Dear Good Guy,
Do not spend another second worrying about what anybody else thinks about earmarks. Get to work with your not-so-powerful Rep and make sure s/he gets your earmark in the list of priorites to Chairman DeLeo. As you may already know, the Chairman has sent out a letter to all Reps asking them for a letter listing their individual priorities by Feb 11. The letter also asks each Rep to schedule a meeting with the Chairman to justify the list. Now, stop reading this and star putting together the briefing material for your Rep.
January 23, 2008
Dear Colleague:As we approach the budget season for the Fiscal Year 2009 General Appropriations Act, I would once again like to take this opportunity to invite you to meet with me in person to discuss your proposals, concerns and requests.
If you prefer, you may also submit only written requests or schedule a joint meeting with other Members of the House. In an effort to ensure your recommendations are processed and recorded accurately, I respectfully request you submit them in writing prior the end of business on February 11th.
Whether you choose to schedule a personal meeting, joint meeting, or submit your recommendations in writing, it is imperative that all requests be submitted via electronic mail to Toby Morelli at toby.morelli@state.ma.us prior to the end of business on February 11th.
As always, Mr. Morelli will also be the point of contact for any budget or legislative inquiries you or your staff may have.
If you do wish to arrange a meeting, please e-mail Ms. Anita Flintoff, House Ways and Means Executive Assistant, at anita.flintoff@state.ma.us to schedule a time. Available dates are: February 19th-February 21st, inclusive; February 25th-February 28th, inclusive; March 3rd-March 6th, inclusive; March 10th-March 13th, inclusive.
As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on how we may approach the challenges that face the Commonwealth today and in the future.
Very truly yours,
ROBERT A. DeLEO Chairman
If the legislature appropriates $XX for Good Guy agency in West Overshoe, Mass. is this really the best way to run human services procurement? The agency involved should pick the best proposal from among all bidders. I can understand why Good Guy thinks earmarks are good–they work for Good Guy! Is Good Guy provider the best bidder to meet the needs of human services clients? Maybe, but maybe not. As long as the contract is ear marked for them, no one will ever know.
What comes to mind for me is, with regard to a program that is working, “If it is not broken, why fix it?”
Are they “on the ground” enough to know what new–often grass roots–programs are working? I have certainly found that not to be the case.
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p>Sure some earmarks are pork for the sponsor, but others get in based on merit and they need to be on the “ear amrk track” becuase the bureaucrats are to dense to understand cutting edge needs and services that need to be funded.
I’ve been a bureaucrat (or close to it) and I know that members of that unofficial branch of government can be arrogant and narrow and stagnant. People go into government work because they want to help communities, but it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that communities are dynamic and that one’s own sacred agency or program is not the only way to solve a problem.
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p>After all, many of those agencies and programs were products of political give and take similar to the annual budget process. Are they so infallible?
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p>Certainly, many earmarks fall short of being noble or even worthwhile, but an elected official who is in the district on a regular basis has some sense of what is important to his constituency.