Accountability - next installment - the US House TEA Party Caucus - Granite Grok

Accountability – next installment – the US House TEA Party Caucus

Gadsen FlagTEA Party: Taxes Enough Already.  A general philosophy that Government has become too enthralled with using other peoples’ money.  That it has become too big, too intrusive, too cumbersome, way too inefficient, and too far removed from the principles enshrined in our Founding documents: protecting individual Rights and property and a limited government.

Earmarks have certainly been in the news – those "small" incidentals added by our Federal legislators that tack on costs and direct spending. While small only in comparison with the humungeous Federal spending overall, they became a focal point as an indicator of the crass indifference to what most TEA Partiers believe to be the jobs to which these folks are elected.

First there was "November is coming".  Now, it is "Hold them Accountable", and indeed, we shall.  Especially true in the case of those legislators that have self-identified themselves aligned with TEA Party philosophy. 

In this case, of calling for "no earmarks" yet asking and receiving such.  Smooth move?  Not really, Jackson.  Sure, there are those within this caucus that have called for no earmarks and have walked the talk:

NAME AMOUNT
Bachmann (R-MN) 0
Broun (R-GA) 0
Burton (R-IN) 0
Coffman (R-CO) 0
Luetkemeyer (R-MO) 0
Lummis (R-WY) 0
Marchant (R-TX) 0
McClintock (R-CA) 0
Myrick (R-NC) 0
Neugebauer (R-TX) 0
P. Sessions (R-TX) 0
Pence (R-IN) 0
Roe (R-TN) 0
Shadegg (R-AZ) 0
T. Price (R-GA) 0
Westmoreland (R-GA) 0

But alas…

…there are those that may have decided to "ride the coattails"; time to show them that we are watching:

 

NAME AMOUNT


Adrian Smith (R-NE) $350,000
Herger (R-CA) $5,946,000
Hoekstra (R-MI) $6,392,000
Royce (R-CA) $6,545,000
S. King (R-IA) $6,650,000
Gohmert (R-TX) $7,099,000
Poe (R-TX) $7,913,000
S. Graves (R-MO) $8,331,000
R. Hall (R-TX) $12,232,000
Barton (R-TX) $12,269,400
Bilirakis (R-FL) $13,600,000
L. Smith (R-TX) $14,078,000
Franks (R-AZ) $14,300,000
Akin (R-MO) $14,709,000
Stearns (R-FL) $15,472,000
Burgess (R-TX) $15,804,400
Lamborn (R-CO) $16,020,000
Gingrey (R-GA) $16,100,000
Scalise (R-LA) $17,388,000
Coble (R-NC) $18,755,000
Jerry Moran (R-KS) $19,400,000
Gary Miller (R-CA) $19,627,500
Wilson (R-SC) $23,334,000
Jenkins (R-KS) $24,628,000
Fleming (R-LA) $31,489,000
Culberson (R-TX) $33,792,000
Wamp (R-TN) $34,544,000
Carter (R-TX) $42,232,000
Bartlett (R-MD) $43,060,650
Crenshaw (R-FL) $54,424,000
Tiahrt (R-KS) $63,400,000
Alexander (R-LA) $65,395,000
Aderholt (R-AL) $78,263,000
Harper (R-MS) $80,402,000
R. Bishop (R-UT) $93,980,000
Rehberg (R-MT) $100,514,200
TOTAL $1,049,783,150

Thus far, our new Senator Kelly Ayotte has not expressed joining in with a TEA Party type caucus in the Senate, but has pledged a ‘no earmark’ policy and standing with Senator Jim Demint on this (here).  It will remain to be seen how our new Congressman Frank Guinta will fare as he has seemingly declared his intention to join this caucus.

Er, Congressman Charlie Bass?  We’re watching as well.

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