› Funk Won’t Participate in Earmarks – Gibbons & Zaun Should Follow Suit

On March 1^st, Erick Erickson wrote a great piece published on RedState.com entitled “No More Earmarxists”. I would like to expand on this article and point out how important it is here in the Third Congressional District Republican Primary that we all consider his points.

Government spending has created a dependency class on all levels of society.  It keeps the poor poor.  It gives the Federal Government all-encompassing powers that cover individual citizens, local and state governments, small and large businesses and even non-profit organizations seeking to better humanity and the world.  It is vital during this and all future election cycles we elect those that fight this oppressive behavior.  The difficulty we have is finding the wolf in sheep’s clothing to ensure we elect those that will fight and remain loyal to their word, to their values and to their constituency and the Constitution.

There were studies done that showed that those lawmakers with a voting record that aligns with the Second Amendment and Right to Life also vote closely with the Constitution on all other issues.  In regards to fiscal responsibility, it is almost the same with earmarks.

During this election cycle everyone right of left has been screaming that spending is out of control.  They have let everyone know that taxes are too high.  They have called out specific politicians, like Leonard Boswell, for voting for the stimulus bill and other Pelosi supported bills.  I’ve done the very same thing.

So how do we seek out the true fiscal conservatives that we need from the rest of the pack?  Earmarks.  While earmarks make up a very small portion of Federal spending, it is the impact of earmarks that is most alarming.  Set aside the facts that earmark spending is unconstitutional, picks winners and losers and favors one group over another; it creates a behavior of spending that is aligned with the policy that has placed us on this rapidly melting iceberg.  No matter what your argument may be in support of earmarks or to disregard earmarks, the principles behind earmark spending are what make Washington the elitist place it is.

I will not participate in taxpayer abuse and the intergeneration theft through earmarks and I challenge my primary opponents to take this same pledge.  We have all been pictured signing 9/12 pledges, tea party group pledges, tax pledges, etc.  The reason we sign pledges and agree to this is so our constituency that elects us can hold us accountable.

For this very reason, I challenge Coach Gibbons and Sen. Zaun to agree to not participate in earmarks if they were to go to Washington. Not just because of the wasteful spending but also because of the behavior it creates.  This is the fiscal conservatism litmus test.