An earmark by any other name would smell so sweet

[beachFool]

Michele Bachmann likes earmarks. Just call them something else - Minneapolis / St. Paul News - The Blotter

"Advocating for transportation projects for one's district in my mind does not equate to an earmark," she told the Star Tribune.

Right. Because she'd be an awful hypocrite for promising not to take earmarks while at the same time angling for federal largess from the Obama stimulus bill to the tune of $300 million for a new bridge over the St. Croix River near Stillwater. "

 

[Here4Good]

...and this is why earmarks will never die.

When the money is going somewhere else, it's an evil earmark. When you've managed to snag a job-rich, infrastructure-enhancing project for your district full of deserving taxpayers who want something in return for all of the $$ they send to Washington, you're doing what they elected you to do.

 

[30ashopper]

Not a fan of Bachmann.

I don't understand why this is so hard for the old guard to get. We the people don't want stuff like this happening. So stop doing it!!

 

[Andy A]

What is it some don't understand about not putting earmarks into large appropriation bills that must be passed. It balloons the amount of the bill when it would be just as productive to submit the requested project to be funded by an appropriate grant process. But then, that wouldn't garner any votes for the particular elected official, would it?

 

[Matt J]

What is it some don't understand about not putting earmarks into large appropriation bills that must be passed. It balloons the amount of the bill when it would be just as productive to submit the requested project to be funded by an appropriate grant process. But then, that wouldn't garner any votes for the particular elected official, would it?

Actually if you had a grant process you would still have a grant approval committee. Now if that committee had to choose between two projects which do you think they would pick?

Project A) A bridge in the district of the senator/representative's who is chair of the committee that oversees the funding for that agency.

Project B) A bridge in the district of a freshman senator/representative.

Just because you change the process doesn't take the politics out of it.

 

[beachFool]

Michele Bachmann has lobbied against earmarks.

Yet she lobbies for them.

I expect as much.

Newsflash:

Earmarks comprise a tiny sliver of the budget and eliminating them solves nothing.

Demagouges are cynically using the "earmark ban" so they can appear to show political courage.

"Ban all earmarks" is an example of bumper sticker politics.

Spare me the BS about banning earmarks being a step in right direction.

A step in the right direction involves hard choices.

 

[Andy A]

Buz, in my mind banning earmarks is not a step in the wrong direction. The late Murtha is a perfect example of the "pork" brought home be earmarks. Yes, they are a miniscule part of the overall expenditure by your selected party but that is exactly what is wrong with our government. The parties do not want to start anywhere. You are correct about the "hard choices" part. The Debit Commission chairmen made some very good suggestions. Do you really think either party will accept them? People who have no conception of how well the competitive grant system can work can only denigrade it and all other grant programs, for that matter. An analysis of the worth of an infrastructure project or a community service program such as EMS is much better handled by people who have backround and knowledge of the function than elected politicians who see it as bringing home the bacon to assure their re-election.

 

[beachFool]

I'll see you one John Murtha and raise you Mitch McConnell.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) | CREW's Most Corrupt Members of Congress

Both were cited as being the most corrupt.

We need solutions not sound bites.

The whole earmark controversy covers up the fact we can't afford Medicare, SS, Military and tax cuts.


It ain't political is arithmetic.

We want it all, we want it now and we want someone else to pay for it.

 

[30ashopper]

House and Senate Republicans affirm earmark ban for two years.

House GOP Adopts Earmark Ban for the 112th Congress - The Note

 

[Andy A]

Yeah, but that good ol' Senator Harry Reid has said it isn't going to happen. Why am I not surprised he sides with Buz? OBTW, the last sentence is 100% correct. Not only Medicare, SS, Military, try cutting any welfare program or lowering the number of unemployment days for reimbursement. I would gladly put some of my benefits on the table if I thought others would do the same. The big difference is that I worked hard to receive them. That cannot be said of all.