Just one more reason to make sure this is Mary Jo Kilroy and Zach Space lose in November:
It’s springtime in Washington, and that means peak season for earmark requests, not just the famous cherry blossoms.
Two of central Ohio’s lawmakers, GOP Reps. Pat Tiberi of Genoa Township and Steve Austria of Beavercreek, aren’t asking for earmarks in the 2011 spending bills, taking part in House Republicans’ one-year ban on such requests.
But Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, D-Columbus, has submitted a long wish list to the House Appropriations Committee – more than 50 earmarks totaling more than $115 million.
An earmark is a request by a lawmaker to designate federal dollars in annual spending bills for an individual project usually in his or her district or state.
These two have a history of requests but are looking for more this year:
According to Taxpayers for Common Sense, an organization in Washington critical of earmarks, Kilroy won $18.2 million in earmarks for the 2010 federal spending year, sixth-highest among Ohio’s 18 House members.
Rep. Zack Space, whose southeastern Ohio district stretches into Muskingum and Licking counties, won $13.7 million for earmarks last year.
This year, the Dover Democrat is seeking more than $160 million for more than 100 projects. For instance, Space wants $2 million for the Ohio National Guard to help upgrade the Zanesville Air National Guard Station.
Tiberi and Austria, like their GOP colleagues in the House, deserve props for taking a stand and agreeing to a moratorium on earmarks. Earmarks often spend money for political purposes, involve waste, and can easily slip into outright corruption.
