The Miami Herald has published an opinion piece explaining the irresponsible actions of Congress in trying to fund unneeded earmark appropriations:

It’s time for President Bush to brush the cobwebs off the veto stamp that has been gathering dust in his desk drawer ever since he became chief executive. The federal budget process is complicated, but the issue here is simple: An emergency supplemental appropriation — using federal money to pay for an emergency — should deal only with emergency issues. Until now, Republicans have insisted that there is no higher priority than funding to support our troops.

But with its approval levels approaching record lows and elections looming on the horizon, Congress is apparently trying to buy the public’s affection, even at the cost of imperiling the Iraq funding bill. The president requested $92 billion for war-fighting expenditures and some hurricane relief, but at last report the amount being voted on stood at $106.5 billion. Congress added provisions for still more hurricane relief on the Gulf Coast and a variety of so-called earmarks.

One of the ‘’earmarks'’ deserves special attention because it stands as a metaphor of Congress’ wild spending habits. It wasn’t too long ago that lawmakers approved a payment of $250 million to rebuild a railway line along the Mississippi coast after it was destroyed by Katrina. Now Congress wants taxpayers to spend another $700 million to relocate this same, privately owned rail line in order to build an east-west highway to spur economic development.

The president is right to threaten a veto of any bill that exceeds his request. The irrelevant add-ons may deserve consideration by Congress, but turning this bill into a Christmas tree is irresponsible.

Link

The more Congress is not responsible with the people’s money, the more anger it produces in the body politic. Out of control spending, unneeded regulation, and liberal political philosophy continue to make conservatives like me uneasy about where this country is going after the midterm elections.

Congress must return to fiscal sanity if it is ever to balance the budget or decrease the national debt in my lifetime. It seems politicians are more concerned about putting politics in front of true American priorities like entitlement reform, fiscal responsibility, and a strong defense. No wonder Congress has low approval ratings.