Earmarks (otherwise known as pork) have largely become synonomous with wasteful spending. Every year Congressman vie to take home the most money possible for their consituents at the expense of American taxpayers.

HotAir has an excellent post today, including video of James Clyburn and Jim DeMint going back and forth on the Constitutionality of earmarks.

Ed Morrisey points to an article at National Review reminding us of what our founding fathers thought of “pork”:

Even though he firmly believed that the power of appropriating federal money belonged only to Congress and that it was necessary to have a clear delineation of authority between the executive and legislative branches of government, Thomas Jefferson also fervently argued against the use of federal funding for local projects. For example, in a 1796 letter to James Madison regarding federally funded local projects, Jefferson wrote, “[O]ther revenues will soon be called into their aid, and it will be the source of eternal scramble among the members, who can get the most money wasted in their State; and they will always get the most who are the meanest.” Anyone who has observed the recent tantrums of those who have had their pork challenged knows that Jefferson’s statement was sadly prophetic.
Jefferson was not alone in his worry about the corrupting influence of money and political power. In a 1792 letter to Alexander Hamilton conveying what he believed to be the public’s perceptions of government, George Washington cited worries about the “increase in the mass of the debt,” which had “furnished effectual means of corrupting such a portion of the legislature, as turns the balance between the honest voters[.]” Hamilton, who famously clashed with Jefferson and Madison on fiscal matters, responded that “[e]very session the question whether the annual [funding] provision should be continued, would be an occasion of pernicious caballing and corrupt bargaining [emphasis mine].”

Hmmm corrupt bargaining? I wonder if anyone could look at our modern day Congressmen and think Hamilton was wrong on his prediction.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Constitution, Earmarks, Features, Taxes, Video