Posted on 08/30/2006 12:47:59 PM PDT by saganite
We reported on Monday about a secret Senator that was blocking bi-partisan legislation to shed more light on government contracts, like the $9 billion given in the wake of Hurricane Katrina with little oversight. Think Progress has found out who it is:
Last week, an “unidentified senator” placed a hold on legislation introduced by Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) that would create a easily-accessible Google-like database of all federal spending, which totaled $2.5 trillion last year.
The bill appeared to be headed for passage after being approved unanimously in committee. However, the anonymous senator’s hold on the bill prevented it from coming to a vote.
In response, liberals and conservatives worked together to ask every Senate office whether they had placed a hold on the bill. Of all 100 senators, only Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) would not deny placing the hold. In addition, one of the bill’s leading sponsors, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), said of Stevens, “he’s the only senator blocking it.” Stevens’s opposition to such a bill is not surprising; he is one of the most prolific earmarkers in the Senate:
– In 2005, Stevens helped slip in legislation to begin construction on the “Bridge to Nowhere,” earmarking over $200 million for a bridge to an island home to 50 people. When an amendment jeopardized funding for the project, Stevens threatened to resign.
– Later that year, Stevens tried to insert an amendment into the national defense bill allowing oil drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. When the Senate struck the provision, Stevens called it “the saddest day of my life” and has “written off” Senate friends who opposed drilling.
– This year, Stevens earmarked $450,000 to research baby food made from salmon and over $1 million for “alternative salmon product research.” This is the third year in a row he has appropriated money to research salmon products. This is the Senator who wanted to hold up hurricane relief money for Louisiana, including building protective levees for New Orleans, for a widely-ridiculed bridge-building project. Now he is the sole Senator holding up scrutiny of federal contracts.
Ted Stevens deserves to be kicked out. I don't care if he's a Republican. He's a moron.
I'm not buying this.
I still think it's Hillary.
This is pure vengeance. They say the Senate is a collegial body and this is why. If any senator dares call out another senator, then that senator will quickly receive a sharp shiv so everybody goes along with everything to retain the "comity". Otherwise, Legislation will die, be blocked in committe, anonomously held. Nominees from the senators state will be held up. They're all a bunch of babies.
He maybe a GOP member, but he still has a terminal case of greedy and stupid. He has to go.
I've thought it was Stevens all along. He's the biggest porkmeister in the Senate. As for Hillary, she may be rude and obnoxious but she's not stupid. She would know that if she were found out it would spell the death of her political aspirations.
Doesn't make sense to me either.
The problem with the methodology here is that it relies on asking the Senators if they did it. In other words we are supposed to rely on the word of the likes of Ted Kennedy and Chucky Schumer?
Forget John McCain, Lincoln Chafee and those RINOs, Ted Stevens needs to go. He needs to have the same thing happen to him as the state he represents governor had happen to him.
Ted Stevens is the only republican I know who ever won the "porker of the month" award.
I agree. Does not matter that he is a republician. HE NEEDS TO BE VOTED OUT OF OFFICE.
Exactly!
Don't forget Levin and Stabenow as well.
| Anti-pork bill held up in secret |
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| Posted by TomGuy to eraser2005 On News/Activism 08/29/2006 9:59:47 AM CDT · 18 of 54 LOL |
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Gotta give him props on this one.
Wouldn't they consider earmarks a badge of honor that they'd brag about? IMHO, Kennedy at least would.
If others are using false statements as a cover you would expect Stevens or his staff to be screaming bloody murder. Besides, one other Senator fingered him directly. Stevens has a history of using his position to pork up the Alaska share of the federal budget. He's one of two Senators I suspected, the other being Byrd, and now it looks like he's been outed.
Then why wouldn't Stevens' office deny it? And why did Coburn, a fellow R, say that it was Stevens?
I am not saying Stevens isn't the Senator, I just amused by a poll that puts so much faith in the word of politicians.
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