their district or $25 million for their husbands (hey, she’s not the Speaker for nothing!), Democrats are still up to their old earmark ways, despite a bold pledge in the 2006 election to end “runaway spending.” Now, I know politicians’ promises last about as long as a New Year’s resolution, but c’mon, this is the singular issue that upsets Joe Six-Pack more than any other, in my opinion. And now I read this morning that Rep. David Obey — the KING of all Kings of spending — is sending around some lame, two-question survey to his fellow Democrats in what is nothing more than internal cover for his party to blow the lock of the Treasury.

For those following along at home, the Wisconsin Democrat is peddling a questionnaire to his colleagues, essentially asking them, “If it’s responsible, would you like to jack the taxes of every American to pay for your porky pig ways?” Okay, maybe he didn’t quite use those words, but you get the point.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) presumably signaled her support for such shenanigans, even telling the press corps Monday that she “didn’t want to talk about it.” Huh? If the party claims to insist on a change to pork-barreling, shouldn’t they at least behave like they’re interested?

If Obey’s fellow Democrats return the questionnaire saying, “Yes, I will make this tough decision and agree to more spending,” then you can expect they’ll trot out the tired line to their constituents that, “It’s only $x million for my district, and besides, they NEED that money,” or how about “Heck, that’s less than three days of Pentagon spending in Iraq!!!”

Folks, if we’re ever going to get a grip on the nearly $10 trillion of debt our children and grandchildren will have to cut checks for, we have got to start saying enough is enough, and start drawing the line somewhere. A million dollars in more pork may be a rounding error to some accountant in Washington, but it’s the little things that count, and boy, they sure do add up after 10 trillion “rounding errors.”

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