I'll believe this when I see it....
WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama vowed Tuesday to bar lawmakers' pet projects from his massive economic stimulus plan and to bring unprecedented accountability to federal spending.
Two weeks before taking office, Obama said Americans will accept his proposed stimulus plan — expected to cost about $775 billion — only if they believe the money is being used wisely to boost the troubled economy and to make smart long-term investments in public projects.
He told reporters at his transition office that his package will set a "new higher standard of accountability, transparency and oversight. We are going to ban all earmarks, the process by which individual members insert projects without review."
Despite my philosophical objections to government stimulus packages in general(I mean why not just cut our taxes?), this is probably going to happen since bailouts and stimulus checks have suddenly become en vogue and we helpless taxpayers have our hands out. That said, if Obama can restrain congress from earmarking billions of our tax dollars for their pet, vote-buying schemes back home, then he will have accomplished more than Bush ever did....pass a spending bill without pork attached. I doubt his first highway bill will be pork-free but it's a start.
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