Well, who couldn’t have seen this one coming?
Presidential candidate Barack Obama campaigned on ending Washington’s culture of earmarks, where members of Congress specify how much and for which projects federal money will be spent in their respective states.
But President Obama has embraced earmarks, signing the $787 billion stimulus bill and the federal budget, both of which were chock full of earmarks.
Now comes the health care bill and, guess what, it appears the House and Senate versions will both include earmarks.
The Boston Globe reports, “Tucked within [the bill] is a provision that could provide billions of dollars for walking paths, streetlights, jungle gyms and even farmers’ markets.”
There has been a growing support in Washington for more preventive care and wellness programs. The thinking is that if people live healthier lives, they will reduce the incidence of obesity and heart disease, for example, and therefore reduce health care spending.
Thus any community with a project that might conceivably be construed as promoting wellness, exercise or healthier living has been descending on Washington to make their case.
As the Globe quotes a spokesperson for Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), “If improving the lighting in a playground or clearing a walking path or a bike path or restoring a park are determined as needed by a community to create more opportunities for physical activity, we should not prohibit this from happening.”
That’s what’s called the “ask and you shall receive” theory or earmarks.
So how much will all the stadium lights and path-clearing efforts cost taxpayers? The Senate bills apparently don’t specify a number yet. The House bill caps the pork at $1.6 billion a year. That’s $16 billion over the 10-year cost estimate.
If President Obama is looking for an opportunity to make good on his promise to end the culture of earmarks, we think this would be a very good time to start by telling Congress to keep the earmarks out of the health care reform bill.