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Earmarks

Strengthening the Economy > Government Spending > Earmarks
We call upon all Senators and Representatives to take appropriate action to block any bill containing earmarks, to produce bills with wording that will not allow any earmarks to be added after a final vote is taken, and, to shepherd through the two houses of Congress changes in their procedures that will delete the practice of earmarking and any similar technique that allows spending without a consensus approval.
(plank deleted)

The problem is abuse of earmarks, not the earmarks themselves.

"Carve out" earmarks do not increase spending; those earmarks are a critical Congressional check against intransigent bureaucracies. Certainly our motto is not "in bureaucrats we trust"! Trusting bureaucrats is Democrat policy.

This proposal distracts from the underlying problem: unending government expansion. Arresting runaway spending is the only effective way to end the abuse of earmarks.

Earmarks are like money. Neither are evil; how they are used is the issue.

Fault:

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Random plank

Promoting Individual Freedom and Personal Safety > Protecting Citizens From Crime > Addictive Behaviors
We encourage state and federal governments to severely prosecute illegal dealers and manufacturers of addictive substances and pornography. We urge Congress to discourage export of such substances into our country. Faith based rehabilitation programs should be emphasized. We oppose legalizationlegalizing recreational use of illegalillicit drugs. We support an effective abstinence-based educationaldrug avoidance education program for children. We oppose any "needle exchange" program. We urge vigorous enforcement of our DUI laws but only in ways that do not hassle innocent motorists.
Reason:

Pornography is protected free speech.

The government is already fighting multilateral wars to prevent importation of illicit drugs.

Rehabilitation programs that are effective should be emphasized. It is neither legal or wise to promote a program just because it is affiliated with a religious movement; otherwise the government would have to promote programs like Narcanon, a front for the Scientology cult.

Needle exchange programs are a local issue.

"Abstinence" is strongly associated with sex education and should not be used in this context.

We DUI enforcement support must be qualified. Current trends are ensnaring innocent citizens with spurious citations, pointless arrests, and roadblocks.

Need to be clear that it's the recreational use of drugs that is proscribed. Some otherwise illicit drugs have valid clinical uses.

bad precedent, redundant, extreme

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