WASHINGTON, March 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is an Op-Ed by Rep. John Boehner: House Republicans have taken a stand against wasteful Washington spending by calling for a complete freeze on all "earmarks" and pork-barrel projects. While our challenge has largely fallen on deaf ears -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, could shut down the earmark process tomorrow if she wanted to -- our cause has a strong ally in Sen. John McCain.
Mr. McCain has been a leader in the quest to end pork-barrel spending and has led by example -- the senator, like myself, doesn't request earmarks. He strongly supported a one-year moratorium on all earmarks in the U.S. Senate. And as president, Mr. McCain has promised that any "earmarked, pork-barrel bill that comes across my desk, I'll veto it." ...
Not surprisingly, Mr. McCain's Democratic opponents have quite a different record on spending. In 2007 alone, Sen. Hillary Clinton, New York Democrat, earmarked $340 million in taxpayer dollars. Sen. Barack Obama, Illinois Democrat, earmarked more than $91 million. ...
The pressure finally got to Mr. Obama, who released his 2005-06 earmark requests on March 13. His requests include $1 million for a hospital where his wife served as vice president of community and external affairs. ...
While Mrs. Clinton continues to decline demands that she make her requests public, one nonpartisan watchdog group says the senator landed 360 earmarks from 2002 to 2006. ...
Both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama received poor marks on the Club for Growth's 2007 report on pork-barrel spending and government waste. ... Another group dedicated to protecting tax dollars, Citizens Against Government Waste, echoed the Club for Growth's poor rankings. ... In other words, taxpayers beware.
Last week, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama both voted for the Democrats' $3 trillion budget that included the largest tax increase in American history. According to the Associated Press, the budget would raise income taxes "on individuals making as little as $31,850 and couples earning $63,700" to pay for more wasteful spending. ...
The election-year posturing of Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama is another example of why neither candidate is fit to be president. Come November, voters are sure to embrace John McCain's positive vision of freedom, security and an end to wasteful spending.
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