Forget Hillary Clinton, the real woman of the hour in Winston-Salem yesterday was Rep. Virginia Foxx, who was getting the pitch from city leaders for $12 million in federal money for various projects, including the (already) taxpayer-financed downtown baseball stadium:
Council members had a tough sell.
Foxx, R-5th, announced last year that she will not make any requests for so-called earmarks until she believes that the system for distributing money in Congress becomes more fair and transparent.
That means no requests for any of the projects in the city’s $12.5 million legislative package.
Foxx told council members that she would, however, write letters of support for federal grant applications that the city submits. She also told the council to look for ways it can cut costs.
“The system for earmarks is broken, and something has to be done to fix it,” she said. “Many earmarks are legitimate and well spent, but some were not.”
I can’t help but note the irony behind behind a member of Congress giving local government tips on controlling spending. But this is Winston-Salem, where the government teat is always there for the sucking.
