Mr. President:

By deciding to "to review options for dealing with the wasteful spending in the omnibus bill", you have taken the first steps, at long last, toward beginning to rein in the egregious abuse of Congressional "earmarks".  You have an opportunity to finally inject some common sense into the federal budget appropriations process.  The time for "horse trading" is past.  

A host of Republicans, the "hicks in the sticks", view many in Congress as self-centered, self-serving, even venal in their "gaming" of the system. This is especially so regarding their use of appropriations as an avenue to assure their own reelection, while ignoring and even blocking action on issues vital to the future of the nation.  The 2006 election should have made the reaction of the Republican base to this abuse obvious to all.  Unfortunately, Congress continues to harbor many irresponsible members from "safe" venues, and these "fat cats" keep sidling up to the trough at appropriations time.  But opportunity knocks...

Suppose the White House were to publish a list on the Internet of the 8,993 special-interest earmarks in that great hog wallow, the $516 billion omnibus spending bill.  Suppose then that public comment were invited on all the earmarks, all in the interest of forwarding good government.  Suppose further that the White House were then to announce that its new policy is to vet all appropriations bills for earmarks to facilitate convenient public inspection via the Internet.  There would be curses and threats, of course, but a great many of the electorate, both Republicans and Democrats, would cheer and take heart that at least the chief executive is setting a standard for integrity in government, a standard that future presidents will be judged by.

Much of the American public regard Washington DC with sadness at the decline our great experiment in democracy, mixed with contempt for those we elect who betray the trust they are given.  #40 said the best policy is to "trust but verify".  You have an opportunity to do just that, to force Congress to face the light of day and to expose earmark excesses to the public scrutiny that is so long overdue.

Thank you, Mr. President