McCain LIES or he doesn't know what he is talking about in regards to EARMARKS!

[redstate_democrat]

I thought the line item veto was ruled unconstitutional under President Clinton? Earmarks are usually part of spending bills. If these earmarks are part of spending bills, how in the WORLD would John McCain be able to take his "pen" and eliminate them? He talks a good game of eliminating these earmarks, but is that even possible for a President to do since Presidents don't have constitutional authority to even legislate/spend and it is solely up to Congress under Article I of the Constitution?

I've also heard him talk about making the people who request these earmarks "famous". How is this different than what Obama has already done with his "Government Google" initiative where he made spending and all that kind of stuff available on the internet? He is proposing to do something Obama has already done.

McCain can't eliminate Earmarks without Congress. How is he, who railes and denigrates the very people he NEEDS to eliminate earmarks, going to really get something like that accomplished when he has no power, except for just vetoing the entire spending bill?

John McCain is either a LIAR or an enormous moron.

He also talks about slashing spending. Where will he take this money from to make up for the 4 trillion in tax cuts he proposes? He will have to cut entitlement programs ENORMOUSLY! Earmarks make up such a SMALLLLLLL portion of overall spending. I want to know exactly what he proposes to cut. He talks like he actually has a PLAN to cut spending, but he has put forth NOTHING to actually show what he will cut. He is talking out of the side of his mouth.

John McCain is a lie and a moron.

[seasat]

1. 17.2 billion in 2008 out of a budget of 2,439.3 billion or 0.7%

According to this watch dog group, there were 17.2 billion in earmarks in 2008 and according to the government budget report (Large PDF), the total on budget outlays were 2.4 trillion. Total earmarks represent seven tenths of a percent of the total budget.

McSame would not even consider half of those earmarks pork. He's backed off on large earmarks such as aid to our allies. How is that idiot going to balance a 450 billion dollar deficit by cutting about 8 billion dollars in pork projects? That doesn't include the quarter trillion dollars of deficit added if his insane tax proposal passes. It doesn't include his expansion of military spending. If elected, he could easily have the first trillion dollar deficit.

There is no way he can balance the budget without gutting or eliminating all government services and extreme cuts to the military following his plan. My three year olds will still be paying for his debt by the time they retire if he even gets half his plan through congress.

To those (not here on DU) that say he won't be able to get it through a Democratic controlled congress, I present the case of Dubya. He ran as a maverick who was a "uniter and not a divider." He pledged fiscal responsibility. They said that he wouldn't get his plan through congress. Now with the economy in shambles and deficits through the roof, those same folks are saying that Bush wasn't a real fiscal conservative, McCain is. I think I've heard this tune before.