Posted on 02/23/2009 2:03:56 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
During the 2008 presidential campaign, candidates Barack Obama and John McCain fought vigorously over who would be toughest on congressional earmarks.
"We need earmark reform," Obama said in September during a presidential debate in Oxford, Miss. "And when I'm president, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely."
President Barack Obama should prepare to carve out a lot of free time and keep the coffee hot this week as Congress prepares to unveil a $410 billion omnibus spending bill that's riddled with thousands of earmarks, despite his calls for restraint and efforts on Capitol Hill to curtail the practice.
The bill will contain about 9,000 earmarks totaling $5 billion, congressional officials say. Many of the earmarks — loosely defined as local projects inserted by members of Congress — were inserted last year as the spending bills worked their way through various committees.
So while Obama and McCain were slamming earmarks on the campaign trail, House and Senate members — Democrats and Republicans — were slapping them into spending bills.
"It will be a little embarrassing for the president if he signs a bill with that many earmarks on it," said Stan Collender , a veteran Washington budget analyst. "He'll say they're left over from the Bush years, and he as to say that next year the bill will be clean."
Experts agree that most earmarks are legitimate. Cary Leahey , senior economist with Decision Economics in New York , said the nation's economic crisis is a contributing factor to the plethora of earmarks. Lawmakers can argue that for a relatively small price they've helped boost the economy.
"One congressman's earmark is another legislative way to fix a serious problem in his district," Leahey said.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKwFwmicbUc
double standard SOP for the Dems. Wow, am I surprised by this.
Right, when McCain was talking about earmarks in the debates they wrote him off as a senile old man out of touch versus Obama’s complete coolness. BARFNESS!!!
9000, that is 180 per state. Anything there for me? lol
A few minutes ago Obama stated that economists had agree that with the retraction of the economy, $1 trillion needed to be pumped into the economy this year. That’s why he pushed Porkulus I.
As we all know, 60% of Porkulus I won’t be spend until 2011. So what the heck is he talking about? $1 trillion won’t be pumped in this year. $400 billion will be pumped in by then end of 2010, so about $200 billion will be pumped in this year.
I asked another thread, does anyone know if Obama is a graduate of the Louis Farakan University Math department?
They all go to blue states!
I’m still waiting to see how by double the federal deficit in his first 100 days, he’s going to cut it in half in four years.
Obama’s being yanked around with a chain by Pelosi et al.
Are you a white male?
If so, no.
But Obama said there were no earmarks.
Stop the insanity!
You get a bikini wax rebate, hair, lots of hair.
So whatever those earmarks are for, all I can figure is they go to enrich the congress critter and his/her cronies and campaign contributors. The dough doesn't filter down to us peons.
And you believed him? Bwahahahaha ... he’s a democrat, therefore he lies. PERIOD
I wonder if any organization has listed them by congress critter? It would be interesting to see the breakout along with the dollar amount attributed to each critter...
Use state money for states you statist idiots.
Only 9,000!!??
Well, at least it’s not an outrageous number of earmarks?
/sarc
The plot to destroy America
The WARROOM radio show | 02/23/09 | Jim Quinn
Posted on 02/23/2009 1:28:40 PM PST by Neil E. Wright
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2192235/posts
Obama drives spike through hearts of airlines, hotels
2/23/09 | Vanity
Posted on 02/23/2009 1:00:39 PM PST by pabianice
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2192212/posts
US Congress tries to finish overdue 2009 spending
[Democrats Monday unveiled a $410 billion measure]
alertnet.org
Posted on 02/23/2009 2:38:19 PM PST by Sub-Driver
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2192284/posts
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