Piece of republican pork puts fiscal principles to the test

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Nov 12, 2001 | by Sean Paige

High principles are easy to hold in the abstract but often fall prey to more worldly and specific temptations, especially expediency, as any regular observer of the Washington scene can attest. This seems to be the case with one piece of pork coveted by House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois and many of his Republican colleagues -- the boyhood home of Republican icon Ronald Reagan in Dixon, Ill. Hastert and his associates understandably are anxious to see the home preserved as a national historic site.

The problem is, unless and until certain guidelines and procedures are followed, federal acquisition of the property by congressional fiat would make it just another pork-barrel project. This would "honor" Reagan by dishonoring his philosophy of fiscal restraint and responsibility.

Hastert has scheduled the acquisition for a House vote, which is better than sneaking it through in the dead of night as part of some catchall spending bill. But in a bow to expediency he is pushing the project forward without the benefit of a feasibility study, as required by law, or even a full understanding of what it will cost to acquire and operate.

This leaves fiscal conservatives who support the effort (it has more than 150 cosponsors) open to the charge of hypocrisy. It also plays into the rationalizations of those on Capitol Hill who long have justified their own bending of budgetary rules with the bromide that pork is in the eye of the beholder. Arguing for expediency over principle, a Hastert spokesman said: "The opportunity exists right now to help preserve the legacy of Ronald Reagan and help future generations learn of his history. We want to make sure we seize the moment."

Though formal designation of historical sites can be a drawn-out process, further study of the acquisition may be justified in light of the fact that the Reagan family only occupied the home for three years beginning in 1920, when the future president was a fifth-grader. The family lived in many other homes in Illinois, including in Tampico, Galesburg and Chicago. But alas, those houses aren't in Hastert's congressional district.

I don't think a study would accomplish anything," said one prominent politician who endorses the idea. "Everybody knows who Ronald Reagan was."

Yes, but does everyone know for what he stands?