What's with all the earmarks?

[steelmania75]

I though Obama was going to change that? Now he's going to sign a bill full of earmarks...

[noiretextatique]

1. which earmarks?

:popcorn:

[steelmania75]

2. They're saying there's over 9,000 earmarks in a spending bill that Obama will sign

Can't he just cut them out?

[ecstatic]

8. I'm sure McCain shares your concerns

We must get rid of the earmarks!!1 Especially the one about the grizzly bears!

[jmg257]

12. Who is "They"? nt

[globalvillage]

18. Variant of 'some'

You know. "Some say ...", "They say ...".

[Donnachaidh]

15. WHO is saying?

Sounds like puke talking points. :puke:

[PA Democrat]

22. Who is saying this and how do they define an "earmark"?

The only recourse we have at this point to jump start the economy id through government spending. Consumer spending and investment spending have tanked, so government spending is about the only thing left to stimulate the economy.

[Stephanie]

25. That's exactly what I heard - at the "Tea Party" on Saturday

Nobody gave any sourcing, of course.

[Muttocracy]

31. so when did the U.S. President get a line-item veto? nt

[polmaven]

37. OK....

First...Please define "they"

Second....No he can't "just cut them out". The president does not have a line item veto.

[jmg257]

11. nt

[Earth_First]

3. Healthcare, energy and transportation?

THOSE earmarks?

[Spider Jerusalem]

4. Who's that on my bridge?

[Donnachaidh]

19. DUZY!! okay -- owe me papertowels

:spray: :rofl:

[Muttocracy]

30. :)

[uppityperson]

36. !

[edhopper]

5. Earmarks make up

less than 1% of the Budget Bill. Stop listening to right-wing talking points.

[steelmania75]

9. Good point ed, the War in Iraq is an earmark worth a trillion dollars.

[SoCalDem]

6. We need single issue legislation, with each state getting a specified

"allowance" each legislative year...and each legislator has to apportion it, and be accountable to his own people for it.. It should not be run through as "laws"..

[sandnsea]

16. When a legislator apportions money

it's called an earmark.

[SoCalDem]

21. I realize that, but it needs to be SEPARATE from bills they pass

They need to be grown up about it, and just say that state#A gets $xx for fiscal year whatever, and the delegation from THAT state decides what gets funded from that portion of money alloted to the state, When they stiff a certain segment of their own population, they will be replaced..end of problem,

It should all be online, like a laundry list, for all to see where the money went..

These should NOT be inserted into general legislation as "bargaining" chips to get each other's votes..

[sandnsea]

23. Even if it was separate

they'd still haggle over them and use them as political fodder and bargaining chips. I think people at the local level just need to get more pro-active about what is being done in their district. Obama needs to launch Earmark Meetings during the next budget so that WE know what is in our own districts and can help chip away at the pork.

We have a draw bridge on the river and the electricals burnt out on Friday. It was stuck in the up position for 3 hours until we got someone to fix it. It will cost $5 million to repair and will probably be done through an earmark. It has to be fixed, no question. But $5 million? Man that's a lot of money. And maybe it doesn't have to be fixed. Does every river on the Oregon Coast have to have ocean access? Don't know. Those are the things we all need to take responsibility for in our own towns I think.

[SoCalDem]

24. infrastructure maintenance should be a part of REGULAR legislation

states should not have to beg for it :grr:

[Uzybone]

7. What earmarks? Do you know the details?

Or are you just repeating what the MSM said?

[Uzybone]

10. Look at this heaping pile of rotten pork.

Among its many earmarks, the pending bill contains grants for social services agencies to help seniors and at-risk youth, money for police department to purchase dashboard cameras, agricultural research such as $1.7 million for honey bee research in Texas, road projects and help for transit agencies.

[Thickasabrick]

29. Um....I'm assuming and hoping you are being facetious?

[Redbear]

13. President Obama cant change that. Only Congress can.

He supported the bill by Sen. Demint that would ban them, but it lost 79-21.

The only option the President would have is to veto the entire bill, and that would kill some very worthwhile projects.

[sandnsea]

14. Half as many as Bushco had

That's progress.

He's already said he opposes the earmarks but isn't going to fight it this year.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. Name one.

[JBoris]

28. "something called Volcano Monitoring"... what a waste! Pork! Its Pooork!!!

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

20. It generally helps your argument if you bring evidence and examples to the table. nt

[Still Sensible]

26. I think this is Congress flexing its muscle

We had a couple stories here in Oklahoma today about these earmarks and subtly calling out the republicans in our congressional delegation that--even though they rail about earmarks all the time--their own $66 million worth are in this bill. The lone exception in our state is Tom Coburn, prick though he may be in so many ways, stands on his no-earmarks principles, so none of these had his name on them.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20090302_16_A1_WASHIN658478

[globalvillage]

27. Earmarks.

Thousands of immediate jobs for shovel-ready projects like this?

http://www.jkmediasource.org/node/177

http://www.jkmediasource.org/node/175


Is that what you mean by earmarks?

[karynnj]

32. That is a wonderful earmark - creating jobs, immediate and long term

Ending up with things of long term value.

[noiretextatique]

33. earmark information

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5176777

[MadBadger]

34. I've had my suspicions for awhile

This thread confirms them.

[Cid_B]

35. Your earmark is someone elses...

"shovel ready" stimulating project...