Transparency Now!

Sun Times editorial on earmark disclosures by some Chicago area House members and one Senator from Illinois:

The Democrats saw their commitment to openness questioned earlier this month when Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.), the head of the House Appropriations Committee, said he wanted to add earmarks to bills in the fall, when they would be harder to challenge, because his committee didn't have time to screen them properly before then. But he relented, and the first bills with earmarks attached started to be unveiled by House subcommittees last week. The head of one of those subcommittees said he and his GOP counterpart picked the "most defensible requests" from members. That's what we want to hear.

As valuable as it has already been to see the earmarks and their sponsors at the subcommittee stage, it's even more valuable to see the requests from members before they even make it that far. That's why we applaud Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, Democratic Rep. Rahm Emanual and GOP Representatives Peter Roskam, Judy Biggert and Mark Kirk for having the courage to disclose every earmark request, whether successful or not. The sooner the public can start scrutinizing the earmarks -- which are, after all, demands for taxpayers to fund specific projects -- the sooner it can start separating the wheat from the chaff. We encourage every member of Congress to do the same. The more glare, the more scrutiny, the better the process will work.

Hmm, where's the laser gaze of Sen. Deadeye Dick Durbin, up for reelection in 2008? or the public spirit of Rep. Jan Tax Cheat Schakowsky? And we would like the same transparency in Illinois, which other states have adopted, or are moving to adopt. This includes the Midwest states of Indiana (headed by a GOP governor) right next door, and Minnesota, positioning it and its governor well for the GOP presidential convention in 2008.

Earmark transparency goes hand in hand with fiscal responsibility. Guess which states will do better in keeping the tax burden low, and in competing for job creation?

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