The GOP Must Fight Earmarks | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary

The GOP Must Fight Earmarks | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary: "It is worth remembering that Ronald Reagan once vetoed a highway bill because it contained 152 earmarks, which he called 'a textbook example of special-interest politics at work.' Twenty years later, Republicans managed to put together a highway bill that contained 6,371."

"Many of the scandals that beset the last GOP Congress were the result of earmarks."

"earmarks are part and parcel of the deal-making and horse-trading that greases the skids for so much bad legislation in Washington. Vote against the leadership's pet legislation and your earmark gets cut off; vote for it and your district gets some delicious pork. And nothing helps an otherwise terrible bill gather votes better than stuffing it full of earmarked goodies for wavering lawmakers. Therefore, even a very small earmark can be used to leverage far more costly government spending."

"earmarks crowd out local private-capital investment and research-and-development spending, thereby slowing economic growth."

"If Republicans can't end earmarks, how can we expect them to make hard decisions when it comes to something like entitlements?"