RSDavis
03-13-2009, 06:49 AM
In Defense of Earmarks
by RS Davis
The Freedom Files (http://freedomphiles.blogspot.com/2009/03/in-defense-of-earmarks.html)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3q-8XBLTy_Y/Sbkub617x-I/AAAAAAAAAaU/Jdbojqoa3A0/s320/pigs.jpg
Hello Freedomphiles! Yesterday, we took one more step toward ruination with the passage of Obama's $410 billion omnibus spending package. The threat was that if there was no more money appropriated to the government, it would shut down - as if this were a bad thing. So, it was passed, including about 9000 of those dreaded earmarks.
John McCain commented: "The president could have resolved this issue in one statement - 'No more unauthorized pork-barrel projects' - and pledged to use his veto pen to stop them."
Sean Hannity had Democratic Representative Joe Sestak on his show, and bellowed at him about the bill, saying, "How can you say with a straight face that this is not irresponsible spending when it's full of earmarks?"
Not satisfied at having this all lain at the feet of the Democratic Party, President Obama also had something to say about the earmarks, retorting that he found it “ironic that some of those who railed the loudest against this bill because of earmarks actually inserted earmarks of their own – and will tout them in their own states and districts.”
True enough, Republicans accounted for about 40% of the earmarks in the bill.
Bob Novak, over at RealClearPolitics, said that the GOP should declare "a one-year moratorium on Republican congressional earmarks," and further suggested that they appoint "anti-earmark reformer" Jeff Flake to the House Appropriations Committee.
With all this hand-wringing by politicians, you'd think that earmarks were the seventh seal of the apocalypse, or something. But the truth is, earmarks are just how our government works. Like enacting the line item veto, ending earmarks simply would shift even more power to the executive branch, making the office of president even more imperial than it already is.
Here's how it works....
_____________________
Click here (http://freedomphiles.blogspot.com/2009/03/in-defense-of-earmarks.html) to read the rest.
by RS Davis
The Freedom Files (http://freedomphiles.blogspot.com/2009/03/in-defense-of-earmarks.html)
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3q-8XBLTy_Y/Sbkub617x-I/AAAAAAAAAaU/Jdbojqoa3A0/s320/pigs.jpg
Hello Freedomphiles! Yesterday, we took one more step toward ruination with the passage of Obama's $410 billion omnibus spending package. The threat was that if there was no more money appropriated to the government, it would shut down - as if this were a bad thing. So, it was passed, including about 9000 of those dreaded earmarks.
John McCain commented: "The president could have resolved this issue in one statement - 'No more unauthorized pork-barrel projects' - and pledged to use his veto pen to stop them."
Sean Hannity had Democratic Representative Joe Sestak on his show, and bellowed at him about the bill, saying, "How can you say with a straight face that this is not irresponsible spending when it's full of earmarks?"
Not satisfied at having this all lain at the feet of the Democratic Party, President Obama also had something to say about the earmarks, retorting that he found it “ironic that some of those who railed the loudest against this bill because of earmarks actually inserted earmarks of their own – and will tout them in their own states and districts.”
True enough, Republicans accounted for about 40% of the earmarks in the bill.
Bob Novak, over at RealClearPolitics, said that the GOP should declare "a one-year moratorium on Republican congressional earmarks," and further suggested that they appoint "anti-earmark reformer" Jeff Flake to the House Appropriations Committee.
With all this hand-wringing by politicians, you'd think that earmarks were the seventh seal of the apocalypse, or something. But the truth is, earmarks are just how our government works. Like enacting the line item veto, ending earmarks simply would shift even more power to the executive branch, making the office of president even more imperial than it already is.
Here's how it works....
_____________________
Click here (http://freedomphiles.blogspot.com/2009/03/in-defense-of-earmarks.html) to read the rest.