Where did this talk about earmarks come from? I thought those

[Subdivisions]

were eliminated? On Mourning Shmo Rep. Steny Hoyer was just defending Shmo's claim that there are 9000 earmarks in some bill. Which bill are they talking about? Hoyer said there's more like 4000 and they include earmarks from 453 districts and every rep. What am I missing here?

Edited to add: BTW, I heard a little something about this as I passed by my roomy's TV last night. He is a Fox News drone.

[Historic NY]

1. The appropriations bills....everyone seems to pile on.

[babylonsister]

2. Here:

House Democrats propose $410B spending bill

By DAVID ESPO – 2 days ago


WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats unveiled a $410 billion spending bill on Monday to keep the government running through the end of the fiscal year, setting up the second political struggle over federal funds in less than a month with Republicans.

The measure includes thousands of earmarks, the pet projects favored by lawmakers but often criticized by the public in opinion polls. There was no official total of the bill's earmarks, which accounted for at least $3.8 billion.

The legislation, which includes an increase of roughly 8 percent over spending in the last fiscal year, is expected to clear the House later in the week.

Democrats defended the spending increases, saying they were needed to make up for cuts enacted in recent years or proposed a year ago by then-President George W. Bush in health, education, energy and other programs.

more...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iJVaOiD0jiLSGgwW2bC-FQG73riQD96HLDG00

[Subdivisions]

4. Ah, the budget. I just turned to CNBC and Hoyer was on there fresh

from Mourning Shmo and it became clear they're referring to the Obama budget. Thanks for the link. :hi:

[Avalux]

3. I'm not sure. The Pukes and their lackeys are out in full force this morning tho.

Screaming about how Obama is trying to do too much at once and how he can't pay for any of it. So very concerned about the deficit and spending. I think I heard the word "earmarks" too.

A thing about earmarks though. Republicans have managed to make it a dirty word; so any project spending is labeled an earmark and is BAD. Not true.

[Subdivisions]

9. That's funny because Hoyer said there are earmarks in the budget

bill representing 453 districts and nearly or all members of Congress, including republicons.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

12. The Congressional budget doesn't even list spending on specific programs.

There are not earmarks in the budget.

[jimshoes]

5. The reeps want a spending bill

with no spending in it. Just tax cuts I guess.

[madokie]

8. Thats exactly what they want

How such short sighted people make it into government is beyond me.

[zbdent]

13. it's not "frivolous spending" when it's

for a Republican ...

[flobee1]

6. They only want spending for war

and they dont want it in the budget

[maddezmom]

7. House Passes Spending Bill, and Critics Are Quick to Point Out Pork

WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday passed a $410 billion omnibus spending bill packed with pet projects requested by Democrats and Republicans alike.

The latest on President Obama, the new administration and other news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion.


The 245-to-178 vote came just a week after President Obama signed one of the largest spending bills in the nation’s history, a $787 billion measure meant to rejuvenate a sluggish economy.

The new bill, a reflection of Democratic priorities, increases spending on domestic programs by an average of 8 percent in the current fiscal year, which began in October.

~snip~

Republicans, however, did not mince words in describing the spending bill as wasteful. And one watchdog group said the bill provided nearly $8 billion for more than 8,500 pet projects favored by lawmakers, including $1.7 million for a honey bee laboratory in Weslaco, Tex.; $346,000 for research on apple fire blight in Michigan and New York; and $1.5 million for work on grapes and grape products, including wine.

~snip~

The bill increases budgets for the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation, among others.

~snip~

Moreover, Democrats said 40 percent of the spending on earmarks went to projects that had been requested by Republicans.

more:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/us/politics/26spend.html

[LiberalFighter]

10. The key questions to ask about those "earmarks"?

Will it save or create jobs? Which desperately needs to be done.

Will it provide a service that is needed for the country such as weather related?

[mrcheerful]

11. Where else? Your compassionate conservative republicon party

You know the people who are worried that Bill Gates might have to pay taxes? Never mind the fact that "earmarks" are not all bad evil waste of tax payers dollars. Ever since Reagan showed up spewing crap about how pork barrel spending allowed welfare queens to sit at home watching cable TV on there wide screen TV's and drive their brand new Caddies instead of having to work like the rest of Amerika. The republicons for the last 30 years have been very good at finding wasteful spending towards people that have the least. They bring out their charts and graphs showing how such and such program wastes tax dollars.

What they don't tell their nit wit blind followers is everyone benefits from "earmarks" in the states that get them. In fact the nit wits are so blind in their dislike of the neighbor getting something they feel they are entitled to that they gladly give away benefits that they themselves use, then blame their having loss the benefit on the neighbor. Cons are very good at playing on the personal greed, republicons are no different then the street con, except the republicon never spends one day behind bars for conning their victims out of billions.