Ethics

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

By Ed Brayton

It's a well worn cliche, but it remains true. And here are some examples of why we need to pay attention to what every president, including Obama, does rather than what they say. AP reports that the alleged ban on earmarks declared by Obama and the Democratic leadership in Congress in the stimulus package is doing little to actually do away with earmarks in the bill:

President Barack Obama's ban on earmarks in the $825 billion economic stimulus bill doesn't mean interest groups, lobbyists and lawmakers won't be able to funnel money to pet projects.

They're just working around it--and perhaps inadvertently making the process more secretive.

The projects run the gamut: a Metrolink station that needs building in Placentia, Calif.; a stretch of beach in Sandy Hook, N.J., that could really use some more sand; a water park in Miami.

There are thousands of projects like those that once would have been gotten money upfront but now are left to scramble for dollars at the back end of the process as "ready to go" jobs eligible for the stimulus plan.

Full post as published by Dispatches from the Culture Wars on January 29, 2009 (boomark / email).