Acton Commentary – “Earmarks: Don’t Mend Them, End Them”

Brittany Hunter
by on Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Email post Email post

In this piece John Pisciotta, a professor of economics at Baylor University, offers a number of sound reasons for getting rid of earmarks on appropriations bills, including their tendency to invite corruption. “Those who seek them are tempted to skirt the law to win favor with a legislator so as to be graced with an earmark,” he writes. “We should not be surprised that a handful of former members of Congress now receive free room and board at federal prisons.”

Read the commentary at the Acton website and comment on it here.

Related posts:

  1. Acton Commentary: Davos Capitalism: Adam Smith’s Nightmare
  2. Acton Commentary: From Crisis to Creative Entrepreneurial Liberation
  3. Acton Commentary: “Despotism – The Soft Way”
  4. Acton Commentary: Entrepreneurship isn’t enough

Category: Acton Commentary

Related Tags:

Email post Email post
  • Rod Merrill

    If ever there was a time in our country’s history to remove the one act of corruption that forces many of our elected officials to cave to the whims of special interest groups, now is it by removing the ability to add spending earmarks. This was the topic for many signs at recent Tea Parties across the country. Why not send a clear signal to those we elect that the era of earmarks is about to end? I believe that John Pisciotta has provided in this article an overwhelming reason for doing so.

Acton PowerBlog RSS

Google Plus

Twitter Feed

Facebook Fan Page

Support the Acton Institute

The Acton Institute is funded through the generous contributions of individuals such as yourself. Learn more about how you can advance the cause of freedom and virtue.