Drawing the Line Somewhere

On Tuesday, the House acceded to President Obama's request for an additional $33 billion to pay for another 30,000 troops in Afghanistan. That $33 billion pushed the total bill to $59 billion. The vote in the House was 308-1. The lone dissenter was Rep Jim McGovern, D-Mass. McGovern cast his vote out of principal. "We're told we cannot pay to extend unemployment or keep cops on the street or teachers in the class room (neither of which are federal responsibilities), but we're asked to borrow another $33 billion for nation building in Afghanistan" groused McGovern.

McGovern decided to make his stand in a peculiar place. One of the few legitimate responsibilities of the federal government is to protect the United States from foreign enemies. One can disagree over whether U.S. policy in Afghanistan or Iraq is prudent or effective, but one cannot question the federal government's responsibility to handle it.

A quick glance at congressional spending reveals any number of places to make a stand. Congress is riddled with ear marks and pork. Among other things, Rep. Snyder, D-Ark requested $60 million for highways in his state. Rep. Norton, D.C. requested $15 million to shore up the Washington Marina. Rep Jerry Costello of Illinois requested $38 million for flood prevention in his district. Rep. Joe Baca, D-Ca, requested $1.3 million to widen a road. That is over $100 million for those representatives alone. The list of ear marks and pork is extensive.

There are 432 members in the House. Most of them have special projects in their district singled out for federal money. Most in Congress have a bushel of ear marks and a barrel of pork. $15 million here and $60 million there and pretty soon you are talking about real money. According to the Washington Post, 9,413 earmarks were set aside in 2010 for a total of $16 billion. McGovern himself has over 30 earmarks totaling more than a few million. To review a complete list would take a considerable amount of time: certainly more time than the average voter would care to spend. There certainly has to be another $17 billion in Washington under the couch cushions.

McGovern objected to a bill spending a mere $33 billion out of total budget of $3.5 trillion. Moreover, the bill on which he is making his stand deals with a war the U.S. is currently fighting. McGovern could have spit and found a better place to make a stand.