Roll Call carries an interesting article today about an earmark requested by Indiana’s Grace College and the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE). The interesting thing about the earmark is that neither institution thought of the project; it was dreamed up by the lobbying firm that both institutions had hired to represent them. The firm then essentially convinced both Grace and VCOE to agree to accept the money and take charge of the initiative that the lobbyists had come up with:
In this case, it sounds like both Grace and VCOE endorsed a ‘fishing expedition’ by the lobbyists: you come up with some federal dollars that we can use, and we’ll pay you for the trouble. Roll Call is right: the arrangement is not unique (although in my experience in Congress, it’s unusual). If you think about it, it makes a great deal of sense for the client–they don’t know the earmarking process as well as the lobbyist; they might be spending their own money on something that Congress can be convinced to fund. If so, why pass up the chance for ‘free’ money? All you need to do is contact a lobbyist who knows the system, and make sure you’ll get a return greater than your financial commitment. If you think about it, the lobbyist is a lot like Matthew Lesko. He knows where the free money is, and all you have to do is call him up to get it for you. It’s so simple, it makes you wonder why some people think the process ought to be done away with.
