In response to the Democrats’ inability to enforce their own earmark disclosure rules (until it’s too late to make any difference, anyway), Americans For Prosperity is circulating a new earmark transparency pledge on Capitol Hill:
I, __________________________________ (Member of Congress) do hereby pledge in the spirit of transparency and reform that effective immediately I will voluntarily post on my official Congressional website a regularly updated list of every earmark and/or targeted tax benefit that I request.
I pledge to include the name and address/location of the project or entity, the amount of funding requested, the name of the committee or subcommittee to which I have submitted the request, the purpose of the earmark, and certification that neither I nor my spouse have a financial interest in the funding, as required by the earmark reforms adopted on Jan. 5, 2007.
It’s a good effort that’s designed to embarrass the worst abusers of the process, but I get the feeling that the only members who’ll sign the pledge are the ones who don’t have much to disclose.