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Earmark Reform
On March 18, 2008 Sydney Hay joined Arizona Congressmen Jeff Flake and
John Shadegg in calling for earmark reform by signing the same pledge
both Flake and Shadegg have signed.
Witnessed by all of the listeners to the March 18, 2008 "Q and A"
afternoon talk show on KQNA radio in Prescott, Arizona, Sydney Hay
signed the Citizens Against Government Waste Earmark Reform Pledge.
This explanation is from the CAGW website:
"From 1995 to 2005, the number of appropriations earmarks grew nearly
tenfold, from 1,439 to 13,997. It’s no coincidence that the
proliferation of earmarks has corresponded with the debasement of the
budgetary process in Washington. As the examples of former Rep. Randy
'Duke' Cunningham (R-Calif.) and Jack Abramoff illustrate, lawmakers
and lobbyists trade in earmarks as their 'currency of corruption.' If
House and Senate leaders are truly committed to overseeing 'the most
ethical Congress in history,' they should be making it easier, not more
difficult, to follow the money trail."
"The
ink was barely dry on the 'New Honest Leadership and Open Government
Act of 2007' when House and Senate leaders began looking for ways to
circumvent or obstruct its earmark disclosure rules. CCAGW’s Earmark
Reform Pledge aims to commit candidates for Congress to providing
taxpayers with greater transparency and accountability for earmarks."
By signing the pledge, candidates agree that they will adhere to 10 provisions, including:
*
fully disclose all earmarked funding or targeted tax benefit requests on their congressional websites;
*
not request any earmarked funding or targeted tax benefit provision
that does not serve a federal interest and/or have a federal nexus;
*
not request any earmarked funding or targeted tax benefit provision
that would be directed toward a specific private entity that was not
requested by an agency; and,
*
support legislation that would end the linkage between campaign contributions and earmarks.
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Limited Government
The following quote from Barry Goldwater pretty well sums up my philosophy on government:
"I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution or that have failed their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is ``needed'' before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents "interests,'' I shall reply that I was informed that their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can.”
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Federal Ownership of Arizona Land
I believe that the word "public" in "public lands" means you and me,
not government bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. In a state where
approximately 85 percent of the land is in government hands, one small
but important issue is that the federal government should give us an
accurate accounting of the property it holds in Arizona.
Congressman Chris Cannon, Utah District 3, is leading on this issue,
and our own Congressman John Shadegg has signed on to this important
request issued to the General Services Administration:
"We respectfully request that the General Services Administration
return to its past practice of publicly reporting federal land
ownership by state. In the past, GSA included in its
annual Federal Real Property Report a listing of how much land the
federal government owns and leases in each state, as well as the
percentage that such land is of the total acreage of each
state. This information was particularly helpful to those
of us who believe that the federal government owns too much land and
that some of this land should be returned to the states, localities or
private entities. Additionally, this information enabled us to
know which states were dominated by federal lands and which were
not. The implications for this information are far-reaching..."
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Pardon Ramos and Compean
Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean were prosecuted and convicted for violations of protocol while they were attempting to arrest a drug smuggler, Aldrete-Davila, along the US - Mexico border. U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton indicted Agents Ramos and Compean for using a firearm in the commission of a crime, a charge that carries a 10-year mandatory sentence. I believe that the indictment against these Border Patrol Agents was not justified by the circumstances or the evidence.
Due to this miscarriage of justice, Congressman Duncan Hunter introduced H.R. 563, legislation that would grant a congressional pardon to the agents. This has not been done before in our history and legal and constitutional scholars disagree as to the constitutionality, but, since this has never been adjudicated, I believe it is an appropriate course to take. Over 100 House members agree and are cosponsors of the bill.
If elected, I will pursue passage of this Congressional pardon. It is hoped, however, that if enough members of Congress, Congressional candidates and US citizens get behind this effort, President Bush will be compelled to do the right thing and pardon these two Americans.
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Paid for by the Committee to Elect Sydney Hay to Congress
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