Posted on 12/15/2010 10:15:17 AM PST by BradtotheBone
Senate Republican leaders are taking heat for millions of dollars worth of earmarks they requested in a $1.1 trillion spending package on deck for passage this month.
GOP Policy Committee Chairman John Thune (S.D.) and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (Texas) convened a Wednesday morning press conference to criticize Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) for trying to speed the package through the Senate before Christmas.
But Thune and Cornyn faced a barrage of hostile questions about their earmarks by reporters from NPR, ABC News and NBC News.
“Going through this bill, there is earmark after earmark from the both of you, millions of dollars in earmarks from the two of you and from other senators,” ABC’s Jonathan Karl told Cornyn and Thune. “How do you have any credibility on this? Why do you have earmarks?”
Cornyn said he had credibility on the issue because he plans to vote against the omnibus spending bill.
“If people have concerns about what’s in the bill, we ought to be given an opportunity to offer amendments to strip those out and I’m happy to have that process done,” Cornyn said.
Taxpayers for Common Sense, a non-partisan group that tracks federal spending, said that Cornyn secured $750,000 for a drinking water project in Midland, Texas; $800,000 for a stormwater mitigation project in Nacogdoches, Texas; $500,000 for a street improvement project in downtown Denton, Texas, among other projects.
“The simple answer is I’m going to vote against the bill and refuse all of those earmarks,” said Cornyn.
But that answer didn’t satisfy some members of the Capitol press corps.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Shocking!
We’re going to start with next Congress. You can count on us!(snort)
They’re afraid the bill will pass without enough bacon for their own constituents. They’ve got to drop that fear. They’ve got to act like adults and face up to what the word CONSERVATIVE actually means.
Or they need to retire.
The Rush Limbaugh LIVE Radio Show Thread - Wednesday, December 15, 2010
...has a number of links to the earmark info. Scroll down the thread, read it and weep.
I keep saying both parties SUCK!They don’t get it do they???
I can agree with a tactic that loads up this pig of a bill with earmarks. Have a ball senators, load it up. Instead of $1.1 Trillion, bloat it up further to $100 Trillion. Or more. This could be a quite effective tactic to win this battle.
There's no way things are changing with the same faces still in charge...
Saxby Chambliss (GA) has $41,713,000 in 41 projects in this bill.
Here are some of the programs he wants us to pay for:
-Construction of a Civil Rights Museum and Visitor Center $500,000
-Minority Energy Science Research and Education Initiative $400,000
-Peanut Research, $1,000,000
-Water Use Reduction, $1,200,000
-Airport Runway Extension at Middle Georgia Regional Airport $1,400,000
-University of Georgia, Athens, GA, for obesity intervention and prevention $100,000
-Spelman College, Women in Science and Engineering Program $100,000
I guess these D.C. criminals didn’t pay attention last election.
Soooo time for a new Conservative Party.
Or they need to retire.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
OR
They need to be retired.
I hope they've learned a lesson.
They should be booted out of office the next time they come up for election.
Enough is Enough !
If Thomas Jefferson were still alive, he would take our current constitutionally illiterate elected officials to the woodshed for spending Federal Tax dollars on programs that are 99.9999% State and not federal responsibility.
If you look a most of these pork laden bills you will find most earmarks do not pass the smell test of something the federal government should be involved with.
If the politicians do not know their constitutional limits then how can we attack these non-federal responsibility items? If we go to the USSC it seems, based upon some recent rulings, American citizens have no standing.
Well if we have no standing who the hell does? Maybe time is well past for a complete overhaul and purging of EVERY branch of government so as to create a government where the citizens DO have standing.
Why cannot enough house members get together and leave DC, denying the dead-duck congress a QUORUM???
Is it true the Omnibus and Tax bills will add 2 Trillion to the deficit ?
For once the MSM serves a useful purpose. Yes, it's meant to help Democrats but I don't care. They are all corrupt. If the Republicans think I'm going to be bought off because they oppose the final passage of the bill while simultaneously adding earmarks to it (after they voted not to do so!) and add pork to the tax deal they are in for a rude awakening.
ROFL...
Right out of Ron Paul's playbook. Insert 'em and then vote against the bill when it will pass anyway. What a flamin' weasel.
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